Discussion
Long time since I've been on these forums, I hope this is in the right section.
I've been driving a 998cc Mini for the last year, and that was my first car (I'm 18 now). My insurance is about to run out and I want something new; I had basically decided to get a Peugeot 306 D-Turbo, as I thought the insurance wouldn't be too harsh (it's only group 5), fuel economy would be pretty good and performance would be acceptable. You can also pick a decent mk1 up for £700, so it all looked good. Then I tried to get an insurance quote on one.
I've already paid two grand for insurance on the Mini, so I was hoping this year would be considerably cheaper. Direct Line won't give me a quote on the 306 and after one of those typical insurance company phone calls I got a quote for nearly £6,000 on a 306 from Adrian Flux, so I've given up on that unless someone knows an amazing insurance company that won't bankrupt me.
The strange thing is, I got a quote for £600 for a classic policy on the Mini a couple of months ago, so I'm now wondering if my cheapest option is to buy something 20+ years old. It probably needs to be under 1.6l, but I'd like something with some go. 0-60 in around 10 seconds is probably as fast as I can afford to go.
The obvious choice here is a Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6, but I doubt I'll have a chance of getting insurance on one of those (I'm prepared to give it a shot, anyway).
I wasn't intending to spend more than £1000, although that depends on how much I can sell the Mini for.
So 20+ years old, under 1.6l. Suggestions please. Suggestions outside the parameters are also welcome, if they're interesting.
I've been driving a 998cc Mini for the last year, and that was my first car (I'm 18 now). My insurance is about to run out and I want something new; I had basically decided to get a Peugeot 306 D-Turbo, as I thought the insurance wouldn't be too harsh (it's only group 5), fuel economy would be pretty good and performance would be acceptable. You can also pick a decent mk1 up for £700, so it all looked good. Then I tried to get an insurance quote on one.
I've already paid two grand for insurance on the Mini, so I was hoping this year would be considerably cheaper. Direct Line won't give me a quote on the 306 and after one of those typical insurance company phone calls I got a quote for nearly £6,000 on a 306 from Adrian Flux, so I've given up on that unless someone knows an amazing insurance company that won't bankrupt me.
The strange thing is, I got a quote for £600 for a classic policy on the Mini a couple of months ago, so I'm now wondering if my cheapest option is to buy something 20+ years old. It probably needs to be under 1.6l, but I'd like something with some go. 0-60 in around 10 seconds is probably as fast as I can afford to go.
The obvious choice here is a Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6, but I doubt I'll have a chance of getting insurance on one of those (I'm prepared to give it a shot, anyway).
I wasn't intending to spend more than £1000, although that depends on how much I can sell the Mini for.
So 20+ years old, under 1.6l. Suggestions please. Suggestions outside the parameters are also welcome, if they're interesting.
The problem with keeping the Mini is that I'm a bit tired of its lack of power. I've put a stage 1 kit on (new manifolds and exhaust), which helped, but unless you start spending lots of money the gains after that are limited.
I would consider buying one with a 1275 but it will almost certainly need welding, which I don't want.
The XJ40 is tempting, as are things like E30/E34 BMWs which are so cheap now, although neither an XJ40 or E34 would be easy to own.
I've been dreaming about Saab 900 Turbos, too.
I would consider buying one with a 1275 but it will almost certainly need welding, which I don't want.
The XJ40 is tempting, as are things like E30/E34 BMWs which are so cheap now, although neither an XJ40 or E34 would be easy to own.
I've been dreaming about Saab 900 Turbos, too.
Its a pity about the D-turbo - however - they used to be really cheap to insure. Until they dropped to a certain price point, and they are now all owned by yoofs, who wind the fuel pump right up, undo the torsion bar, drive around in a cloud of smoke until they crash backwards into a hedge.
Its almost a case of 'you've missed that boat' im afraid.
A ZX TD may be cheaper to insure?
Alternatives - Ford Focus 1.6 has a really low insurance rating if you can get one to scrape into budget.
Or rather than a 205 GTi - what about a 106? They do a 1.4 XS model which is slightly sprightlier than the vanilla models, good looking and good to drive, just a bit harder to find.
Mk3 fiesta was available in an insurance friendly 1.6 Si model, just gotta find one thats not rotten. Or a later Mk4 or 5 fiesta with the 1.25 Zetec.
Its almost a case of 'you've missed that boat' im afraid.
A ZX TD may be cheaper to insure?
Alternatives - Ford Focus 1.6 has a really low insurance rating if you can get one to scrape into budget.
Or rather than a 205 GTi - what about a 106? They do a 1.4 XS model which is slightly sprightlier than the vanilla models, good looking and good to drive, just a bit harder to find.
Mk3 fiesta was available in an insurance friendly 1.6 Si model, just gotta find one thats not rotten. Or a later Mk4 or 5 fiesta with the 1.25 Zetec.
Yeah, half of the D-Turbos on ebay have got ruined gear boxes through the owner's stupidity.
I hadn't thought about ZXs (and I can't say I'm a great fan), but it looks like they are a little bit cheaper to insure than 306s. Still far more than I'd be willing to pay, though.
The 106 is a good suggestion, and I do like 106s. They're almost as small as a Mini, however, and I was hoping to move to something bigger. I'll keep the 106 in mind.
Couldn't find any Focus 1.6s within my budget, and a Fiesta doesn't really interest me.
306 HDIs are a bit more expensive to buy, so any minimal improvement in insurance costs would probably be outweighed.
Then there's this http://carandclassic.co.uk/car/C138665/
I hadn't thought about ZXs (and I can't say I'm a great fan), but it looks like they are a little bit cheaper to insure than 306s. Still far more than I'd be willing to pay, though.
The 106 is a good suggestion, and I do like 106s. They're almost as small as a Mini, however, and I was hoping to move to something bigger. I'll keep the 106 in mind.
Couldn't find any Focus 1.6s within my budget, and a Fiesta doesn't really interest me.
306 HDIs are a bit more expensive to buy, so any minimal improvement in insurance costs would probably be outweighed.
Then there's this http://carandclassic.co.uk/car/C138665/
Edited by TVR Sagaris on Thursday 1st April 21:03
Funnily enough I started out looking at (turbo) diesel 405 saloons.
I've just done a quick Comparethemarket quote on a petrol 405 and a 1.6 205 GTI and they came out roughly the same - how can that be possible?
What's weirder is that they were about the same as the 306 quotes too; might even have been a bit cheaper.
I'm going to get a phone quote for a 205 GTI tomorrow.
I've just done a quick Comparethemarket quote on a petrol 405 and a 1.6 205 GTI and they came out roughly the same - how can that be possible?
What's weirder is that they were about the same as the 306 quotes too; might even have been a bit cheaper.
I'm going to get a phone quote for a 205 GTI tomorrow.
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