New UK driver, 25 years old, wants weekend car £5k, cheap insurance
Discussion
Hello,
I have finally earned my UK license and I am ready to buy a car within the next 1-3 months. I have had a US license for just about 10 years but of course the UK doesn't allow Americans to transfer their license here so I had to get a full UK license the old fashioned way. It is a ridiculous rule considering they let the Chinese transfer their license and having lived over there I don't see why they allow this (it is like driving in Italy multiplied by 10). Anyway, my ideal car would be something that is less than £7,500, is relatively capable (i.e. 0-60 in less than say...7.5 seconds), is comfortable enough for the odd weekend road trip but is also capable enough for the occasional track day, and is cheap-ish to insure.
I live in London, will park the car in a secured multi-level garage that belongs to my apartment complex, and will probably only drive 3,000 miles per year if that.
Prior to getting my UK license I had narrowed down a few cars and just got online insurance quotes on them:
Honda S2000 - £1,625
Mazda RX8 - £1,525
Honda Accord Type R - £1,725
BMW e46 M3 - £1,650
and a backup...
2012 Suzuki Swift Sport - £1,090
So, as you can see the insurance quotes are a bit ridiculous considering the fact that I thought these cars would be considered sort of middle of the road in performance nowadays. I am in need of advice as to how to get better rates on these cars, any alternative car recommendations, or any cars like an rx7 that might qualify for classic insurance.
Thanks.
I have finally earned my UK license and I am ready to buy a car within the next 1-3 months. I have had a US license for just about 10 years but of course the UK doesn't allow Americans to transfer their license here so I had to get a full UK license the old fashioned way. It is a ridiculous rule considering they let the Chinese transfer their license and having lived over there I don't see why they allow this (it is like driving in Italy multiplied by 10). Anyway, my ideal car would be something that is less than £7,500, is relatively capable (i.e. 0-60 in less than say...7.5 seconds), is comfortable enough for the odd weekend road trip but is also capable enough for the occasional track day, and is cheap-ish to insure.
I live in London, will park the car in a secured multi-level garage that belongs to my apartment complex, and will probably only drive 3,000 miles per year if that.
Prior to getting my UK license I had narrowed down a few cars and just got online insurance quotes on them:
Honda S2000 - £1,625
Mazda RX8 - £1,525
Honda Accord Type R - £1,725
BMW e46 M3 - £1,650
and a backup...
2012 Suzuki Swift Sport - £1,090
So, as you can see the insurance quotes are a bit ridiculous considering the fact that I thought these cars would be considered sort of middle of the road in performance nowadays. I am in need of advice as to how to get better rates on these cars, any alternative car recommendations, or any cars like an rx7 that might qualify for classic insurance.
Thanks.
TVR Wedge or S. perfect for what you need and super cheap insurance, will be no more than about 100 quid a year. Also have something the others dont really have- the sound factor!
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...
maybe something a little different like this - a couple slightly over budget but I reckon could be had within budget
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/l...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
or for some serious power
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/j...
obviously others but this is where I would be looking with my own cash
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...
maybe something a little different like this - a couple slightly over budget but I reckon could be had within budget
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/l...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
or for some serious power
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/j...
obviously others but this is where I would be looking with my own cash
Edited by james280779 on Friday 18th October 02:05
Thanks for the help. That Jaguar XJR8 really intrigued me and I spent an entire day browsing about the differences between the X300, 308 and 350. However, insurance quotes were crazy at £1,700 with a £3,000 excess, but I didn't try specialist insurers as I was just looking for an idea.
I've done a lot of research in the last few days regarding cars that seem to be insurable yet fun to drive. The options I'm left with include:
Mazda MX-5 MK3 (apparently MK2's are rust buckets and I can't fit in an MK1)
Honda Civic VTI with the B16A2 engine (tough to find in good condition)
Skoda Fabia VRS/Seat Ibiza Cupra VRS (that 1.4 twin charged engine scares me from a maintenance and reliability perspective)
Vauxhaull VX220 non turbo (most expensive by far but still manageable on insurance)
Toyota MR2 Spyder (the girly looking one)
After looking at my options above I'm leaning towards the MX-5. The Vauxhaull and Toyota both sound fun but they have absolutely no practicality whatsoever and that might not be good if I wanted to do a road trip with the Mrs. The other car I'm leaning towards is the Honda since I used to own a 1991 Honda Civic hatchback that was bullet proof and didn't have anything wrong with it when I sold it at 330,000 miles. I'm just not sure if the driving experience in a Honda Civic VTI would really equate to that of an MX-5 without spending a bit of cash on mods, and then I would have to declare them and it would probably end up uninsurable.
