hi there,

looking to get a car in abit after my 17th birthday but dont know what i should get needs to be able to carry bikes and people would be a help but if its a van they can walk dosnt want to be too heavy on the insurance and needs a good mpg what is there? looked at berlingoes etc..?
show and tel me yours 🙂

tom

Insurance will be the decider. Look for anything with an engine under 1000cc. You'll get a bike in anything with a hatchback.

cinquento with a boot rack. They look awful, they probably are awful but they are cheap as chips to fix and insure. absolutely zero cool rating though. Work on the grounds that you WILL crash your first car and concider how much you spend based on that. Also, beware being a named driver on parents insurance etc. Its cheaper up front, but building up NCD is more valuable IMO. Maybe have a look at a Jumbuck? I'm sure they're only 1.3 and come as a pickup?

you will be very lucky to get insurance for anything forless than £2000 and if they know you £5000 😉

Go on an insurance compare site and try different vehicles but yes small as can be and bike rack will be cheapest

an old pug 205 1.9 diesel is can be done for about £1100 a year fully comp at 17, with the seats folded down it can carry 10 empty beer barrels :lol:.
very cheap to run and to buy

Toyota Aygo,citroen C1 same car as is the peugot model,

Sure someone said landrovers where cheap to insure as well,

Strangely you can pick up really cheap cars its the insurance that kills you.

vans seem quite expensive to insure as private vehicles, my non turbo berlingo costs the same as the audi a6 estate it replaced

2 bikes (inc a 29er) and 3 adults in a ford Ka, plus a COLD weekends worth of gear…
i looked into van insurance while bored in the library and the cost was a joke…
obviously if you've rich parents it'll be alright though…!

prepare to be shafted on van insurance ….

im 23 with NCB and i have to pay near 600 quid on a 1.7 99bhp base model van that alarmed and immobilized when i can insure a 1.6 120bhp saloon with alloys , cd player and all tht jazz with no alarm for 250 ……

prepare to be shafted on van insurance ….

im 23 with NCB and i have to pay near 600 quid on a 1.7 99bhp diesel with a bk speed of 99mph base model van that alarmed and immobilized when i can insure a 1.6 120bhp saloon witht a book speed of 115 with alloys , cd player and all tht jazz with no alarm for 250 ……

Also, beware being a named driver on parents insurance etc. Its cheaper up front, but building up NCD is more valuable IMO.

I passed my test in 2001, I paid for my first car but it went in my Dads name, his insurance with me as a named driver. Cut cost by a third but I was naive then, didn't realise that I wasn't meant to be commuting to work in it, and that it was a very grey area as my Dad was insured on two vehicles. Was a 1.9TD Citroen ZX so quite a nippy car for a new driver 🙂

Then I moved in with the gf, car went into her name as although we both had 0 no claims, being female meant again insurance was cheaper. All legit now as she was using it to commute, not me. Same again with the next car, I paid, but she owned it, drove it and insured it.

So when I got my van, (2.3L mwb Iveco Daily) I was surprised that the two insurance companys I got quotes from took into account that I had been a named, regular driver for the last 9 years, and drive a company vehicle, and discounted my policy by the equivalent no claims amount 🙂 So my van costs me about £400 to insure rather than the £1400 the comparison sites were giving me. I was 26 when I got my policy, apparently the quotes drop quite a bit when you hit 23 and 25.

So I've saved a packet over the years, and it didn't come back to bite me as I was expecting 🙂

tom, look at 1000cc corsa and for insurance go to motaquote and ask about the ikube policy they fit a tracker to your car and you`re not allowed to drive between 11pm and 5 am fully comp my lad 18yo paid £1257 as opposed to 3k,

gazman

Is it just me, I keep reading the thread title as being about caravans.

as said above the key when your youngis to have a low power/ small engine car.

vans are more expensive than cars to insure (no idea why)

i'd reccomend going for a small hatchback with a rack (towbar ones seem to be best imo) for the bikes.

if you can find a small engine estate that may be good – dunno what ones are available though.

passed plus should give you 20% discount on insurance.

prepare to be shafted on van insurance ….

im 23 with NCB and i have to pay near 600 quid on a 1.7 99bhp base model van that alarmed and immobilized when i can insure a 1.6 120bhp saloon with alloys , cd player and all tht jazz with no alarm for 250 ……

I'm glad age helps for something… £250 for a 1.6! My 535i costs me less on comp 😮

You may have to pay £2000 qid a year to insure even a small car,plus fuel and tax plus repairs,

So £2000 divided by 52 weeks is £38 quid per week easily enough to pay for a bus or train pass, or to give a mate to take you around.

Volvo 340 3dr hatch 1.4l age and cost of purchase along with the granddad image will mean low insurance. Lots knocking about bought by retirees who keep them garaged then pop there clogs only having put 20000 miles on the clock.

As said above it'll be the insurance that'll kill you.

Get quotes as different cars will cost different amounts to insure, it's not just based on engine size etc. (although I seem to remember even a higher insurance group car may be cheaper to insure for certain drivers – was chatting to a ~20yo about this and he said he'd got much cheaper quotes on an Astra 1.6 than a Clio 1.2 (OK, the Astra's still not going to be so fast it snaps the knicker elastic of any woman within a 2 mile radius or anything, but still…).

