im interested in cars

[skene]

Diablos-666 said:

the scott boy said:

Ah, thanks alot and thanks to everyone who has contributed.

Glad my post contributions helped. Now then, remember your packed lunch is in the fridge tomorrow morning...

[David87]

the scott boy said:

David87 said:

You've just arrived. To learn about rare and special cars, start with the supercars spotted threads. After that, search for 'MX-5' and '335d (mapped)' and you will know everything you need to about fast cars. If you're into the emergency services vehicles, search for 'Ambiwlans'.

fancy giving me a link cant seem to find the topics :\

Sorry, was messing around earlier when I posted that at lunchtime. Saying that, PH really is a very good place to learn about cars - it's full of people who know lots about different areas of motoring and most are happy to help. The supercars threads are really interesting and full of cars you'd either: a) never see or b) not give a second look because you'd never know they're rare. The MX-5 and 335d thing is in reference to PH favourite cars and Ambiwlans is just a funny thread on here.

I'd also advise getting a subscription to a good magazine (such as Evo) as it'll teach you a load. Welcome.

[the scott boy]

Diablos-666 said:

the scott boy said:

Ah, thanks alot and thanks to everyone who has contributed.

Glad my post contributions helped. Now then, remember your packed lunch is in the fridge tomorrow morning...

haha funny :|

lol joking..

[the scott boy]

David87 said:

the scott boy said:

David87 said:

You've just arrived. To learn about rare and special cars, start with the supercars spotted threads. After that, search for 'MX-5' and '335d (mapped)' and you will know everything you need to about fast cars. If you're into the emergency services vehicles, search for 'Ambiwlans'.

fancy giving me a link cant seem to find the topics :\

Sorry, was messing around earlier when I posted that at lunchtime. Saying that, PH really is a very good place to learn about cars - it's full of people who know lots about different areas of motoring and most are happy to help. The supercars threads are really interesting and full of cars you'd either: a) never see or b) not give a second look because you'd never know they're rare. The MX-5 and 335d thing is in reference to PH favourite cars and Ambiwlans is just a funny thread on here.

I'd also advise getting a subscription to a good magazine (such as Evo) as it'll teach you a load. Welcome.

aha, np, and ive enquired about marshalling at somewhere and just waiting for a reply, and its always good to have a community full of people with a sense of humour

[grimfandango]

Twincam16 said:

Chris_w666 said:

If you live in a reasonably house, or at least one with a spacious driveway or garage why not ask for a classic car to work on as a birthday present and then gather bits for it in lieu of other presents until you can drive it yourself.

Or better, build a kit car.

Changes to insurance legislation mean that any registered car (ie, a restoration project) must be insured, even when declared SORN, which given the high cost of insurance these days will just be annoying.

However, build a kit car and until it's registered it's just a kit of parts, not a 'car'. Until you take it to the SVA centre it's no different to an Airfix kit.

We worked out on here that the best car for a young person truly interested in cars was a Citroen 2CV-based 3-wheeler, something like a Leighton CV3, Lomax 223 or Blackjack Avion. Lowest insurance group to start with, and three wheels means that you can drive it from the age of 16 on a provisional licence as long as you take your motorcycle CBT (a doddle on a scooter for a day). Low power, no roof and exposure to the elements means 30mph feels like 100, the engine's only got 2 cylinders (so not much to go wrong on it in the first place but also cheaper to fix when it does), and it will be infinitely cooler than any scooters anyone will get at 16, and any cars that normal kids usually end up lumbered with 17-21.

And unlike a scooter, you'll be able to keep it indefinitely without feeling like a prat the minute your mates start getting cars and wasting a load of money in the process.

Won't need loads of room to build it either. A normal size garage should do as it takes up roughly the same space as a motorbike and sidecar combination.

Edited by Twincam16 on Tuesday 4th January 15:41

I'll second this

Have a look at kit cars ebay For £500/£1000 (depending how brave you are) you can get old ford or maybe beetle based Kit car, make sure you get one thats already been registered, and just needs a lot of tidying up it shouldn't be to difficult, and you'll still have some money left for tools spares ect.


