The best laugh I’ve had in years

[Ashley]

My 17 year old son passed his driving test today; although I wish him many year of good diving I’m really thankful for his excellent sense of humour. Upon getting home from this test he preceded to tell me he was going to buy a car (that’s code for me buying him a car) but until he got one his mum wouldn’t mind if he used her new car and can I sort out the insurance.
When I started smiling and slowly worked my way into full blow hysterics, he give me puppy dog look of real heart felt sadness. Being a caring sharing sort of farther I preceded to hand him the keys to our Bedford Rascal.

He resisted the tempting allure of the rascal for an unprecedented hour before he finale give in to the snooty van. The best laugh I’ve had in years.

Any ideas on a very cheap car to insure that I should be able to pick up for £500.
I don’t want a diesel because I don’t if he could resist the temptation do use red diesel, although I will buy him the car I will not insure, petrol or tax etc.

 

[Satch]

Anything in insurance group 1

Citroën 2CV6 (81-90)
Citroën C2 (03 on)
Fiat 126 Hatchback (87-92)
Fiat 126 Saloon (77-87)
Fiat Panda (04 on)
Fiat Panda (83-95)
Fiat Seicento (98-04)
SEAT Marbella (88-93)
Skoda Fabia Hatchback (00 on)
Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback (00-04)
Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback (03 on)
Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback (93-

Parkers lets you search by insurance group. List widens out a bit when you get to the dizzy heights of Group 2

http://www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/insurance/index.aspx

 

[scotth_uk]

How a smart car is not in group 1 - I'll never know.

 

[PJH]

How a smart car is not in group 1 - I'll never know.

Me neither, but could be because it's a TURBO !!

Zooman:- I suspect your son's insurance will cost several times the cost of the car.
Make sure the car he buys has got air-bags as it will be safer than a car without them, hence cheaper insurance.

 

[Ashley]

Well i've seen a nice little car on auto trader

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WW...category=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200517191312133

And a quick check for insurance is around £500 3/fire/theft over the year he can afford that. I’ll see if he wants to have a look at it. Anything I should look for on a corsa.

 

[Ashley]

will it have airbags at that age.

 

[smartbrabus]

How a smart car is not in group 1 - I'll never know.

cos they cost a fortune to fix if you break anything other than the plastic panels

 

[Benzowner]

Well i've seen a nice little car on auto trader

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WW...category=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200517191312133

And a quick check for insurance is around £500 3/fire/theft over the year he can afford that. I’ll see if he wants to have a look at it. Anything I should look for on a corsa.

Unfortunately the link only shows about finance and things now, I am surprised the insurance will be as low as £500, my son was paying about £1000 for a 1 litre metro 7 years ago

 

[Simon]

Any thoughts on owning and insuring a car as a parent, adding the child as a named driver and letting them use it? I know the child will not gain any no claims bonus but is it legal?

 

[PJH]

Any thoughts on owning and insuring a car as a parent, adding the child as a named driver and letting them use it? I know the child will not gain any no claims bonus but is it legal?

I think lots of parents have done this for their offspring to reduce costs, but the insurance policy will say that the first named should be the person the uses the vehicle the most.
Not that people LIE to their insurance companies or course.

 

[Mozzer]

Any thoughts on owning and insuring a car as a parent, adding the child as a named driver and letting them use it? I know the child will not gain any no claims bonus but is it legal?

I have often thought about this. The main worry is that the new driver doesn't get any NCB for the years you have him / her on your insurance as a named driver.

BUT when you call the insurance companies looking for insurance of your own after 3 years or so, the script they have is something along the lines of :

How long have you owned a full licence ?
How long have you been driving ?
Have you had any convictions in the past 3 years ?
Have you had any acidents or claims in the past 3 years ?

So technically, the named driver can answer :

How long have you owned a full licence ? 3 years
How long have you been driving ? 3 years
Have you had any convictions in the past 3 years ? No
Have you had any acidents or claims in the past 3 years ? No

At which point if you are lucky they give you 30% NCB straight away as standard.