Thoughts on the MX-5 or other suggestions?
Also, how many years of NCB until these insurance premiums become more realistic and affordable for higher performance cars? I did notice that compared to when I applied for quotes last year at 24 years old I am seeing better quotes now but they are still very high and that must be because I have no NCB.
I've done a lot of research in the last few days regarding cars that seem to be insurable yet fun to drive. The options I'm left with include:
Mazda MX-5 MK3 (apparently MK2's are rust buckets and I can't fit in an MK1)
Honda Civic VTI with the B16A2 engine (tough to find in good condition)
Skoda Fabia VRS/Seat Ibiza Cupra VRS (that 1.4 twin charged engine scares me from a maintenance and reliability perspective)
Vauxhaull VX220 non turbo (most expensive by far but still manageable on insurance)
Toyota MR2 Spyder (the girly looking one)
After looking at my options above I'm leaning towards the MX-5. The Vauxhaull and Toyota both sound fun but they have absolutely no practicality whatsoever and that might not be good if I wanted to do a road trip with the Mrs. The other car I'm leaning towards is the Honda since I used to own a 1991 Honda Civic hatchback that was bullet proof and didn't have anything wrong with it when I sold it at 330,000 miles. I'm just not sure if the driving experience in a Honda Civic VTI would really equate to that of an MX-5 without spending a bit of cash on mods, and then I would have to declare them and it would probably end up uninsurable.
Thoughts on the MX-5 or other suggestions?
Also, how many years of NCB until these insurance premiums become more realistic and affordable for higher performance cars? I did notice that compared to when I applied for quotes last year at 24 years old I am seeing better quotes now but they are still very high and that must be because I have no NCB.
cib24 said:
Vauxhaull VX220 non turbo (most expensive by far but still manageable on insurance)
Did you get quotes from specialists?http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Insurance
something a little different here, but how about a car your can't really get hold of in the US for a reasonable price?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...
Petrol V8, galvanised chassis.
A different kind of fun, but will let you explore the beautiful English countryside and enjoy the "weather". Especially if you fit a soft top.
Insurance is dirt cheap and parts are abundant and cheap.
In the end you can always take it back to the US with you and sell it for 10 times what you paid for it here.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...
Petrol V8, galvanised chassis.
A different kind of fun, but will let you explore the beautiful English countryside and enjoy the "weather". Especially if you fit a soft top.
Insurance is dirt cheap and parts are abundant and cheap.
In the end you can always take it back to the US with you and sell it for 10 times what you paid for it here.
Edited by skyrover on Wednesday 23 October 18:53
Welcome to my world - I've been living in London 10 years, with insurance for 4 years and I'm still paying over £800 a year for insurance on an Audi A4.. It was over £100 on the Rx8 even after 2 years of no-claims.
Basically you'll get screwed on anything living in London. Luckily you don't have to park on street.
Did you have previous insurance in the US that you can try and bring across the NC?
Basically you'll get screwed on anything living in London. Luckily you don't have to park on street.
Did you have previous insurance in the US that you can try and bring across the NC?
I could not agree more that the UK is the place to rip you off with insurance. I thought we had it bad in the USA because they required every driver by law to have insurance but on top of that I can't believe some of the rates charged over here on cars that would not be considered "performance" oriented vehicles in the states. I couldn't believe that the S2000 was nearly £1,700 with a huge excess the first time I ran a quote for it. In my mind I was thinking that it would only be slightly more expensive than a typical 2.0l econo-box because it's not very powerful and not that quick compared to what else you can get. In the USA I had a Mustang GT as my daily driver from 18-20 and was insured at a decent rate considering my age. I'm sure most of us would agree that a Mustang with a 4.6l V8 is much more of a handful than a torque-less S2000 not just because of the power but also because of the poor handling. So, initially it was tough for me to come to terms with the fact that my first car here would be something quite a lot slower in a straight line than a Mustang.
However, the one advantage I see over here is that the UK second hand market is such a great place to find great cars at low prices due to the insane depreciation rates over here. For example, an S2000 in the UK with less than 80,000 miles can be purchased for as little as about £5,500. In the US an equivalent S2000 costs over $16,000! Thus, I figured that I could get a decent car for less than £7,500 and be able to afford high insurance costs because the car was so much cheaper than I had anticipated it would be anyway. But that's not the case. It looks like I can get insured for most of the things I would consider buying for less than £2,000, but some vehicles have a £3,000 excess attached to them. It would be insane to take that sort of risk if I were to have an accident with another motorist.