Thats what I did when I was 18, I went out and bought one of these for £1000

it was rubbish but still taught me loads about cars and after a couple of years messing about with it and doing it up I sold it for £3000

But before you do that learn as much as you can from the internet, places like this and magazines ect

[ollie854]

Chris_w666 said:

the scott boy said:

Chris_w666 said:

the scott boy said:

Monkeylegend said:

Not sure how old you are scott boy but don't forget about girls as well They will both ruin you financially but it is fun on the way.

im 15 on 2nd feb, im mainly just interested in finding out about cars, beit fast or classic

Liar, you can spell and everything.

ahaha.. i go to a decent grammar school :P

but yh, all i really wanna do is find out about cars.. wouldnt mind getting a weekend job at a little car shop or something like that, but i dont thnik im old enough..

just have to wait another year :\

Not 100% on the rules of employing people your age but have a look on direct.gov.uk that should tell you if you can get a job. Though most car related places may not be insured for under 16's.

This looks good for someone your age though. http://www.under17-carclub.co.uk/

I was in the U17CC for 3 years. Was so much fun and the opportunities i got were fantastic

[g3org3y]

Car friend! *thumbs up*

[/Inbetweeners]

[S1_RS]

grimfandango said:

Thats what I did when I was 18, I went out and bought one of these for £1000
it was rubbish but still taught me loads about cars and after spending about £5000 and a couple of years messing about with it and doing it up I sold it for £3000

EFA. HTH.

[Twincam16]

grimfandango said:

Twincam16 said:

Chris_w666 said:

If you live in a reasonably house, or at least one with a spacious driveway or garage why not ask for a classic car to work on as a birthday present and then gather bits for it in lieu of other presents until you can drive it yourself.

Or better, build a kit car.

Changes to insurance legislation mean that any registered car (ie, a restoration project) must be insured, even when declared SORN, which given the high cost of insurance these days will just be annoying.

However, build a kit car and until it's registered it's just a kit of parts, not a 'car'. Until you take it to the SVA centre it's no different to an Airfix kit.

We worked out on here that the best car for a young person truly interested in cars was a Citroen 2CV-based 3-wheeler, something like a Leighton CV3, Lomax 223 or Blackjack Avion. Lowest insurance group to start with, and three wheels means that you can drive it from the age of 16 on a provisional licence as long as you take your motorcycle CBT (a doddle on a scooter for a day). Low power, no roof and exposure to the elements means 30mph feels like 100, the engine's only got 2 cylinders (so not much to go wrong on it in the first place but also cheaper to fix when it does), and it will be infinitely cooler than any scooters anyone will get at 16, and any cars that normal kids usually end up lumbered with 17-21.

And unlike a scooter, you'll be able to keep it indefinitely without feeling like a prat the minute your mates start getting cars and wasting a load of money in the process.

Won't need loads of room to build it either. A normal size garage should do as it takes up roughly the same space as a motorbike and sidecar combination.

Edited by Twincam16 on Tuesday 4th January 15:41

I'll second this

Have a look at kit cars ebay For £500/£1000 (depending how brave you are) you can get old ford or maybe beetle based Kit car, make sure you get one thats already been registered, and just needs a lot of tidying up it shouldn't be to difficult, and you'll still have some money left for tools spares ect.


Thats what I did when I was 18, I went out and bought one of these for £1000

it was rubbish but still taught me loads about cars and after a couple of years messing about with it and doing it up I sold it for £3000

But before you do that learn as much as you can from the internet, places like this and magazines ect

Love the Nova! Although the prices those things command these days is silly for what they are. For the price of a rebodied VW in decent condition you can get the average Lotus Esprit S3.

I reckon the OP should concentrate on cars he'll be 'allowed' to drive as early and as cheaply as possible - thanks to their engine sizes anything based on a Beetle or a RWD Escort is going to be pricey, and even second-hand those kits cost a lot and need a lot of storage room.

