Young Yank Owners?

[anonymous-user]

Today I've been considering eventual replacements for my 205 when my insurance comes up for renewal. 'Mainstream' cars that I've been looking at seem to be stupidly expensive to insure for me next year (more than my extensively modified 205 GTi at least, although I am with a very good company who unfortunately say they are may not be able to insure me ), so I'm beginning to think a bit left field, first at kit cars but considering I live in London and ideal want something I can use daily, I'm looking American.

Now I've heard in passing that American car owners get pretty good deals on insurance, but upon some further research it seems like I may have been misinformed. I stumbled across a 35 year old paying £500 a year for a Gen 4 Camaro only used at weekends, which seemed a bit expensive?

I just wanted to know if any other young'uns (Sub 25) are driving anything american and if so, what is the insurance like?

I am after either a 70s/80s Cadillac land yacht , or Gen 3 Camaro/Firdbird (possibly Gen 4) if that helps (unless I can find a 86ish SS Monte Carlo, 70 Chevelle, 60s Nova or 94 Impla for pennies )

Thanks!

Josh

[IROC-Z]

I've just turned 25 and I pay around £400 a year for my 92' Chevrolet Camaro Z28 5.7. I bought my first Camaro when I was 23 my original policy cost me £273 a year with Henderson Taylor insurance. Adrian Flux quoted me around the £1000 mark at the same time, so obviously prices are all over the place. That said, my policy is limited to 3000 miles a year and is on condition the car is kept in a garage and I have, or am a named driver on another insurance policy. If I wanted to use it as my main car I'd had to of coughed up a lot more.

Out of interest, who you you insure your 205 with and how much do you pay? There must be an insurance company out there that wants your money!

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for the info.

My insurance? A painful question to ask a young male living in London that has a modified car with the cubic capacity to rival a bottle of Coca-Cola .

A full year's policy would be £1,700 (although seeing as I'm coming to the end of my policy, I only have to make 3 more payments at this inflated price, then I effectively get 2 - 3 months 'free' ) with a company called 'Delta' (found them through Lancaster insurance). I think that they are an underwriters, but aren't entirely sure as I haven't be able to find out any information over the net about them! All I know is I pay them money and my car shows up on the MID as insured, can't ask for much more as I'd go down the route of a accident management company if I were hit, or if I hit someone else hopefully I'd be die so I wouldn't have to deal with stupidly inflated insurance premiums next year for a 1.0 hatchback! .

A lot of money yeah, but I work with a guy who is slightly younger who spunks a similar wedge of cash on a 1.4 MK4 Golf with R32 rims (Blud ), so I think I win .

As much as I'd love to bring my insurance to under a grand, I'd be willing to go up to £1,500 at the absolute most (God, I hate talking about insurance. Looking at these figures is making me slightly sick. So much money for so little ). Of course this is providing a company will take me on - Garaging the car would be a struggle but possible, but the being named on another policy isn't likely to happy. Not cheaply anyway. Do you have an usable restrictions other than the mileage? I.E, could you drive it to work a few days a week if you wished?

How did insurance companies react towards you trying to get insured on a 5.7 V8 beast at 23? In the past I've found companies to be quite rude when you try and get a quote for a car you 'shouldn't have'.

And have you got anymore pictures? The one in your profile looks awesome (I'll take mine in black please ).

Edited by Simps on Saturday 14th November 23:09

[maudyZ28]

hey, got my 99 z28 4th gen camaro at 21, was £950 for year with adrian flux, on drive 1 yrs bonus, 4 years of driving, previous car 2.5L BMW.

But its gatta be said you need to respect the beast, just one second of disrespect, and wham the arse end flick round on you on a wet road with surrounding traffic, ends bad, very expensive mistake on my part but you live and learn.

Anyways then it went up to £1560 ish with other company, AD were 100 cheaper still but i had ability to drive other cars on the new policy with bell.

This coming renewal ill be 23, with a years bonus back now and its around 1100 or so as the 'accident' is still on record.

I found that the old shape mustangs, 3rd and 4th gen camaros are pretty good to insure. only thing id worry is the comgestion charge if i was in London?

[IROC-Z]

Simps said:

How did insurance companies react towards you trying to get insured on a 5.7 V8 beast at 23? In the past I've found companies to be quite rude when you try and get a quote for a car you 'shouldn't have'.

And have you got anymore pictures? The one in your profile looks awesome (I'll take mine in black please ).

Edited by Simps on Saturday 14th November 23:09

My first Camaro was actually a 5.0 V8 and my Z28 is a 5.7 V8 but I doubt it would have made a dramatic difference. Adrian Flux were pretty unreceptive and when I'd told them I had owned some reasonably powerful cars, namely a Volvo T5 and a Vectra V6 and had no claims in around 4 years of motoring they were completely unimpressed. I thought that wasn't a bad record for a 23 year old! Oh yes, they also quoted me £6000 on a E34 BMW M5! The other companies a tried were equally unhelpful, I think MCE and Aplan ring a bell.

