Ho hum, I have to say I'm a little disappointed, throughout my motoring life I've always told myself that the only good thing about hitting 25 would be that my insurance would drop. Fat chance! It's the same cost this year as it was last year even as a 25 year old and with an extra year's NCB!
By the time I've opted to protect my NCB it puts over £100 extra on the premium pushing it up to about £750ish (I only remember car insurance to the nearest £50).
So, now that I've discovered this I'm left asking the question, just what on earth is good about being a quarter century old? I now interview people who were born in the 90's and it makes me depressed! I want my youth back!
{made non make/model specific as this probably applies to any car, and not just a Mondeo II}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 06/06/2009 at 03:49
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Don't worry Blue at least you're not 40. Possibly the most depressing time of my life last year - you know it's all going down hill when your birthday guests turn the music off and sit down to watch Dancing with the Stars. However my insurance is cheap as chips now 300-odd quid fully comp for a 3-litre V6. I checked out what it would be on a Daimler Super 8 recently and it only went up by a round of drinks.
"I now interview people who were born in the 90's" - I have a policy strictly stating I won't engage anyone in conversation who wasn't born when Peter Gabriel released Solsbury Hill in 1977. Serves me well.
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My oldest daughter's insurance dropped quite a lot when she was 25, and on Mums car which also has youngest (23yrs) daughter named, her being under 25 adds £150 to the premium (more or less doubling it on Mums Jazz).
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Blue - have your tried one of the on line comparison sites? My partner got the following amazing renewal quote yesterday. Peugeot 1.4 206 automatic, 5000 miles a year, garaged overnight in Reading, 2 drivers over 70, each with 3 points and one aged 53 with no points and a max protected no-claims bonus. renewal £446! My gob was very smacked! Lowest premium for renewal was £248 and we renewed with existing insurer but for £120 less than the renewal quote, just by giving them the reference number of the on-line quote! Shop around!
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And try a few comparison sites. I tried moneysupermarket and the cheapest was Churchill, but it was similar to my renewal so left it at that.
Last night I had an e-mail from Tesco reminding me I'd used them last year for a quote. Went through the process and Churchill were £50 less than my renewal (so of course less than moneysupermarket), Zurich were almost £100 less, but I haven't checked all the detail through their website yet.
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I've just turned 27, had my lexus last year, taken a few miles off the policy, bit older no claims or accidents, it went up £150!!! changed it down to TPFT, the broker said they've all shot up as cars seem to be mysteriously being stolen and turning up burn't out recently especially ones on finance (hope they have gap insurance...)
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My insurance never has really dropped, trouble is as the years go by your car choice gets more exotic (my current car's group 18) and insurance rates go up. overall.
I was waiting for huge price cuts at 25, 30, 40, 50 and i'm still waiting..;)
Though i suppose in real terms not doing too bad, but i haven't gone for the cheapest insurance for 25 or more years, preferring to use a good reputable company..so far the good companies have been very fair in the few times i've needed to claim.
I think we're all seeing rises with the claim culture now prevalent, and that's a trend that won't change until the insurance companies start getting tough with scamsters and get some bailiffs in....won't hold me breath though.
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Oh well at least I'm not the only one who finds this problem!
It possibly won't help that come xmas I intend to treat myself to a 330i or 330d (look out for the thread debating which model around October time!) which will possibly bump things up even more, particularly if I opt for the rag top version.
I've tried the on-line brokers and the best they could come up with was more expensive by over £100 than my renewal so I'm thinking I may as well just stop where I am. If nothing else I suppose apart from the increased costs, Swiftcover are at least the cheapest and have been relatively easy to deal with. My only gripe is that they don't allow tinted windows and I've always quite fancied doing the "gangsta thing" with my glass. :-)
Also, by staying at least I don't need to worry about proving NCB or finding alternate breakdown cover as that is also included in the price unlike the broker quotes!
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Oh and almost forgot - GB - my dad is in a similar position but he takes great delight in telling me that he insures a CLK270 and a Z4 2.5 with a combined cost of LESS than I pay for the Mondeo, quite a bit less as well.
I don't think I'll be looking forward to turning 50 to benefit from this though!
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Quick thread drift here Blue...a chap i know is considering upgrading his 230K CLK to a 270diesel, he's looked at one but it's quite rough and not a patch on his own car.
He checked the fuel computer on the car and it seems the 270 has been returning about 27mpg recently, which is only about the same as his petrol car.
