focus 4 a first car?
Discussion
Use an online insurance broker to get a quote.
You didn't say how old you are, or if you have a full license or not.
A focus 1.6 is only group 5 insurance, so it should be quite good.
It is a great car but...
If its your first car, I would go dirt cheap, like a £500 banger. Then 3rd party fire and theft it(also brings the cost down). Hate to say it, but you WILL make mistakes, everyone does. I had 3 "errors" in two years in my first car, (a 1988 Escort 1.3 popular, oh yeah!!!!) two small, then wrote it off. If was replaced with a Focus that survived 4 years without any damage.
go on www.moneysupermarket.com it compares loads of insures and lists them all with their quotes, cheapest down to highest.
Well mate I work for Kwik-Fit Insurance and can tell you now that unless you go on your parents policy and have you as just a named driver, for a 1.6 focus you will exceed 2 grand. Think about it. Go on their policy for a few years then when you can afford it then move onto your own and build up your NCD and watch the price gradually go down.
Paul
Paul
FiestaFlyer said:
Well mate I work for Kwik-Fit Insurance and can tell you now that unless you go on your parents policy and have you as just a named driver, for a 1.6 focus you will exceed 2 grand. Think about it. Go on their policy for a few years then when you can afford it then move onto your own and build up your NCD and watch the price gradually go down.
Paul
So Paul Whyman from Kwik-Fit Insurance is advocating using a fronted policy? Hope your employers don't see this.Paul
Fronting would be the only realistic way of getting affordable insurance on a 1.6 Focus at 17, plus the excess is going to be horriffic if you go fully comp (which I'd imagine you'd want to do, considering the value of the cars).
To the OP: Your best bet is to get a smaller car (I had a 1.3 Fiesta Encore as my first car... it was cheaper to insure than a Fiesta with the Zetec engine as it had the slightly slower Endura lump... it's also a lower insurance group).
Also bear in mind you WILL dent/prang your first car, it's almost a dead cert, so anything that's going to cost £3000 to put right will really piss on your chips, especially if you'd be able to afford the same repair job on a cheaper car (without claiming)
Maybe put up with a 1300 for a year or two, do a pass plus to bring your insurance down too if you're concerned that insurance will be an issue (and it is extortion trying to insure a 17 year old guy on anything). Pass Plus will pay for itself in the discount some insurers give for it.
HTH
J
ETA: Fiesta's are not S
Y! My ZS is great!
To the OP: Your best bet is to get a smaller car (I had a 1.3 Fiesta Encore as my first car... it was cheaper to insure than a Fiesta with the Zetec engine as it had the slightly slower Endura lump... it's also a lower insurance group).
Also bear in mind you WILL dent/prang your first car, it's almost a dead cert, so anything that's going to cost £3000 to put right will really piss on your chips, especially if you'd be able to afford the same repair job on a cheaper car (without claiming)
Maybe put up with a 1300 for a year or two, do a pass plus to bring your insurance down too if you're concerned that insurance will be an issue (and it is extortion trying to insure a 17 year old guy on anything). Pass Plus will pay for itself in the discount some insurers give for it.
HTH
J
ETA: Fiesta's are not S
Y! My ZS is great!Edited by JamesZS on Monday 31st March 16:10
Hi. i was in the exactley the same scenario as you. New focus 1.6 as first car.
Car details (im not sure if all of these had a bearing or not): 1.6 TI-VCT, metallic Black, Styling pack inc.leather and upgraded alloys. Hatchback. Used for Social domestic and commuting. Kept on driveway(in an upmarket area of Edinburgh).
First year(17) car registered in mums name on Mums insurance - £750
Second Year(18), passplus and 3 points later - £850
Third Year(19), now owned in my name with insurance in my name - £724
My advise to you is to shop around. Ford insure do a really good deal for named drivers. Dont worry about this fronting phenomenon. If two people use the car equally then who is the main driver? It really is the way to go as insurance really is sky high for first timers. Trust me in your own name insurance you wont get anything better than a shopping cart and fire extinguisher for less than £1500. The more named drivers you add the less the premium may be as they think that the high risk is reduced.
Good luck anyway + focus is a brilliant car.
Car details (im not sure if all of these had a bearing or not): 1.6 TI-VCT, metallic Black, Styling pack inc.leather and upgraded alloys. Hatchback. Used for Social domestic and commuting. Kept on driveway(in an upmarket area of Edinburgh).
First year(17) car registered in mums name on Mums insurance - £750
Second Year(18), passplus and 3 points later - £850
Third Year(19), now owned in my name with insurance in my name - £724
My advise to you is to shop around. Ford insure do a really good deal for named drivers. Dont worry about this fronting phenomenon. If two people use the car equally then who is the main driver? It really is the way to go as insurance really is sky high for first timers. Trust me in your own name insurance you wont get anything better than a shopping cart and fire extinguisher for less than £1500. The more named drivers you add the less the premium may be as they think that the high risk is reduced.
Good luck anyway + focus is a brilliant car.
bi9_jk said:
If two people use the car equally then who is the main driver? It really is the way to go as insurance really is sky high for first timers.
But your example isn't the case here, if he is the main driver - and isn't insured as such, then he isn't insured. Simple as.If you want an uninsured young driver to crash into your car, then good for you - but I don't, and I'm sure the same goes for the rest of the road users.
bi9_jk said:
Hi. i was in the exactley the same scenario as you. New focus 1.6 as first car.
Car details (im not sure if all of these had a bearing or not): 1.6 TI-VCT, metallic Black, Styling pack inc.leather and upgraded alloys. Hatchback. Used for Social domestic and commuting. Kept on driveway(in an upmarket area of Edinburgh).
