OT: Ask UMRA car insurance etc.

[BrritSki]

We are looking into the details of buying a car in the UK on our return
later this year and also insurance, so I'm looking for some umratic
advice please:

1. Age UK seem to have an insurance policy that suits us. ANy experience
of them and/or Direct Line or any other suggestions for over 70's ?

2. MoneySavingsExpert suggests buying through a Cashback site, but warns
of potential problems. I have no idea how they work or if they are worth
the effort vs. risk. Any experience in this field (as the actress said
the the cowman [1]) ?

3. I was thinking of taking out a credit or charge card to do the
purchase of the car as I think there are some good freebies to be had in
return. BA AMex card is one possibility, as is a straight AmEx card. ANy
experience with any of these or other suggestions for making large
one-off purchases where we don't need finance ?

TIA

[1] ObTA reference

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

Post by BrritSki
We are looking into the details of buying a car in the UK on our return
later this year and also insurance, so I'm looking for some umratic
1. Age UK seem to have an insurance policy that suits us. ANy
experience of them and/or Direct Line or any other suggestions for over
70's ?

I would definitely hit the comparison sites (MoneySavingExpert will tell
you in what order); the targeted products may or may not be any better
than general ones. I often feel that the targeted ones, especially those
targeted at older people, have a whiff of taking advantage about them,
though I can't comment on any specific one.

Post by BrritSki
2. MoneySavingsExpert suggests buying through a Cashback site, but
warns of potential problems. I have no idea how they work or if they
are worth the effort vs. risk. Any experience in this field (as the
actress said the the cowman [1]) ?

AIUI, the disadvantages are that the cashback company may either take a
long time to give the cashback, or at worst go bust before doing so. If
you can get a cashback credit card from one of the bigger providers,
that might be more secure - but if you're thinking of a _new_ car, I
don't know of any of them offer that much credit, especially for new
customers. But if they do ...

Post by BrritSki
3. I was thinking of taking out a credit or charge card to do the
purchase of the car as I think there are some good freebies to be had
in return. BA AMex card is one possibility, as is a straight AmEx card.

Isn't AmEx one of those where there's a monthly fee even if you pay in
full every month? (You _may_ still come out ahead anyway, if you manage
it properly; I'm not organised enough to do that.)

Post by BrritSki
ANy experience with any of these or other suggestions for making large
one-off purchases where we don't need finance ?

Sorry, no personal experience. I've tended to just use cash or cheque
when I can afford, thus not "taking advantage of" available credit
facilities. I apply the TANSTAAFL principle, but you _may_ be able to
get some deal.

Conversely, people _used_ to get good deals on new cars - yes, even
right-hand drive ones - by picking them up themselves (or paying someone
else to) from the factory, for European makes at least, rather than
going through the UK dealer network; I haven't heard much mention of
this lately, but then I'm at the other end of the price range where cars
are concerned. Since you're I presume familiar with travelling in Europe
anyway, you might look into that.

Post by BrritSki
TIA
[1] ObTA reference

(-:

[LFS]

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by BrritSki
3. I was thinking of taking out a credit or charge card to do the
purchase of the car as I think there are some good freebies to be had
in return. BA AMex card is one possibility, as is a straight AmEx card.

Isn't AmEx one of those where there's a monthly fee even if you pay in
full every month? (You _may_ still come out ahead anyway, if you manage
it properly; I'm not organised enough to do that.)

We have a Virgin AmEx card, which we pay off every month - no fee. The
advantage for us has been the air miles which have paid for our regular
flights to Chicago but as Virgin seem to be dropping that direct route
we may use it less. Occasionally retailers who won't accept it.

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by BrritSki
ANy experience with any of these or other suggestions for making large
one-off purchases where we don't need finance ?

IIRC we used a debit card for our last car purchase. I assume you'd need
to check with your card provider beforehand.

[DavidK]

Post by LFS

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by BrritSki
3. I was thinking of taking out a credit or charge card to do the
purchase of the car as I think there are some good freebies to be had
in return. BA AMex card is one possibility, as is a straight AmEx card.

Isn't AmEx one of those where there's a monthly fee even if you pay in
full every month? (You _may_ still come out ahead anyway, if you
manage it properly; I'm not organised enough to do that.)

We have a Virgin AmEx card, which we pay off every month - no fee. The
advantage for us has been the air miles which have paid for our regular
flights to Chicago but as Virgin seem to be dropping that direct route
we may use it less. Occasionally retailers who won't accept it.

When we bought a (new) car the sales-place wouldn't accept a credit card
and insisted on a bank card.

[Fenny]

Post by DavidK

Post by LFS

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by BrritSki
3. I was thinking of taking out a credit or charge card to do the
purchase of the car as I think there are some good freebies to be had
in return. BA AMex card is one possibility, as is a straight AmEx card.

Isn't AmEx one of those where there's a monthly fee even if you pay in
full every month? (You _may_ still come out ahead anyway, if you
manage it properly; I'm not organised enough to do that.)

We have a Virgin AmEx card, which we pay off every month - no fee. The
advantage for us has been the air miles which have paid for our regular
flights to Chicago but as Virgin seem to be dropping that direct route
we may use it less. Occasionally retailers who won't accept it.

When we bought a (new) car the sales-place wouldn't accept a credit card
and insisted on a bank card.

When I bought my new car, I paid on 2 separate credit cards (to get
the sign up bonus miles). The garage said they charged something like
3% for credit cards, and although I asked about this several times and
they confirmed there was a charge, they didn't apply the charge.