Henderson Taylor were the only ones who were helpful and willing to quote me. The best thing you can do is just get some quotes, the chap who runs it is very helpful and should be able to adapt a policy to your needs. As young chap wanting to insure an American car, presumably to be parked on the street in London I can't imagine it'll be cheap!

http://www.hendersontaylor.co.uk/

Here's a link to a post of mine with a couple more photos my Z28 Glad you like it! Black and red are best colours!

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...

[ringram]

I had a 93 Z28 5.7L 6sp at 28, my first UK car, no history etc. £400 fully comp. My second choice a Turbo Calibra was £3k!
In retrospect the insurers did me a favour the V8 has never lost its grip on me. It ended up a 12 second grunter.
You will pay way less with a yank for sure. Get a 99+ Z28 IMO. The LS1 is super awsome.

[Poncho pilot]

I bought my old Chevelle Convertible when i was 26. It cost me about £350 to insure with Sureterm. Currently paying just under £300 to cover my '69 Firebird.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for the words guys!

The general word was that you had to be 25+ to even consider owning a classic/American car, so hearing that some choice insurers will give you the time of day is very encouraging

Does anybody know how exactly do Insurance companies work out the risks on American cars anyway? I imagine they must pluck them right out of the air, as I doubt there aren't many claims (or any at all) on some of the more obscure models that have made it out here. I'm trying to see if it is worth looking into some lesser known cars rather than the obvious Camaro.

[Matt From Flux]

Simps said:

Today I've been considering eventual replacements for my 205 when my insurance comes up for renewal. 'Mainstream' cars that I've been looking at seem to be stupidly expensive to insure for me next year (more than my extensively modified 205 GTi at least, although I am with a very good company who unfortunately say they are may not be able to insure me ), so I'm beginning to think a bit left field, first at kit cars but considering I live in London and ideal want something I can use daily, I'm looking American.

Now I've heard in passing that American car owners get pretty good deals on insurance, but upon some further research it seems like I may have been misinformed. I stumbled across a 35 year old paying £500 a year for a Gen 4 Camaro only used at weekends, which seemed a bit expensive?

I just wanted to know if any other young'uns (Sub 25) are driving anything american and if so, what is the insurance like?

I am after either a 70s/80s Cadillac land yacht , or Gen 3 Camaro/Firdbird (possibly Gen 4) if that helps (unless I can find a 86ish SS Monte Carlo, 70 Chevelle, 60s Nova or 94 Impla for pennies )

Thanks!

Josh

We do have markets available. If you want to send me some details I will get someone to call you and see what we can do.

[zs]

Simps said:

... as I doubt there aren't many claims (or any at all) on some of the more obscure models that have made it out here.

Expect there would be a fair few claims from some unfortunate RWD owners that have been mostly used to previously driving FWDs more commonly found over here??

[LuS1fer]

zs said:

Expect there would be a fair few claims from some unfortunate RWD owners that have been mostly used to previously driving FWDs more commonly found over here??

Why? Can't recall there was ever a problem before FWD arrived. Are modern drivers so bad at driving that they don't know the appropriate speed to drive for the conditions?

[baller11]

Im 22 and have a 69 superbee.....£850 fully comp.
Mate of mine is 21 driving a 55 chevy. If you want to do it you can

Both 2nd cars though on ltd mile policies, but still, it is possible!

[irish boy]

i was 19 when i bought my first yank, a '79 trans am 6.6, and i got my insurance gor 1200 for it and a corsa sri together. im 32 now so that was a good while ago!

[chevy-stu]

I had my 23rd gen IROC Camaro when I was 24 as my daily driver in London. Wasn't cheap but not not too expensive either, can't remember who with though. I'd try ringing round the usual yank insurers (Adrian Flux, Sureterm, MCE, Henderson Taylor etc..)

[LuS1fer]

chevy-stu said:

I had my 23rd gen IROC Camaro when I was 24 as my daily driver in London. Wasn't cheap but not not too expensive either, can't remember who with though. I'd try ringing round the usual yank insurers (Adrian Flux, Sureterm, MCE, Henderson Taylor etc..)

Bloody hell, it's Future Man - post some pics of that 23rd gen Camaro! Good to see they're still around.

[LightningMcSteve]

I bought my first Yank at 24. It was a 1984 5.0 Camaro Z28 H.O
I was amazed to find that it was cheaper to insure than my MkII Escort 1.6 Ghia. It was also worth 5 times as much too!

I've always had good quotes from Stevenage Insurance.

[felga]

I bought 98 C5 vette at 23 and first insurer was MCE @ 1523GBP ,then dropped to 780 with and this year in feb made it to 580GBP, all full comp, with european breakdown and 6500miles limit, car garaged , no points on license, 1 year NCB as first two were specialist insurance and didn`t earn any.

Andy