I would personally really question whether you need a car. If it's a definite yes, then a smaller engine will help certainly, yes it won't be as quick but you might actually be able to afford it.
Basically I live in the sticks, and parents are sick to the teeth of driving me places. Plus freedom etc. They will be paying the majority! My insurance target is £1000. I don't know if it's do-able, but I'm sure I will soon find out!
Bitch please. Vespa, you'll look like a total badass with your leathers and aviator goggles. I know I want to. No, I'm not exactly being helpful at this point. I'll sleep on it and try and think of a couple of good suggestions.
Thanks for your help guys, I'll have another read through and a think. +rep will be given in due course EDIT: George is presidential and Kid is hammer of Bindi! Epic rep thread is epic EDIT2: 2 presidential campaigners created! Wahey
Depends what his parents think in terms of safety and what kind of commutes he has to make. A 125cc enduro bike might be another nice option.
How about a Honda PCX 125? Those are cheap, economic and are becoming really common around here. If i read correctly the fuel economy on these things is about 108MPG. 50KM/L.
A motorbike is definatley the way to go if you just want independence, there is no way in high heaven you're going to insure any car, at 17, for £1000. As I, and others suggested, a motorbike is probably a better option. A CBT will get you on a 125, and that's fine, and certainly there's no point doing any more test's till you're 19 with the new laws. Dependent on where you live, a CBT will cost around £100, get a Honda CG125 for £750 or so, and insurance is around £60 a month, or £600 a year. Then get yourself some decent gear for £200, and you're on your way.
I think it would be more accurate to say that what he needs to do is sit his parents down and enthusiastically explain that the only thing he can afford to insure is a motorbike. After he and his Dad have finished resuscitating his mother will smelling salts, she will promptly explain that there's no chance of her precious progeny riding one of those mobile organ donations. You should then explain that car insurance is very expensive for people in your age group and they're welcome to look at the quotes themselves. My personal preference: Get on a shared policy with one or both of your parents. Insurance fronting is illegal, but it's not fronting if your parents also drive the car occasionally. Just because they are the named driver doesn't, AFAIK, mean they have to do even the majority of the driving. Buy a cheap, basic car. My first car was a 1995 Nissan Micra (0.9l of Japanese fury! No power steering, electric windows, central locking, air conditioning, rear windscreen wiper, tachometer, clock, CD player, metallic paint, alloy wheels, leather interior, soft-touch plastics, or power aerial!). It was dirt cheap and every time I kerbed one of its steel wheels I was thankful of that. It was very simple, and as a result it never went wrong. Not once. Ever. In the £3000 price bracket you will find relatively modern BMW 7-Series and Mercedes SLKs - do not be tempted. Expensive cars become cheap for a reason - and you can't afford to maintain an expensive car. Don't buy a car that's so cheap it's unsafe. Yes, a Peugeot 205 GTI is something of a hot hatch classic but compare it to today's 208 in a 43mph crash: Enjoy your no airbags! The older the car, the more likely it is to have absolutely no safety margin built in. A car built in the late 2000s will be exponentially more survivable in an impact than one built in the late 1980s. Hope that helps!
Peugeot 106 1.5D. Slow, reliable, cheap to buy, tax, insure and feed - and very easy to lock yourself out of. There's a good chance you'll stack your first one into a hedge at some point, so don't spend too much until you have 12 months motoring under your belt. We need at least two more rep tiers, one for the half million and one for Tel.
Cobblers to the safety brigade, just don't crash Howsabout an old skool metro?? my first post test motor was a 1300 metro sport, cheap enough to run, simple enough to fix, surprisingly solid as I found out after knocking a telegraph pole down with one
I did a lot of research into this 2 years ago now (I was 22 when I passed my test) as insurance was a killer. I ended up going here (http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/car-insurance-young-drivers) which has everything you need to know. Will give you a quick summary though: Insurance now a days is going to be a killer for you. You HAVE to be listed as main driver if you will drive more than your parents, so don't think about having you as a secondary. That has been mentioned before but I thought I better reiterate. The ones I would be looking at if I were you are the "pay as you drive" type options. Basically what happens is they insert some telemetry into your car, and then you pay for the miles you do. WARNING: They charge you for HOW You drive. Its pretty interesting really, but basically if you accelerate fast / hard it will increase what you pay, same for high number of Gs (fast corners) and hard breaking. Makes sense if you ask me. Another downside is that it limits driving hours (you pay A LOT for driving between 11pm and 6am). For me it wasn't worth it in the end as I needed Business options and the quotes were coming out at the same (estimated ~1-2k per annum for around 7k miles a year) I advise you to read that page as it has the companies and details on what can be expected etc There is also some pay how you drive stuff but I didnt look at that. But its from Co-Op so the are pretty solid from what I have heard Then lastly take a look at marmalade they specalise in young drivers. They also have an option to get insurance and car leasing from them and its pretty competitive! Hopefully that helps, I could write a lot more but my battery on the laptop is about to die. I will keep an eye on the thread though and answer if you have any questions.
I was able to get insurance for around £1000 when I passed on a 1 ltr 98 plate Micra. Honestly anything over a litre when you have just passed is a no go.
Peugeot 106, R Reg, 1.1 litre, worth about a grand - low mileage, was 17 at the time of passing my test Direct line, named driver on dads policy, just shy of £1900 a year! I believe I am acrewing NCB though so I should have 1 year NCB after this year! Up for renewal in feb, fingers crossed I can get on my own policy
That is the key to cheap insurance for young drivers! By not going down the same route as every other boyracer with their hot hatches. Also look to have your Mum as a named driver will help keep the insurance down. Another is to say your a non smoker.