[krw]

Post by Fenny
The garage said they charged something like
3% for credit cards, and although I asked about this several times and
they confirmed there was a charge, they didn't apply the charge.

As I understand it since earlier this year the law has changed and they
can no longer levy a charge simply for using a credit card. This has
been particularly beneficial in booking holidays as in the past we have
waited the additional month or so until the cash is available but given
the wish to book as early as possible we can now book earlier.

Today for example our holiday for late July 2019 was secured.

[Fenny]

Post by krw

Post by Fenny
The garage said they charged something like
3% for credit cards, and although I asked about this several times and
they confirmed there was a charge, they didn't apply the charge.

As I understand it since earlier this year the law has changed and they
can no longer levy a charge simply for using a credit card. This has
been particularly beneficial in booking holidays as in the past we have
waited the additional month or so until the cash is available but given
the wish to book as early as possible we can now book earlier.

Yes, I bought the car 2.5 years ago. Short of a bankers draft fo
£4000, a credit card is the most likely way of paying for a car.

Post by krw
Today for example our holiday for late July 2019 was secured.

I can't remember if I paid a CC fee for my holiday last year, but I
know I definitely didn't this year.

[Mike]

Post by LFS

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by BrritSki
3. I was thinking of taking out a credit or charge card to do the
purchase of the car as I think there are some good freebies to be had
in return. BA AMex card is one possibility, as is a straight AmEx card.

Isn't AmEx one of those where there's a monthly fee even if you pay in
full every month? (You _may_ still come out ahead anyway, if you manage
it properly; I'm not organised enough to do that.)

We have a Virgin AmEx card, which we pay off every month - no fee. The
advantage for us has been the air miles which have paid for our regular
flights to Chicago but as Virgin seem to be dropping that direct route
we may use it less. Occasionally retailers who won't accept it.

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by BrritSki
ANy experience with any of these or other suggestions for making large
one-off purchases where we don't need finance ?

IIRC we used a debit card for our last car purchase. I assume you'd need
to check with your card provider beforehand.

Laura, is your iPad grown whiskers? The current O/S allows a change of
default account. Settings/ mail/ default account. When you tap on default
account, you should then see all the email accounts you run, tap on the one
you wish to use and a tick appears by it. If the account you wish to be
default isn’t listed, then you may need to add this first.

[LFS]

Post by Mike

Post by LFS

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by BrritSki
3. I was thinking of taking out a credit or charge card to do the
purchase of the car as I think there are some good freebies to be had
in return. BA AMex card is one possibility, as is a straight AmEx card.

Isn't AmEx one of those where there's a monthly fee even if you pay in
full every month? (You _may_ still come out ahead anyway, if you manage
it properly; I'm not organised enough to do that.)

We have a Virgin AmEx card, which we pay off every month - no fee. The
advantage for us has been the air miles which have paid for our regular
flights to Chicago but as Virgin seem to be dropping that direct route
we may use it less. Occasionally retailers who won't accept it.

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by BrritSki
ANy experience with any of these or other suggestions for making large
one-off purchases where we don't need finance ?

IIRC we used a debit card for our last car purchase. I assume you'd need
to check with your card provider beforehand.

Laura, is your iPad grown whiskers? The current O/S allows a change of
default account. Settings/ mail/ default account. When you tap on default
account, you should then see all the email accounts you run, tap on the one
you wish to use and a tick appears by it. If the account you wish to be
default isn’t listed, then you may need to add this first.

I think you posted this in the wrong thread, Mike. Thanks for the advice
but my iPad is six years old and can't be updated to the current OS.

[krw]

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)
Conversely, people _used_ to get good deals on new cars - yes, even
right-hand drive ones - by picking them up themselves (or paying someone
else to) from the factory

We did that - it was at a point when the management of the Euro price
lists was significantly out of step with the sterling price list and
exchange rates.

Those days are long gone.

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

Post by krw

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)
Conversely, people _used_ to get good deals on new cars - yes, even
right-hand drive ones - by picking them up themselves (or paying
someone else to) from the factory

We did that - it was at a point when the management of the Euro price
lists was significantly out of step with the sterling price list and
exchange rates.
Those days are long gone.

Yes, but if nothing else, _someone_ has to pay for (a) the transport
from the factory to somewhere near you - those car transporter lorries,
and their drivers, don't pay for themselves - and (b) all the overheads
of running a dealership, including the cost of holding stock. Plus, I
myself rather like the idea of picking a car up right from the factory -
and also, I think there might as well be less trouble in getting exactly
the configuration (colour [paint and seat trim], specification,
accessories, ...) you want - certainly compared to buying from a
dealer's stock.

[Sam Plusnet]

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by krw

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)
Conversely, people _used_ to get good deals on new cars - yes, even
right-hand drive ones - by picking them up themselves (or paying
someone  else to) from the factory

We did that - it was at a point when the management of the Euro price
lists was significantly out of step with the sterling price list and
exchange rates.
Those days are long gone.

Yes, but if nothing else, _someone_ has to pay for (a) the transport
from the factory to somewhere near you - those car transporter lorries,
and their drivers, don't pay for themselves - and (b) all the overheads
of running a dealership, including the cost of holding stock. Plus, I
myself rather like the idea of picking a car up right from the factory -
and also, I think there might as well be less trouble in getting exactly
the configuration (colour [paint and seat trim], specification,
accessories, ...) you want - certainly compared to buying from a
dealer's stock.

