From EV back to ICE… help!
Discussion
I’ve been majorly stung by insurance as a 21 year old with a claim. Gone are the days of nice metal for a reasonable price. Now £3k for a normal boring box is the norm.
I’ve just sold my BMW 3 series today, and I’m also shortly saying goodbye to my leased Mercedes EQC. The EQC has been extremely unreliable and £5k insurance is not worth it. I’ve given up trying to find something exciting that’s insurable so I need help looking for something that will last a few years as most of my cash is going towards a possible house purchase. Luckily for me the lease co has accepted rejection without penalty.
Budget £15-20,000
Must haves:
Big and wafty, but cheap to insure (sadly all the “unusual” choices are out of the question as even weird old Jags are uninsurable). I’ve never been a hot hatch kind of guy but the interesting stuff is still out of the question.
Automatic, because where I’m planning to move will have a 120 mile commute deep into London
Comfy seats with power and lumbar support due to my ruined spine (yes, already at my age
)
Turbodiesel or petrol hybrid - PHEV’s and EV’s are unfortunately out of the question due to the ridiculous insurance
Interesting looks and techy interior - Apple CarPlay and a decent branded stereo is a must.
LED or bixenon headlights
A reversing camera.
Enough power to pull the skin off a rice pudding - but anything with more than 200hp is off the cards.
Sadly even a golf and audi a3 is over 3.5k to insure! So all this “get a smaller car” doesn’t apply. And anyone who thinks I will step down from an EQC into a Toyota Yaris is having a laugh.
I have been looking at the following:
Volkswagen Arteon 2.0 TDI R-Line 150hp - £2900 insurance, loads of standard equipment, there’s something very yawn about this though. I am sure it will serve me well and it looks nice, but in a very dull way.
Volvo V90 D4 R-Design Plus £3300 insurance - the D4 engine seems to be quite noisy and unrefined, but those seats look fantastic and the whole car does look more interesting than the VW. Loads of standard equipment on this one too but prices are firmer than the Arteon. However could also be a good thing when I inevitably man-maths my way back to something with a lot of power.
However the V90 has leaf springs on the rear. WTF??? Has anyone driven one and does it really drive like an old cattle cart?
Jaguar XF 2.0d R Sport £3200 insurance
Escy’s stories is almost enough for me to run away screaming from this car.
Peugeot 508 SW. Looks and feels like a cut below the above products. It is also a lot slower. I think dying might be an alternative.
Audi A6 Avant 2.0 TDI ultra Black Edition looks dated on the inside, quite an old car now for a high price, lacking in tech, heard bad things about the ultra engine in terms of reliability.
This is possibly about to be the worst year of driving in my life, but I hope it’s worth the sacrifice.
Chances are I will have a car within 2 weeks, so help me choose and maybe give me suggestions and I’ll let you all know tje insurance quotes!
I’ve just sold my BMW 3 series today, and I’m also shortly saying goodbye to my leased Mercedes EQC. The EQC has been extremely unreliable and £5k insurance is not worth it. I’ve given up trying to find something exciting that’s insurable so I need help looking for something that will last a few years as most of my cash is going towards a possible house purchase. Luckily for me the lease co has accepted rejection without penalty.
Budget £15-20,000
Must haves:
Big and wafty, but cheap to insure (sadly all the “unusual” choices are out of the question as even weird old Jags are uninsurable). I’ve never been a hot hatch kind of guy but the interesting stuff is still out of the question.
Automatic, because where I’m planning to move will have a 120 mile commute deep into London
Comfy seats with power and lumbar support due to my ruined spine (yes, already at my age
)Turbodiesel or petrol hybrid - PHEV’s and EV’s are unfortunately out of the question due to the ridiculous insurance
Interesting looks and techy interior - Apple CarPlay and a decent branded stereo is a must.
LED or bixenon headlights
A reversing camera.
Enough power to pull the skin off a rice pudding - but anything with more than 200hp is off the cards.
Sadly even a golf and audi a3 is over 3.5k to insure! So all this “get a smaller car” doesn’t apply. And anyone who thinks I will step down from an EQC into a Toyota Yaris is having a laugh.
I have been looking at the following:
Volkswagen Arteon 2.0 TDI R-Line 150hp - £2900 insurance, loads of standard equipment, there’s something very yawn about this though. I am sure it will serve me well and it looks nice, but in a very dull way.