First year(17) car registered in mums name on Mums insurance - £750
Second Year(18), passplus and 3 points later - £850
Third Year(19), now owned in my name with insurance in my name - £724
My advise to you is to shop around. Ford insure do a really good deal for named drivers. Dont worry about this fronting phenomenon. If two people use the car equally then who is the main driver? It really is the way to go as insurance really is sky high for first timers. Trust me in your own name insurance you wont get anything better than a shopping cart and fire extinguisher for less than £1500. The more named drivers you add the less the premium may be as they think that the high risk is reduced.
Good luck anyway + focus is a brilliant car.
my advice would be to ignore him and start your own policyCar details (im not sure if all of these had a bearing or not): 1.6 TI-VCT, metallic Black, Styling pack inc.leather and upgraded alloys. Hatchback. Used for Social domestic and commuting. Kept on driveway(in an upmarket area of Edinburgh).
First year(17) car registered in mums name on Mums insurance - £750
Second Year(18), passplus and 3 points later - £850
Third Year(19), now owned in my name with insurance in my name - £724
My advise to you is to shop around. Ford insure do a really good deal for named drivers. Dont worry about this fronting phenomenon. If two people use the car equally then who is the main driver? It really is the way to go as insurance really is sky high for first timers. Trust me in your own name insurance you wont get anything better than a shopping cart and fire extinguisher for less than £1500. The more named drivers you add the less the premium may be as they think that the high risk is reduced.
Good luck anyway + focus is a brilliant car.
saving a few quid to run the risk of your insurance being withdrawn due to false info provided when you took the policy out will cost you more than the £600 odd quid extra premium
besides which, you will build up your NCB far quicker and in the long run will recoup the money
sleep_envy said:
besides which, you will build up your NCB far quicker and in the long run will recoup the money
NCB yes... to recoup the money from your first two years would take a while.I remember looking for my first year's insurance on my first Fiesta (1.3 Encore, Insurance Group 4)... at 17 the best price I could get was £1800! I'm sorry, but as a 17 year old student there was no way I could have afforded that! It was still £1000 with a pass-plus... again, I didn't have the odd spare grand lying around, working part time I couldn't realistically afford monthly payments either.
What is known as 'fronting' has not caused me an issue so far with regards to being insured.
I've had one crash not as fault and the car got fixed, no trouble... I got a courtesy car that I was also insured to drive.
I also had a crash that went against me despite dubious liability, again, not a problem with the process and I had a courtesy car I was again, insured to drive.
It's ludicrous trying to get young drivers insured on ANYTHING... admittedly the OP doesn't help the situation with a bigger/more expensive car, but it's easy to say 'you'll make your money back' if you've got a few years NCB and the financial backing to pay your premium without too much hassle.
My situation with insurance:
year 1 (named driver, car registered to my dad and insured as him) - £429
year 2 (named driver, Zetec-S in dads name, insurance as above) - £479
year 3 (named driver, as above + 'at fault' claim) - £471
this year... with Zetec-S in my own name and once I do my IAM - £595
The situation with the same cars, if in my own name:
year 1 (with the 1.3 Encore) - £1800
year 2 (with the Zetec-S +1yr NCB)- £1200
year 3 (with ZS + 2yrs NCB) - £1000
this year with IAM would be - £749
It's a BIG difference guys, notice that's also hypothetically without a claim.
Edited by JamesZS on Wednesday 2nd April 16:25
JamesZS said:
at 17 the best price I could get was £1800! I'm sorry, but as a 17 year old student there was no way I could have afforded that! It was still £1000 with a pass-plus... again, I didn't have the odd spare grand lying around, working part time I couldn't realistically afford monthly payments either
the answer is very simple - don't buy a car you can't afford to maintain in the first instanceThankyou all very much for ur help.
Its given me alot 2 think about, and i may jus opt 2 buy a cheaper car mayb something with a 1.2 ltr engine or under?
still got a few months to think about wat car i can buy anyway!
I wasn't sayin ZS wer stty i jus ment the more older fiesta hope it didn't cause offence 
Its given me alot 2 think about, and i may jus opt 2 buy a cheaper car mayb something with a 1.2 ltr engine or under?
still got a few months to think about wat car i can buy anyway!
I wasn't sayin ZS wer s
tty i jus ment the more older fiesta hope it didn't cause offence 
i had an F reg escort xr3i for my 1st car when i was 18. older cars tend to be cheaper to insure run n fix and as ur a 1st time driver id suggest going with somthing cheaper cus your gunna be gutted if you write off a couple of grands worth of focus. anyway i got a little tip to drop ur insurance most people go on there parents policy but i put my mum on my own policy as a name driver and im now using her 5 years NCB oh yer and my ex's 2 years NCB the bonus of doin it this way round is you still earn your own NCB. Try Ecar insurance there internet based and dont ask to many questions lol
Chad said:
older cars tend to be cheaper to insure run n fix
I disagree with that. When I first started driving, the insurance on an Escort was more than an equivalent Focus. The Focus cost me less to run, and didn't need fixing. Depreciation however was a different matter.Chad said:
anyway i got a little tip to drop ur insurance most people go on there parents policy but i put my mum on my own policy as a name driver and im now using her 5 years NCB oh yer and my ex's 2 years NCB the bonus of doin it this way round is you still earn your own NCB.
I'm not sure I understand you. Whilst putting older drivers on your policy as 2nd/3rd drivers can save money, you cannot use their NCB - unless you mean you use their years of accident free driving to lower the price, in which case it is different to NCB.ETA: The >> in your name screws up the quotes.
Edited by Mattt on Sunday 20th April 13:19
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