I (fairly) recently bought a Korean car which was actually made in
Slovenia. The car didn't come from stock, & there was no problem in
specifying the configuration, colour etc etc.

The costs and inconvenience involved in a one-way trip out there to
collect the car, & then drive it all the way home, would far outweigh
the manufacturers transport-to-the-UK costs.

Not to mention that fact that there would have been no dealer's
preparation inspection/service - so the chances of problems en-route
would be higher than I would like.

One other factor is that the factory will not be set up to act as a
retailer, and would have great trouble dealing with the individual punter.

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

On 16/04/2018 11:53, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote; my response is

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)
Conversely, people _used_ to get good deals on new cars - yes, even
right-hand drive ones - by picking them up themselves (or paying
someone  else to) from the factory

We did that - it was at a point when the management of the Euro
price lists was significantly out of step with the sterling price
list and exchange rates.
Those days are long gone.

Yes, but if nothing else, _someone_ has to pay for (a) the transport
from the factory to somewhere near you - those car transporter
lorries, and their drivers, don't pay for themselves - and (b) all
the overheads of running a dealership, including the cost of holding
stock. Plus, I myself rather like the idea of picking a car up right
from the factory - and also, I think there might as well be less
trouble in getting exactly the configuration (colour [paint and seat
trim], specification, accessories, ...) you want - certainly compared
to buying from a dealer's stock.

I (fairly) recently bought a Korean car which was actually made in
Slovenia. The car didn't come from stock, & there was no problem in
specifying the configuration, colour etc etc.

Maybe some dealer networks have improved considerably, so this is not
necessary.

Post by Sam Plusnet
The costs and inconvenience involved in a one-way trip out there to
collect the car, & then drive it all the way home, would far outweigh
the manufacturers transport-to-the-UK costs.

I was thinking the OP was coming from Europe anyway, and could maybe
combine the two. Timing would probably be difficult however.

Post by Sam Plusnet
Not to mention that fact that there would have been no dealer's
preparation inspection/service - so the chances of problems en-route
would be higher than I would like.
One other factor is that the factory will not be set up to act as a
retailer, and would have great trouble dealing with the individual punter.

The VW factory at Wolfsburg most certainly _is_; I saw some documentary
about it, somewhere in the last 10-15 years. (It wasn't about car retail
- I think it was some technical prog., looking at the robotics and
logistics of how the factory works.) Since this
going-to-fetch-individually _was_ done quite a bit a few years ago, I
presume they aren't - or, at least, weren't - the only ones.

[Kate B]

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

On 16/04/2018 11:53, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote; my response is

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)
Conversely, people _used_ to get good deals on new cars - yes, even
right-hand drive ones - by picking them up themselves (or paying
someone  else to) from the factory

We did that - it was at a point when the management of the Euro
price  lists was significantly out of step with the sterling price
list and  exchange rates.
Those days are long gone.

Yes, but if nothing else, _someone_ has to pay for (a) the transport
from the factory to somewhere near you - those car transporter
lorries,  and their drivers, don't pay for themselves - and (b) all
the overheads  of running a dealership, including the cost of holding
stock. Plus, I  myself rather like the idea of picking a car up right
from the factory -  and also, I think there might as well be less
trouble in getting exactly  the configuration (colour [paint and seat
trim], specification,  accessories, ...) you want - certainly
compared to buying from a  dealer's stock.

I (fairly) recently bought a Korean car which was actually made in
Slovenia.  The car didn't come from stock, & there was no problem in
specifying the configuration, colour etc etc.

Maybe some dealer networks have improved considerably, so this is not
necessary.

Post by Sam Plusnet
The costs and inconvenience involved in a one-way trip out there to
collect the car, & then drive it all the way home, would far outweigh
the manufacturers transport-to-the-UK costs.

I was thinking the OP was coming from Europe anyway, and could maybe
combine the two. Timing would probably be difficult however.

Post by Sam Plusnet
Not to mention that fact that there would have been no dealer's
preparation inspection/service - so the chances of problems en-route
would be higher than I would like.
One other factor is that the factory will not be set up to act as a
retailer, and would have great trouble dealing with the individual punter.

The VW factory at Wolfsburg most certainly _is_; I saw some documentary
about it, somewhere in the last 10-15 years. (It wasn't about car retail
- I think it was some technical prog., looking at the robotics and
logistics of how the factory works.) Since this
going-to-fetch-individually _was_ done quite a bit a few years ago, I
presume they aren't - or, at least, weren't - the only ones.

I have a friend who bought a VW Passat from Wolfsburg about 20 years
ago, ie pre-Euro, when the discrepancy between prices here and there was
enormous and it was well worth making the trek, especially if you
combined it with a few days holiday. I remember there was a bit of a
palaver bringing it in and licensing it, but it was still worth it
because of the price. I wonder if that would be the case today?

[BrritSki]

Post by Kate B
I have a friend who bought a VW Passat from Wolfsburg about 20 years
ago, ie pre-Euro, when the discrepancy between prices here and there was
enormous and it was well worth making the trek, especially if you
combined it with a few days holiday. I remember there was a bit of a
palaver bringing it in and licensing it, but it was still worth it
because of the price. I wonder if that would be the case today?

