Classic car insurance for nippers
Discussion
I'm going to be boring here....
Maybe I'm a child of ABS, Side Impact Bars and Air Bags but classic cars for a young driver seems like a bad idea to me, its pretty much a proven fact the young inexperienced drivers are more likely to have an accident within the first couple of years of driving, that#s without taking into consideration other peoples driving ability on the road.
I'll make the assumption this is for your son/daughter (not that it really matters) but when I have kids I'm not sure I'd be too happy he/she driving something without the basic safety features proven to save lives, I know this is quite a boring view upon things in a PH "we are so cool" forum but it's perhaps a different view point you might want to explore.
Maybe I'm a child of ABS, Side Impact Bars and Air Bags but classic cars for a young driver seems like a bad idea to me, its pretty much a proven fact the young inexperienced drivers are more likely to have an accident within the first couple of years of driving, that#s without taking into consideration other peoples driving ability on the road.
I'll make the assumption this is for your son/daughter (not that it really matters) but when I have kids I'm not sure I'd be too happy he/she driving something without the basic safety features proven to save lives, I know this is quite a boring view upon things in a PH "we are so cool" forum but it's perhaps a different view point you might want to explore.
I have to disagree to be honest.
The less "drivers aids" between you and the driving the more you experience so you don't need to drive so hard. My first car was a Spitfire and yes it may have been slower than a normal choice and certainly had no safety equipment other than the one sitting in the seat, but it was more involving at lower speeds so you didn't need to push it to enjoy it. Plus if I did break it, I could fix it at the weekend for not a great deal.
Studies in Canada proved that each person drives at an acceptable level of risk, when steps were taken to make roads safer, the driver simply increased the speed to increase the risk to a similar level to before. Clarkson's suggestion of a great big spike in the middle of the steering wheel may not have been far from the mark!
The less "drivers aids" between you and the driving the more you experience so you don't need to drive so hard. My first car was a Spitfire and yes it may have been slower than a normal choice and certainly had no safety equipment other than the one sitting in the seat, but it was more involving at lower speeds so you didn't need to push it to enjoy it. Plus if I did break it, I could fix it at the weekend for not a great deal.
Studies in Canada proved that each person drives at an acceptable level of risk, when steps were taken to make roads safer, the driver simply increased the speed to increase the risk to a similar level to before. Clarkson's suggestion of a great big spike in the middle of the steering wheel may not have been far from the mark!
With regards to classic car insurance it has always been my understanding that in order to get the low rates and other classic car insurance benefits that you must have a 'normal' car as your main vehicle, and some classic car policies have limited mileage. So if you intention if for the 'nipper' to drive the classic as their main 'daily driver' you may find yourself in a spot of bother in the event of a claim and what the car was being used for at the time. I tried to get classic insurance for may Herald as a daily driver some years ago and was told no, because of my intended use of the car. So I had to go on a regular policy.
So, all I say is make sure you read the 'small print' about the use of the car etc.
So, all I say is make sure you read the 'small print' about the use of the car etc.
geeman237 said:
With regards to classic car insurance it has always been my understanding that in order to get the low rates and other classic car insurance benefits that you must have a 'normal' car as your main vehicle, and some classic car policies have limited mileage. So if you intention if for the 'nipper' to drive the classic as their main 'daily driver' you may find yourself in a spot of bother in the event of a claim and what the car was being used for at the time. I tried to get classic insurance for may Herald as a daily driver some years ago and was told no, because of my intended use of the car. So I had to go on a regular policy.
So, all I say is make sure you read the 'small print' about the use of the car etc.
Not the case - I ran a Dolomite Sprint as my only car on a classic policy for two years. And great fun it was too. So, all I say is make sure you read the 'small print' about the use of the car etc.
I agree that safety is paramount and also agree with the spike effect but this doesn't guard against some other lunatic....point taken.
Where does the fun element start with modern boxes.....he loves his old sausages and currently runs a 61 VW split pick up (on the company ins)
I really don't know....I spose I'll have to pick up the phone.
Where does the fun element start with modern boxes.....he loves his old sausages and currently runs a 61 VW split pick up (on the company ins)
I really don't know....I spose I'll have to pick up the phone.
I think footman james and adrian flux both say on their website they wont insure anyone under 25, however if you ring them they are more than willing to give you a quote.
Last year I was 19 and first insured my 1.3 mini (1972) with one or two small mods, as a second car and limited to 3500 miles a year, cost me around £800 with footman james. when I was on the phone they never once mentioned my age as being a problem.
Most 'normal' insurance companies wouldn’t touch me on account of either my age or the modifications.
