Motors Could i run a car?

i pay ~ £1400 per year for insurance on a group 2 1.3 Ka and i am 25 was also paying £150 a month on petrol but managed to wangle working from home so no longer have that expense.

i have had 3 accidents tho if you can afford insurance when you are young i say go for it, i had no chance when i was 17 so went on my parents. Was driving for 5 years without a crash when i was a "reckless teenager" but had 3 crashes in 3 years after that (basically wrong place wrong time), didnt have any no claims to begin with really and got screwed. As soon as you can afford to get protected no claims i suggest get it! i didnt

tescos are cheap for insurance btw

Laters
Jon

 

Im paying £1100 fully comp for my Group 14 Civic Esi, under my dad, and I was paying £500 (third party) with Tesco, but they didnt want to accept my dads 5 years NCD I do wanna start my own insurance (im 18) but I want a fast car and the only way for that is by going under mee dads, but il soon sell the car and get myself a 1L Pug soonsish...

Loay.

 

I thought I was being ripped off when I first got insurance at 17 three years ago. However seeing my brother get quoted twice as much at 18 this autumn makes me feel really sorry for you guys!

I guess you've sorted yourself out Murdoc but for anyone else in the same situ - here's my 2p's worth, wot I've worked out over time:

• forget the idea of getting some 1.4 litre thing with alloys or stuff. The insurance is just not gonna happen. I'm still driving the 956cc Renault 5 I learnt to drive in. It's a doddle to fix, is light so can beat basic novas and fiestas and does a respectable 90odd tops. Plus the police leave you alone
• go for girlie or granny cars - eg while the L-reg model clio will cane on the insurance the new models are group 2...
• dont jump to conclusions - fully comp is often cheaper than 3rd party (I dunno why, I guess cos you sound more responsible?). Similarly newer cars may be cheaper to insure
• I guess it would be wise to get on your parents' insurance nowadays; if you insist on getting your own for gods sake get 10 month accelerator policies..
• DONT get caught for anything, dont crash, dont breathe, etc.
• when I chose my car I found a cheapish book in the newsagents - something about the recommended prices for used cars. It also had insurance groups so I reckon it was made for young drivers!
• i reckon driving and maintaining a crappy old car will make you a better driver in the end
• one thing that has caught me out is that most petrol stations dont sell 4* (LRP) any more - only my local Safeway does it. So bear in mind if you buy a 4* car you'll need to buy additives from Halfords. However, this only adds ~4p/litre so you may be able to take advantage of people selling cos they dont want the fuss.

I dont guarantee that some/all of this isnt bull**** btw

Happy motoring....

 

I am glad my insurance is low now, back when I first got my Volvo 1.7 the insurance was fairly high.

My mate Stuart (Samial_6) at 19 upgraded to a Rover 827 SLI (V6 24 Valve Sports Injection ~169 BHP) the orginal quote was £1800 TPFT but he had it locked behind gates at night in a private park at his house and it dropped to £1400.

We sure had fun in that car, it was damn fast and we put a very loud sound system in it.

For a laugh I got a quote on my mates 1.1 Fiesta a few years ago it was only £330 fully comp, it's more than likely to be even lower now LOL.

 

How abouts the Fiat Punto then ?

 

sorry double posted.

 

£777 a year for a '00 Astra 1.6. Group 4 (fear the grandpa car!)

It'll be higher next year - had a bit of a bump earlier in the year, so that'll scupper thing for me.

I'm 27.

 

Voted the UK's most unreliable car. Be my guest.

Go for a 106. Cheap as chips and fairly indestructable. The 1 litre 106 is a cracking wee motor - they don't rust like a Fiesta or Nova, insurance is cheap, and they're actually quite fun to drive.

The 1 litre is only 55hp, but the car weighs 830kg, so the power to weight ratio is just about right.

The 1.1 is even more fun at 65hp and 835kg. They also come with anti-roll bars which makes them less likely to lean in those 40mph roundabout rallies.

The 1.5D is totally indestructable - I have a mate who has done 250,000 on his 1.5D 106, on original engine and gearbox. Clutch only went a few months ago, he changed it himself in a Saturday afternoon.

Parts are cheap as the 106 and Saxo are almost identical, so have lots of common parts. Engine bits are next to nothing if you get OEM Citroen parts.

A quick search on autotrader.co.uk picked up a '92 1.1 XN for £475, a '94 1.5D Key West for £650, and a '96 1.1 Escapade for £895. Those are Belfast prices - you'd probably get them cheaper.

 

How about other factors which might affect the money required to run a car?

Tyre pressure - I heard increasing them above average pressure will increase MPG.

Exhaust Pipes - Adding an exhaust pipe which is larger probably so that the exhaust gases can "exhaust" faster ?

I dunno how to explain but I know my cousin's dad have done the above to his car and his car has now got considerably increased MPG.

Also you might consider the hybrid cars ? Toyota Prius

Half Petrol, Half Electric , although the initial cost of the car is...

 

DO NOT DO THIS... It reduces the tyres surface area on the road... DANJERUZZ!!

 

Yeah - it will decrease the rolling resistance offered by the tires and improve fuel consumption buuuut...will dangerously reduce the level of grip offered by the tire, as Phat said.

*n

 

Then don't increase it THAT much just slightly could get a few more MPG's and I'm sure you guys all drive at a "safe" speed and I mean 20Mph through a town or something.

Be safe. Drive Safe

 

I thought I'd give you a rough run down of my car expenses,On the trains I was spending £10 a day to get to college.

I don't have a job, but I do the occasional but of labouring for some people I know, but never really more than a day or two at a time.

I had a few grand saved up from when I was working before college, but no help from parents on any of the cost or anything.

1990 Ford Fiesta 1.1 = £200

Insurance (17 yr old) (Group 6 - easy to steal) = £1500 TPFT first year, me as only driver, no excess whatsoever - www.liverpoolvictoria.co.uk

Tax = £110 a year

In the last three months I've spent about £300 on its upkeep, though about £100's worth was cosmetic and wasn't really necessary. The majority of whats essential in that is oil.

£10 gets me just over 100 miles.

I do all the work on it myself, and its MOT isn't due until next september.

So assuming I keep it for the entire first year, excluding the MOT and any possible nasty suprises it costs me about £450 a month. Bear in mind that £200 of that is petrol, as I do about 500 miles a week, so the upkeep costs will likely be less if you're doing less miles.

Hope this is of some use to you...

Telkman

 

I've got a Seat Marbella.

Otherwise known as 'Fiat Panda Lookalike competition winner'

Dubbed by my mates as 'the box with wheels'

Pictured on front of 'The Worst Cars in Britain', published in WHSmith. Never mind...

But I love it. Was given to me as it was a wreck, and was resurrected using parts out the scrap yard for about £50. Group 1 insurance, very economic, nippy around town but lousy on the motorway. About as aerodynamic as a brick, max speed = 88mph. (on a steep hill with the wind behind it )

Intend to keep it till I'm 22 if I can, cos then the insurance premiums drop and I may be able to afford something a bit better, but the rust holes in the boot may condemn it at the next MOT...

Would recommend it if you need a car and have no money, second hand purchase prices can be as low as £60. Cheap tax, good fuel economy, just don't expect comfort or style.