Anyway, back on topic. I appreciate a lot of the responses I am getting and that Land Rover Defender is cool but not really the sort of thing I would want to drive around London in. The VX220 is something I'm personally very interested in (and no I didn't try a specialist insurer), but I unfortunately have to think about my other half. She would hate the thing because it would have no storage for any weekend trips in the UK or a road trip in Europe somewhere. That's why I have been leaning towards the MX5 because although it's slower than molasses, it has a boot big enough to fit a few small bags and is a great car to learn going around corners in. I'm just a bit hesitant about it because it's a Miata...
The RX8 was on the cards a while back when I first started thinking about this because I figured the idea had a lot of value if you purchased one with a bad engine, put in a rebuilt one by Hayward Rotary that gives you a 3 year 30,000 mile warranty, fix up the suspension a bit, and you have an amazing four-seater with luggage space that can still thrill you on a track day. However, rotaries really like to be revved to stay in tip top shape and also have other requirements which I am not sure would be the most suitable for London. Not that I really plan on ever driving in London for extended periods because who likes driving at 20 mph everywhere...
The EP3 Civic Type R is interesting but I would be more inclined to an EK9 Type R on specialist insurance if possible.
I don't think I can bring over my NCB from the US. My best bet is to probably call the insurance companies and explain my situation, send them a copy of my US driving license and insurance history if they accept it, to see if I could get them to nudge a bit on a quote. I still think this is pretty unlikely though considering how commoditized the insurance industry is over here. They will probably just tell you to try a competitor rather than themselves.
Finally, the guy who mentioned the Westwood. THAT WOULD BE AWESOME but it's unfortunately not practical enough. My budget is £7,500 and I do plan on going to the track a few times per year but in the meantime I do need a car that is also practical enough to do short road trips in so that I don't need to rent a car when going to the Lake District or something with my lady.
However, the one advantage I see over here is that the UK second hand market is such a great place to find great cars at low prices due to the insane depreciation rates over here. For example, an S2000 in the UK with less than 80,000 miles can be purchased for as little as about £5,500. In the US an equivalent S2000 costs over $16,000! Thus, I figured that I could get a decent car for less than £7,500 and be able to afford high insurance costs because the car was so much cheaper than I had anticipated it would be anyway. But that's not the case. It looks like I can get insured for most of the things I would consider buying for less than £2,000, but some vehicles have a £3,000 excess attached to them. It would be insane to take that sort of risk if I were to have an accident with another motorist.
Anyway, back on topic. I appreciate a lot of the responses I am getting and that Land Rover Defender is cool but not really the sort of thing I would want to drive around London in. The VX220 is something I'm personally very interested in (and no I didn't try a specialist insurer), but I unfortunately have to think about my other half. She would hate the thing because it would have no storage for any weekend trips in the UK or a road trip in Europe somewhere. That's why I have been leaning towards the MX5 because although it's slower than molasses, it has a boot big enough to fit a few small bags and is a great car to learn going around corners in. I'm just a bit hesitant about it because it's a Miata...
The RX8 was on the cards a while back when I first started thinking about this because I figured the idea had a lot of value if you purchased one with a bad engine, put in a rebuilt one by Hayward Rotary that gives you a 3 year 30,000 mile warranty, fix up the suspension a bit, and you have an amazing four-seater with luggage space that can still thrill you on a track day. However, rotaries really like to be revved to stay in tip top shape and also have other requirements which I am not sure would be the most suitable for London. Not that I really plan on ever driving in London for extended periods because who likes driving at 20 mph everywhere...
The EP3 Civic Type R is interesting but I would be more inclined to an EK9 Type R on specialist insurance if possible.
I don't think I can bring over my NCB from the US. My best bet is to probably call the insurance companies and explain my situation, send them a copy of my US driving license and insurance history if they accept it, to see if I could get them to nudge a bit on a quote. I still think this is pretty unlikely though considering how commoditized the insurance industry is over here. They will probably just tell you to try a competitor rather than themselves.
Finally, the guy who mentioned the Westwood. THAT WOULD BE AWESOME but it's unfortunately not practical enough. My budget is £7,500 and I do plan on going to the track a few times per year but in the meantime I do need a car that is also practical enough to do short road trips in so that I don't need to rent a car when going to the Lake District or something with my lady.
Edited by cib24 on Thursday 24th October 21:51
I'm in a fairly similar boat regarding budget and preference; originally looking at an MR2 (MK3 - the 'girly' one, which it isn't) or MX-5 (MK1 and MK2 only); I've since been told I'm being shoehorned into a 'sensible hatch for a 23 year old' 
The MR2 was my personal favourite, I really don't get the whole hairdresser comments since those in the know mostly approve. MX-5's were the close contenders, but the rusty bodywork put me off, having previously owned a rustbucket (albeit, a fun rustbucket).
