What's the earliest age you can insure a Seven?
Discussion
Just wondering.
My Godson loves cars. He wants to spend some time over here with us after his studies, and I was thinking of getting a basic Seven in kit, and building it with him.
Then when it's finished, toss him the keys, and say "It's yours".
Long term plan, as he's still 14!
Would it be his 18th, or 21st Birthday present?
My Godson loves cars. He wants to spend some time over here with us after his studies, and I was thinking of getting a basic Seven in kit, and building it with him.
Then when it's finished, toss him the keys, and say "It's yours".
Long term plan, as he's still 14!
Would it be his 18th, or 21st Birthday present?
What a lucky Godson! I would imagine you could insure it at any age with a big enough budget but I'd also think about the safety / responsibility of handing the keys of something so potent to someone so young. At 18 experience and talent will not have caught up with the desire to give it some beans!
Why don't you build it, insure it in your name, take him to track days and let him drive and then chuck him the keys when he's 21 and has built up a little bit of experience (and maturity).
Jon
Why don't you build it, insure it in your name, take him to track days and let him drive and then chuck him the keys when he's 21 and has built up a little bit of experience (and maturity).
Jon
I agree that he'd be a very very lucky godson, but I disagree that young drivers are automatically irresponsible. My first 'own' car was a sports car - nothing like the performance of a decent Seven, but still far more than the Fiestas and Corsas my friends had. I'd worked my arse off to pay for it and I was aware that it was (for me) something a little bit special. I drove it very enthusiastically when I knew that there was nobody around and no unpleasant surprises around the corner; the rest of the time I drove it sensibly.
I guess there's an argument that says the crash protection on a Seven isn't exactly 5 star, but everything in life contains an element of risk. A well setup modestly powered Seven isn't much more difficult to drive than a kart - if he can keep one of those pointing in the right direction then he should be okay controlling a basic Caterham.
Actually, that could be another option - if you want to get involved then why not take him karting? There's plenty of hands on work involved in running a kart team and it'll ensure he has some idea what to do the first time a car (whatever it is) lets go on the road.
I guess there's an argument that says the crash protection on a Seven isn't exactly 5 star, but everything in life contains an element of risk. A well setup modestly powered Seven isn't much more difficult to drive than a kart - if he can keep one of those pointing in the right direction then he should be okay controlling a basic Caterham.
Actually, that could be another option - if you want to get involved then why not take him karting? There's plenty of hands on work involved in running a kart team and it'll ensure he has some idea what to do the first time a car (whatever it is) lets go on the road.
Thanks for the replies.
It would be a basic kit, so only 100 odd hp. He's also a bright kid, so I believe he would drive it responsably.
Unfourtunately, I don't get to see him as much as I'd like, with me being here, and he living in Warwickshire, so getting into Karting, trackdays etc. isn't really an option. But I'm sure his father wouldn't mind spending a few trackdays with him.
I'm sure I can sort something out with his Father.
I was just wondering if at 18, insurance would be prohibative.
I don't think age is a problem, with regard to him driving the car, after all, look at the age of F1 drivers and F15 pilots these days!
It would be a basic kit, so only 100 odd hp. He's also a bright kid, so I believe he would drive it responsably.
Unfourtunately, I don't get to see him as much as I'd like, with me being here, and he living in Warwickshire, so getting into Karting, trackdays etc. isn't really an option. But I'm sure his father wouldn't mind spending a few trackdays with him.
I'm sure I can sort something out with his Father.
I was just wondering if at 18, insurance would be prohibative.
I don't think age is a problem, with regard to him driving the car, after all, look at the age of F1 drivers and F15 pilots these days!
Insurance wise it may be difficult to find a copany to cover him at 18, but if you do - and it shouldn't be impossible - it'll probably be a bargain. My Quantum cost me £330 a year to insure at 19 (7 years ago) when I'd have been looking at the best part of £1,000 for any mass produced car. Kit or 'modern classic' insurance is the way forward for young petrolheads! Even a couple of years ago I was struggling to insure a mainstream daily driver but paying an absolute pittance for a 230bhp/ton kit car.
I think that you might be surprised how cheaply you can insure a seven for, even for younger drivers.
I remember when I first insured my seven with MSM I made a comment about waiting until I was a reasonable age until getting the car and they were of view that age wasn't too relevant.
The specialist kit car policies can be very cheap.
I remember when I first insured my seven with MSM I made a comment about waiting until I was a reasonable age until getting the car and they were of view that age wasn't too relevant.
The specialist kit car policies can be very cheap.
mickrick said:
Thanks for the replies.
It would be a basic kit, so only 100 odd hp. He's also a bright kid, so I believe he would drive it responsably.
Unfourtunately, I don't get to see him as much as I'd like, with me being here, and he living in Warwickshire, so getting into Karting, trackdays etc. isn't really an option. But I'm sure his father wouldn't mind spending a few trackdays with him.
I'm sure I can sort something out with his Father.
I was just wondering if at 18, insurance would be prohibative.
I don't think age is a problem, with regard to him driving the car, after all, look at the age of F1 drivers and F15 pilots these days!
Dear Uncle Mick,It would be a basic kit, so only 100 odd hp. He's also a bright kid, so I believe he would drive it responsably.
Unfourtunately, I don't get to see him as much as I'd like, with me being here, and he living in Warwickshire, so getting into Karting, trackdays etc. isn't really an option. But I'm sure his father wouldn't mind spending a few trackdays with him.