I did something similar 40 years ago when I was first living in Italy
and bought an MGB tax-free. There was a bit of a palaver collecting it
at Dover as I had to do it the other side of Customs IYSWIM and it had a
Q reg iirc, but there was no problem driving it in France and Italy pre EU.
There was some more palaver when I moved back to the UK a year later as
I had to import it and pay some tax (although not the full amount as it
was based on current value I think). I sold it pretty much straight away
then as we were moving to Texas and I didn't like the car anyway. My old
one was the pre facelift with the chrome bumpers and it had a very good
engine - I could out-accelerate pretty much every other MGB I met - but
the new one with the black rubber bumpers had its suspension raised and
was nowhere near as balanced and had a normal engine so was rather slow.

Dad (who worked in the Coventry car factories) reckoned that most
engines - as you'd expect - were in the middle of the bell curve for
power output when tested. The ones that were off the left of the curve
were reworked, but the ones on the right could be at least 10% more
powerful than a normal engine because everything fitted just right and
they were installed anyway and we reckoned that's what I had.

[the Omrud]

Post by BrritSki
We are looking into the details of buying a car in the UK on our return
later this year and also insurance, so I'm looking for some umratic
1. Age UK seem to have an insurance policy that suits us. ANy experience
of them and/or Direct Line or any other suggestions for over 70's ?
2. MoneySavingsExpert suggests buying through a Cashback site, but warns
of potential problems. I have no idea how they work or if they are worth
the effort vs. risk. Any experience in this field (as the actress said
the the cowman [1]) ?
3. I was thinking of taking out a credit or charge card to do the
purchase of the car as I think there are some good freebies to be had in
return. BA AMex card is one possibility, as is a straight AmEx card. ANy
experience with any of these or other suggestions for making large
one-off purchases where we don't need finance ?

Car dealers will not take credit cards for car purchases because of the
huge cost on them. But Debit Cards are now the normal way of buying
cars. No need to warn the bank, but the merchant will probably be
required to phone in during the transaction so that you can be put on
the line to go through security checks.

The dealer will probably take a credit card for the deposit on the car,
up to say £2000. That's handy because it means the whole transaction is
covered by S75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

[Sam Plusnet]

Post by the Omrud

Post by BrritSki
We are looking into the details of buying a car in the UK on our
return later this year and also insurance, so I'm looking for some
1. Age UK seem to have an insurance policy that suits us. ANy
experience of them and/or Direct Line or any other suggestions for
over 70's ?
2. MoneySavingsExpert suggests buying through a Cashback site, but
warns of potential problems. I have no idea how they work or if they
are worth the effort vs. risk. Any experience in this field (as the
actress said the the cowman [1]) ?
3. I was thinking of taking out a credit or charge card to do the
purchase of the car as I think there are some good freebies to be had
in return. BA AMex card is one possibility, as is a straight AmEx
card. ANy experience with any of these or other suggestions for making
large one-off purchases where we don't need finance ?

Car dealers will not take credit cards for car purchases because of the
huge cost on them.  But Debit Cards are now the normal way of buying
cars.  No need to warn the bank, but the merchant will probably be
required to phone in during the transaction so that you can be put on
the line to go through security checks.
The dealer will probably take a credit card for the deposit on the car,
up to say £2000.  That's handy because it means the whole transaction is
covered by S75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

Yup. Although the dealer did try quite hard to make that (CC) deposit a
returnable deposit (& thus defeat that cover).

[Jane Vernon]

Post by BrritSki
We are looking into the details of buying a car in the UK on our return
later this year and also insurance, so I'm looking for some umratic
1. Age UK seem to have an insurance policy that suits us. ANy experience
of them and/or Direct Line or any other suggestions for over 70's ?
2. MoneySavingsExpert suggests buying through a Cashback site, but warns
of potential problems. I have no idea how they work or if they are worth
the effort vs. risk. Any experience in this field (as the actress said
the the cowman [1]) ?
3. I was thinking of taking out a credit or charge card to do the
purchase of the car as I think there are some good freebies to be had in
return. BA AMex card is one possibility, as is a straight AmEx card. ANy
experience with any of these or other suggestions for making large
one-off purchases where we don't need finance ?

If you anticipate shopping at Waitrose I can highly recommend a John
Lewis Partnership card. I do all my shopping, even small purchases, on
it and get JL (or Waitrose) vouchers three times a year.

[BrritSki]

Post by Jane Vernon
If you anticipate shopping at Waitrose I can highly recommend a John
Lewis Partnership card.  I do all my shopping, even small purchases, on
it and get JL (or Waitrose) vouchers three times a year.

And nice to get a visit from the less-frequently-spotted Purple Potter !

[Sam Plusnet]

Post by BrritSki

Post by Jane Vernon
If you anticipate shopping at Waitrose I can highly recommend a John
Lewis Partnership card.  I do all my shopping, even small purchases,
on it and get JL (or Waitrose) vouchers three times a year.

And nice to get a visit from the less-frequently-spotted Purple Potter !

Indeed.

Reverting to the car business, if you're thinking of buying new I found

www.carwow.co.uk

useful as a way of collecting information on different models and
getting some idea of what kind of discount on RRP I should expect to get.

[BrritSki]

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by BrritSki

Post by Jane Vernon
If you anticipate shopping at Waitrose I can highly recommend a John
Lewis Partnership card.  I do all my shopping, even small purchases,
on it and get JL (or Waitrose) vouchers three times a year.

And nice to get a visit from the less-frequently-spotted Purple Potter !

