Directline etc

[freenote]

New to the forum so apologies if this is in the wrong place.

I have been out of the Uk for about a year and am currently browsing the classifieds for my next car as i will be returning soon. After getting very excited about the prospects i decided to get a couple of online insurance quotes.
Am i missing something or has insurance generally doubled in price since i last purchased about 18 months ago???
I was genuinely distressed at the quotes i got from direct line (who i have used for years), aviva etc and am now resigning to the fact that i may have to get something really boring. It seems my 7 yrs ncb that i've built up doesn't count for anything anymore.

Somebody please tell me i'm missing something obvious!!

Edited by freenote on Monday 19th April 16:25

[Jayho]

I think you'd find that the price of EVERYTHING in the country has gone tits up! thats the way it is mate! my advice to you is go back to where you're returning from and stay there!

[bigdods]

Last year the cheapest insurance I could find was ~ £420, this year aviva have insured me for £300. Ok so I now regret using aviva as they use offshore call centres but it is a good price.

[freenote]

Jayho said:

I think you'd find that the price of EVERYTHING in the country has gone tits up! thats the way it is mate! my advice to you is go back to where you're returning from and stay there!

Ha! Good plan except that i'm currently in Japan and prices are even more ridiculous over here! Try £650 for an MOT (although it's every 2 years) to start! Although being that i'm a fiend for jap cars i'm in my element over here.

[Greenwich Ross]

You might find that DL are rather expensive anyway. Chuck your details in one of the comparison sites to see the difference.

[freenote]

bigdods said:

Last year the cheapest insurance I could find was ~ £420, this year aviva have insured me for £300. Ok so I now regret using aviva as they use offshore call centres but it is a good price.

Aviva just quoted me £1200 quid for a honda accord (my previous car) which cost me £500 18 months ago. It's in London so i'm prepared for it to be in the higher bracket but i'm amazed at the hike!

[bigdods]

freenote said:

bigdods said:

Last year the cheapest insurance I could find was ~ £420, this year aviva have insured me for £300. Ok so I now regret using aviva as they use offshore call centres but it is a good price.

Aviva just quoted me £1200 quid for a honda accord (my previous car) which cost me £500 18 months ago. It's in London so i'm prepared for it to be in the higher bracket but i'm amazed at the hike!

benefit of living out in the sticks :-) thats £300 fully comp, protected no claims, legal cover, 30k business miles a year on a vaux omega 3.0 v6

[Jayho]

hmmmm... do you really need such a big car for such a busy city??? sell it and get a Suzuki Cappuccino!!! Or something of that kind which is immense fun, small/so easy to park ect ect!

BTW how was Japan? I may have friends going over there in the next year or so, they're really excited. There wanting to teach English and a foreign language over there. is car ownership really expensive over there? He's wanting to get a RX-7 when he's over there...

[freenote]

Jayho said:

hmmmm... do you really need such a big car for such a busy city??? sell it and get a Suzuki Cappuccino!!! Or something of that kind which is immense fun, small/so easy to park ect ect!

BTW how was Japan? I may have friends going over there in the next year or so, they're really excited. There wanting to teach English and a foreign language over there. is car ownership really expensive over there? He's wanting to get a RX-7 when he's over there...

Yeah i was using the accord as an example but i think a Cappuccino would be too small!!

Japan is interesting, but i think it all depends on where you're living. I'm in rural Shikoku so way out in the sticks. Yes, car ownership is very pricey unless you get a "kei" car (max 650cc) which just won't cut it if you wanna do road trips. Road Tax, Shakken (Mot), purchase tax, parking spaces (not usually included in your flat in the cities), registration fee, scrappage tax, insurance are all required when you buy a car and cost a fair amount. Then add tolls if you want to go on trips on the expressway. It's pricey!

However, road conditions are generally very good and cars are in excellent condition thanks to all the maintenance. Also, depreciation is a b*tch with older cars. Oh and depending on location, the majority have 2 sets of tires (winter and summer) with 2 sets of wheels as a result. I haven't seen any all-season tires for sale. I did a trip up north and ended up having to buy winter tires as snow was incredible but got a second-hand pair on alloys for £150.

However, having said all that, teaching english out here pays well so your mates can probably afford it.