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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Car insurance...I mean WTAF?

83 replies

ColouringIn · 16/09/2012 07:36

I am in the process of trying to insure my car which is a real old one. It's from 1998 and cost me a grand total of £250 on eBay! It belonged to an elderly man and had done less than 50k from new.

I am a Carer for my son who is autistic with ADHD, as such a car is vital for me but this £250 car is the best I can afford.

The costs of insuring it are driving me mad though.

Given that the bloody car is only worth £200 according to their valuation stuff the quotes I am getting are sky high. Anything from £350 with like £100 deposit (as I obviously just have a spare £100 lying about Hmm) to £1500 Hmm.

The third party quotes are even higher!

Cheapest I can find is esure/Sheila's Wheels which for various reasons declines me as soon as I try to buy from them..their site goes all the way through the process and then tells me that they can no longer offer me cover just as I get to the screen before paying.

I mean WTAF is going on here.....I am sick of trawling the price comparison sites to find the deposits are sky high or that my car is too lowly for them to even sniff at.

AIBU to think they are just taking the piss.Angry?

Bastards!

OP posts:
Original poster
ColouringIn · 16/09/2012 07:41

I might add that this car is a low insurance group and my voluntary excess is £250....so more than the bloody car is supposedly worth.

In the event of a write off the bastards will be £50 up on the deal.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 16/09/2012 07:42

£300 for insurance is a very good price now.

Fully comp insurance although it will need to take into account the value of your car will also factor in other risk factors because even though your car only costs £250 that doesn't mean they won't end up paying out to repair/write off a £15,000 car.

Kaloobear · 16/09/2012 07:44

£300 is cheap...

LurkeyLurkerson · 16/09/2012 07:45

It's so frustrating isn't it? I think it's not all to do with the value of the car though, their are so many other factors, like how long have you been driving, your age, where you live. And don't forget older cars can be broken into more easily unfortunately (although not as bad a some lovely BMWs according to Watcgdog the other day Shock )

LurkeyLurkerson · 16/09/2012 07:45

watchdog

dobalina · 16/09/2012 07:46

What bugs me is that years of no claims appears to count for nothing. Some even don't ask how many it is above about 5.

fuzzypicklehead · 16/09/2012 07:48

£350 doesn't sound that bad to me, TBH. Do you have prior claims that are driving the prices up?

The thing is, the quote isn't only reflecting the value of your car-- they judge risk by your mileage, profession, where the car is kept, your age & gender, no claims discount and (I think) where you live as well. I know someone who is paying £1600 per year because an uninsured driver crashed into her!

Original poster
ColouringIn · 16/09/2012 07:50

£350 is fine ....it's just the deposit of £100 which is frustrating me.

OP posts:
Original poster
ColouringIn · 16/09/2012 07:51

5 years No Claims

OP posts:
LurkeyLurkerson · 16/09/2012 07:52

Colouring, could you afford to pay outright? That tends to make it a bit cheaper.

ginmakesitallok · 16/09/2012 07:52

As said above your insurance isn't just to cover the cost of replacing your car - more importantly its also to cover the cost of any damage you might do to someone else property, associated legal costs/medical costs etc. £300 sounds pretty good to me!

SoupDragon · 16/09/2012 07:54

With 79% NCD, mine is £395 fully comp (2010 Ford SMax).

What's the deposit??

Original poster
ColouringIn · 16/09/2012 07:58

No Sad cannot pay outright and tbh it's the deposits which I am struggling with. Yes I take the point that it's not just the value of the car...

Just so frustrated with it all and panicking about affording the deposit but tbh I have to find it somehow as I cannot be without the car.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 16/09/2012 07:58

I have full no claims, clean licence and still have to pay just over £400

Original poster
ColouringIn · 16/09/2012 08:00

Other strange thing is that adjusting the voluntary excess appears to make little difference to the cost so even if I say I'll pay the first £400 it's no cheaper than say £100! Odd.

Going to have to plead my case to exH (hate doing that) to borrow the deposit.

OP posts:
Fakebook · 16/09/2012 08:03

Mine is 900. :(. I'd be happy with 300 and 100 deposit. I've only been driving for 1 year though.

GoldShip · 16/09/2012 08:03

Could you get a loan? Pay it all of at once. Then you just pay the loan back in chunks that are reasonable for yourself.

our insurance was 989 :(

Original poster
ColouringIn · 16/09/2012 08:04

Yes I do accept that £300 is not that bad and I'd be happy with that if only they didn't want £87 up front.....why can't they just divide it equally?

OP posts:
Dordeydoo · 16/09/2012 08:04

£350 sounds very cheap compared to mine. In April I paid £1119.79 for a 1998 Renault clio

GoldShip · 16/09/2012 08:07

She knows it's cheap! It's just bloody annoying that they want money up from...

The running costs of a car are ridiculous anyway. We have one car, which I LOVE. But when I pass we'd have to get another car but I simply can't afford it. I can afford a car, but not tax and insurance!

I feel your pain OP :)

fluffacloud · 16/09/2012 08:07

The deposit sounds unusually high, it's normally around 10%?

Do you have any add-on products? Breakdown or Legal Protection that could be adding to the cost?

Insurance premiums vary on an almost endless list of factors vehicle age, where you live, claim history, occupation, mileage, how many cars you have in your household etc, etc.....

Not very economical, but could you get a slightly more expensive policy so that you can pay a lower deposit?

Sirzy · 16/09/2012 08:10

I wonder if the deposit was high as the have a minimum amount so 10% of the policy cost or £87 iyswim. Doesn't help op much though but I can see why the companies want a chunk of money up front.

Have you tried phoning them and explaining OP they may be able to adjust the deposit and add more to your monthly bills

JeezyOrangePips · 16/09/2012 08:10

Have you tried direct line? They aren't on price comparison websites, and for me have usually been cheapest ( I think only twice they weren't)

I think Aviva aren't on price comparison websites either.

Are you insuring 3rd party or fully comp? Fully comp can be cheaper.

Good luck!

JeezyOrangePips · 16/09/2012 08:13

Sorry, I see you havd been looking at fully comp. ignore me!

Dordeydoo · 16/09/2012 08:23

I think £87 is ok for a deposit. If I were to pay my insurance by monthly instalments my deposit was over £200.
Really don't think the OP has much to complain about