Indeed.
Reverting to the car business, if you're thinking of buying new I found
www.carwow.co.uk
useful as a way of collecting information on different models and
getting some idea of what kind of discount on RRP I should expect to get.

Interesting. I will take a detailed look tomorrow. Thanks.

[BrritSki]

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by BrritSki

Post by Jane Vernon
If you anticipate shopping at Waitrose I can highly recommend a John
Lewis Partnership card.  I do all my shopping, even small purchases,
on it and get JL (or Waitrose) vouchers three times a year.

And nice to get a visit from the less-frequently-spotted Purple Potter !

Indeed.
Reverting to the car business, if you're thinking of buying new I found
www.carwow.co.uk
useful as a way of collecting information on different models and
getting some idea of what kind of discount on RRP I should expect to get.

Interesting. I will take a detailed look tomorrow.   Thanks.

Very useful site. However if we buy new it will be through a friend who
works at a major manufacturer and can get an amazing 30% off what looks
like a decent car. We are going to take a look on Saturday.

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

Post by BrritSki
We are looking into the details of buying a car in the UK on our
return later this year and also insurance, so I'm looking for some

[]
One that's just occurred to me: if this is a new car, ISTR seeing some
being advertised as including at least one year's insurance. Now, that's
obviously just a marketing gimmick, but might still be another haggle
point with the dealer, if you do go to a dealer. And breakdown cover too
- mechanical failures _ought_ to be covered anyway for a new car (at
least I'd hope so!), but even things like punctures, running out of
fuel, possibly wrong fuel, and so on.

[Btms]

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by BrritSki
We are looking into the details of buying a car in the UK on our
return later this year and also insurance, so I'm looking for some

[]
One that's just occurred to me: if this is a new car, ISTR seeing some
being advertised as including at least one year's insurance. Now, that's
obviously just a marketing gimmick, but might still be another haggle
point with the dealer, if you do go to a dealer. And breakdown cover too
- mechanical failures _ought_ to be covered anyway for a new car (at
least I'd hope so!), but even things like punctures, running out of
fuel, possibly wrong fuel, and so on.

We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us. Like many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics. Better for us than SAGA atm.

[Kate B]

Post by Btms

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by BrritSki
We are looking into the details of buying a car in the UK on our
return later this year and also insurance, so I'm looking for some

[]
One that's just occurred to me: if this is a new car, ISTR seeing some
being advertised as including at least one year's insurance. Now, that's
obviously just a marketing gimmick, but might still be another haggle
point with the dealer, if you do go to a dealer. And breakdown cover too
- mechanical failures _ought_ to be covered anyway for a new car (at
least I'd hope so!), but even things like punctures, running out of
fuel, possibly wrong fuel, and so on.

We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us. Like many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics. Better for us than SAGA atm.

If you mean Liverpool Victoria, then I also recommend them strongly:
they are always competitive (even if you have to poke them, but that
applies to all insurance companies these days), they give discounts for
multiple insurances (ie car and house), and when my mother's house
almost burnt down, they stumped up for everything very generously.

[Flop]

Post by Kate B
they are always competitive (even if you have to poke them, but that
applies to all insurance companies these days), they give discounts for
multiple insurances (ie car and house),

*and when my mother's house

Post by Kate B
almost burnt down, they stumped up for everything very generously.*

That is the real criterion for judging insurance companies.

It is all very well having nice ads, shiny brochures and a 99% discount
but there are some companies that I wouldn't touch with a bargepole.

ps +1 for LV=

[Sam Plusnet]

Post by Kate B
they are always competitive (even if you have to poke them, but that
applies to all insurance companies these days), they give discounts
for multiple insurances (ie car and house),

 *and when my mother's house

Post by Kate B
almost burnt down, they stumped up for everything very generously.*

That is the real criterion for judging insurance companies.
It is all very well having nice ads, shiny brochures and a 99% discount
but there are some companies that I wouldn't touch with a bargepole.
ps +1 for LV=

+2 - although we only have house insurance with them.

[Btms]

Post by Kate B

Post by Btms

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by BrritSki
We are looking into the details of buying a car in the UK on our
return later this year and also insurance, so I'm looking for some

[]
One that's just occurred to me: if this is a new car, ISTR seeing some
being advertised as including at least one year's insurance. Now, that's
obviously just a marketing gimmick, but might still be another haggle
point with the dealer, if you do go to a dealer. And breakdown cover too
- mechanical failures _ought_ to be covered anyway for a new car (at
least I'd hope so!), but even things like punctures, running out of
fuel, possibly wrong fuel, and so on.

We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us. Like many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics. Better for us than SAGA atm.

they are always competitive (even if you have to poke them, but that
applies to all insurance companies these days), they give discounts for
multiple insurances (ie car and house), and when my mother's house
almost burnt down, they stumped up for everything very generously.

I do mean Liverpool.

[Clive Arthur]

On 25/04/2018 12:38, Btms wrote:

<snip>

Post by Btms
We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us. Like many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics. Better for us than SAGA atm.

If your designated main driver is not the actual main driver, does that
not compromise the insurance in some way? I suppose they probably
wouldn't bother finding out unless there were to be a very large claim...

Cheers

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

Post by Clive Arthur
<snip>

Post by Btms
We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us. Like many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics. Better for us than SAGA atm.

If your designated main driver is not the actual main driver, does that
not compromise the insurance in some way? I suppose they probably
wouldn't bother finding out unless there were to be a very large claim...
Cheers

I assumed BTMS and partner share the driving anyway, so saying either is
the main driver is probably OK.

