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Planning on taking my 114,000 mile 13 year old MX5 to france for a few weeks. Would you buy breakdown cover. Got UK cover quite cheaply but AA are quoting £150 which seems a lot.
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Most insurance premiums for this type of cover are tripled for cars over 10 years old so it does not sound too bad and as its insurance they reckon that your vehicle is more likely to breakdown or need repair than a younger one. £150 could be a drop in the ocean compared to the possibility that your car could breakdown, need parts sourcing, put you up in a hotel for a few nights whilst you wait and when they can't repair it repatriate it back to UK for you and give you a hire car. I would never go abroad without it.
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My RAC membership was 'fronted' thro Club Triumph, when I questioned their loading for a car over 11? yrs old they were willing to endorse my policy that for European cover, the premium loading would not apply for any of my 'older' cars. They took the view that if you maintained a 'classic car' yourself that you would be looking after your other cars. I must check that they have carried that endorsement forward!
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13 years doesn't seem old to me. But I guess if the government says anything over 8 is scrap, then there you go...
Anyway - When I lived in the UK I used to get 12-month European cover for my 14-year-old car for about 75 quid from Europ Assist, which I believe still provides the 'inclusive' cover for many insurance companies.
The only time I ever had to call on them they were excellent.
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a tenner a day is a bargain if it needs transferring home
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a tenner a day is a bargain if it needs transferring home
But a waste of money if it doesn't.
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try quoteline direct - i think that's what it's called. Full uk & european cover 4 £59. Covers my 13 year old car.
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But a waste of money if it doesn't.
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That's what all insurance is great id you need it, money for nothing if you don't.
What it buys you is peace of mind
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There's nothing quite like going on holiday (in this country) and breaking down on a Saturday afternoon 100+ miles from home (head gasket) to put the kibosh on things. Green Flag turned up, towed us home, left Mondy on the drive, climbed into SWMBO's Corsa (must check those camshaft cap bolts) and set off again. Okay we were late arriving at our destination 200 miles away (and nearly ended up with the Corsa at the side of the road - different problem) but at least we were on holiday.
Europ Assist seems very good, last year some young friends with 2 small kids got stuck in France on one of those weekends with Saints days attached. The problem was some sensor on a VW type 4 engine. The family were put up in a hotel while EA ran around to a couple of garages to get the problem fixed. They would have have been in a jam without EA. I have not a clue how much the insurance cost but I personally would not go abroad without it. To repatriate a car costs a lot of money....
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>> a tenner a day is a bargain if it needs transferring home >> But a waste of money if it doesn't.
Or if they decide that the cost of repatriating the car is greater than the value of the car. I know that the RAC and many of the others have that clause; in all honesty I know a couple of people in Europe where I could probably get my car to and then get it fixed it there rather than getting it left in France.
I managed to get Volvo Assistance for my 217,000 mile 2000MY V70. It did help that I had it last year, so when I rang up the RAC they noted that I'd had VA in the past, so they passed me over to the people who deal with the renawals... managed to get mine covered for 2 years for £155... and they did tell me that this was the last time they would cover it (I think that their cut off is 10years old, so mine at 9 and then getting 2 yrs cover slightly breaks the system....)
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Plenty of classic and not so classic older cars get breakdown cover without any loading.
I don't think there is any evidence that older cars break down more - most of the cars I see on recovery trucks are nearly new.
Autonational Rescue, for example, don't care how old my cars are or their mileage.
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Autonational Rescue, for example, don't care how old my cars are or their mileage.
Do you have a link for them - There main page doesn't seem to cover foreign travel and sends you to Eurorescue that says
We cannot cover cars over 15 years old and caravans and trailers attract an extra premium of £30.
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Try Vehicle Rescue Direct, they will cover vehicles up to 15 years old. An annual membership may be just as cheap as 'a few weeks cover'. I reckon it would be about £67.95 for your Mazda MX5.
www.vehicle-rescue.com
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I've seen adac recommended (the german equiv of the aa)
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