# Car Insurance for first timer



## quickquestion (31 Aug 2004)

Hi, 

I've just bought a 94 1.2 corsa & am looking for insurance. i'm a 25yo female with no previous driving experience and the car is only worth a grand. 

Everyones telleing me to go for 3rd party... is this right ? even if Comp is only 100 quid more expensive ? 

Eagle Star have quoted me 1307 for 3rd p,f&t
Quinn Direct quoted 1275 and Axa 1,370 for 3rd p,f&t and 1460 for comprehensive... 

What company should i go for ? i've read bad press about QD.. please advise, and also, 
do i need a 'protected 'no claim discount' which will not be affected provided that not more than 2 claims occur during any 3 consecutive years of insurance ? If i take this from Eagle star, and if i change insurer next year, will i loose it ? or is it obselete if i take it cos this is my first year driving ? 

I can't find any t&c's to insurance on the web & when you ask them on the phone they just babble on. 

Any ideas & all advice is greatly appreciated !! 

and no smart comments from the lads about women drivers ! 

Cheers


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## ajapale (31 Aug 2004)

Hi qq,

there may be something to gain by taking out comprehensive insurance on a cheap car. If you build up your no claims bouns (comprehensive) on a cheap car and then use the percentage discount on a more expensive model 5 or 6 years down the line.

ajapale


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## eamonn66 (1 Sep 2004)

*fully comp or not*

have to disagree wih ajapale. a ncb is not particular to a type of cover so it makes no difference if it is fully comp or not.
also most fully comp policies have an excess of at least a couple of hundred 
you would be paying 100 euro for max 800 cover .

the only circumstances where you would be  sensible claiming against this cover is where you wrote off your e1000 car in an accident with a third party and they  were claiming against you as well. 

if you wrote it off into a ditch and no one else was involved , it would be more sensible to swallow the loss than to claim as the protected ncb thing is only for your current insurer. if you try another company they could hold it against you for up to 5 years.


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## wowser (1 Sep 2004)

*insurance*

perhaps try FBD brokers too - my brother got a good deal with them...

Personally I didn't bother with fully comp since I don't intend causing an accident


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## Janeom (1 Sep 2004)

*Re: insurance*

Try Hibernian. They have special discounts if you have your licence for less than 5 years...but you have to go on a one day course and go driving with an examiner who asseses your risk of having an accident....the less of a risk they think you are the more of a discount you get. 

My husband got insurance for the first time with them for 600 euro after passing their course. they would n't quote him if he did n't take the course. actually he enjoyed the course as a lot of it was about general safety in traffic followed by discussions.

Janeom


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## Johno (1 Sep 2004)

*Re: insurance*

You do not need "no claims protection" as you don't have a No Claims bonus to protect until your renewal date ie after one year.
You can then add your NCBP at renewal for a small charge.

Generally speaking third party fire and theft would be sufficient for a car valued at €1k but the choice is yours!

Hope this helps


Johno


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## Itchy (12 Jun 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*

Hi guys,

Basically I have decided to bite the bullet and learn to drive. Im 20 yo male with a provisional (obviously). Im looking at a Clio 1.2 and am being quoted €1250 TPFT. What kind of car should I go for in order to minimise the premium? For example, avoid Honda Civic's, get a 1L car etc...


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## ACA (13 Jun 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*

Itchy, as suggested by janeom - Hibernian do a 1 day course that significantly reduces yr premium, costs about €70 (they also do a 3 day course - for about €300 - for more NCB). 18 yr old girl that I know is paying €720 TPF&T with them driving a 1.2L Opel. Only thing I would advise, is to mind yrself if yr driving alone - most ins co.s DO cover you if yr in an accident BUT they are not obliged to!! Which then leaves you wide open to prosecution by the Gardai.

In response to the post below - AFAIK Hibernain started these courses in response to the high number of provisional licence holders, to give them safe motoring experience and offer them lower premiums.. The aforementioned 18 yr old has had a provisional for 6 months and is currently enjoying a VERY low premium as a result.