I would be seriously worried if they can, at present, prove - at least
for a couple who mostly travel together - who does more miles anyway.

[Btms]

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by Clive Arthur
<snip>

Post by Btms
We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us. Like many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics. Better for us than SAGA atm.

If your designated main driver is not the actual main driver, does that
not compromise the insurance in some way? I suppose they probably
wouldn't bother finding out unless there were to be a very large claim...
Cheers

I assumed BTMS and partner share the driving anyway, so saying either is
the main driver is probably OK.
I would be seriously worried if they can, at present, prove - at least
for a couple who mostly travel together - who does more miles anyway.

The swapping of the name of policy holder each year is something LV
acknowledge and permit. I assume this is when it is husband and wife. We
only have one car, so our driving miles are shared.

[Flop]

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by Clive Arthur
<snip>

We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us.  Like
many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
  They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics.  Better for us than SAGA atm.

If your designated main driver is not the actual main driver, does
that not compromise the insurance in some way?  I suppose they
probably wouldn't bother finding out unless there were to be a very
large claim...
Cheers

I assumed BTMS and partner share the driving anyway, so saying either is
the main driver is probably OK.
I would be seriously worried if they can, at present, prove - at least
for a couple who mostly travel together - who does more miles anyway.

Insurance companies are unpredictable in terms of both their rules and
how they apply them.

I rang LV= to add a driver. They took details. I asked how much it would
cost. They said they would send a cheque for the difference.

They did - not a lot but enough to enjoy the experience.

[Vicky]

Post by Flop

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by Clive Arthur
<snip>

We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us.  Like
many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
  They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics.  Better for us than SAGA atm.

If your designated main driver is not the actual main driver, does
that not compromise the insurance in some way?  I suppose they
probably wouldn't bother finding out unless there were to be a very
large claim...
Cheers

I assumed BTMS and partner share the driving anyway, so saying either is
the main driver is probably OK.
I would be seriously worried if they can, at present, prove - at least
for a couple who mostly travel together - who does more miles anyway.

Insurance companies are unpredictable in terms of both their rules and
how they apply them.
I rang LV= to add a driver. They took details. I asked how much it would
cost. They said they would send a cheque for the difference.
They did - not a lot but enough to enjoy the experience.

I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to the
insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

[krw]

Post by Vicky
I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to the
insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

My insurer charges (I think) £20 for a policy change - so adding a
driver always costs as they are doing some work. But this can change
from insurer to insurer.

[Anne B]

Post by Vicky

Post by Flop

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by Clive Arthur
<snip>

Post by Btms
We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us. Like many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics. Better for us than SAGA atm.

If your designated main driver is not the actual main driver, does
that not compromise the insurance in some way? I suppose they
probably wouldn't bother finding out unless there were to be a very
large claim...
Cheers

I assumed BTMS and partner share the driving anyway, so saying either is
the main driver is probably OK.
I would be seriously worried if they can, at present, prove - at least
for a couple who mostly travel together - who does more miles anyway.

Insurance companies are unpredictable in terms of both their rules and
how they apply them.
I rang LV= to add a driver. They took details. I asked how much it would
cost. They said they would send a cheque for the difference.
They did - not a lot but enough to enjoy the experience.

I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to the
insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me.
Unfortunately I had to take his name off my insurance because he died.

Anne B

[Mike]

Post by Anne B

Post by Vicky

Post by Flop

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by Clive Arthur
<snip>

Post by Btms
We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us. Like many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics. Better for us than SAGA atm.

If your designated main driver is not the actual main driver, does
that not compromise the insurance in some way? I suppose they
probably wouldn't bother finding out unless there were to be a very
large claim...
Cheers

I assumed BTMS and partner share the driving anyway, so saying either is
the main driver is probably OK.
I would be seriously worried if they can, at present, prove - at least
for a couple who mostly travel together - who does more miles anyway.

Insurance companies are unpredictable in terms of both their rules and
how they apply them.
I rang LV= to add a driver. They took details. I asked how much it would
cost. They said they would send a cheque for the difference.
They did - not a lot but enough to enjoy the experience.

I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to the
insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me.
Unfortunately I had to take his name off my insurance because he died.
Anne B

ISTRT Wunderkind’s car insurance went down when she added her husband’s
name to the policy too.

[Chris McMillan]

Post by Mike

Post by Anne B

Post by Vicky

Post by Flop

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)

Post by Clive Arthur
<snip>

Post by Btms
We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us. Like many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics. Better for us than SAGA atm.

If your designated main driver is not the actual main driver, does
that not compromise the insurance in some way? I suppose they
probably wouldn't bother finding out unless there were to be a very
large claim...
Cheers

I assumed BTMS and partner share the driving anyway, so saying either is
the main driver is probably OK.
I would be seriously worried if they can, at present, prove - at least
for a couple who mostly travel together - who does more miles anyway.

Insurance companies are unpredictable in terms of both their rules and
how they apply them.
I rang LV= to add a driver. They took details. I asked how much it would
cost. They said they would send a cheque for the difference.
They did - not a lot but enough to enjoy the experience.

I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to the
insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me.
Unfortunately I had to take his name off my insurance because he died.
Anne B

ISTRT Wunderkind’s car insurance went down when she added her husband’s
name to the policy too.

