Well the time is FINALLY here and the Beetle is up for sale and the Mini is coming on the 4th sept.
I rang my insurance company, Eagle star who have just been taken over by Zurich. They cannot insure me on the Mini so I am forced to take my business else where ie. Direct line.
The insurance is not up for renewal until November, in November i will get 4 years NCD but if i move insurance companies they will only give me three years NCD.
Direct line quoted me for three and four years NCD and the differnce is £200!!! Is there anyway at all I can get round
this?? can i leave the beetle insured until november and keep the policy running on two cars?? then in november cancel and re-open the policy with DL??? help please!!!
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You need to do your caluculations carefully to compare the two.
You will find that DL's cancellation charges in the first year are pretty unpleasant - they are on my DL policy. I think it'll cost you a month or so.
You may find that DL won't give you any NCB whilst you still have the ES policy running.
Is a £200 saving *really* much more than the additional cost of cancelling DL (say 1/12 of what they've quoted you), and the additional cost of keeping the Beetle for 2 more months & paying for the insurance on the Beetle for 2 more months.
You need to consider road tax; depreciation; servicing (you can guarantee that something major will go between now and November...); lost bank account interest/increased loan interest through not having the money from the Beetle.
I suspect you'd be better off paying the extra £200 & gritting your teeth. Or delay the MINI until November (bet you can't wait that long, tho'!).
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I guess so, £200 is a lot to me at the moment though, just after id put the deposit down for the Mini, along came the house of our dreams, so money is being stretched right now and it bugs me that i'll loose £200, it would be nice for the discount to run monthly rather than yearly!!
and yes your right, im cant wait that long!!! I AM SOOOO EXCITED ABOUT THE MINI!
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Have you specifically checked with Eagle Star that they will not cover the vehicle until the policy runs out in November ?
Have they specifically said that they absolutely will nto insure it at all ?
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Yes, i just did and they will not insure until the policy runs out, and when i rang yesterday they said theres no way they would insure me, they dont insure 23yr olds on gp 15 insurance apparently.
Now they've been taken over by Zurich its all gone down hill,
i was passed from pillar to post just to get a new quote.
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Speak to Direct Line and explain the issue. Explain that you would like to insure it them but you have this bonus issue.
They may offer you 2 months insurace and then a full year. Or they may indeed offer you the additional bonus.
Failing that, you need to consider how you could let your existing policy run out and arrange insurance for the interim. It may be that Norwich Union will be able to help.
Failing that, I presume that you have an available parent ? Can they add it to their insurance, with you as the main driver, for two months while the other policy expires ? Then move the Mini to its own insurance ?
Try those approaches while I try and think of a cleverer approach.
Mark.
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Both my parents have their own cars insured so im not sure I can do that, I moved to eagle star after being insured with direct line for three years, my advice to all, dont do it!
Your help is really appreciated mark and anything you can come up with would be great!!
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Not knocking those ideas, Mark but just wondering:
>>Failing that, you need to consider how you could let your existing policy run out and arrange insurance for the interim. It may be that Norwich Union will be able to help.
Would NU take it on as a 3yr 10 month NCB & then give you a certificate of 4 years at the end of the 2 months? If so this sounds like a winner.
>Failing that, I presume that you have an available parent ? Can they add it to their insurance, with you as the main driver, for two months while the other policy expires ?
Again wouldn't she still have to keep the Beetle for the 2 months. 2 months tax £30. 2 months shorter MOT when it comes to sale. Potential other risks...
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No, simply let the insurance expire, don\'t cancel it. If you sell the car, then so be it. Not stricly correct, but there really is no issue with it.
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Can you really insure a car you don't have in order to get a NCB? This sounds to me like something you haven't told your insurance co.?
You then get your following years' insurance (good point, BB) based on a fraudulent(?) NCB.
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which fraud are you worried about ?
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The problem is that the cost of losing that years NCB isn't just £200. Now they'll class her as having 3 instead of 4, but next year it'll cost too, as she'll have 4 instead of 5.
I think you need to get someone on the phone from both insurers, explain the exact situation, and see what they can suggest. If they're unwilling to suggest a solution, then try other insurers, until you find a helpful one.
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bugged -
you say "Eagle star who have just been taken over by Zurich" - but eagle star were taken over in 1998, six years ago !!
"Zurich/London, September 7, 1998 - Today?s merger of the Zurich Group with the financial services business of B.A.T Industries ..... the new organization comprises Eagle Star, Allied Dunbar and Threadneedle along with their subsidiaries, and the Farmers Group in the USA."
anyway, you have 3 options -
1. keep using the beetle until november, store the uninsured mini somewhere safe and declared 2sorn" in the meantime. big risk - the mini might get stolen, damaged, etc. in the meantime.
2. lose the advantage of 1 year extra no-claims and pay up the extra 200 quid. consider that as a fair price for peace of mind and avoid the hassle.
3. ring around insurance companies and brokers and spend endless time on the phone being passed from clueless clerks to supervisors to managers and possible get nowhere or possibly save a few quid.
good luck whichever way you go.
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i didnt know that about eagle star, my boyfriend who was always
insured with them, and got this little plastic card insurance certificate and all docs were on eagle star paper,
now the one and only year im insured with them, no more plastic card and all docs on Zurich paper, they answer the phone "zurich" now as well.
O.k think this is what im gonna do, I dont want to sorn the mini and I dont want to keep the bug, besides i just paid £51 to advertise it and i dont fancy loosing teh depreciation or tax and whatnot.
I rang MINIinsurance services today and they quoted £51 less than direct line so think i will look around and try to get the cheapest and then try to get direct line to match the price
or the mini insurance to match it.
Anyone got any better idea? still going to loose that year NCD!
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>>Anyone got any better idea?
Did you read my note above ??
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www.confused.com worth a try and even Bell Direct.
NU are well worth a telephone call, you may have to get past the first person and speak to a team leader to put you case. Regards Peter
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Thanks for that, Ill have a go in the morning and let you know what happens, i always ask if thats the best price they'll give and normally manage to get a bit off especially if you tell them you've been quoted a lower price else where!
Fingers crossed!
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bugged
have you tried "diamond" insurance for a quote?
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