Cheap winter car - insurance

[Critical_Mass 10]

Hi all,

 

Thinking about getting a sh1tter of a car for winter. Nothing special, i dont care if its rusting as long as it works and has tax and MOT to cover the winter. Can i get a temp car cover for like 3-4 months? Only want it third party.

[4eyes2wheels 0]

There seem to be lots of people doing between 1 and 28 day cover but these people (http://quote.ecarinsurance.co.uk) do a monthly pay as you go option. Not used it or read much about it. Reminds me to renew my insurance this week!

[stevef182 0]

Have been thinking of doing the same thing, ideally wanted a mk4 golf TDI (reliable little buggers) but also considered a mk4 1.4. Called up my current insurer, they dont do a multicar policy, but the insurance on the 1.4 was only £90 or so cheaper than the vr6! (c.£450)

 

So that put me off, however the above looks interesting. Would be keen to hear how others go about insuring their winter cars!

[Jim 1]

You could just take out a 'normal' policy at the full price and then you just cancel it and get a refund of the balance at the end? It does mean a larger initial outlay but you would get money back at the end.

[Critical_Mass 10]

4eyes- i did have a look at them and they do a 3 month policy too. - o got a dummy quote for a 1.4 1998 polo CL and it was £124 for the 3 months.

 

Jim - id also considered that option too but you'd get charged for cancelling it, but then again im not sure exactly how much the penalty would be.

 

Also im not sure whether to buy something a little better, id also considered a Mk4, or just get a banger for a couple of hundred quid and sell/scrap it at the end of the winter and get a different one each year - but thats extra hassle.

 

---------- Post added at 01:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:01 PM ----------

 

Also any recommendations on where to get a banger? Looked on Ebay, thats ok. But autotrader and piston heads are annoying, particularly autotrader as teh advert price may say 115, but when you click in the ad it says 1150. Obviously they put a cheap price to get the views, but its annoying.

[tony_ack 0]

Try your local community forum (Leeds forum?) - there's usually some classifieds on that. Not so good when looking for a specific car, but useful if you don't really care what you're after. If you're looking for something more specific then stick with eBay and Autotrader - yes the fake Autotrader prices are annoying, but work around those and ignore any that look way to good to be true.

 

Also set yourself some reasonable expectations - if you spend £150 on a car you may need to spend more on it just to get it through the winter. Of course you risk issues with any used car.

 

To be honest it's hard to fault the Audi A4 I got so far. £725 for the car (with 12 months MOT), £120 for tax, £70 for service items and about £40 to fix some leaky boost pipes, and it's needed nothing since. So less than a grand spent, saved £500 in insurance and tax costs on the Corrado (appreciate that this will need insuring again), and have saved about £150 in fuel costs so far. Since it's a TDI I can probably sell it on again for more or less the same as what I paid for it.

 

And all the while the Corrado is tucked up nice and cosy in the garage, avoiding the damp and salty roads.

 

---------- Post added at 01:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:27 PM ----------

 

Just to add - if you do buy another car just for winter you really need to resist spending any money on it! The Audi has niggles and a few things that could be upgraded, but as soon as you start throwing money at it (and it's easier than you think) then you're taking funds away from the Corrado.

[Critical_Mass 10]

This is it, long term it maybe worth spending a little more on a car rather than, a couple of hundred and having to repair it more often (most likely). Something to mull over i guess.

 

Oh and ive noted your last comment. That was another reason to get a different one each winter as i wouldnt have to worry about fixing anything on it - unless of course it stopped me using it for the winter.

Edited December 6, 2011 by Critical_Mass

[bristolbaron 10]

I cant offer too much advice in terms of insurance as i have a trade policy so can add whatever i like, however in terms of buying cheap and cheerful:

i've just bought a pug 106 diesel for £120. Its a death trap, but will last me till the new year. If for some reason it doesn't last it's worth £150 in scrap.

personally i'd say if you can get a car with mot till say april for £250ish its gotta be worth a punt. If you spend £500 on something which then needs £200 spend on it it probably wont be worth doing. There are still bargains out there despite what everyones saying. if you're on facebook put a message out saying you're looking for a cheap car, also check gumtree.

[boost monkey 0]

If you want a beater, perhaps a mk3 tdi would be better (and cheaper?) than a mk4.

 

I'm sure companies do short term insurance, even some of the specialist VW people do. Brentacre springs to mind.

[jamiehamy 0]

There seem to be lots of people doing between 1 and 28 day cover but these people (http://quote.ecarinsurance.co.uk) do a monthly pay as you go option. Not used it or read much about it. Reminds me to renew my insurance this week!

 

Just tried this but it wouldn't quote because of the insurance grouping (17+) and age of car....hmmm...

[Critical_Mass 10]

Odd the pay as you go insurance was £386. Same car on the 4 month insurance was £124.