Yup, though actually getting it written correctly was a mammoth task being
done on line by a two year old. I was at the flat when it was being done
last week.

Sincerely Chris

[Rosemary Miskin]

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than 
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me. 

I think it is because, with two drivers, you can share a long drive,
reducing the risk of tiredness causing an accident. And that
sort of accident tends to be expensive!

Rosemary

[[e-mail] Tony Smith Prestbury]

Post by Rosemary Miskin

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than 
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me. 

I think it is because, with two drivers, you can share a long drive,
reducing the risk of tiredness causing an accident. And that
sort of accident tends to be expensive!
Rosemary

Although we are both named drivers, we could not share the driving on my long trip last autumn, as I had gone alone.

[Penny]

On Thu, 26 Apr 2018 17:48:08 +0100, Anne B <***@btinternet.com>
scrawled in the dust...

Post by Anne B

Post by Vicky

Post by Flop
Insurance companies are unpredictable in terms of both their rules and
how they apply them.
I rang LV= to add a driver. They took details. I asked how much it would
cost. They said they would send a cheque for the difference.
They did - not a lot but enough to enjoy the experience.

I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to the
insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me.
Unfortunately I had to take his name off my insurance because he died.

Whereas mine went up slightly when I added Ray to mine and his went down a
bit when he added me to his (he had had a speeding ticket at some point -
the knock-on effects in terms of insurance went on for years).

I can't now recall if my children ever had me as a named driver on their
cars, I think if you do add a parent it tends to reduce the premium (or
used to) it's probably one of the 'tricks' insurance companies are wary of.
slightly for a young driver.

[steveski]

[]

Post by Anne B

Post by Vicky
I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to the
insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me.
Unfortunately I had to take his name off my insurance because he died.

My ex-wofe adds me, as a named driver, to her insurance because it lowers
her premium (so far) but if I add her to my policy the premium goes up
(so far). It's been like this for at least ten years. Neither of us has
any motoring convictions or insurance claims - as our Colonial Cousins
say: 'go figure' . . .

[Sam Plusnet]

Post by steveski
[]

Post by Anne B

Post by Vicky
I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to the
insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me.
Unfortunately I had to take his name off my insurance because he died.

My ex-wofe adds me, as a named driver, to her insurance because it lowers
her premium (so far) but if I add her to my policy the premium goes up
(so far). It's been like this for at least ten years. Neither of us has
any motoring convictions or insurance claims - as our Colonial Cousins
say: 'go figure' . . .

Occupation might be a factor.
Anything to do with "Entertainment" always used to be considered high
risk for example.

[steveski]

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by steveski
[]

Post by Anne B

Post by Vicky
I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to
the insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me.
Unfortunately I had to take his name off my insurance because he died.

My ex-wofe adds me, as a named driver, to her insurance because it
lowers her premium (so far) but if I add her to my policy the premium
goes up (so far). It's been like this for at least ten years. Neither
of us has any motoring convictions or insurance claims - as our
Colonial Cousins say: 'go figure' . . .

Occupation might be a factor.
Anything to do with "Entertainment" always used to be considered high
risk for example.

I was a pro musician but now I'm 'retired' for the forms. However, that's
been the case for approx. 15 yrs so that doesn't apply. I have 14 yrs NCB
and so does ex-wofe. I don't understand why there's a different policy
(pun not intentional) between companies (not that there has to be).

[Mike]

Post by steveski

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by steveski
[]

Post by Anne B

Post by Vicky
I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to
the insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me.
Unfortunately I had to take his name off my insurance because he died.

My ex-wofe adds me, as a named driver, to her insurance because it
lowers her premium (so far) but if I add her to my policy the premium
goes up (so far). It's been like this for at least ten years. Neither
of us has any motoring convictions or insurance claims - as our
Colonial Cousins say: 'go figure' . . .

Occupation might be a factor.
Anything to do with "Entertainment" always used to be considered high
risk for example.

I was a pro musician but now I'm 'retired' for the forms. However, that's
been the case for approx. 15 yrs so that doesn't apply. I have 14 yrs NCB
and so does ex-wofe. I don't understand why there's a different policy
(pun not intentional) between companies (not that there has to be).

It makes for competition and greater employment for opera singers with
mustaches.;-)

[Kate B]

Post by Mike

Post by steveski

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by steveski
[]

Post by Anne B

Post by Vicky
I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to
the insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me.
Unfortunately I had to take his name off my insurance because he died.

My ex-wofe adds me, as a named driver, to her insurance because it
lowers her premium (so far) but if I add her to my policy the premium
goes up (so far). It's been like this for at least ten years. Neither
of us has any motoring convictions or insurance claims - as our
Colonial Cousins say: 'go figure' . . .

Occupation might be a factor.
Anything to do with "Entertainment" always used to be considered high
risk for example.

I was a pro musician but now I'm 'retired' for the forms. However, that's
been the case for approx. 15 yrs so that doesn't apply. I have 14 yrs NCB
and so does ex-wofe. I don't understand why there's a different policy
(pun not intentional) between companies (not that there has to be).

It makes for competition and greater employment for opera singers with
mustaches.;-)

Though not so good for those who work with said opera singers - my
premium was always hiked because I 'might give a lift to someone famous
and if they were injured in an accident it would be very very
expensive.' Placido took one look at my Mini and said, quite kindly,
he'd take a taxi. Sadly, this anecdote didn't impress the insurance
people at all.