Volvo V90 D4 R-Design Plus £3300 insurance - the D4 engine seems to be quite noisy and unrefined, but those seats look fantastic and the whole car does look more interesting than the VW. Loads of standard equipment on this one too but prices are firmer than the Arteon. However could also be a good thing when I inevitably man-maths my way back to something with a lot of power.
However the V90 has leaf springs on the rear. WTF??? Has anyone driven one and does it really drive like an old cattle cart?
Jaguar XF 2.0d R Sport £3200 insurance
Escy’s stories is almost enough for me to run away screaming from this car.
Peugeot 508 SW. Looks and feels like a cut below the above products. It is also a lot slower. I think dying might be an alternative.
Audi A6 Avant 2.0 TDI ultra Black Edition looks dated on the inside, quite an old car now for a high price, lacking in tech, heard bad things about the ultra engine in terms of reliability.
This is possibly about to be the worst year of driving in my life, but I hope it’s worth the sacrifice.
Chances are I will have a car within 2 weeks, so help me choose and maybe give me suggestions and I’ll let you all know tje insurance quotes!
Edited by V 02 on Sunday 7th July 16:54
bit of an off-the-wall comment here but if you're being quoted £3k for insurance on a £15k car , could you not get your granny to own and insure the £15k car comprehensive (without you being named on the insurance) and you insure a 15 year old C1with 3rd party cover for any car, then erm... drive carefully ...?
I’ve driven a V90 R Design D4 several times and found it a very good car, didn’t realise it had leaf springs and I do go for it in twisty roads. The worst thing about them is the slow auto box but it’s fine if you’re not pushing on, and if you do attack the corners use the paddleshifters and pre-empt the shifts. I’d go for the S90 instead but that wouldn’t make any real difference to how it drives.
The Arteon looks very classy too, I really like them and VW are usually very competent motors, would probably want a bit more power though.
The Arteon looks very classy too, I really like them and VW are usually very competent motors, would probably want a bit more power though.
Tye Green said:
bit of an off-the-wall comment here but if you're being quoted £3k for insurance on a £15k car , could you not get your granny to own and insure the £15k car comprehensive (without you being named on the insurance) and you insure a 15 year old C1with 3rd party cover for any car, then erm... drive carefully ...?
Is this a serious suggestion?!V 02 said:
I’ve been majorly stung by insurance as a 21 year old with a claim. Gone are the days of nice metal for a reasonable price. Now £3k for a normal boring box is the norm.
I’ve just sold my BMW 3 series today, and I’m also shortly saying goodbye to my leased Mercedes EQC. The EQC has been extremely unreliable and £5k insurance is not worth it. I’ve given up trying to find something exciting that’s insurable so I need help looking for something that will last a few years as most of my cash is going towards a possible house purchase. Luckily for me the lease co has accepted rejection without penalty.
Budget £15-20,000
Must haves:
Big and wafty, but cheap to insure (sadly all the “unusual” choices are out of the question as even weird old Jags are uninsurable). I’ve never been a hot hatch kind of guy but the interesting stuff is still out of the question.
Automatic, because where I’m planning to move will have a 120 mile commute deep into London
Comfy seats with power and lumbar support due to my ruined spine (yes, already at my age )
Turbodiesel or petrol hybrid - PHEV’s and EV’s are unfortunately out of the question due to the ridiculous insurance
Interesting looks and techy interior - Apple CarPlay and a decent branded stereo is a must.
LED or bixenon headlights
A reversing camera.
Enough power to pull the skin off a rice pudding - but anything with more than 200hp is off the cards.
Sadly even a golf and audi a3 is over 3.5k to insure! So all this “get a smaller car” doesn’t apply. And anyone who thinks I will step down from an EQC into a Toyota Yaris is having a laugh.
I have been looking at the following:
Volkswagen Arteon 2.0 TDI R-Line 150hp - £2900 insurance, loads of standard equipment, there’s something very yawn about this though. I am sure it will serve me well and it looks nice, but in a very dull way.
Volvo V90 D4 R-Design Plus £3300 insurance - the D4 engine seems to be quite noisy and unrefined, but those seats look fantastic and the whole car does look more interesting than the VW. Loads of standard equipment on this one too but prices are firmer than the Arteon. However could also be a good thing when I inevitably man-maths my way back to something with a lot of power.