A three-wheeler with an engine smaller than 1000cc will be safer and more fun than a scooter, cheaper and more fun than the typical teenager's first car (Fiat Seicento etc), and the building and maintenance of it will be cheaper than average, take up less room, and be generally more rewarding.

I remember being green with envy at the sight of a kid in my school who'd taken his CBT on the quiet rolling up to collect his GCSE results on a brand new (albeit 125cc) custom chopper when everyone else had to walk or get the bus. Thing is, he went through a step-through moped, to that Cruiser, and now he rides a liveried race-rep Yamaha R1 so I'm guessing there was another bike in between. Riding enjoyment, true, but it's cost him a fortune over the years.

Similarly, I'd imagine most people on here started driving their parents' snotters, then saving up, buying something a bit 'interesting' and trading up. Again, not what you'd call cheap, especially when considering insurance on anything fast (or at that age, just anything).

Something like a Lomax 223 will be as appealing at 26 and 56 as it would be at 16. You only need to build it once, get it ready for the CBT, driving experience in it will probably see the OP pass his full driving test first time at 17, then a lifetime of hoonage awaits.

To be honest I'm frequently tempted by one. They make a hell of a lot of sense when nearly all the interesting roads have 50-limits on them.

According to their website, the average overall build cost for a Lomax is £3625. Spread over a few years that's just over £1k a year - a paper round would pay for that. That's probably less than I pay in running costs for my car in an average year.

[matthewg]

Fast cars go vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Some fast ones go brrrrrrrrrrrrrr shhhhhhhhhhhh brrrrrrrrrrrr shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

etc

[Mr Will]

Twincam16 said:

grimfandango said:

Twincam16 said:

Chris_w666 said:

If you live in a reasonably house, or at least one with a spacious driveway or garage why not ask for a classic car to work on as a birthday present and then gather bits for it in lieu of other presents until you can drive it yourself.

Or better, build a kit car.

Changes to insurance legislation mean that any registered car (ie, a restoration project) must be insured, even when declared SORN, which given the high cost of insurance these days will just be annoying.

However, build a kit car and until it's registered it's just a kit of parts, not a 'car'. Until you take it to the SVA centre it's no different to an Airfix kit.

We worked out on here that the best car for a young person truly interested in cars was a Citroen 2CV-based 3-wheeler, something like a Leighton CV3, Lomax 223 or Blackjack Avion. Lowest insurance group to start with, and three wheels means that you can drive it from the age of 16 on a provisional licence as long as you take your motorcycle CBT (a doddle on a scooter for a day). Low power, no roof and exposure to the elements means 30mph feels like 100, the engine's only got 2 cylinders (so not much to go wrong on it in the first place but also cheaper to fix when it does), and it will be infinitely cooler than any scooters anyone will get at 16, and any cars that normal kids usually end up lumbered with 17-21.

And unlike a scooter, you'll be able to keep it indefinitely without feeling like a prat the minute your mates start getting cars and wasting a load of money in the process.

Won't need loads of room to build it either. A normal size garage should do as it takes up roughly the same space as a motorbike and sidecar combination.

Edited by Twincam16 on Tuesday 4th January 15:41

I'll second this

Have a look at kit cars ebay For £500/£1000 (depending how brave you are) you can get old ford or maybe beetle based Kit car, make sure you get one thats already been registered, and just needs a lot of tidying up it shouldn't be to difficult, and you'll still have some money left for tools spares ect.


Thats what I did when I was 18, I went out and bought one of these for £1000

it was rubbish but still taught me loads about cars and after a couple of years messing about with it and doing it up I sold it for £3000

But before you do that learn as much as you can from the internet, places like this and magazines ect

Love the Nova! Although the prices those things command these days is silly for what they are. For the price of a rebodied VW in decent condition you can get the average Lotus Esprit S3.

I reckon the OP should concentrate on cars he'll be 'allowed' to drive as early and as cheaply as possible - thanks to their engine sizes anything based on a Beetle or a RWD Escort is going to be pricey, and even second-hand those kits cost a lot and need a lot of storage room.