[LFS]

Post by Kate B

Post by Mike

Post by steveski

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by steveski
[]

Post by Anne B

Post by Vicky
I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to
the insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me.
Unfortunately I had to take his name off my insurance because he died.

My ex-wofe adds me, as a named driver, to her insurance because it
lowers her premium (so far) but if I add her to my policy the premium
goes up (so far). It's been like this for at least ten years. Neither
of us has any motoring convictions or insurance claims - as our
Colonial Cousins say: 'go figure' . . .

Occupation might be a factor.
Anything to do with "Entertainment" always used to be considered high
risk for example.

I was a pro musician but now I'm 'retired' for the forms. However, that's
been the case for approx. 15 yrs so that doesn't apply. I have 14 yrs NCB
and so does ex-wofe. I don't understand why there's a different policy
(pun not intentional) between companies (not that there has to be).

It makes for competition and greater employment for opera singers with
mustaches.;-)

Though not so good for those who work with said opera singers - my
premium was always hiked because I 'might give a lift to someone famous
and if they were injured in an accident it would be very very
expensive.' Placido took one look at my Mini and said, quite kindly,
he'd take a taxi. Sadly, this anecdote didn't impress the insurance
people at all.

<grin>

[Mike]

Post by Kate B

Post by Mike

Post by steveski

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by steveski
[]

Post by Anne B

Post by Vicky
I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to
the insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I know that my policy cost less when I had a second named driver than
when it was just me. No-one has ever been able to explain that to me.
Unfortunately I had to take his name off my insurance because he died.

My ex-wofe adds me, as a named driver, to her insurance because it
lowers her premium (so far) but if I add her to my policy the premium
goes up (so far). It's been like this for at least ten years. Neither
of us has any motoring convictions or insurance claims - as our
Colonial Cousins say: 'go figure' . . .

Occupation might be a factor.
Anything to do with "Entertainment" always used to be considered high
risk for example.

I was a pro musician but now I'm 'retired' for the forms. However, that's
been the case for approx. 15 yrs so that doesn't apply. I have 14 yrs NCB
and so does ex-wofe. I don't understand why there's a different policy
(pun not intentional) between companies (not that there has to be).

It makes for competition and greater employment for opera singers with
mustaches.;-)

Though not so good for those who work with said opera singers - my
premium was always hiked because I 'might give a lift to someone famous
and if they were injured in an accident it would be very very
expensive.' Placido took one look at my Mini and said, quite kindly,
he'd take a taxi. Sadly, this anecdote didn't impress the insurance
people at all.

Presumably, in Venice, they would travel in an operetta?

[Penny]

On Sun, 29 Apr 2018 11:57:32 +0100, Kate B <***@nospam.demon.co.uk>
scrawled in the dust...

Post by Kate B

Post by Mike

Post by steveski

Post by Sam Plusnet
Occupation might be a factor.
Anything to do with "Entertainment" always used to be considered high
risk for example.

I was a pro musician but now I'm 'retired' for the forms. However, that's
been the case for approx. 15 yrs so that doesn't apply. I have 14 yrs NCB
and so does ex-wofe. I don't understand why there's a different policy
(pun not intentional) between companies (not that there has to be).

It makes for competition and greater employment for opera singers with
mustaches.;-)

Though not so good for those who work with said opera singers - my
premium was always hiked because I 'might give a lift to someone famous
and if they were injured in an accident it would be very very
expensive.' Placido took one look at my Mini and said, quite kindly,
he'd take a taxi. Sadly, this anecdote didn't impress the insurance
people at all.

I never got involved with the insurance of the vehicle but when the husgod
and I went to Holland with the band we always travelled separately from the
'lads' who went in the band wagon. The greatest advantage of this, apart
from relative comfort (and reliability) was the return journey when we
always sailed straight through customs in Dover while the band wagon always
got pulled over for a search.

[Flop]

Post by Vicky

Post by Flop
I rang LV= to add a driver. They took details. I asked how much it would
cost. They said they would send a cheque for the difference.
They did - not a lot but enough to enjoy the experience.

I've probably got confused, but do you mean if you add a driver to the
insurance it costs less? You got a refund for adding one?

I think that, basically, they score drivers eg I am 200 driver, my wife
is 100. These are calculated on age, convictions, driving experience,
claims etc.

So my premium is £200 and hers is £100.

If I add my name to hers, her premium will go up to £150 - (£200 + £100)/2

And my premium will reduce to £150 if I add her name to my policy.

---

The other surprise I had with LV= was when I had to report a speeding
ticket.

"There is no extra premium for the first ticket. But we need to know the
date of the offence". That was pleasant.

So I rang back with the date.

" Your premium will go up by £20 ".

"Why does the date make a difference?"

"Well this is the second offence".

Turns out that they had logged the first call and thought that this was
a second ticket. All easily sorted and no extra premium :-)

I like to ring them up just to talk to someone who is cheerful,
efficient and helpful for a change from the usual Customer Services
(which is normally a total oxymoron).

[Btms]

Post by Clive Arthur
<snip>

Post by Btms
We use London Victoria, which seems a good deal for two of us. Like many
others we can swap main driver each year to retain equal no claims bonuses.
They use to act for Nationwide and their ancestry with the coop is
something we liked in terms of ethics. Better for us than SAGA atm.

If your designated main driver is not the actual main driver, does that
not compromise the insurance in some way? I suppose they probably
wouldn't bother finding out unless there were to be a very large claim...
Cheers

No it doesn’t.