First car might be a Ford Ka, oh dear...

Adam_M

Adam_M

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I recently passed my driving test and need to get a car ASAP. And like most, insurance is killing me, even at 27, never mind being 17.

A few months ago, I could have got a Ford Focus insured for 1.3k (putting in that I'd just passed my test, not a provisional licence quote) and now, that would cost me over 2k. And well over 3.5k if I paid it monthly...

Nearly every other car out there is looking to be about 1.7k on insurance paid off in full, or 3k if paid off monthly. MENTAL! I wouldn't mind paying say 2k if it was monthly but it's utterly insane.

After rigorous testing it looks like a Ford KA is by far the cheapest car I can get insurance wise, at around 1.3k annually for a certain model (2.7k if paid monthly... )

So, if anyone would like to take the mick out of me for owning a Ford Ka, please do it now so I can feel just how shameful it is and force me to spend more on something less embarrassing :D
 
Have you looked into the black box insurance schemes? They monitor your driving so can prove a lot cheaper if you don't drive after 11 at night.

Also check out some classic car policies. As you're over 25 then one of those might be better if you can have a classic as your only car.

Put family member on as named driver. That often brings down premiums.

Also check out manufacturer insurance schemes. Again as you're over 25 you might find a brand new car with free insurance would work out cheaper than buying a much older car and insuring it separately.

The monthly schemes you've found sound stupidly over priced. I'd shop around a lot more.
 
Try getting insurance for a commercial like a van. Or classic insurance on something like a Mercedes 190E. These policies may be much, much cheaper

You can pick up a nice 190E for less than £1000 - quite a lot less in some cases!

Nick Froome
 
You need to look at the ways you are getting your quotes - I'm 20, with 1yr ncb, for a 1.8 ford focus it cost me around £570 for a 10 month policy.

Put on 2 - 3 older (around 50yrs old), experienced drivers, preferably female (edit: this point wont apply in a few days!), as named drivers.
Look at every last detail on the policy and keep tweaking it to get the price down.
If you use something like topcashback compare you can also get cashback on the policy.
 
woah, that is ridiculously expensive. shop around my friend. im 27 and have a C32 AMG insured for £760 with elephant.
 
Look at something like a SEAT arosa.... Better than a Ka to drive, great looks, and with VW build quality. The missus has one and its a riot, even for a 1-litre. They also do a 1.4 (very nippy) and possibly a 1.2. Loads of space and decent kit. They stopped making them in 2005 but there are still good ones out there.

We paid £1500 two years ago for a 51 reg with 30,000 miles and FSH from a private garage, taxed and tested. It was her first car after passing her test and although she was 31 then, as a new driver she only paid about £600 to insure it, paying monthly with RAC.

Just for reference, I was driving a Primera GT - 150bhp sports saloon - at the age of 21 paying £600 a year fully comp with elephant. Mind you, a 22 year old at work drives a standard 1.2 Clio and he pays over a grand, so can appreciate that you.g driver premiums are ridiculous these days.

Good luck :)
 
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I have had a couple of KA's in the past. Try and get the 1.25 engine rather than the older 1.3

Might have a bit of a girly reputation, but they are not that bad. Small powerless engine, but in a small lightweight car with go-kart like handling actually make it quite fun to bauu around in.
 
consider a fiesta, my other half passed her test in april at the age of 24, and insured a 1.3 51 plate fiesta for 2.3K fully comp with rac on monthly payments.
 
Thanks all for the replies! nice to see someone else has driven one ;)

Telematic boxes are a no go, firstly they always come out higher and the mileage and age locks me out those who could be cheaper with them. Not quite the dream cutting I thought they would be... great if you're under 25 though from what I can tell.

Classic Cars are also a no go because of the mileage I do (12k a year just to get to work) though I did consider having the motorbike and car to split the mileage, but even a 190E comes back at over 3k.

Tried the Seat Arosa, that came back over 2k as well :bang:

I do have my uncle and mother on it and have played with that part of the quotes quite a bit. That brings it down a LOT, I think it saves about a grand...

This is all through Confused.com, I've tried Money Saving Expert but they come back a few hundred quid more expensive. The cash back thing is something I may have to try out!

I'm going to cry in the corner now, it seems it's definitely my fate. Even changing the trim levels by a tiny bit causes massive increases! I hope the insurance companies let me have air con...
 
I got my 1.3k fully comp through admiral multi car? Does your mum and uncle drive? maybe add their cars at a later date...?
 
I'm not laughing, shed motoring is the way to go! Buy it cheap, spend nothing, run it to the ground, rinse and repeat!
 
I have to agree with those saying to put others on your policy. It seems it would certainly bring it down.

If your happy go third party.

Will it be kept in a garage overnight ;)

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what car you drive as long as it gets you from a to b and back. No matter what car I had a would still be laughing at those walking in the cold and rain :)
 
joebh123 said:
I'm not laughing, shed motoring is the way to go! Buy it cheap, spend nothing, run it to the ground, rinse and repeat!
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Not always, as 'sheds' tend to be pot luck whether you'll get something half decent and reliable.