Van insurance is costly. My van is officially group 3 but costs more to insure than a group 10 Golf GTI. (im 24 with 3 years NCB).

Derv cars tend to be of a lower group than the equivalent petrol model so if budget stretches go for a derv as they tend to cost more in the first place.

If it's your car you cannot get insured as a named driver on a parents policy – if you have an incident they won't pay up and you'll be fined/charged for being uninsured. By driving the car more than the policy owner, this becomes the case.

If you're set on a van, consider a Citroen C15 1.5 n/a (non-turbo) diesel. It will cost about £600 to buy a half decent one and could be very cheap (relativly) to insure in comparison to other vans, maybe cheaper than a car too. Look into it. A friend has had 4 of these in succession and loves then for the simplicty/field car-esque reliability. He drive from Loughborough to N. Wales and back with a snapped clutch cable just by slamming the gear lever through and matching revs! Engine lasted another 5 months before needed a swap.

I've driven a 1.4 honda civic from the mid 90's (well, I think you've seen it!) since I was 17. It's great for bikes as you can fit 1 bike in the back with both wheels on.

However, insurance as a 17 year old would be about £1400. It's all about being a 2nd driver. Having your mum or dad as 1st will be best.

Oh, and van insurance will cripple you. I'd say forget that idea for a fair while.

Just been through this pain with my son.

Approaching 17, he announces he wants a Toyota Hilux. Let's call it the Top Gear effect.

Anyhoo, I have a mate who is selling one for about £2K, and it's a reasonable beast. So, I get on the phone to the insurance companies. Insured for me for business use with the lad on as a 'frequent use, non-business driver' it's £600 for the year. Hilux gets bought.

A year on, and it's starting to get unreliable so I'm looking to change it. He wants lower fuel bills, and would like a back seat as well. Call the insurers up. Hilux renewal is £500 if I want it. They are commercial vehicle specialists, so won't insure him on an estate car under the same terms as the pickup until he's 25. How about an Astra Van? I have spotted one on eBay, 1.7CDTi, 2002 model, factory fit rear seats, £1200. Insurance want £600 fully comp for me for business use and him on as a 'frequent use non-business driver'.

As a comparison, I tried various 'specialists' claiming to be the ones to go to for young driver insurance – for a hypothetical Ford Focus 1.4 it would be £3000 to insure for a year.

The Astra gets bought. Hilux sold. All happy.

So, if you are in a position to insure a pickup or van (anything commercial) as a business vehicle, you can get some good deals on insurance.

I once had a 2CV van for a while – complete bastard to get insurance for on a non-commercial basis (didn't have my own company then).

That said, it only costs you £50 to set up a limited company……

Insured with RSA, through Autonet.

I'm glad age helps for something… £250 for a 1.6! My 535i costs me less on comp

I'm 26 with 6 years NCB. My car insurance is still over £600, and actually rose the year I turned 25!

passed plus should give you 20% discount on insurance

sadly doesn't though 🙁 cost me £100 to do the course and saved me just that £100 (skid pan was fun though!)

made me chuckle when someone mention fully comp 😯 third party (maybe fire and theft) is what you'l be looking at dude!

at 17 i got a rover 214si (bad idea btw!) £1400 2rd party insurance–>
2nd year it almost halved to £750.

moral of the story= prepare for a royal shafting on insurance BUT don't crash in the first year and your no claims years will save you arse the next year!

would'nt bother with a van, can get 2/3 bikes + people in most cars if you are friendly!

Oh and use gocompare/confused.com/tescocompare!
Quinn insurance were very good to me when i started, plus you are then insured 3rd party on any private car…know anyone with a ferrari!?

A warning for getting insured on your parents policy on your car:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/moneybox/7052569.stm

when buying insurance go through cashback sites such as quidco etc some deals offer £50+ so well worth doing

Quinn insurance were very good to me when i started, plus you are then insured 3rd party on any

ayee back in about 2004 that all changed ….. now you CAN get it as an extra but not as standard anymore

put your dad and you mum on it as named drivers, i will bring it down loads!!

dont effect there NCB if you crash as its your insurance with there name on it so there allowed to drive it.

my 1.6 C2 GT cost me £1600 (fully comp) at 20 then i put my dad on it went down to £1000

im now 22 same car now pay £600 Fully comp with all the "extras"

if my dad bought another van and i got on his insurance and contributed my share would that be cheaper? i would proberly be cheaper to get a sex change…

yeah def do not get put on your mum/dad's insurance, you want your own no claims bonus to build up!
only have to make it to 21, then it goes down anyways….6 months to go!

CBA to read the entire thread so far (have read bits) but

Be careful of being a named driver on the parent's insurance policy for YOUR car.

I can fit 2 bikes disassembled plus 2 people in a Yaris. FFS that's smaller than a clio or micra. 1 ltr engine, it's not racey but is cheap and reliable.
Alternatively it has taken 3 plus 3 bikes on a rack no problem.

HTH, a drive safe.