Now I'm looking at things like the Swift Sport and Ford Fiesta Zetec S/ST - A bit pedestrian, IMO, but may be applicable to you as much as me. Other hot/warm hatches may also be of consideration, but the insurance might put you off - Clio 172/182, for example, or a Golf GTI?
Just out of curiosity, why have you discounted the Swift?
Edit:: Just noticed your MX-5 comments - yeah, good shout. Good cars, highly regarded, wouldn't be a bad choice at all.
The MR2 was my personal favourite, I really don't get the whole hairdresser comments since those in the know mostly approve. MX-5's were the close contenders, but the rusty bodywork put me off, having previously owned a rustbucket (albeit, a fun rustbucket).
Now I'm looking at things like the Swift Sport and Ford Fiesta Zetec S/ST - A bit pedestrian, IMO, but may be applicable to you as much as me. Other hot/warm hatches may also be of consideration, but the insurance might put you off - Clio 172/182, for example, or a Golf GTI?
Just out of curiosity, why have you discounted the Swift?
Edit:: Just noticed your MX-5 comments - yeah, good shout. Good cars, highly regarded, wouldn't be a bad choice at all.
Edited by Bambulus on Friday 25th October 19:46
I agree that the MK3 MR2 is considered a fantastic drivers car but for me I don't think it would be practical enough. The boot is only large enough for a laptop bag. I also agree with your comment that the older MX-5's are rust buckets. An MK1 MX-5 would be pretty sweet to own but I can't fit in one as I'm 6'2'' with quite long legs plus they are seriously old in terms of refinement.
The Suzuki Swift Sport was on my radar for quite a while but then I thought to myself, why would I spend £11k-£13k on a new Swift Sport that is going to depreciate like a rock in the first 2-3 years? Also, if I buy the Sport I'm not leaving myself with a lot left over to potentially mod the car. What I like about purchasing a car that is £7.5k or less (preferably closer to £5k) is that they have depreciated most severely already so when I go to sell the car in 2 years or so I won't lose much on it. Also, the extra cash left in my pocket can go to new springs, shocks and tires immediately with performance mods coming down the line if I like the car I choose enough and my insurance rates go down after one year NCB.
I keep getting closer and closer to deciding on the MX-5 but in the back of my mind I'm always thinking that it won't have enough power to excite me. I've already thought about getting a £4k-£5k 2006-2007 MK3 MX-5 2.0 base model with 5spd transmission and then immediately sorting out the suspension with either springs and shocks or Meisterr coilovers, Michelin PS3's and adding the Cosworth supercharger kit. However, after dreaming this up I immediately come back down to earth and remember that I am considered a new driver in the UK and adding a supercharger would pretty much make it uninsurable.
Also, if I'm going to spend basically £10k having a modified MX-5 I might as well just see if I can pick up an R33 Skyline, haha. One can dream at least...Actually, are the old Japanese imports like the Skyline, Supra, etc. insurable on a specialist low mileage classic car policy? Do you think they would even be affordable or are insurers pretty negative towards these cars due to the influence of the Fast and the Furious movies?
The Suzuki Swift Sport was on my radar for quite a while but then I thought to myself, why would I spend £11k-£13k on a new Swift Sport that is going to depreciate like a rock in the first 2-3 years? Also, if I buy the Sport I'm not leaving myself with a lot left over to potentially mod the car. What I like about purchasing a car that is £7.5k or less (preferably closer to £5k) is that they have depreciated most severely already so when I go to sell the car in 2 years or so I won't lose much on it. Also, the extra cash left in my pocket can go to new springs, shocks and tires immediately with performance mods coming down the line if I like the car I choose enough and my insurance rates go down after one year NCB.
I keep getting closer and closer to deciding on the MX-5 but in the back of my mind I'm always thinking that it won't have enough power to excite me. I've already thought about getting a £4k-£5k 2006-2007 MK3 MX-5 2.0 base model with 5spd transmission and then immediately sorting out the suspension with either springs and shocks or Meisterr coilovers, Michelin PS3's and adding the Cosworth supercharger kit. However, after dreaming this up I immediately come back down to earth and remember that I am considered a new driver in the UK and adding a supercharger would pretty much make it uninsurable.
Also, if I'm going to spend basically £10k having a modified MX-5 I might as well just see if I can pick up an R33 Skyline, haha. One can dream at least...Actually, are the old Japanese imports like the Skyline, Supra, etc. insurable on a specialist low mileage classic car policy? Do you think they would even be affordable or are insurers pretty negative towards these cars due to the influence of the Fast and the Furious movies?
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