Something a little bit more.. insurable

[ToddM]

the v6 nova does have quite an appeal as a sleeper, keep the rusty arches and dented wing they add to the effect.
But a v6 in a small fwd car must be a recipie for disaster when it comes to corners.

That one's been tried and tested - goes a little like this:

Oh hello! I shall assault the corners in my hot hatch with fabulous handling!
*Hit a swooping right hander at 80, maintaining stabile throttle*
*Understeer hits NOW*
*Lift off, rear end goes slightly lighter all of a sudden, you apply the brakes a little*
*You spin out and crash*

[sirwiggum]

V6 twin turbo in Vectra VXR is a riot to drive, but again the FWD doesn't inspire confidence.

Think the Consignia VXR is at least 4WD

[FarmerPug]

For driving thrills RWD is really what you want, even a low powered RWD car can be a hoot to drive like an old 1.6 mx5 or 318i, then when you add power its even better.

[ToddM]

Okay guys, it's pretty much decided now I just need some extra info from you! I'm currently oriented at either a 406 coupe 2.2 HDi or an Astra 1.9 CDTi SRI coupe if possible. What I'm thinking of doing is bringing the car to Bulgaria, my home country, and registering, insuring etc. here. After that I'll drive it back to the UK and drive it here. Any ideas whether there are any limitations, special road tax I have to pay or anything like that? Is the vehicle only allowed to stay behind UK borders for a certain time with foreign plates?

[highlander]

406 coupe 2.2 HDi or an Astra 1.9 CDTi SRI coupe

406, no contest.

My colleague has one of those Astras - he regrets buying it because it feels very cheaply built (compared to the Skoda Octavia he had previously).

Plus, the 406 Coupe looks a lot nicer. It won awards for its appearance, you know. According to twcc at the Coupe Club:

The 406 Coupé was voted "The Most Beautiful Coupé of the World 1997" in Milan, it won the "Car Design Award 1997" at Turin and "The Most Beautiful Car of the Year 1998" at Chamonix

[sirwiggum]

The 406 coupe is one of the prettiest cars ever.
Full stop.

Paninfarina need to get back into making mainstream coupes again like the Pug and the GTV, instead of silly MPVs like the Hyundai Matrix.

The Laguna coupe looks very Astony though.

[ToddM]

My uncle can help me a lot with the Astra though as he has an Opel garage here. He offered me an Irmscher kit + fitting + painting it to match any Vauxhall I buy and I'll also get totally free service as well. I know the 406 is much nicer to look at but I'm sure you'll understand it's difficult to say no to lower running costs, better performance and free servicing.. Not to mention a newer, more modern car with say a Satnav etc. actually built into the dash. Don't get me wrong - there's a reason I'm here in the 406 owners club - I love the 406 it's an excellent car.

But that's besides the point. What I was actually asking was whether it's a problem to drive a foreign-plated car in the UK for a long period of time. Sure it'll be frowned upon but I say F-off to Mr. British Insurer guy who's trying to skin me alive.

[DiscoPol]

6 months out of every 12 Todd, thats your limit then you would have to drive it out of the country for 6 months before returning with it. Bare in mind some insurance that is full cover in your home country will only cover you for 3rd party whilst abroad too.

all the info re the foreign plated cars is here.


HTH

Disco

[ToddM]

6 months out of every 12 Todd, thats your limit then you would have to drive it out of the country for 6 months before returning with it. Bare in mind some insurance that is full cover in your home country will only cover you for 3rd party whilst abroad too.

all the info re the foreign plated cars is here.


HTH

Disco

Cheers Disco mate
Damn was hoping for at least 8-odd months.. I guess it's still better than paying 8 grand for insurance. I might as well have two trips back home per year

[highlander]

better than paying 8 grand for insurance

How old are you Todd, if you don't mind me asking? Also, how long have you been driving for?

[sirwiggum]

I remember when I was 17, looking to get a PT job and looking at getting a wee car.

Pulled up insurance quotes for things like 900cc Cinquecentos, 1 litre Fiestas / Metros.

Quotes were between £3k and £6k.

Most of the ones driving at school were doing so because either their parents had insured the car in their name, with them as a named driver, or the parents had got them one of those Corsa with a years insurance deals that were doing the rounds in the late 90s.

Gave up on the idea until a couple years later, at uni in a nice town, insured the car there, was only £800

[ToddM]

better than paying 8 grand for insurance

How old are you Todd, if you don't mind me asking? Also, how long have you been driving for?

17 and as far as insurers are concerned I haven't driven at all.. Getting a pass plus didn't help much torwards my quotes that is why I'm so desperate.

[highlander]

What really helps bring down the cost is time, unfortunately. Buy a tiny little car - a Ford Ka with a 60HP petrol engine will be a Group 1 or 2 car. Insure it with 3rd party only, and limit yourself to about 4,000 or 5,000 miles a year on your policy (or better yet, get yourself added to your parent's policy). This will keep your insurance costs minimal for your first year or two.

Drive something crap, slow, and non-boy-racerish for a couple of years - assuming you have no accidents, you'll see your premiums plummet. If you have a bump, pay for the repairs without involving insurers, wherever possible (even if you are not at-fault - ensure the other party pays for your repairs, as the act of being in any accident means the insurers will grade you as a higher risk - I found that out through personal experience). Take any other advanced driving courses you can get onto. Don't modify your car at all.

Being from Thurso (where you can walk everywhere within about 15-20 minutes), I found that there was no point in my learning to drive up there. My parents never passed their tests either. I moved to Aberdeen when I was 25, and I passed my test when I was 27. Pass+ is only available to 17-to-25-year-olds, so I missed out altogether.

From what I gather, Pass+ does nothing these days, insurers basically ignore it (even though it's the sort of thing that makes for a better (safer) driver). Insurers are not in the business to provide you with adequate and affordable cover, they're in the business to relieve you of as much of your money as is legally possible.

My first post-test car was a 1994 (Mark 1) Renault Clio with a 1149cc petrol engine, and it cost me around £750 to insure third-party fire & theft. I then moved on to a 1.8 litre 406 after a year of Clio ownership, and it cost me around the same amount to insure fully comp.

I bought the Coupe having turned 30 years old, and it costs me around £750 to insure it as fully comp (even now that I have declared a stainless steel exhaust system as a modification).

If you can stomach driving a shitty little hatchback for a couple of years, you will find that you can get insured on a more desirable car a lot more cheaply by the time you hit 20.

[sirwiggum]

Agree with Highlander.

For a young driver, a tiny engined car makes sense to build up the NCB.

There is still a lot of fun and learning to be had in driving something like a Cinquecento, Clio or Ka. If you can pick up a bit of knowledge doing servicing jobs yourself too then all the better, these things have fairly basic engines.

My mk1 1994 1.2 Clio had a 4 speed box and maxed out at around 75mph, but it managed to take 4 of us + luggage from uni, across a blizzarding Scotland, and onto the Ferry home to NI one Christmas. Fond memories.
With 1 year no claims, moved to a 1.8 Orion for which insurance was around the same price.
I pay monthly so I don't even notice the £35 or so that comes out every month now.

[Bailes1992]

Is it time to remind you my first car was a 1.9TD 406 and was cheaper than a 1.25 fiesta to insure?