Used car help

[Dani Filth]

i'd get a GTV for sure .. also so a nice Fiat 850 Sport Coupe the other day
i'm actually planning on getting a Lada 1500 .. a russian Fiat copy

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by Suze

I paid sub £500 for my first car (Micra!) but have insured it fully comp, just because the price difference between that and third party was little.

However, although I paid sub £500, I am about to spend a few hundred on it to "get it straight" and keep it running, hopefully, well - new tyres, new front brake pads etc etc - just wear and tear stuff. If you do decide to buy a slightly older car, as someone mentioned earlier (sorry can't remember who!) I would really recommend checking out part costs as well, and remember that you may have to spend a few hundred on it as well to keep it on the road and functioning well. Mine's a 94 model, FWIW, and I looked at VWs, Corsas, Micra etc - ie small second hand cars - before going to this one which was kept tidy anyway.

What do you pay for your insurance, assuming you have insured it in your name?
The problem with fully comp is the excess for young drivers. I have just paid the second years insurance on my daughter's car and the difference between fully comp and TPTF is between £60-£100. The standard excess and compulsory excess for fully comp comes to £700 on some policies and is more than the car would be valued at (they will never pay the true value) even if it were a total loss.
I see no reason to give the insurance company up to £100 extra for absolutly nothing.

[Suze]

£54 or £56 a month but Sam is named driver and I am down as second driver - sorry should probably have said earlier. Was about £300 cheaper doing it that way (he has max years no claims as well) and we're with Norwich Union.

To be honest I have no idea what the excess is at all...!

[Tim Falce]

That's quite a good price, probably cheaper than we pay here in S London.
The excess will be whatever his company's standard excess is plus about £450 for a young and inexperienced driver, dont forget the compusory excess will be added to the standard one in the event of a claim. I can't remember, have you passed your test yet?
BTW sorry for the hijack.

[Suze]

Nope.

Probably is a better price, but a benefit of living in Herts I guess! It made such a big difference the way we insured it, it's definitely worth it if you can.

[garcon]

t's certainly cheaper for the moment, but I'd advise getting a policy in your own name as soon as you can after passing your test (maybe a year or so) - you won't begin to rack up no claims bonus until you do, and that is the only way of getting your premium down in future.

(One or two companies are starting to give NCB to named drivers, but this is still rare and probably not transferrable)

[Suze]

Actually what you say is pretty much what I want to do - wait about eight months / a year after passing and then get it in my own name, so the price will probably jump up then and then hopefully go back down! The idea of waiting after having passed is to show that (hopefully!) I have passed and had no claims in that period between passing and insuring car in my own name - never know, may help!

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by Suze

Sam is named driver and I am down as second driver

Be aware that if you have an accident some insurance companies will not pay out if they believe it's actually your car and that you are the primary driver. Not the case here but that is especially true where a son has insured his car in his parent's name to avoid a high premium.

[Suze]

The car is mine and is registered with the DVLA in my name but at the moment am not the primary driver, ie clocking up the most miles. Thanks for pointing it out but had thought of that already when doing the insurance and I'm not clocking up the most miles...yet!

[davemorganfan]

Originally Posted by TimD

Why not also consider a late Rover 25 or 200? They are as reliable as anything else out there, despite the doom-merchants there ARE parts to be easily had and the servicing and insurance costs are some of the lowest. I run 2 Rovers, a 216GSi and an 827 Sterling and I'm very, very happy with both. The little 200 encourages spirited driving, likes to be "chucked" and will eat motorway miles very satisfactorily.

Agree completely about the 200, or the 25. We're on our second one now and I have nothing but praise for them. Our current 216 SLi has something of a split personality - if you just want to pootle about, it will do the job without fuss, rev it a bit harder and you'll get a surprise at just how fast it can fly. You can pick 'em up dirt cheap, and it's not too difficult to find a good one as they are often driven by people who look after them. The 200vi we had before that was so good I kept it much longer than I ever keep a car, and had real trouble finding a replacement as nothing seemed to be significantly better. In the end I plumped for a new Mini as it was so different to anything else!

[dj choc ice]

well if we are talking about small cars, then may i reccomend the peugeot 306 XSI, i drove one around christmas and it is a terrific little car to drive but insurance would probably be hefty on one.

also maybe look at a VW golf 1.6 upwards, ok they are bland but they are comfy and easy to drive and wont go wrong, also they are pretty cheap now pick a decent old shape 1.6 or 1.8 up for £4,000.

[CombeMarshal]

For a ten year old car you should be way under £1000
Go for a Pug 406td (or the Xantia) you can get a top of the range one for about £1000 on a S plate (ish!)
I really wouldn't go German for the First car (or any in my case!!) you pay a premium just for the badge (which I always take off anyway!!)