A three-wheeler with an engine smaller than 1000cc will be safer and more fun than a scooter, cheaper and more fun than the typical teenager's first car (Fiat Seicento etc), and the building and maintenance of it will be cheaper than average, take up less room, and be generally more rewarding.

I remember being green with envy at the sight of a kid in my school who'd taken his CBT on the quiet rolling up to collect his GCSE results on a brand new (albeit 125cc) custom chopper when everyone else had to walk or get the bus. Thing is, he went through a step-through moped, to that Cruiser, and now he rides a liveried race-rep Yamaha R1 so I'm guessing there was another bike in between. Riding enjoyment, true, but it's cost him a fortune over the years.

Similarly, I'd imagine most people on here started driving their parents' snotters, then saving up, buying something a bit 'interesting' and trading up. Again, not what you'd call cheap, especially when considering insurance on anything fast (or at that age, just anything).

Something like a Lomax 223 will be as appealing at 26 and 56 as it would be at 16. You only need to build it once, get it ready for the CBT, driving experience in it will probably see the OP pass his full driving test first time at 17, then a lifetime of hoonage awaits.

To be honest I'm frequently tempted by one. They make a hell of a lot of sense when nearly all the interesting roads have 50-limits on them.

According to their website, the average overall build cost for a Lomax is £3625. Spread over a few years that's just over £1k a year - a paper round would pay for that. That's probably less than I pay in running costs for my car in an average year.

You do talk some bks sometimes.

A lot of classics (even ones with half decent engines) are perfectly insurable for youngsters. I very nearly had a mark 2 escort as my first car, and the insurance quotes I got on it were fine. I then moved on to a Spitfire 1500 after a year or so of driving and again, it was perfectly insurable (cheaper than a £250 1.0 VW Polo).

If I was in the OP's situation and had three and a half grand to spend, it would not go on a ropey 2CV in plastic body. To be quite honest, a even a Standard 2CV you probably be a better option.

ETA: This is not meant as a disrespect to the kit car industry, or even to Lomax. They are great toys and have their place. But just because Twincam wants one, does not mean they are appropriate for everyone...

Edited by Mr Will on Wednesday 5th January 11:37

[Twincam16]

Mr Will said:

Twincam16 said:

grimfandango said:

Twincam16 said:

Chris_w666 said:

If you live in a reasonably house, or at least one with a spacious driveway or garage why not ask for a classic car to work on as a birthday present and then gather bits for it in lieu of other presents until you can drive it yourself.

Or better, build a kit car.

Changes to insurance legislation mean that any registered car (ie, a restoration project) must be insured, even when declared SORN, which given the high cost of insurance these days will just be annoying.

However, build a kit car and until it's registered it's just a kit of parts, not a 'car'. Until you take it to the SVA centre it's no different to an Airfix kit.

We worked out on here that the best car for a young person truly interested in cars was a Citroen 2CV-based 3-wheeler, something like a Leighton CV3, Lomax 223 or Blackjack Avion. Lowest insurance group to start with, and three wheels means that you can drive it from the age of 16 on a provisional licence as long as you take your motorcycle CBT (a doddle on a scooter for a day). Low power, no roof and exposure to the elements means 30mph feels like 100, the engine's only got 2 cylinders (so not much to go wrong on it in the first place but also cheaper to fix when it does), and it will be infinitely cooler than any scooters anyone will get at 16, and any cars that normal kids usually end up lumbered with 17-21.

And unlike a scooter, you'll be able to keep it indefinitely without feeling like a prat the minute your mates start getting cars and wasting a load of money in the process.

Won't need loads of room to build it either. A normal size garage should do as it takes up roughly the same space as a motorbike and sidecar combination.

Edited by Twincam16 on Tuesday 4th January 15:41

I'll second this

Have a look at kit cars ebay For £500/£1000 (depending how brave you are) you can get old ford or maybe beetle based Kit car, make sure you get one thats already been registered, and just needs a lot of tidying up it shouldn't be to difficult, and you'll still have some money left for tools spares ect.