I'm sure I can sort something out with his Father.
I was just wondering if at 18, insurance would be prohibative.
I don't think age is a problem, with regard to him driving the car, after all, look at the age of F1 drivers and F15 pilots these days!
My mother has sent me from Ireland and told me to look you up. She said that if I was in a pickle with a cross flow you would procure an R500 to assist me with trips to the shops.
I await news of when I can pick up the vehicle.
Irish
Caterham insurance is cheap for 18 year olds. Nice gesture by the way. Worth more than money in terms of self development.
Edited by Irish on Thursday 4th February 21:52
I was insured on my dad's R500 evo at 18 for just under £800 per year fully comp. with £500 excess. MSM insurance.
Karting and racing is good though - I have a full competition license, a full karting license since 12, pass plus and no points or claims.
now 20 and Ultima GTR is circa £650 per year fully comp...
...kit cars are bargains!
Karting and racing is good though - I have a full competition license, a full karting license since 12, pass plus and no points or claims.
now 20 and Ultima GTR is circa £650 per year fully comp...
...kit cars are bargains!
allen l said:
Driving safely has nothing to do with age. One should know his limits. That's all.
I disagree (as do all the insurance companies obviously). I'd love to think that it's only a minority of tearaways that are "poor" drivers at 17. However it would be silly to think that anyone can suddenly get the experience, temperament, skills, judgement all suddenly at 17. Makes no sense. So I would contend that ALL drivers will be poorer and at higher risk earlier in their driving careers. How many young driversare likely to be immune from red mist.So even if you took a naturally gifted driver that started driving, karting etc at an early age, they are almost certainly going to be safer at 25 than at 17.
I'm not saying that any given young person shouldn't drive a 7 at an early age, but I think we need to be more realistic about risks!
Bert
Any car is dangerous though. I've been there and done it (sort of) and lived to tell the tale. Plus, as long as he realises it's a priviledge to have such an interesting, unusual and (comparatively) valuable car then he's more likely to drive it as such than with the usual beat-up ten year old hatchback.
The risk of getting hurt if something does go wrong is probably higher in a Seven than in something with airbags exploding out of every orifice, but it's an increase in risk, not an introduction of risk.
The only thing I can see from his perspective is you often want to load your car up with mates at 18, which could be a tad difficult. For a Caterham, though, I suspect they'd be happy to queue and go one at a time.
The risk of getting hurt if something does go wrong is probably higher in a Seven than in something with airbags exploding out of every orifice, but it's an increase in risk, not an introduction of risk.
The only thing I can see from his perspective is you often want to load your car up with mates at 18, which could be a tad difficult. For a Caterham, though, I suspect they'd be happy to queue and go one at a time.
Nice try Irish! 
But an R500? A bit greedy aren't you.
Interesting opinions. Seems insurance won't be a problem then.
Resposability isn't really an issue. Like i said, he's a smart kid. He's inherited some of his parents grey matter.
He'll probably have a car by then anyway, so a Seven will be a nice hobby for him, as a basic car will give him something to upgrade as he wishes.
Regarding the safety issue, I believe a sense of vulnerability hightens one's sense of awareness. You can't wrap kids in cotton wool all thier life.
I think driving a car without modern aids such as power steering ABS, traction and stability control will make a better driver. As I think motorcyclists make better drivers.
Modern tin tops give kids a false sense of security, and, they're probably quicker than a basic seven anyway.
I think we'll have some fun in the garage in a few years time!
I may even have mine finished by then!
But an R500? A bit greedy aren't you.Interesting opinions. Seems insurance won't be a problem then.
Resposability isn't really an issue. Like i said, he's a smart kid. He's inherited some of his parents grey matter.
He'll probably have a car by then anyway, so a Seven will be a nice hobby for him, as a basic car will give him something to upgrade as he wishes.
Regarding the safety issue, I believe a sense of vulnerability hightens one's sense of awareness. You can't wrap kids in cotton wool all thier life.
I think driving a car without modern aids such as power steering ABS, traction and stability control will make a better driver. As I think motorcyclists make better drivers.
Modern tin tops give kids a false sense of security, and, they're probably quicker than a basic seven anyway.
I think we'll have some fun in the garage in a few years time!
I may even have mine finished by then!
Will dig out the scheme details on Monday, but last time I looked there wasn't any age limit (beyond 18) to the 7/kit car policies that we underwrite. So that would be the ones sold via MSM or Flux etc.
Advanced driving, club membership etc can all make a difference to premium, so it should not be too silly. Not the £150 that us older geezers get away with though
Advanced driving, club membership etc can all make a difference to premium, so it should not be too silly. Not the £150 that us older geezers get away with though
Noger said:
18 is possible. Helps if you have at least a years NCD as this is sometimes required < 21.
Quite a bit of loading though
Yes this is exactly what I had to have when insured through MSM. One years no claims and also i think pass plus helped as well. Quite a bit of loading though
Although it is a lot more expensive - bear in mind at 18 my quote for a 1.6 civic worth 4k fully comp was £2000....
£800 for a caterham...!
...still the bargain of the century!
Noger said:
£800 is a bloody bargain !
P.S. See, not always a toffee nosed prick, eh Mickrick
No not always. P.S. See, not always a toffee nosed prick, eh Mickrick
Can't remember what it was about now. But I'll always buy anyone a beer, and you'll always be welcome to a glass on my terrace, if ever you're over. Thanks for doing the research.
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