pldubs 308 Report post Posted February 16, 2015 (edited) Spent the last hour looking at e36 328i coupes with hydros ( Handbrakes not suspension ), brides and lock diffs for like $2500nzdCan anyone who has actually lived and driven in the UK give me a quick run down on insurance and how the WOF / Reg system works ?Churr Edited February 16, 2015 by pldubs Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2069 Report post Posted February 16, 2015 If you are on a work visa or the likes you need to pay in full up front. It its around 4x more expenisve. For a 1980's heap of crap Mazda they wanted 1000 quid up front. The car needs to have an MOT before you can get insurance. It is illegal to drive without either. It is usually why cars are so cheap there. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pldubs 308 Report post Posted February 16, 2015 Cool man, Thanks. 4x more expensive due to being on a work visa? That sucks haha.Was that 3rd party? Pretty bloody steep ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30 325i Rag-Top 2956 Report post Posted February 16, 2015 Pretty much every insurance company that offers "Cheap" insurance in the UK cherry pick their customers. They won't touch any "high risk" vehicles in the higher insurance groups or any high risk drivers, young, bad record, convictions, etc. That way they have only low-risk customers - and can offer them cheaper insurance. The downside for anyone that wants a high risk car insured is that the premiums are very steep as they cannot be off-set against any lower risk policies. Any modified car - even down to after-market rims, will get put in the high risk basket, even if you have a million alarms and immobilisers fitted. Insuring an E36 with those mods in the UK would be very hard, and very expensive. When I came to NZ the first car we bought was a Scooby Legacy GT Turbo - full comprehensive insurance on that was cheaper than third party on my 10 year old Peugeot diesel in the UK! The lady in the AA said "ooh its a bit expensive as its a high risk car" told me how much and I laughed at how cheap it was, she was very confused. That is why older "performance" cars are so cheap (look at E36 M3 'verts for example) - no-one wants one because the insurance is more than the price of the car. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3309 Report post Posted February 17, 2015 yep - I was early 30's, full NCB from NZ (driving 15 years), 3 years in Mexico full NCB, insurance in UK quoted 2,400 quid on a 2,500 Saab 900 or 9000. I purchased an old Vauxhall and ran it for 18mths to get a history, then bought e30 325i touring that cost less than 100 quid extra to insure (under 500 quid per annum by that stage). that was around the turn of the century; I understand it's all much more pricey these days. in short, if you've no history your risk is deemed as high and they charge you accordingly. buy a cheap 4cyl hatchback and put in your time to build a history. there's lots more to spend your coin on in UK than wasting it on huge insurance premiums! Or, get a job that includes company car as a perk, then you're sorted. Plenty of perm jobs come with a car in uk. HTH 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted February 17, 2015 UK insurance is VERY expensive now. NZ insurance is cheaper, in part because it is optional which leads to a more competitive market. In the UK, insurance is compulsory. Buying a car in the UK is much cheaper than buying one here. Older BMWs not of desirable specification are almost at the point of being given away - a reasonable one will cost no more than a few hundred GBP. Certainly less than NZ$1000. As someone not resident in the UK you'd be expected to pay 12 months insurance up front. You can normally reclaim an unused portion, but it's a PITA and the company will sting you for admin fees. Registration is by the DVLA. Pretty similar setup to the NZTA here. In the UK you have an MoT (similar to WoF) which is probably not as stringent as a WoF. You can have rusty panels and provided there are no sharp edges and it's not structural, you could be OK.Many UK sellers tend to keep service history for vehicles, something less common in NZ. Worth asking for, and if it's not available it can be used to bargain price down. Parts for BMWs are a lot cheaper in the UK! And when heading back this way, make sure to ask if anyone wants any small but expensive parts... ;-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2069 Report post Posted February 17, 2015 I should state my shitty 80's Mazda was a Series 3 RX7 I won by accident in an Ebay auction for 70 quid. I ended up just driving it anyway. One day I came home from work to find it was just gone. Stolen, Towed.. Who knows. Who cares for 70 quid. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Dwarf 136 Report post Posted February 19, 2015 Not wrong on the horrendously expensive insurance.. I was once quoted 12,000 pounds to insure a 17,000 Lancia Delta Integrale Evo!!!! PS: DON'T DRIVE WITHOUT INSURANCE IN THE UK! NO IF'S NO BUT'S IT WILL BE IMPOUNDED IF YOU'RE CAUGHT! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
