Youngsters with Westies ?

[Graham0127]

As all you guys know,our insurance is very reasonable.Mine is about 25% of my`regular` cars premium.My 20 year old son`s is a joke & was wondering if it would be better if he ran a Westie? I know most have limited mileage but so does my `reg` car,which only gets used a couple of times a week.Also he wouldn`t end up TAXI every time they go out:-)

[Hammy]

I've never thought of a westie as an everyday car - and crash worthyness can't be great, a consideration for young drivers IMO

Kids can get cheap insurance on old classics like Beetles , old fords and so on , that might be a possible better route . Although still not good to crash in and some are not "cool" .

Have you looked at very low grouping cars , pug 107 Etc.

[Graham0127]

Any tin top is just mad to insure around here.A lad who works for me has a basic Saxo and pays £1700 tpft with 2 years ncd,he got a quote on my other halfs MX-5 and that was £200 less! Bonkers.I know they`re not really seen as an everyday car,but I had an MGB roadster at my sons age and had no problems,,,,,,,except with crumpet......  

[Mark (smokey mow)]

I have no knowledge or experience, other than from hanging around on kit car forums for far too long, but what I have read is that getting insurance for younger driverss on kit cars is difficult as several have a minimum age limit, and likewise the reason insurance is cheep for us is that it not our primary car.

[Young Pretender]

I think that's right smokey and I also think that there is an expectancy that anyone trying to insure a seven style car has some experience driving performance cars of some sort to see a reasonable premium. I could be wrong.

[Graham0127]

Thanks Mark,the age limit doesn`t really shock me..........Everything seems stacked up against youngsters these days,no wonder so many drive without insurance.

[pistonbroke]

You can blame the sue everything in sight culture for the high cost of insurance

[alexander72]

good topic, i'm after a "family westie" that all my kids (5) can drive and share.  Only gets two in at a time, cheap to work on and great for the lads.  When I was 17 I had a LWB Land rover and always got called on to take the rugby team on matches.  Longest trip was Silsoe to Writtle and back with a near arrest en-route......

[SootySport]

That would a question for some insurance broker like A Plan. Cheap limited mileage Classic insurance is only available to 21+ people and they assume the policyholder has another daily car. Graham, shouldn't you be pressing your shirt and suit?

[alexander72]

I have a fleet policy for any driver over 18.... :-) 

[Moff88]

I'm 24 and I was 21 (almost 22) when I got my Westie. Insurance was around £350 then through Frank Pickles and I lived in a very safe area (on military base). Unfortunately they have changed underwriter and they wouldn't reinsure me this year. This was because their new underwriter wouldn't insure someone of my age.

 

I ended up having little time to shop around and I had to move the car so paid around £500 this year through sure term, although I now live in a risky area. I wasn't overly pleased. If you bare in mind my 09 2.0D S40 Volvo costs me about £900 through the IAM, its not too bad though. I do have a low risk occupation these days. I've only one black mark on my motoring record, which was a theft a few years ago.

 

The fact my westfield is 2.0 pushes it up as engine capacity and aspiration seem to be the only performance indicators they use. I imagine the fact I own another vehicle pushes it down though.

 

21 and 25 are the key ages for insurance companies, so if you can hang on til he's 21 it should be easier to find a company.

[Moff88]

Also, the number of uninsured drivers has been rapidly dropping due to Section 165 uplifts of vehicles. Cracking bit of legislation.

[echoz]

Tell him to get a job and suck it up lol! That's what I had to do, 306 D-Turbo for £500, years insurance was £1500! 

[Graham0127]

Tell him to get a job and suck it up lol! That's what I had to do, 306 D-Turbo for £500, years insurance was £1500! 

He`s got a job, he works for me.Trouble is he`s only 20 and dads being mean ,he only takes home £340 a week and after paying his housekeeping,beer,girls and clubs ,most of it`s gone.....guess I`ll have to bite the bullet and cough up as usual,but will look at a Westie......We can say he has use of a van all week...........may help.    

[kev91]

I got my Westie when I was 19 and I had to wait till I was 20 as I made a bit of a difference, got it in the winter anyway. I paid nearly 1000 due to it being a bec. Now I'm 21 and its 650. But most insurers won't touch me as its a bec, had it been a car engine they said they would quote no bother.