Thats what I did when I was 18, I went out and bought one of these for £1000

it was rubbish but still taught me loads about cars and after a couple of years messing about with it and doing it up I sold it for £3000

But before you do that learn as much as you can from the internet, places like this and magazines ect

Love the Nova! Although the prices those things command these days is silly for what they are. For the price of a rebodied VW in decent condition you can get the average Lotus Esprit S3.

I reckon the OP should concentrate on cars he'll be 'allowed' to drive as early and as cheaply as possible - thanks to their engine sizes anything based on a Beetle or a RWD Escort is going to be pricey, and even second-hand those kits cost a lot and need a lot of storage room.

A three-wheeler with an engine smaller than 1000cc will be safer and more fun than a scooter, cheaper and more fun than the typical teenager's first car (Fiat Seicento etc), and the building and maintenance of it will be cheaper than average, take up less room, and be generally more rewarding.

I remember being green with envy at the sight of a kid in my school who'd taken his CBT on the quiet rolling up to collect his GCSE results on a brand new (albeit 125cc) custom chopper when everyone else had to walk or get the bus. Thing is, he went through a step-through moped, to that Cruiser, and now he rides a liveried race-rep Yamaha R1 so I'm guessing there was another bike in between. Riding enjoyment, true, but it's cost him a fortune over the years.

Similarly, I'd imagine most people on here started driving their parents' snotters, then saving up, buying something a bit 'interesting' and trading up. Again, not what you'd call cheap, especially when considering insurance on anything fast (or at that age, just anything).

Something like a Lomax 223 will be as appealing at 26 and 56 as it would be at 16. You only need to build it once, get it ready for the CBT, driving experience in it will probably see the OP pass his full driving test first time at 17, then a lifetime of hoonage awaits.

To be honest I'm frequently tempted by one. They make a hell of a lot of sense when nearly all the interesting roads have 50-limits on them.

According to their website, the average overall build cost for a Lomax is £3625. Spread over a few years that's just over £1k a year - a paper round would pay for that. That's probably less than I pay in running costs for my car in an average year.

You do talk some bks sometimes.

A lot of classics (even ones with half decent engines) are perfectly insurable for youngsters. I very nearly had a mark 2 escort as my first car, and the insurance quotes I got on it were fine. I then moved on to a Spitfire 1500 after a year or so of driving and again, it was perfectly insurable (cheaper than a £250 1.0 VW Polo).

If I was in the OP's situation and had three and a half grand to spend, it would not go on a ropey 2CV in plastic body. To be quite honest, a even a Standard 2CV you probably be a better option.

Why is it 'bks?'

I don't know when it was you were driving these classics with their 'half-decent engines', but when I was the OP's age twelve years ago I looked into insuring some of those classics you mentioned. Insurance for that Spitfire 1500 would have been refused, or prohibitively high.

Most classic insurance firms won't touch you until you're at least 21. That was back then, they're probably several times more picky now. Some of them won't until you're 25.

Most mainstream insurance firms will charge teenagers an arm and a leg for the most basic of runarounds. Even today, with nearly 9 years of driving, a flawless record and several years NCB in a farily low-risk area, I still get quoted silly money by mainstream insurers to drive the humblest of little hatches. If the OP were to try an insure an interesting car with a mainstream insurance company at 17 it'd probably cost him as much as the kit would have done over three years just to drive legally.

Kit car insurance, however, will allow younger drivers on more specialist machinery. Three-wheelers fitting into motorcycling insurance policies will allow him to drive at 16. Beyond that, with a kit car insurance policy at 17 he'll pay less than any mainstream car.

I remember talking to the UK importer of the QPod, a French 'light car' taking several forms (including a small sports car) with a motorbike engine that is apparently the cheapest thing for young people to insure, as it bridges the gap between motorcycles and cars. Renault's forthcoming Twizy is going to do something similar. A 'conventional' car at 17 is going to be an almighty drain on resources compared with this sector. The French have known this for years and developed a sector catering for it (Ligier, Microcar, Motobecane, MAC etc). For some reason in this country we prefer to heap our young people with the highest financial burdens possible.