As for car choice someone commented about not needing to drive an old car as hard to have as much fun, which I see as being true, but some people will crash whatever car their in. In an old car if you crash it will probably be at a lower speed because of the previous statement and the car is less capable to begin with. Saying that, if someone was going to run into me while imparked at traffic lights say, I'd much rather be in my modern car with crumple zones than in my mini.
Last year I was 19 and first insured my 1.3 mini (1972) with one or two small mods, as a second car and limited to 3500 miles a year, cost me around £800 with footman james. when I was on the phone they never once mentioned my age as being a problem.
Most 'normal' insurance companies wouldn’t touch me on account of either my age or the modifications.
As for car choice someone commented about not needing to drive an old car as hard to have as much fun, which I see as being true, but some people will crash whatever car their in. In an old car if you crash it will probably be at a lower speed because of the previous statement and the car is less capable to begin with. Saying that, if someone was going to run into me while imparked at traffic lights say, I'd much rather be in my modern car with crumple zones than in my mini.
I got a quote for when I pass my test from Footman James on my 1979 MGB GT with front and rear sebring conversion, tpft and unlimited mileage for £1034.
If I change the mileage I could probably bring the price down (to around £800) but I think I'll easily do more than 6000
Fully comp would be around £2000.
(They wouldn't quote on a 3.5 V8 though!
)
If I change the mileage I could probably bring the price down (to around £800) but I think I'll easily do more than 6000
Fully comp would be around £2000.
(They wouldn't quote on a 3.5 V8 though!
)MGB Boy said:
I got a quote for when I pass my test from Footman James on my 1979 MGB GT with front and rear sebring conversion, tpft and unlimited mileage for £1034.
If I change the mileage I could probably bring the price down (to around £800) but I think I'll easily do more than 6000
Fully comp would be around £2000.
(They wouldn't quote on a 3.5 V8 though!)
So that'll be for an age of 17 would it?If I change the mileage I could probably bring the price down (to around £800) but I think I'll easily do more than 6000
Fully comp would be around £2000.
(They wouldn't quote on a 3.5 V8 though!
)
You can get classic insurance for young drivers but it will depend not only on who you ask but how and what you say.
Some brokers just don't insure u25s.
Some brokers say they don't online but often will on the phone.
Some say they won't until you mention a owners club name.
I can only speak as a Triumph owner but the TSSC has a panel of 3 insurers who all agree to provide insurance to any club member:
- 17+
- with agreed value using the clubs own valuation system/cetrificates
Don't go through the club and you may find members of the panel saying they don't insure u25s but go through the panel and if they say it again you can contact the club to have a quiet word and get it sorted.
At a guess other big make/model clubs will have a similar deal for their members.
Some brokers just don't insure u25s.
Some brokers say they don't online but often will on the phone.
Some say they won't until you mention a owners club name.
I can only speak as a Triumph owner but the TSSC has a panel of 3 insurers who all agree to provide insurance to any club member:
- 17+
- with agreed value using the clubs own valuation system/cetrificates
Don't go through the club and you may find members of the panel saying they don't insure u25s but go through the panel and if they say it again you can contact the club to have a quiet word and get it sorted.
At a guess other big make/model clubs will have a similar deal for their members.
Edited by //j17 on Tuesday 2nd November 09:06
I've only ever had classic cars (aside from one honda civic 1.6 I couldn't insure long term), though I've also had modern motorcycles along side this.
When I was 17 and had my first 1300, I was with footman james. They only accepted me when taking into account three things; the year of no claims from a 50cc, my pass plus and that I was a member of a motoring club.
Everything with footman james was fine up until I was 20 and got my 2 door 1300 and tried to insure that. At 17 my insurance was 670 I think, that went to 550 at 18 and 450 at 19. They wanted 650 for my 2door (at 20) despite being valued the same, milage the same, having the same engine etc etc. I looked around, and nobody could even match the 650 quote. As I was only a few months from being 21 and a lot of companies will insure 21 year olds on classic policies, I waited and got insured for 350. This somewhat suggests classic insurance has changed considerably since then.(I'm only 21 now though)
I'd also like to say that FJ didn't give no claims bonus, where as the company I'm now with do - though I'm not entirely sure if my policy actually is a classic policy now. I'm not naming and shaming as I will fully admit that no other company I talked to could offer me a policy when I was 20 that was close to FJ's quote, Footman James were great for my first few years too, always friendly with short call wait times and intelligible operators, but what I was told is, since the acquisition of FJ by Aviva (I think?) their premiums went up and I simply wasn't prepared to pay that on principle (IE paying first year prices after being with the company for just under 4 years).
Because of the lack of no claims, it's actually better putting the car in a parent/guardians name and insuring as a named driver. I'm well aware this is known as "fronting", however, for an insurance company to actually prove the car is owned by and used primarily by the younger driver when the logbook is in the parents name is a pretty challenging excercise. It is a risk and it does boarder on fraud, unless, of course, your parent/guardian would be using the car a significant amount.
