New stealth tax proposed?

[Bullyterrier]

If you have a cheap car then it isn't worth having fully comp insurance. With the low prices of good second hand cars now you are better off having 3rd party, and treating the car as disposable. It is getting like that with the mechanical side of things as well. After a car gets to a certain age they become disposable, you can normally pick up another for the price garages want to fix them.

 

[Bullyterrier]

I'm sorely tempted to write to their shareholders to suggest that a company run on those lines might not be such a good investment.

Unfortunately by the company not paying out, they are saving money and this keeps the shareholders happy. There is no personal service with companies as there used to be. Everyone wants to save money.

 

[rtbcomp]

If you have a cheap car then it isn't worth having fully comp insurance. With the low prices of good second hand cars now you are better off having 3rd party, and treating the car as disposable. It is getting like that with the mechanical side of things as well. After a car gets to a certain age they become disposable, you can normally pick up another for the price garages want to fix them.

That's my attitude now, but that Astra was a good little car and I'm a believer in "better the devil you know." I replaced it with a Volvo 740 estate, I'd hate to lose that, I'm quite happy to spend to keep it going as long as there are no corrosion issues.

Unfortunately by the company not paying out, they are saving money and this keeps the shareholders happy. There is no personal service with companies as there used to be. Everyone wants to save money.

They lost money in the long run - the premiums I've paid to a competitor over the following years far outweigh what Cornhill saved, they'd have retained my business if I'd got good service, as you suggest large companies wouldn't know what good service was if it jumped up and hit them!

 

[madkayaker]

i find it more expensive to insure TFT than full comp! Might be due to age

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

it's getting to the point where fully comp is either cheaper than the alternatives or there's so little difference that you may as well go for it.

My cars tend to be old, preferrably from a salvage auction, and probably not worth fully comp. But it was only about £20 more and does cover the windscreen (with a £50 excess) so that's what I got.

Regards
Peter

 

[aero]

All my projects are insured as 'under restoration'. I think that cost an extra £20 on the policy for the ones on the road. Lose or damage something and its covered.

 

[simon718]

i find it more expensive to insure TFT than full comp! Might be due to age

i found that when getting quotes from any insurance company in england/scotland, couple of hundred cheaper over here for me for 3rd party. wouldn't waste me money on fully comp on the stuff i drive until it allows me to drive other peoples cars 3rd party, cant seem to get that for another few years

 

[madkayaker]

with my van i wonder to

 

[eil]

Why are vans more expensive to insure then ?, and only full no claims on one vehicle you cant have it on two even if you've never claimed because you cant drive two at once can you.

 

[madkayaker]

its a mystery to me i have a car, van and bike why can't I be insure for the three on one policy! Van can be expensive till you get to the lower value end

 

[simon718]

look at this mk, theres a mention of combined car/bike policys

 

[madkayaker]

thanks for that. The bike isn't the problem on £60 Full comp. Its the van and Car.

 

[simon718]

what car is it? can you not class it as a business vehicle and get two on the same policy?

 

[madkayaker]

Skoda Fabia that is an idea i do have business on it any way so i can get mileage for work. Might just trade it in for a newer van there seams to be plenty around at the moment

 

[simon718]

you would need to get a nippy little van to replace the little skoda (volkswagon era i take it) transit connect? or get a bigger can and just pile your gear into it

id love a wee van to throw all my gear in but wouldnt even want to get a quote for insurance for fear of scaring meself, old landrover on classic policy sounds a bit cheaper (except the constant maintenance

 

[eil]

You used to be able to insure a small van in my case a combo on a car insurance but you now have to insure it as commercial, its only a second van to send the Mrs to get parts, bring tools you've forgotten type of thing.

 

[madkayaker]

its £300 a year for my escort van so not bad. I want to get something bigger transit size (but not transit don't like the new gearboxes) Mainly so i can use it as camper van for weekends away

 

[MrFluffy]

That's what it is like in France, all cars must be insured, even if it is a heap in your garden. Apparently, so I was told, it is in case your car is stolen, it is then insured if it hits anyone. When I said to a neighbour how could anyone nick a car if it never had any running gear, I just got the usual shoulder shrug.
You have to supply the paperwork proving you have sold the car when you cancel the insurance.

Its more so if you see a car on the road with a green ticket, you know regardless of the driver its insured by 3rd party minimum. Lots of people accidentally end up driving a vehicle uninsured in the uk because they believe that theyre covered under the policy of the owner but some little clause somewhere overrides that in the event of a claim. I have a long spent IN10 (no insurance) conviction in the uk from years and years ago after the small print in my paid for policy invalidated my cover and despite the fact that I was not in a accident I was still guilty of and convicted of the offence with 6 points and a large fine.

In france if the vehicle is de-registered at the prefecture, you can also use this as proof to cancel the insurance, so in practice a lot of older vehicles sitting in fields with their axles missing have had this done. Once its been in the system, its supposed to be easy to re-register it after once you have the new controle techinque and stuff, and as far as Im aware, if you buy a vehicle then trailer it back and stick it in your barn for restoration, nobody is really bothered or checks if you have insurance on the computer or anything.

 

[Wedg1e]

So they're at it again, the b@st@rds. A couple/few years back they tried to insist that cars laid up/ in bits should be taxed rather than having the SORN system. Anything for a few dollars more.
I seem to recall it's not the first time the insurance requirement for laid-up vehicles has been mooted, either...

 

[Wedg1e]

I agree about scrapping car tax and putting it on fuel, those who drive more, pay more. I cover about 5000 miles a year yet I pay the same car tax as someone who could be driving 40-50K a year, that doesn't seem fair in my books .

Ah now you see you're mixing the government up with someone who gives a **** whether it's fair or not. It's not a tax on usage, it's a tax on ownership.
When I was a lad it was called 'Road Fund Licence' and the money raised (allegedly) was ploughed back into the infrastructure.
Somewhere along the line HM Thieves had to acknowledge that they weren't spending anything like the amount they were raising (indeed it's contrary to New Lab*** policy to support the motorist) so they changed it to Vehicle Excise Duty, largely on the grounds that if you were going to be naughty and harm the environment then you could pay for the privilege.