However the V90 has leaf springs on the rear. WTF??? Has anyone driven one and does it really drive like an old cattle cart?
Jaguar XF 2.0d R Sport £3200 insurance
Escy’s stories is almost enough for me to run away screaming from this car.
Peugeot 508 SW. Looks and feels like a cut below the above products. It is also a lot slower. I think dying might be an alternative.
Audi A6 Avant 2.0 TDI ultra Black Edition looks dated on the inside, quite an old car now for a high price, lacking in tech, heard bad things about the ultra engine in terms of reliability.
This is possibly about to be the worst year of driving in my life, but I hope it’s worth the sacrifice.
Chances are I will have a car within 2 weeks, so help me choose and maybe give me suggestions and I’ll let you all know tje insurance quotes!
Don't let the stereo be a deciding factor, a decent speaker upgrade will see you with sound quality that's superior to a Bose system etc.I’ve just sold my BMW 3 series today, and I’m also shortly saying goodbye to my leased Mercedes EQC. The EQC has been extremely unreliable and £5k insurance is not worth it. I’ve given up trying to find something exciting that’s insurable so I need help looking for something that will last a few years as most of my cash is going towards a possible house purchase. Luckily for me the lease co has accepted rejection without penalty.
Budget £15-20,000
Must haves:
Big and wafty, but cheap to insure (sadly all the “unusual” choices are out of the question as even weird old Jags are uninsurable). I’ve never been a hot hatch kind of guy but the interesting stuff is still out of the question.
Automatic, because where I’m planning to move will have a 120 mile commute deep into London
Comfy seats with power and lumbar support due to my ruined spine (yes, already at my age
)Turbodiesel or petrol hybrid - PHEV’s and EV’s are unfortunately out of the question due to the ridiculous insurance
Interesting looks and techy interior - Apple CarPlay and a decent branded stereo is a must.
LED or bixenon headlights
A reversing camera.
Enough power to pull the skin off a rice pudding - but anything with more than 200hp is off the cards.
Sadly even a golf and audi a3 is over 3.5k to insure! So all this “get a smaller car” doesn’t apply. And anyone who thinks I will step down from an EQC into a Toyota Yaris is having a laugh.
I have been looking at the following:
Volkswagen Arteon 2.0 TDI R-Line 150hp - £2900 insurance, loads of standard equipment, there’s something very yawn about this though. I am sure it will serve me well and it looks nice, but in a very dull way.
Volvo V90 D4 R-Design Plus £3300 insurance - the D4 engine seems to be quite noisy and unrefined, but those seats look fantastic and the whole car does look more interesting than the VW. Loads of standard equipment on this one too but prices are firmer than the Arteon. However could also be a good thing when I inevitably man-maths my way back to something with a lot of power.
However the V90 has leaf springs on the rear. WTF??? Has anyone driven one and does it really drive like an old cattle cart?
Jaguar XF 2.0d R Sport £3200 insurance
Escy’s stories is almost enough for me to run away screaming from this car.
Peugeot 508 SW. Looks and feels like a cut below the above products. It is also a lot slower. I think dying might be an alternative.
Audi A6 Avant 2.0 TDI ultra Black Edition looks dated on the inside, quite an old car now for a high price, lacking in tech, heard bad things about the ultra engine in terms of reliability.
This is possibly about to be the worst year of driving in my life, but I hope it’s worth the sacrifice.
Chances are I will have a car within 2 weeks, so help me choose and maybe give me suggestions and I’ll let you all know tje insurance quotes!
You can add Carplay to most cars.
Personally I'd spend 10-15k as your depreciation due to your commute will be another cost which is why I'd be looking at these.
508 GT:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404238...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406130...
GT Line:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404309...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405089...
Mondeo Vignale:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405169...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406251...
Kia Stinger GT Line:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405250...
Infiniti Q70 Sport:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405260...
Q50 Sport:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404269...
Insignia Elite Nav:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402066...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406241...
DS5 Performance Line:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406231...
Mazda6 Sport Nav:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407011...
Maserati Ghibli:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402146...
Obviously any of the above are dependent (but you can use the reg's to get accurate quotes) on insurance but all are compliant & good place to while away miles.
