Morris Minor - Classic car insurance for a novice.

pmh3    on 18 March 2010

Classic policies (at around £100) usually require that the the vehicle is a 'second' vehicle ie certainly not for every day use. They normally expected a mileage limitation , and secure offroad storage.

You may get a good deal through the Owners Club, but for a new L driver I would have thought that a £600 annual premium would be a bargain.

PS I pay about £90 pa for my TR7 convertable on 3000 mpy but the actual mileage is nearer 300! The sun never seems to shine at convenient times.

Edited by pmh3 on 18/03/2010 at 09:02

daveyjp    on 18 March 2010

Most classic policies don't let you build up a NCB either so you either need a normal policy (or a Fiesta!) to build the NCB.

b308    on 18 March 2010

In addition to the above, you haven't passed your test yet either... Your age doesn't affect things as much as you think, and as said "classic" insurance is for those who use their car little and not as main driver. For a first car for a male learner in his 20s I'm thinking that £600 is not far out. The risks for the insurance company are the same as they are for any 26 year old learner in a more modern car, so I can't see why you think you should pay less simply because your car is an oldie?

Edited by b308 on 18/03/2010 at 14:11

BillyTheKid    on 18 March 2010

I never said that I should get cheaper insurance because I have an older car.

The reason I mentioned which car I have was to illustrate the problem I'm having with getting a quote online. I've gone to several insurers, got to the point where I have to enter the make, model and year only to find that they don't go back any further than 1960.

I've tried classic car insurers in an attempt to work around that problem only to find that they only expect me to drive it on high days and holidays and to have already been driving for several years.

As I mentioned, I am still a learner, I've never bought insurance before so I don't know what's reasonable or not. £600 seems like an awful lot of money to me so if I can find something cheaper then that would be grea, that's why I decided to ask people here for advice as virtually everyone here has far more experience than me.

b308    on 19 March 2010

You mentioned classic type insurance and queried the amount, that made me think that you had chosen such a vehicle because of the cheap insurance (in addition to learing about car mechanics which you mentioned on the other thread), thats why I said what i did!

As I said before, Clasic insurance is not normally available for a daily driver (though some must do it as some owners do use their vehicle every day)... Footman James's is unlimited mileage for instance, but as soon as you start adding things it can get expensive. As I said before the use you are making of the car is not "normal" classic use, so they are bound to "load" the premium.

The thing is £600 for a learner's first car (and thats what it is, regardless of its age) at your age does not seem far out, all you can do is try phoning round or visit a few brokers on your high street until you find the cheapest! And I suspect that you'll find that initially your premium will go up rather than down when you pass your test as until you have a proven record you will be a greater risk without the qualified driver alongside you! If you want to continue looking at "classic" insurance get hold of one of the mags such as Practical Classics, they have pages of insurance adverts.

Its one reason many of us suggested that you buy a banger to learn in, but as you've said, whats done is done, so good luck with your continuing hunt!

Edited by b308 on 19/03/2010 at 08:49

b308    on 19 March 2010

Just out of interest, Billy, have you looked into "agreed value" insurance? I don't know what you paid for the moggie, but if you insure it with an ordinary insurance company and then write it off or damage it badly the chances are that all you'll get is its scrap value.

Most Classic Car Insurance inludes this (though you have to agree a value with the Company to get it by filling out a seperate form and providing some sort of independant valuation)... Yet another thing to be thinking about, I'm afraid!

Cliff Pope    on 19 March 2010

Classic car insurers vary a lot in terms of the driving use they cover. Your best bet is to join an owners club and ask there. You will need/want to do that anyway for a wealth of practical advice and also it will almost certainly be a condition of getting classic insurance.

Getting agreed value usually involves no more than confirming your purchase price and submitting 6 photos of specified views. You don't normally need a formal valuation unless it is in concourse condition or exceptionally valuable.

Daily use as your sole car may be a problem. Sometimes they phrase the question as "Do you have access to another car insured normally?" which seems to suggest that use of a family car not necessarily owned by you might be acceptable.

BillyTheKid    on 19 March 2010

actually, I've just joined the Morris Minor Owners Club but according to their website I'll have to wait a couple of weeks for the membership materials to come through (including my membership number, unfortunately) so I don't have access to them yet.