Insurance query - REIS

[halstock]

Just getting insurance quotes sorted for my due-in-three-weeks R300 and have scoured the threads here for recommendations. REIS were prominent so I was expecting a lovely chat with them only to find that before even discussing any of my personal details it turns out that they can't/won't quote me because the car is 160 bhp and I haven't owned a 'similar' car in the last two years. Apparently 140 bhp is the limit for one's first Caterham.

I've had quotes from the other companies I've tried so far and I have a couple more to speak to, but does this strike you as odd, or is it usual? I'm 43 with a record I think insurers would like: 10 yrs+ no claims, no points, no funny diseases or disastrous occupation. As I said, we didn't even get to those details.

Yours, slightly puzzled

Andy

[Fatrat]

My Caterham arrived today!

I do not do too much shopping around but got what I thought was a good deal from CCI (click on the link on Caterham Cars website).

[oliwright]

It was the same for me when I bought my 150. Just take your business elsewhere as I did. MSM and Frank Pickles are the people to go to anyway as far as I can tell.

If REIS want to risk people never going back to them then that's their look out.

Hope you find a deal.
Oli

[halstock]

FatRat - congrats. What have you got?

Oli - glad to hear it's not only me. My inclination is to think if they don't want my business, their loss, it just seems out if kilter with the market.

Thanks, Andy

[sjmmarsh]

They had a similar restriction when I got my first (150bhp) Caterham 9 years ago. All they wanted then was to know whether I had driven rear wheel drive cars before (I had an S-Type Jag at the time), so was OK. It made sense as a RWD car handles differently to a FWD and many younger drivers will never have driven RWD before.

They only insure with Chaucer, so I suspect it will be a condition they impose on REIS.

Steve

[pikeyboy]

I'm insured with REIS, brilliant price of 130 odd quid for my fireblade half the cost of anyone else inc pickles etc. I'll be going back next year assuming they are competetive.

[renmure]

Frank Pickles for my R300. Can't remember the exact premium but no more than £150.

(They actually quoted me the same price for renewal this year as last years premium, which was nice)

[halstock]

Hi Jim, you said you wanted to see an "I've bought one" post on PH - treat this as it, or see my other 'newbie' thread. It's FinMac's car I'm buying and collecting at the end of October.

Thanks for all you help when we discussed your car a couple of weeks ago.

Cheers, Andy

[framerateuk]

Mine's with Greenlight and they didn't even ask if I'd driven a rear wheel drive car before.

I insure both my cars with them and I've been really happy with the service I've received.

[renmure]

halstock said:

Hi Jim, you said you wanted to see an "I've bought one" post on PH - treat this as it, or see my other 'newbie' thread. It's FinMac's car I'm buying and collecting at the end of October.

Thanks for all you help when we discussed your car a couple of weeks ago.

Cheers, Andy

Congratulations Andy. I think you made a good choice
I am sure the journey home with it will be memorable

Jim

[Agent Orange]

halstock said:

REIS were prominent so I was expecting a lovely chat with them only to find that before even discussing any of my personal details it turns out that they can't/won't quote me because the car is 160 bhp and I haven't owned a 'similar' car in the last two years. Apparently 140 bhp is the limit for one's first Caterham.

I've had quotes from the other companies I've tried so far and I have a couple more to speak to, but does this strike you as odd, or is it usual? I'm 43 with a record I think insurers would like: 10 yrs+ no claims, no points, no funny diseases or disastrous occupation. As I said, we didn't even get to those details.

Yours, slightly puzzled

Andy

You and I are very similar with regard age, points, NCB etc. I too had a similar conversation with REIS though because my Caterham is the 1.6 K they still quoted. When asked for car history I listed Porsche 968CS, AMG CLK55, M3 *but* that was all before starting a family so wouldn't count.

They quoted £398 (all be it with 4 track days insurance). Frank Pickles came in at £149.88....

[Citrus7]

Frank Pickles here too, at £180 fc for 5k miles

[cyderbelly]

REIS told me that also no chance of insurance unless has a similar car for one year.....ONE YEAR how about 2 fingers REIS YOU LOST A GOOD CUSTOMER ! ..Mr Frank Pickles excellent service.....

[halstock]

Well, after all these recommendations and tales of rock bottom premiums I was looking forward to my conversation with Mr Pickles. It was all going well until ........ I told him, because I know it's relevant for info at least, that I play in a weddings-and-parties type band at the weekends. End of conversation

Being a drummer I'll clearly not be using the Caterham for gigs but as soon as it turns out I get paid for my hobby that's it, I'm an undesirable risk on a par with a member of Megadeath (only with a smaller drugs budget). The fact that it would be OK if I were to play exactly the same gigs out of the goodness of my heart (i.e. for no money) only makes it worse.

Sorry to whinge at you lot but it's getting my goat that these so-called "specialists" who supposedly understand the cars and their owners and their motivations are so rule-bound that hitting one factor from their no-no list means no quote. No discussion, no debate, no referral to underwriters to see if they will understand the circumstances, just straight refusal.

Fortunately MSM do seem to understand that my playing a musical instrument since the age of 11 will have no bearing on the way I drive my Caterham at the age of 43. They also realise that I'm mature enough to handle 160bhp as my first Caterham (REIS) and they don't feel the need to charge me an extra £110 a year to cover the off chance that I might want to drive it to work on a few sunny days (take a bow CCI). They don't even insist that it's in my garage if I choose to park it within 1km of my house - whatever next ! MSM will cover all of the risks that make me unacceptable to others AND theirs is the cheapest premium I've had, so thanks to those that pointed me in their direction.

Thanks for letting me get that out of my system Off to read someone else's posts now.

Andy

[Dr Slotter]

cyderbelly said:

REIS told me that also no chance of insurance unless has a similar car for one year.....ONE YEAR how about 2 fingers REIS YOU LOST A GOOD CUSTOMER ! ..Mr Frank Pickles excellent service.....

I had a similar experience, albeit they would insure me but at a prohibitive rate, and they told me that it was purely because I had specifically owned a Caterham before and I should give them a call next time.

[Fish]

Another vote for MSM and the nice lady who does the quotes. A few I spoke to spat their coffee out when I said CSR 260, even though my history is Atom 220,300 BMW Z4m, Elise, TVR Tuscan, T350 etc