It's not the cost of the car, but the insurance that's the stinger.

:)
 
Adam_M said:
I recently passed my driving test and need to get a car ASAP. And like most, insurance is killing me, even at 27, never mind being 17.

A few months ago, I could have got a Ford Focus insured for 1.3k (putting in that I'd just passed my test, not a provisional licence quote) and now, that would cost me over 2k. And well over 3.5k if I paid it monthly...

Nearly every other car out there is looking to be about 1.7k on insurance paid off in full, or 3k if paid off monthly. MENTAL! I wouldn't mind paying say 2k if it was monthly but it's utterly insane.

After rigorous testing it looks like a Ford KA is by far the cheapest car I can get insurance wise, at around 1.3k annually for a certain model (2.7k if paid monthly... )

So, if anyone would like to take the mick out of me for owning a Ford Ka, please do it now so I can feel just how shameful it is and force me to spend more on something less embarrassing :D
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Its a lot to do with living near Leeds/Bradford (insurance fraud black spot Bradford).

When I moved my insurance more then halved.

As to putting others on my policy it really was hit and miss, a family of professional drivers with decades without accident (OK maybe in commercial motors but never their own) got mixed results.
My dad brought it down, my brother put it up!
My niece on a learner license at the time knocked hundreds off! :thinking:

Also, newer cars put my premium way up, older cars (big engined) where a lot lower.

Might also be worth calling in and submitting a bit more info, in my case in the early days I worked away for weeks and the car sat in a secure car park and this brought it down.

When driving for a living the fact my hours where obscure aka early starts and late finishes outside of *Rush Hour* also brought it down.

And in the really early years I just drove my dads car. I think the option to get no claims for each driver had recently come in which was extremely handy when I got my own insurance.

Oh and how I got around the "commute" bit on my dads?
Just said I was a life long cyclist (which I am) and rode my bike everywhere.
Which was actually true at the time.

But none the less food for thought.
 
yeah i was going to say it must be your location - I'm paying £232 pa for a 55 plate focus 1.8 tdci

Okay so i'm older and ive been driving a long time - but my brother in law who is about your age has a ford mondeo 2.0 and pays less than 500 quid fully comp (he lives near lancaster)
 
Had a KA as a courtesy car, have to say i quite liked it, especially for town and country roads.
 
they arent bad little motors - Ive had two - the only issue i9s you cant easily carry more than two aduls without it feeling very crowded
 
Cheap insurance is all well and good, but, God forbid, you do actually need to us it, then you will rapidly find out how good or bad it is.

Read the small print and clarify any points you are unsure of with the company/brokers.

The cheapest could well bite you when you really need it not to do so.As in many things, the cheapest is not always the best option.

Mind you, if we had not turned into a bunch of "claim" and "sue" merchants, maybe we would not be payng as much. Those scumbag soliciters that advertise on the TV and radio should be hung ,drawn and quartered....................oooops, , i`m descending into a rant.
 
BarryDawsib said:
Its a lot to do with living near Leeds/Bradford (insurance fraud black spot Bradford).

When I moved my insurance more then halved.

As to putting others on my policy it really was hit and miss, a family of professional drivers with decades without accident (OK maybe in commercial motors but never their own) got mixed results.
My dad brought it down, my brother put it up!
My niece on a learner license at the time knocked hundreds off! :thinking:

Also, newer cars put my premium way up, older cars (big engined) where a lot lower.

Might also be worth calling in and submitting a bit more info, in my case in the early days I worked away for weeks and the car sat in a secure car park and this brought it down.

When driving for a living the fact my hours where obscure aka early starts and late finishes outside of *Rush Hour* also brought it down.

And in the really early years I just drove my dads car. I think the option to get no claims for each driver had recently come in which was extremely handy when I got my own insurance.

Oh and how I got around the "commute" bit on my dads?
Just said I was a life long cyclist (which I am) and rode my bike everywhere.
Which was actually true at the time.

But none the less food for thought.
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Haha, yes this is mostly the location doing it I imagine, currently living in LS4. When I was in Harrogate it cost next to nothing, but the rent was much higher and boy, what a boring place to live!


Rapscallion said:
Had a KA as a courtesy car, have to say i quite liked it, especially for town and country roads.
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big soft moose said:
they arent bad little motors - Ive had two - the only issue i9s you cant easily carry more than two aduls without it feeling very crowded
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All this positive talk of Ford KA's is helping to ease my pain ;)

fracster said:
Cheap insurance is all well and good, but, God forbid, you do actually need to us it, then you will rapidly find out how good or bad it is.

Read the small print and clarify any points you are unsure of with the company/brokers.

The cheapest could well bite you when you really need it not to do so.As in many things, the cheapest is not always the best option.

Mind you, if we had not turned into a bunch of "claim" and "sue" merchants, maybe we would not be payng as much. Those scumbag soliciters that advertise on the TV and radio should be hung ,drawn and quartered....................oooops, , i`m descending into a rant.
Click to expand...

Yeah there are a lot of very dodgy motorbike insurers out there, eBike (i guess eCar is the car equivalent) and a few others gave me insanely cheap insurance on the bike, but reading them up, it's clearly a scam.