And what would the average 17-year-old prefer to be seen driving. something like this:




Or something like this:

[Mr Will]

Twincam16 said:

Mr Will said:

You do talk some bks sometimes.

A lot of classics (even ones with half decent engines) are perfectly insurable for youngsters. I very nearly had a mark 2 escort as my first car, and the insurance quotes I got on it were fine. I then moved on to a Spitfire 1500 after a year or so of driving and again, it was perfectly insurable (cheaper than a £250 1.0 VW Polo).

If I was in the OP's situation and had three and a half grand to spend, it would not go on a ropey 2CV in plastic body. To be quite honest, a even a Standard 2CV you probably be a better option.

Why is it 'bks?'

I don't know when it was you were driving these classics with their 'half-decent engines', but when I was the OP's age twelve years ago I looked into insuring some of those classics you mentioned. Insurance for that Spitfire 1500 would have been refused, or prohibitively high.

Most classic insurance firms won't touch you until you're at least 21. That was back then, they're probably several times more picky now. Some of them won't until you're 25.

Most mainstream insurance firms will charge teenagers an arm and a leg for the most basic of runarounds. Even today, with nearly 9 years of driving, a flawless record and several years NCB in a farily low-risk area, I still get quoted silly money by mainstream insurers to drive the humblest of little hatches. If the OP were to try an insure an interesting car with a mainstream insurance company at 17 it'd probably cost him as much as the kit would have done over three years just to drive legally.

Kit car insurance, however, will allow younger drivers on more specialist machinery. Three-wheelers fitting into motorcycling insurance policies will allow him to drive at 16. Beyond that, with a kit car insurance policy at 17 he'll pay less than any mainstream car.

I remember talking to the UK importer of the QPod, a French 'light car' taking several forms (including a small sports car) with a motorbike engine that is apparently the cheapest thing for young people to insure, as it bridges the gap between motorcycles and cars. Renault's forthcoming Twizy is going to do something similar. A 'conventional' car at 17 is going to be an almighty drain on resources compared with this sector. The French have known this for years and developed a sector catering for it (Ligier, Microcar, Motobecane, MAC etc). For some reason in this country we prefer to heap our young people with the highest financial burdens possible.

And what would the average 17-year-old prefer to be seen driving. something like this:




Or something like this:

Strangely enough, I am younger than you, and I know it can be done, because I did it. I've even run quotes in the past 12 months for family/frineds and it is still possible

It doesn't need to be a classic policy, classic cars are cheap on regular policies too (my spitfire was with direct line for a while, norwich union after that and then elephant for a while).

I agree that the fact that he can drive a 3 wheeler at 16 is handy, but that's pretty much the only advantage.

As for the comparison? There seems to be a large pile of cash missing from the last two photos.

Sticking with Spitfires, how about this comparison:


or


+

left over to pay for the extra insurance, if needed.

[jagfan2]

A good way could be Radio controlled cars, much cheaper and easier and teaches you the basics, especially the petrol ones

[Steameh]

Just trawl through the websites and look through the classifieds, read the marque specific forums and so on and so forth.

Thats what I did and still do and it seems to work well.

When you know about cars it helps to determine who is a twonk and who isnt, eg someone recently told me that his rover 200 had smoked an R32 golf and would give my monaro a run for its money.

[Pints]

Twincam16 said:

I don't know when it was you were driving these classics with their 'half-decent engines', but when I was the OP's age twelve years ago I looked into insuring some of those classics you mentioned. Insurance for that Spitfire 1500 would have been refused, or prohibitively high.

There's a PHer who has joined a couple of Wiltshire meets who, as a young student, runs a Spitfire. (Embarrassingly, I forget his name.)

I asked him about the insurance and the answer was that it's surprisingly cheap.

12 years is a long time... I wish I was 12 years younger!