First car - advice on insurance and what to buy

Surinam

I was wondering if any of you had any advice for me. I am 26 and passed my driving test a year ago.

I'm looking to buy my first car in spring next year but have been blown away by the cost of insurance. The few quotes I have gotten have ranged from 1600 for fairly small cars (focus, golfs, astras - around 1.4L) and up to 2300 for 2 litre cars. This is fire and theft insurance and not fully comp.

I am a named driver on my parents car but never expected insurance to cost this much in my own name. What surprises me is that the value of the car doesn't seem to affect the quote, only the engine size.

Are there any particular brands of cars that attract lower prices? I don't want to buy a 1.0L piece of crap but may have no option.

My other query is recommendations for cars: I am hoping to have 10-12k to spend. I would like something reliable but fun to drive (and nice to look at!). I have received so much conflicting advice that I don't even know where to start. It doesn't need to be a big car but I would like either the ability to have a bike rack on the back or a boot big enough to fit a bike inside (even just with seats down).

I was looking at 3 and 5 series from 2007 - 2010 which fall within that budget but plenty of people have warned me that if something goes wrong it would cost me an arm and a leg (parts). I'm surprised that 5 series have depreciated so much - do they have known reliability issues?

I've driven rental skodas and volkswagens and loved them but they were brand new; I don't know what 5-7 year old models are like. As you can tell I am fairly clueless about all this.

Any advice much appreciated.

Thanks

acronym Chilli

The reason the value of the car doesn't drive the quote is because the insurers are looking primarily at your ability to do damage to others , whether their property or their health. The big payout isn't to replace your written off car (20k or less I guess) nor the car you hit (hardly likely to be more than 50k) but the compensation to the 8year old paralysed in the accident which could run to who knows how much (millions?).

Try to go for low powered cars, with no image problems (I.e. not favoured by racers), and nothing too old (15 years is too old, 14, 13 prob not great either) as that brings its own type of insurance loading.

Only way to know for sure what the insurance effect of your car choice is is to call insurers. FWIW, I had a punto (1.2l 8v) and discovered it was in one of the lowest insurance groups. Cheap to maintain too. I got fond of it over time once I started doing own services and maintenance.

Probably not the advice/tip you're looking for!

wired to the moon

it's hard to beat toyota.The corolla's are very economical to run.i don't know about the hatchback,but the saloon falls into a lower insurance bracket.they also have a great resale value.best of luck motoring!

bazz26

You can do as much damage and injury in a car worth €100 as a car worth€100,000. That's one of the factors insurance companies calculate risk and premiums. The main reason for such a high premium is probably because you have not got any previous claims free driving in your own name. Insurance companies do discount for claims free named driver experience but not at the same level as having claims free driving under a policy in your own name.

Surinam

Thanks all, makes sense - I'm just going to have to stomach the cost or buy a piece of sh*t underpowered car.

lanos

Surinam wrote: »

Thanks all, makes sense - I'm just going to have to stomach the cost or buy a piece of sh*t underpowered car.

You seem to have a boy racer mentality
The system works.

Surinam

lanos wrote: »

You seem to have a boy racer mentality
The system works.

Wow. Because I want to drive a semi decent car I am a boy racer who wants to kill other road users? I don't speed, I just don't want a car that struggles on motorways and is uncomfortable on long journeys.

lanos

Surinam wrote: »

Wow. Because I want to drive a semi decent car I am a boy racer who wants to kill other road users? I don't speed, I just don't want a car that struggles on motorways and is uncomfortable on long journeys.

Wow that's a bit dramatic
Saying that boy racers want to kill other road users
I don't think anybody wants to kill other road users.

colm_mcm

OP you could look at something in a diesel. Even your basic diesel in your price range has a nice wedge of mid range power, and insurance isn't usually that much more than a 1.4.

Not wanting something underpowered doesn't make someone a boy racer.

lanos

Surinam wrote: »

a piece of sh*t underpowered car.

colm_mcm wrote: »

Not wanting something underpowered doesn't make someone a boy racer.

I used to work at a place where there were a group of lads who drove Honda civics, Focus ST etc

They were clearly boy racers

you would regularly hear them refer to lesser cc cars as underpowered pieces of sh1t

it just seems to be boy racer terminology

colm_mcm

I drive a Honda Civic and wouldn't own a 1.4 miserybox. I'm not a 'boy racer' either.

Also owning a car like a Focus ST doesn't make you one either.

My understanding of boy racer is someone who drives the stones out of the car, drives 'around the town' a lot and races other boy racers

lanos

colm_mcm wrote: »

I drive a Honda Civic and wouldn't own a 1.4 miserybox. I'm not a 'boy racer' either.

good lad !