This is with Admiral who are coming about 1k under everyone else constantly, along with Elephant and Diamond. I feel pretty safe dealing with them, as safe as you can with any insurance company...



I've just been toying around and have got one specific Ford KA down to just under £1.3k, though it is a 10 month bonus accelerator policy I'm not going to complain at that.
 
Nowt wrong with KAs, owned the same one for the last eight years ! Had one rear coil spring break, that's all.

Fun to drive, nippy enough & fits in my garage too. Also 50+ MPG on a run. Oh & my insurance this year, fully comp, £149 !
 
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Can also vouch for KA's. My brother had one and in the snow and ice it was the only car in the family that could get beyond the end of the street.
 
Digitalize said:
1
KAs rust quicker than they use fuel, so look out for that.
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nah - I had a R reg ka for 8 years - not a spot of rust on it when i sold it, I then bought a 06 plate new and it ran sweet as a nut with no problems for the four years I owned it (before hacking it in against my current focus in 2010)

Corsa on the other hand is a terrible buy - they break a lot, plus every second chav has swapped the 1.1 for a red top out of an astra gsi in an undeclared engine conversion so a lot of insurers hate them
 
big soft moose said:
nah - I had a R reg ka for 8 years - not a spot of rust on it when i sold it, I then bought a 06 plate new and it ran sweet as a nut with no problems for the four years I owned it (before hacking it in against my current focus in 2010)

Corsa on the other hand is a terrible buy - they break a lot, plus every second chav has swapped the 1.1 for a red top out of an astra gsi in an undeclared engine conversion so a lot of insurers hate them
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Plus they are very easy to work on for the average home mechanic (y)
 
I got a 3 year old Ka a few years ago and it seemed OK to me. I definitely prefer my new Peugeot 105 to the Ka though, but both are good cheap cars. I had a focus before the Ka but I prefer smaller cars generally.
 
my old dear had a T reg Ka from new no rust and no problems, swapped it for a 04 plate ka from new , sold that to my sister in 08 and bought an 08 plate one

my sister sold the 04 plate in 2011 when she emigrated (still no rust and no problems)

My old dear is still driving the 08 plate one , with likewise no rust and no problems

the Ka's rust quickly thing is an internet myth (although of course any car will rust if you abuse it and don't clean it etc)

another plus is they are a popular "mummy car" so there are lots arround that are well looked after with low milleage
 
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Are all these kind words for the Ford KA some sort of evil rouse so that I buy one, and then people will suddenly start sniggering? ;)

I nearly bought a Gold one today. Glad I saw sense, I'm aiming for dark blue or black.

Oh and for comparison... the Corsa 1.0 is £500 more on the insurance.
 
thats because you are in leeds surrounded by boy racers with stupidly modified corsas - the Ka isnt usually a candidate for the same level of buggering about with (although it does happen)

Colour wise dark blue and black show dirt like salt like no bodies business - get a red one or summat would be my advice - dont get a metalic option like gold, or one of the specialist colours like funky purple as that may increase the insurance
 
big soft moose said:
thats because you are in leeds surrounded by boy racers with stupidly modified corsas - the Ka isnt usually a candidate for the same level of buggering about with (although it does happen)

Colour wise dark blue and black show dirt like salt like no bodies business - get a red one or summat would be my advice - dont get a metalic option like gold, or one of the specialist colours like funky purple as that may increase the insurance
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I wish! I'm in a deadzone surrounded by grannies or people on their last legs. Even the Ambulances don't speed around here, no point! ;)

But yeah, further afield it's not so nice... I did once see a boy racer'd KA and I vomited for about a week.

Baffling as it is, a Gold 2E group car was £50 cheaper to insure than a Blue 2 group car. These quotes really baffle me sometimes. Red might be a go-er if I can find one that looks decent for cheap.
 
My daughter is18and not long passed her test. We got her a1.4 vw polo on 51 plate and that costs 1200 fully comp.
 
LeeG said:
My daughter is18and not long passed her test. We got her a1.4 vw polo on 51 plate and that costs 1200 fully comp.
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No point suggesting female insurance, my friend pays more than that at 19, 1 year NCB.

Or any insurance at all as there is so many variables.
 
My first car at 19yo, was a Ford Fiesta Mk2 XR2 that cost me all off £260 to insure. The joys of classic cars. At the same time Clios and the like were well over £2k, i changed the car for an Escort RS Turbo within a few months and that was about £500 to insure.
 
I was 23 when i got my first car. was 18 month old Astra 1.9TDI with Liverpool Victoria cost me 1,900 fully comp, might be worth giving them a call? currently with Admiral who have been very good
 
Put a parent on as an additional driver.

I'm 24 now and I've been driving 6 years with 6 years ncb and for the first time this year my insurance has gone under 1k.

Insurance for new drivers is a far too expensive.
 
Michaelk20 said:
Insurance for new drivers is a far too expensive.
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No it isn`t, new drivers, contrary to what a lot of them think, are inexperienced and quite poor drivers.Hence a higher risk, hence a high premium.
 
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