Coming up 17 year old looking at first car/insurance

[theaterix]

I am 16 turning 17 in November and I'm an engineering apprentice and I am searching for as many jobs as I can get especially in the lead upto Christmas this shouldn't be too hard! My parents will probably give me a bit towards the car and insurance but majority will be me, I am looking to get going as cheap as possible with as minimum stress basically.

In terms of insurance my dad said for him to take out a policy and add me on which will be way way way cheaper than for me to take out my own, as he is heavily against the black boxes because if I go 10mph over the speeding limit and 6 months later crash they will say I am a wreck less driver etc

I love the look of modded cars not a 90s corsa with a huge exhaust on but cars that you can add engine parts onto to make it a bit quicker when I pass and get more confident etc (future proofing to my future needs if you like). Both my grandads are big on cars and can fix any mechanical issues or do any work so costs are reduced a lot and my dad knows his way around also so I am pretty set in that sense haha

Just need some nice ideas to break into the car scene and help make it bloody affordable haha

Cheers lads

 

[Gaygle]

I am 16 turning 17 in November and I'm an engineering apprentice and I am searching for as many jobs as I can get especially in the lead upto Christmas this shouldn't be too hard! My parents will probably give me a bit towards the car and insurance but majority will be me, I am looking to get going as cheap as possible with as minimum stress basically.

What budget are you looking at?

In terms of insurance my dad said for him to take out a policy and add me on which will be way way way cheaper than for me to take out my own

Whilst he is correct, he must be the main user of the car. If he were doing it just to make insurance cheaper for you, then this would be fronting and insurance companies don't like this...

he is heavily against the black boxes because if I go 10mph over the speeding limit and 6 months later crash they will say I am a wreck less driver etc

If you were to crash your car, you certainly wouldn't be "wreck less".

I love the look of modded cars not a 90s corsa with a huge exhaust on but cars that you can add engine parts onto to make it a bit quicker when I pass and get more confident etc (future proofing to my future needs if you like).

As a 17 year old driver, modifying cars and insurance just don't go together. In fact, modifying cars and 17 year old drivers don't go together. Honestly, I would forget any kind of modifications and for the next 2-3 years concentrate on the fact you can go anywhere you want because you'll have a car!

 

[adolf hamster]

tbh, your first car is not going to be glamorour, there's a reason why 90's corsas are seen with big exhausts.

insurance is going to be the killer, and initially going onto a parents policy is a great idea, as is avoiding black boxes, but at some point you'll need to bite the bullet and cough up for your own insurance which will be extortionate until you get a few years no claims.

i wouldnt worry too much about the speed of the car, you need good sensible driving experience under your belt and having anything too fast is just gonna end up wrapped around a tree.

 

[koooowweeee]

1.4 focus cheap as chips

 

[chaparral]

In terms of insurance my dad said for him to take out a policy and add me on which will be way way way cheaper than for me to take out my own,

No do not do this as you will not rake up your own no claim bonus...

A no claims bonus (NCB), or no claims discount,
is a count of the number of years in which you haven't made a claim on your car insurance policy. Its worth varies from insurer to insurer, but a NCB of five years or more, for example, could give you a 60-75% discount on your premium.

But if you think your going to crash then that doesn't matter...

 

[Kenai]

insurance is going to be the killer, and initially going onto a parents policy is a great idea,

It isn't, it's insurance fraud and will be blindingly obvious when Mr 50 Something with a 5 Series decides to buy a £500 Fiesta as a second car and just happens to add his 17 year old son as a second driver.

The best thing to do is seek out your own policy and add your parents as named drivers, still reduces costs but isn't fronting and has zero potential to bite you on the ass.

 

[muon]

It's almost comical how people are so blase about insurance fraud.

If you do this and happen to have an accident (not beyond the realms of likelihood for a 17 year old) then your policy will be voided. You will then have to tell every insurer in the future that it has happened and at your age it means not driving for a while.

Even worse would be if you get stopped by the police, they phone up your insurer who then void it. You would be driving without insurance which would obviously be a crime.

 

[Uther]

You're going to be looking at a £500 car and a £1500 insurance policy. Just be very sensible for a couple of years, don't crash, and don't speed.

 

[theaterix]

Jees thanks for all the replies!! I will try reply all at once

I think I got it the wrong way round with my dad as a secondary driver rather than a main, will reduce costs and build up a no claims bonus.
I have been looking at a £600 VW Lupo 2002 or a VW Polo something like that but on compare the market the insurance was something like 2500 with a black box and then I tried a 2008/9 suzuki Swift which was £1350 and insurance was only 1400 and this was on my own my dad wasn't on this at all.

Are there any good websites I can look on for insurance prices??

Ideas for cars was my biggest question because I am so lost on whether to get a slightly newer car or risk getting a worn older model.
My mate who I'm on an apprenticeship with, his parents are buying his car and paying for literally everything and he's getting a 65 plate Seat Ibiza FR but at 17 on a decent wage I'd prefer not to still be holding my hands out to mammy and daddy...

All ideas are helpful! Years and good websites to look on for cars and insurance are both needed and appreciated

 

[Quartz]

If you're not yet 17 then it will be a while before you get your car license. You need to be looking at a moped or similar in the interim. That said, what really helped me pass the test was doing the daily commute in my mother's car (with her in the front passenger seat, obviously).

 

[Gaygle]

If you do this and happen to have an accident (not beyond the realms of likelihood for a 17 year old) then your policy will be voided.

No it wouldn't.