PT1984 said:
What was the claim for? Can you get a salary sacrifice with work? They normally include the insurance. Or one of those all in for £1k Volvo deals?
I work in the civil service (although technically paid by NHS) so sal sac is with NHS fleet and that means giving up my very nice pension!The claim was a hit and run against me. Sadly it was my word against his even thoigh the b
d drove off , and left 2 discs in my spine fractured, and lasting shoulder injuries. No witnesses so it went 50/50. Lying thieving Edited by V 02 on Sunday 7th July 18:14
Edited by V 02 on Sunday 7th July 18:15
Tindersticks said:
Would you like a slice of fronting with that suggestion?
why do you think it's fronting?insurance companies are wise to that ruse these days and tend to base the premium on the highest-risk named driver.
in this scenario the insurance company aren't at risk for the insured party's own vehicle.
ChocolateFrog said:
£250 to £300pm just on insurance.
I'd walk, that's outrageous.
In reality I'd buy the best shed I could find that's actually reasonable to insure, you'd be able to get something interesting too.
See, that’s the problem, its not just the cars I am choosing but insurance in question.I'd walk, that's outrageous.
In reality I'd buy the best shed I could find that's actually reasonable to insure, you'd be able to get something interesting too.
Just chucked in a Astra (0-60 in 13 seconds) up for 1k on Autotrader:
Black box 2.1k! And i know from the stories on here and from my friends NEVER to touch a black box even if you are a safe and legitimate driver! I can afford to insure these cars so the extra few hundred quid is worth the extra, it’s more about finding a nice barge that is actually reasonable to insure because clearly the Volvo is worth the insurance outlay over this s
tbox Astra.I’ve been driving for nearly 4 years now and have nearly 3 years NCB
Edited by V 02 on Sunday 7th July 18:13
Given your needs for comfort, reasonable insurance, and decent performance, the Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI L&K and the Ford Mondeo Vignale 2.0 Hybrid stand out as strong candidates. They both offer a great balance of comfort, features, and lower insurance premiums. The Toyota Camry Hybrid is also worth considering for its reliability and efficiency.
Ouch. Happens far too often unfortunately. My wife had similar. Girl driving into the back of four cars, my wife being the first. Said she braked for no reason causing the pile up. She was stationary. Girl also claimed injury. Even with the word of the two drivers in the smash sandwich the insurer, who was the same for both, wanted to go 50/50. Until the daft tramp posted on Facebook that she caused the accident…..
Can you try something really obscure like a Panamera, Quattroporte or an Aston of some kind? Not sure if you can get a Rapide for £20k?
I’ve just insured a DB11 for £240, which is £600 less than my old Freelander 2 and about £2k less than most other semi-interesting stuff. Even Fiat 500s were coming in at £500+. Insurance is weird.
I’ve just insured a DB11 for £240, which is £600 less than my old Freelander 2 and about £2k less than most other semi-interesting stuff. Even Fiat 500s were coming in at £500+. Insurance is weird.
Crumpet said:
Can you try something really obscure like a Panamera, Quattroporte or an Aston of some kind? Not sure if you can get a Rapide for £20k?
I’ve just insured a DB11 for £240, which is £600 less than my old Freelander 2 and about £2k less than most other semi-interesting stuff. Even Fiat 500s were coming in at £500+. Insurance is weird.
It’s funny you say this because I was getting really weirdly cheap quotes on special cars, but they keep disappearing and coming back every few days. It’s too uncertain for me to commit to as I’m worried what could happen next yearI’ve just insured a DB11 for £240, which is £600 less than my old Freelander 2 and about £2k less than most other semi-interesting stuff. Even Fiat 500s were coming in at £500+. Insurance is weird.
E.g BMW M4 for 2K, M8 for 3K, Audi RS5 for 2.4…
Have you considered a classic policy? The minimum age is 21 mostly so you're OK there.
It doesn't have to be old and crusty like a 60s MG or 70s Leyland stuff. Almost any vehicle over 20 years old would be accepted by insurers, so early 2000s Japanese or German stuff would be hundreds to insure, not thousands. You may have to limit the mileage though.
It doesn't have to be old and crusty like a 60s MG or 70s Leyland stuff. Almost any vehicle over 20 years old would be accepted by insurers, so early 2000s Japanese or German stuff would be hundreds to insure, not thousands. You may have to limit the mileage though.
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