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## wiggzie (13 Jun 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*



			
				ACA said:
			
		

> Itchy, as suggested by janeom - Hibernian do a 1 day course that significantly reduces yr premium, costs about €70 (they also do a 3 day course - for about €300 - for more NCB). 18 yr old girl that I know is paying €720 TPF&T with them driving a 1.2L Opel. Only thing I would advise, is to mind yrself if yr driving alone - most ins co.s DO cover you if yr in an accident BUT they are not obliged to!! Which then leaves you wide open to prosecution by the Gardai.


 
can you do these courses on a provisional? I thought you needed full licence to qualify for them and discounts


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## Jonathan H (13 Jun 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*

Bonus protection would be a waste of money as already pointed out you don't have a bonus to protect so don't go for this cover 


Depending on the difference premium it really is up to you to as to whether you choose the comp or TPFT.

The prices you are being quoted seem high, the most you should be paying for comp is €1200. I work in a brokers and the highest on our system was 1200 for this type of risk


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## Itchy (14 Jun 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*

Could you PM me your broker phone number?

What kind of car for my situation would minimise my premium?

Also the hibernian course is not really any good for me because I would not have the skills to pass it yet and i still have to pay the initial premium rate out anyway.


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## almo (16 Jun 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*

It might be better off getting a heap of driving lessons under your belt and doing the test if you feel your skills might not be up to the Hibernian test.  The first time I sat mine I'd been driving for over a year, after non-stop lessons from my Dad, but the day of the test (the last day before Xmas holidays for the examiners) it was snowing and Finglas and Glasnevin were bumper to bumper.  The tester failed me for going too slow!  On Uncle Gaybo's show the next morning there was out and out fury as not 1 person passed in the afternoon of that day in Finglas, each person was told they were too slow and hesitant.  

Itchy, try one of the Fiats to bring down insurance, or the Tico (I think Daewoo).  Anything 1l and under will be cheaper, even by few quid.


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## ACA (19 Jun 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*



> origanally posted by *Itchy*
> _the hibernian course is not really any good for me because I would not have the skills to pass it yet_


bit worrying that you've bought a car, want to insure it in your name and have no idea how to drive!
Don't know where in Ireland yr from - hope its not Waterford.


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## Itchy (19 Jun 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*

What I have learnt is that you can't carry over a no claims bonus i.e. have it on more than one car and hence without it, it is not worth insuring as a named driver. And insurance will be 1.7 to 2.2 times the price of ones car!!



			
				ACA said:
			
		

> bit worrying that you've bought a car, want to insure it in your name and have no idea how to drive!
> Don't know where in Ireland yr from - hope its not Waterford.


 
Could you point me to where I said I have bought a car and to where I said I had know idea how to drive?

How did you first learn to drive?


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## ACA (19 Jun 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*



> originally posted by *Itchy*
> Could you point me to where I said I have bought a car and to where I said I had know idea how to drive?
> How did you first learn to drive?


Admittedly you didn't say that you have bought a car - but since you are looking for insurance, can I assume that one is in the pipeline?
If you look at the 11th post on this page, you said





> Also *the hibernian course is not really any good for me because I would not have the skills to pass it yet *and i still have to pay the initial premium rate out anyway.


As for my learning to drive, I passed my test (on the 3rd attempt) after a total of 15 lessons in 1988, in the UK. All this buying a car, and going round for millenia on a provisional is completely alien to me!


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## Itchy (19 Jun 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*

So in your indirect way of expressing it, would you suggest learning to drive through driving lessons and not buy a car untill the driving test is passed?


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## ACA (19 Jun 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*



> originally posted by *Itchy*
> _So in your indirect way of expressing it, would you suggest learning to drive through driving lessons and not buy a car untill the driving test is passed?_


Far be it from me to sway you one way or the other Itchy, as previously discussed I work for an insurance company investigating claims and sadly MOST accidents involve provisional licence holders. That is not to say that the said provisonal licence holders _caused_ the accident but driving experience is _usually_ lacking. As a 20yr old male, yr insurance will *most likely* be high for some time, whether you have a full licence of not. Since Ireland has had an big influx of European drivers in the last 5 years or so, there have been more accidents, especially on country roads, where it is easy to forget to drive on the left (absence of road-markings etc.) Since you've managed to get this far in your life being car-less would it hurt to have a few lessons before you buy a car? Then maybe you would be in a position to do the Hibernian course to get cheaper insurance.


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## redchariot (14 Jul 2006)

*Re: Car Insurance for first timer...*

Do not get comprehensive because:
No claims is the same no matter the cover
If you crash you will pay an excess usually about €150-200; take that into account and also that you will be unlikely to get the full value you paid back and that your next preium will be hacked up dramatically, you will probably lose money in the long term


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