Even worse would be if you get stopped by the police, they phone up your insurer who then void it. You would be driving without insurance which would obviously be a crime.

No it wouldn't/no they wouldn't.

Honestly, just take a deep breath and stop coming out with ridiculously melodramatic statements.

 

[geekman]

^this. It's not a great idea as you won't build NCB and nowadays it's rarely actually any cheaper, but unless you're stupid enough to say to a police officer "yeah my dad never drives it, just put him as a main driver to make the insurance cheaper innit" then nothing will actually happen.

It's a bit like when people put a slightly different tyre on their car or, god forbid, spray the wheels a different colour and suddenly everyone thinks their insurance company are going to cancel their policy for undeclared modifications.

 

[muon]

No it wouldn't.

If they determine it to be deliberate misrepresentation, then yes it will be voided. They'll pay out third party costs begrudgingly but void your policy. Something which is very likely in the event of an actual claim. Especially as many companies have strict underwriting criteria for 17 year olds.

No it wouldn't/no they wouldn't.

Honestly, just take a deep breath and stop coming out with ridiculously melodramatic statements.

Again, yes it is entirely possible. The police do phone up insurance companies where they believe a driver is not insured correctly (not just where a driver is showing up as uninsured) and will relay that information to the insurance company.

This does vary between insurers, as they don't all pursue misrepresentation with the same effort.

 

[sigma]

A Suzuki Swift is a pretty good first car in my eyes?

If you want insurance to be low I think you need to go for a car that isn't common for first time drivers, or at least, it's commonly crashed - apparently this is why a comparatively big car (Focus/Mondeo) is often cheaper to insure than a typical first car, Fiesta/Corsa etc.

Try running quotes with you as the owner and main driver but your father/mother/older sibling as a 2nd/3rd driver and it'll probably come down, assuming you'll let them drive it, of course.

 

[theaterix]

A Suzuki Swift is a pretty good first car in my eyes?

If you want insurance to be low I think you need to go for a car that isn't common for first time drivers, or at least, it's commonly crashed - apparently this is why a comparatively big car (Focus/Mondeo) is often cheaper to insure than a typical first car, Fiesta/Corsa etc.

Try running quotes with you as the owner and main driver but your father/mother/older sibling as a 2nd/3rd driver and it'll probably come down, assuming you'll let them drive it, of course.

I do like the swift I really do, just questioning if anyone has experience with the reliability of them because I've heard Suzuki are great with bikes not so much with cars.
I think insurance is just gonna be something I'll have to cough up and figure something out to get it as low as I can really, anything less than 2k is a bargain in my head!

 

[peterwalkley]

..... assuming you'll let them drive it, of course.

Petrol station and back is acceptable

i know your dad objects to black boxes, but consider it if you are going for a cheap car to be "yours" with him as a named driver. See what they do to the premiums and knowing something is keeping an eye on you could be a useful prod to keep you sensible.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

The only advice I can give is don't get a boy racer car.
My eldest daughter had a Toyota Yaris when she passed her test 12 years ago and it is still going strong, her insurance was also quite cheap for a 17 year old at the time.
It was also a similar story with my youngest who had a Nissan when she passed 10 years ago.

 

[Gaygle]

If they determine it to be deliberate misrepresentation, then yes it will be voided. They'll pay out third party costs begrudgingly but void your policy. Something which is very likely in the event of an actual claim. Especially as many companies have strict underwriting criteria for 17 year olds.

Now what you've said above is correct, but this isn't what you said previously which is why I commented on it. However, it should be further noted that "determining it to be a deliberate misrepresentation" is hard to prove and a long drawn out process which, 99% of the time, isn't worth it. Just because a 17 year old named driver is making a claim on a crap car which their dad is the policy holder for, doesn't mean the policy holder made a false representation when they took the policy out. Where they may well look into it further is if the 17 year old driver plows through a Ferrari dealership with 4 lads in the back, the car has got a 2000w subwoofer/sound system in it, a crap fart exhaust on it and lowered onto its arches.

Again, yes it is entirely possible. The police do phone up insurance companies where they believe a driver is not insured correctly (not just where a driver is showing up as uninsured) and will relay that information to the insurance company.

This again is simply not true and is scaremongering.

If you pull over the OP and find him to a be named driver on his dads car - how is he driving without any insurance? No police officer in the land would seize, nor would be permitted to seize, a car in which the driver can prove they are insured to drive.

"Fronting" is the act of using a parent as the policy holder (and therefore the main driver with most insurance companies) as a way of bringing down a quote where the named driver is going to be doing the vast majority of the driving - which is a act committed over the 12 month policy. So stopping the OP for a spot check and finding out he is a named driver proves absolutely nothing. Hell, I could pull him over 5 times in a week - it still proves absolutely nothing.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Hell, I could pull him over 5 times in a week - it still proves absolutely nothing.

Are you a traffic cop?

 

[Iamzod]

"Fronting" is the act of using a parent as the policy holder (and therefore the main driver with most insurance companies) as a way of bringing down a quote where the named driver is going to be doing the vast majority of the driving - which is a act committed over the 12 month policy. So stopping the OP for a spot check and finding out he is a named driver proves absolutely nothing. Hell, I could pull him over 5 times in a week - it still proves absolutely nothing.

Unless he is on his way to/from work in which case they needed Class 2 business use when I worked in insurance or else it was only the policy holder (or spouse) covered for commuting. If I remember correct that had an age limit on it too so you couldn't put a 17 year old on it.