As for older cars being more dangerous, yeah they are if the person at the wheel is an idiot and uses the brakes while going around corners because they've gone in too fast or drives beyond what the car is able to do.
I enjoy driving classics far more because I feel more connected to the machine and I have been lucky enough to drive a few much more modern cars. I find you don't have as much feel of corners or of the limits of vehicles in modern cars. You don't notice speed as much and you feel somewhat distanced from the action of driving.
The only downside to classic motoring is the lack of power. I went on one road trip with 4 friends to brighton across to bournemouth and back to london and I would never do that again in my car, the power just isn't there and you need it if you're carrying a heavy load. Motorway driving isn't pleasant in older cars because really, I want to be doing 70-90 and a lot of older cars don't want to be doing those speeds. I probably would never have been satisfied with the classic cars if I didn't have my motorcycles as an alternative though, but that's me personally.
Insurance (among other things) made me wish I didn't live in Harrow. It's a really bad area for insurance prices. I have a few friends who have insured cars saying they live at their grandparents/aunts/etc places for the cheaper prices associated. It halved insurance for one person I know. Stupid and sad really.
When I was 17 and had my first 1300, I was with footman james. They only accepted me when taking into account three things; the year of no claims from a 50cc, my pass plus and that I was a member of a motoring club.
Everything with footman james was fine up until I was 20 and got my 2 door 1300 and tried to insure that. At 17 my insurance was 670 I think, that went to 550 at 18 and 450 at 19. They wanted 650 for my 2door (at 20) despite being valued the same, milage the same, having the same engine etc etc. I looked around, and nobody could even match the 650 quote. As I was only a few months from being 21 and a lot of companies will insure 21 year olds on classic policies, I waited and got insured for 350. This somewhat suggests classic insurance has changed considerably since then.(I'm only 21 now though)
I'd also like to say that FJ didn't give no claims bonus, where as the company I'm now with do - though I'm not entirely sure if my policy actually is a classic policy now. I'm not naming and shaming as I will fully admit that no other company I talked to could offer me a policy when I was 20 that was close to FJ's quote, Footman James were great for my first few years too, always friendly with short call wait times and intelligible operators, but what I was told is, since the acquisition of FJ by Aviva (I think?) their premiums went up and I simply wasn't prepared to pay that on principle (IE paying first year prices after being with the company for just under 4 years).
Because of the lack of no claims, it's actually better putting the car in a parent/guardians name and insuring as a named driver. I'm well aware this is known as "fronting", however, for an insurance company to actually prove the car is owned by and used primarily by the younger driver when the logbook is in the parents name is a pretty challenging excercise. It is a risk and it does boarder on fraud, unless, of course, your parent/guardian would be using the car a significant amount.
As for older cars being more dangerous, yeah they are if the person at the wheel is an idiot and uses the brakes while going around corners because they've gone in too fast or drives beyond what the car is able to do.
I enjoy driving classics far more because I feel more connected to the machine and I have been lucky enough to drive a few much more modern cars. I find you don't have as much feel of corners or of the limits of vehicles in modern cars. You don't notice speed as much and you feel somewhat distanced from the action of driving.
The only downside to classic motoring is the lack of power. I went on one road trip with 4 friends to brighton across to bournemouth and back to london and I would never do that again in my car, the power just isn't there and you need it if you're carrying a heavy load. Motorway driving isn't pleasant in older cars because really, I want to be doing 70-90 and a lot of older cars don't want to be doing those speeds. I probably would never have been satisfied with the classic cars if I didn't have my motorcycles as an alternative though, but that's me personally.
Insurance (among other things) made me wish I didn't live in Harrow. It's a really bad area for insurance prices. I have a few friends who have insured cars saying they live at their grandparents/aunts/etc places for the cheaper prices associated. It halved insurance for one person I know. Stupid and sad really.
Edited by LOGiK on Wednesday 3rd November 01:27
Edited by LOGiK on Wednesday 3rd November 01:29
snuffle said:
Great posting Sir
AgreedHow old do you have to go to enter the classic zone, we have the same dilemma with my son who is 18 and a real petrol head...are we looking early 90's or 80's or beyond...just trying to benchmark what we need to go for as would much rather buy him a 3 or four grands worth of classic rather than 2 grands worth of Ford Ka and then have to pay 4 grands worth of insurance for it.
I just insured my son aged 19 with Footman James they told me most cars over 30 yrs were considered classic some qualified after 20 yrs, Land Rovers after 15. I phoned them on numerous occasions with different cars and engine sizes for quotes and they were very helpful. Finally bought a Triumph Dolomite 1850 HL £740 for years insurance 4500 mile limit.
Edited by Motorwaymick on Wednesday 10th November 13:43
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff