LIFES A BITCH!!!! I can't afford to insure a Bravo

[Greig]

I have been trying for months now to get reasonable insurance for a bravo but it f*8king not possible. How do some of you'ze people afford to put uprated brakes, alloys, bodykits, induction, powerflow exhausts. They would charge me to uprate my tax disc holder.
Help me

G

 

[Wimmy]

Which model are you getting quotes on?
What sort of quotes are you getting?
What NCB do you have?

I have an 80SX with full NCB. £350 fully comp with £100 excess. I recently got a quote for a HGT at £720!

 

[Greig]

Quotes

The quotes ive been getting are pis*

97 1.4 sx no mods. Age 18. All third party quotes.

Budget - £2800
Directline - £2200 (roughly)
Online quote direct - £1600 Thats the best
liverpool victoria - £1900 (roughly)

I **** you not by the way. All about right i think.
Its not there fault i suppose. but thats a mighty chunck of my wages away in one go.

G

 

[Wimmy]

Re: Quotes

Ouch!

But then again, you're only 18. When I was that age, I had my car registered in my mothers name with me named on her insurance. It may be wirthwile doing that for a few years until you have a little more driving experience under your belt.

Then again, I was driving a 1984 1.0litre Talbot Horizon at that age! no jokes please

 

[Barakka]

Re: Re: Quotes

Unfortunately that's the way it goes mate..

My first car was a Fiat Tipo 1.4 (Bottom of range) unmodified, and the only decent insurance I could get was £1700 TPFT for 9 MONTHS !!! to get a full one year NCB as long as I stayed with the same insurer.... and that was 10 years ago, so 1600 for the Bravo isn't that bad.

The other option mentioned above used to be done all the time, register the car in yer mums name and insure it for her with you as a named second driver. The problem with this is if you are the main driver and you tell the insurance company this you'll only save about £10. If you don't tell them and anything happens you're screwed for about 10 years for insurance. These days insurance companies will go to great lengths to avoid paying out, including interviewing your neighbours to ask who normally drives the car!

It's worth putting it in your name and starting to build up your NCB as it will save you in the long run. If you haven't been insured before it's gonna cost you and you just have to bite the bullet, my girlfriend got her first car at 22 having driven since 17, and the first year was nearly £800 - it was fully comp, but it was also a Fiat Cinq 900cc (Group 1). Pay it now or pay it later....

Barakka

 

[Jonathan]

Insurance

If you want to start building up your own NCB at your age then the best thing to do is buy an A reg fiat panda. I am planning to do this, as i can insure it for about £500 with liverpool victoria (im 19).

I will keep my bravo insured on my dads name for another 1 or 2 years, and might not even drive the panda ever! I can pick one up for about £200 and you will probably get that for it in 2 years time if its stick in decent nick.

 

[Jonathan]

Main driver

I am the main driver on my dads policy. Itss an ANY DRIVER policy from CIS and i only pay £700. So being a named main driver is both cheap and legal.
I am 19.

 

[Old Get]

You dont know how lucky you are

OK your car insurance is high but do you have the overhead of a mortgage, house insurance, children, community charge, electricity, Gas, water rates, TV license, food, house maintenance, children etc etc etc.

Just thought I would advise you that you have that lot to come as well.....cheerful get aint I!

When I was 17 I had a 131 Abarth and at 18 had a Rover SD1 Vitesse 3.5 V8, which were dead fast (for their time) and cheaper to insure than an MG Metro! Have you thought about running a fast classic? For instance my HGT costs me over £900 pa and my V12 Jag costs just £248 (both fully comp) because the latter is a classic even though its only 12 years old. Just a thought.

Cheers

N
PS You do have my sympathy actually!

 

[Barakka]

Re: Insurance

Best insurance saving i've heard was a friend of mine who didn't learn to drive until she was 27.

But.. when she turned 17 she applied for and got her provisional licence, then her dad bought an ancient fiesta at £50 for scrap, which he put in the back yard and registered as off-road (SORN). She took out insurance in her own name on the car which cost next to nothing as she was a learner so would only be driving with someone else. As the car was registered as Off Road on private land no Tax applied and she just paid the insurance until she was ready to learn.

She passed her test at 27 and had 9 years NCB already !

 

[Greig]

Bite the bullet time

The V12 jag sounds good. But I feel so dissapointed. I've bought books on the bravo, i've scoured the internet for months about what to look out for when buying. I know more about a bravo than anything. And case I can't afford it thats it. I get moist thinking about driving one.

Oh well Cheers guys

G
PS that idea about buying a shafter and not driving it is class. 9 years no claims without turning a wheel

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Bite the bullet time

Are you sure you can build up No Claims as a learner driver policy? Surly when you then hold a full licence so does the policy?

Just a thought...

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Re: Bite the bullet time

worded that well didnt i! i mean that the policy will change with you now holding a full license. Because you have driven for so many years as a learner means you have to have someone who holds a licence for 3 years and be over 21 with you in the car and advrtise with an L on the car. well that would no longer apply with a full licence thus changing your original insurance policy.

Am i right? Amit, you work in insurance tell us all about it.

 

[Andy h]

Re: Re: Re: Bite the bullet time

I started my insurance on my 17th birthday asa learner and thats when my ncb started from so yes you can get ncb when ur a learner - if you've been learning on ur own policy you should have a bonus built up.

If you've been learning on someone elses policy tell the company when you get insurance quotes - even if you have no ncb, they may offer a discount for driving for a certain length of time with no accidents.

Just to make you all depressed...........a lad i went to college with runs www.cardboardfish.com(free sms and search engine if ur interested) and has just bought a brand new BMW M3 contvertible - needless to say the insurance is expensive, but then it is £60k of car!!

And yes everyone is extremely jealous of the b£*tard!!!

 

[Rob D]

Re: Re: Bite the bullet time

Yes you can build up you no I claims on a learner policy. I had my first car insured for about 6 months while I was learning to drive. 6 months later I got My first years NCB.

 

[Rob D]

Re: Re: Re: Bite the bullet time

Hang on a that dosen't make sense!

I insured my car at 17 and passed my test 6 months later so when I was 18 I got my first NCB. A bonus as I only drove the car 2-3 times a week with my mum and dad during the first 6 months while I was learing.

 

[Rowan Skinner]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Bite the bullet time

Just like to add a comment to this:
My insurance of the Camero is cheaper than the bravos.
Well the bravo costs me £700 full insurance.
And the V8 1989 camero is only £550.

And to put things into context i am 18, but i have a three years no claims as i had a moped when i was 16, and gained a years no claims from having that. But i do get insurance a bit cheap as it is coverd through the parents business policy.

 

[Rupert]

Re: Re: Re: Quotes

I'm quite surprised by the Direct Line quote. I also started off as a named driver on my mum's policy, but I've had my own policy with Direct Line for about a year and a half (I'm now 22) and they've always been the cheapest. (I think they're one of the few who don't try and discourage young male drivers!) Where do you live? That can also make a huge difference.

I think the others are right - it's best to start building up NCB as soon as possible. But with premiums like that, make sure you've got as many quotes as possible before committing yourself. You might also want to try www.elephant.co.uk - specialists with young drivers/high risk cars (not that a Bravo should fall into that category!)

 

[rowan skinner]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Bite the bullet time

I just found out something interesting last night.
Im insured through the NFU, which is basicly insurance for farmers, and is really cheap. One of my friends who is 17 is insuring a 1.9 DT renult clio for about £500 TPFT. Now normally you can only get insurance if u are a farmer, but i found out people can pay about a £50 yearly country membership fee, which then intitials them to be able to get all the insurance.
And a hint if you modd, when u initally phone up dont mention any mods, then once the insuanrce is out you declear them. I have had:
Abarth kit - No extra premium.
Induction kit - No extra
Alloys - only fee (£50 per annum)
Lowering spirngs - no extra.
And insurance up to 2k of sound system included in standard premium.

 

[Ph1l]

Insurance

I'm with elephant, and they do a good price for me. I'm 21 and have an HGT and only 1 year noclaims - it costs me £900.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Insurance

Elephant sorted me out too, less than half the cost of Direct line's quote!