Any ideas from your lucky dad what sort of consumption is normal for a reasonably swiftly driven 270 CLK please.
As for looking forward to turning 50, that twerp who coined the oft quoted immortal line 'life begins at 40' obviously didn't work for a living..;)
Good choice for the future transport, looking foward to that thread.
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I hit 40 last year and it was the most depressing time of my life. I'm now arresting people who were babies when I was arresting their dads! Have to say though. Oh to be 25 again (when I was sailing the seven seas.....well measuring fish around the Channel Islands).
My first car insurance bill for an MG Metro in 1987 was £300. I now pay £244 for my group 15 car.
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I'm 27 and and just had renewal for new car (Mazda 626 grp 13) = £325 not too bad. That is with 9 years full no claims and no points. Most I paid was £1400 at 19yo on a 1.3 Jetta J reg.
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GB - My dad's returns about low to mid 30's on door to door runs, when he gets it on the motorway with the cruise control that's where it comes into it's own and can realistically return mid-40's and sometimes even into the high-40's on a steady run.
What I would say however is that my dad is now firmly in the gentle driving category, he doesn't share my enthusiasm for the right foot when driving the Merc so I would imagine that with a bit of heavy-footedness it would easily be possible to get these figures down into the high-20's although I must say that 27mpg sounds exceptionally low unless you do solely urban driving with a brick attached to your foot.
He has commented in the past that the Z4 cost nearly the same per mile (in fuel) as the CLK, although at the time there was a circa 15p/litre difference between petrol and diesel which has now dropped to 2p/litre I've noticed. The thing is, my mam normally drives the Z4 and she is very gentle, she doesn't like to use kickdown etc. If my dad drove the Z4 all of the time it may have been different as his old driving style returns very quickly in that car and he has all 6-cylinders singing in this sort of glorious choir of petroleum fuelled music.
The CLK270 is a lovely car to cruise in and has an effortless surge of power, it's pretty quick around the doors too and I would recommend one. However, it is very agricultural at tickover, especially when cold, and also as you've heard, not mega-economical if you drive it quickly. Whenever he pulls into my courtyard I always point out that one of the neighbours may be calling for air support to take out the Panzer division that they presumably think is invading! On those grounds, the petrol 320 model is probably an equally good choice. I think that the 320 is possibly the safest comparison in terms of driveability to the 270 as I've heard that the 240 is a little flat which is not an argument that you could level at the 270.
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I think that the 320 is possibly the safestcomparison in terms of driveability to the 270
Many thanks for that post Blue, his 230 Kompressor has enough power, but surprisingly is no better on fuel than my old 124 320 coupe in normal use, though better on a run as the low overall gearing of the 124 lets it down here, such a pity as it could easily take a much higher final drive in the quite small and light coupe.
He would definately be better off with the diesel for normal use on those figures and comments which i shall pass on.
Regarding the diesel racket your dad could try a batch of Millers or even a pint of 2T oil in the tank..on second thoughts..
I'm usually in the gentle driving phase now, but intend to give my son a run for his money in his Subaru when we take our cars up the Pod for a run what you brung day...egg on the old fella's face methinks..;)
Anyway back to insurance, yes i could get cheaper without doubt but want to stick with NFU whom i trust...i think i've been paying around 300 to 400 for donkeys years now it seems.
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I was waiting for huge price cuts at 25 30 40 50 and i'm still waiting..;)
Both wife's and mine have dropped over the last few year as we approached 50 - I opted out of a company car about 4yrs ago and, with full NCB, the main companies were quoting typically in £5-£600 range for Merc C270CDi. Went with Liverpool Victoria and just renewed at £217 although I did have to cancel and take out a new policy online.
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I find the comparison sites fairly useless. Last year at renewal time they came up with £800-£1100. Finealy got renewed for £330 after spending an hour on the phone. That is for a MK1 Exige, group 20 or something.
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I got my renewal notice yesterday - £177, last year was £110 I think. For 1990 MX5.
Shoved my details into a confusing ;) site and got quotes varying from £55 to £1760.
Shoved details into another comparison site with a stupid advert about some strange animal and got similar quotes - but many phone calls afterwards from them passing me onto other quoters - getting tedious and stopped by saying I had purchased elsewhere.
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And it only cost £2 to add my brother as a named driver. Handy in case of emergencies.
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