Now the mathematically minded of you will point out that if he/she had their own policy from day one, they would be at 30% NCB by then, but unless I'm mistaken the example below shows how this may not be actually financially better off :

Year 1 on dad's insurance = £300
Year 2 on dad's insurance = £330 (assuming 10% increase PA)
Year 3 on dad's insurance = £363 (assuming 10% increase PA)
Year 4 on own insurance = £665 - 30% (assuming 10% increase PA) = £466

Year 1 own insurance 0% NCB = £500
Year 2 own insurance 10% NCB £500+10%-10% (+10% increase PA) = £500
Year 3 own insurance 20% NCB £550+10%-20% (+10% increase PA) = £484
Year 4 own insurance 20% NCB £605+10%-30% (+10% increase PA) = £466

Now I may well have made these figures up to prove the point, but it does beg the question (doesn't it or shall I just put my calculator away )

 

[Ian B Walker]

My son has a 2 ltr Cavalier Sri (someone has to have one I guess) It is registered in my name and insured by me. He is on its policy as a named driver. Technically its my car so nothing illegal there. For him to insure was going to cost him £2000 + per yr fully comp. For me £385 fully comp. I have told him though that if he bends it he is only covered 3rd party so he wont be able to claim. Thankfully next year he is 25 so he will be in a position to insure it himself.

 

[Howard]

Sorry to go OT but Bedford Rascals rock

I lived in one for a couple of weeks in Cornwall once , very comfy , blow up air bed in the back....... stylish !!

H

 

[scottishc280]

Can you not get him a classic car

something like a Mini or something cool but low powered. I would think that a classic mini with limited milage should be cheaper than a more modern car.

 

[Ashley]

Unfortunately the link only shows about finance and things now, I am surprised the insurance will be as low as £500, my son was paying about £1000 for a 1 litre metro 7 years ago

I know our post code is one of the best for insurance purposes in the UK.
I put him down for 10k miles per year, an excess of £250 and his job as a farm worker. I also put the car will be garaged.

On the subject of me insuring the car and putting him on as a named diver. I feel at his age the time has come to be reasonable for his own upkeep. All the employees of our farm are insured to diver any car owed by the farm (eg. tractors on the road). In the past he would have been able to dive any car in the family put with tax laws changing we now own our cars personally and claim back mileage from the corporation tax.

With him being only 17 will he be allowed to pay it over the year?

 

[Doodle]

Age shouldn't be an issue to paying the insurance in monthly instalments, especially if he is intending to pay by debit card.

£2000 for a Cavalier SRI at 24? Yeek...I'll be 25 in October, I paid about £500 this year for my Civic VTI-S (Grp 16), and to insure myself as the main driver on the SL500 would only have cost £800. Ok, so I have been driving since 17, and have will have 5 years NCB at the end of this insurance year, but still...!

 

[Ashley]

something like a Mini or something cool but low powered. I would think that a classic mini with limited milage should be cheaper than a more modern car.

He has ideas of grandeur.

He takes home £600 a month and last time I spoke to him his plan was to wait to he’s 18 in September and buy a brand new car on hp. Not something I want him to do but how can I stop him.

Over the yeas I have tried to install a sense of reasonability and the acknowledge that though hard work and commitment that rewards will be forth coming to him, but like so many in today’s world he’s unwilling to wait. In my opinion a sad reflection on modern society.

 

[Satch]

Sadly I am only months away from the prospect of getting a 17 year old on the road. I would rather not, but at least it will save school/college run, him always pestering for lifts or coughing up taxi fares. No public transport where I live, no pavements, no street lights, lots of trees and a 5 mile walk to the nearest town.

Spot of difficulty when I overheard him say to his mate that "They will not let me drive the Mercedes, but think I will be able to get the Land Cruiser."

He is now coming to terms with something rather smaller, slow and inexpensive. That said, the Smart Car may not be the cheapest but it appeals because it instantly limits the number of passengers.

These people are on my list to try:

http://www.4youngdrivers.co.uk/default.asp

 

[andyw]

Kids these days expect so much more than we did at the same age - blimey I remember stripping and rebuilding a crappy Talbot Horizon when I was 16 so it would be ready for me when I passed my test at 17 - and I appreciated it!!

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when my dad passed his 2.1ltr Renault 18TD onto me when he traded up!!

I think some people need to get a reality check!!

 

[simonl]

A Talbot Horizon? Luxury. I used t'ave a bogey made from a couple o' bits o' wood an' some pram wheels dredged out' canal.


.....true enought tho. i had an old metro. it were a wrecker. my dad told me to make do coz i'd probably smash it up.