Practically Classics Forum

My daughter who is 17 and learning to drive would like a Hillman Minx or Super Minx convertible when she passes her test. I'd be grateful for any for or against feedback of this idea.
I'd be especially grateful for comments regarding insuring a 17 year old.
Does anybody know what insurance group Minxes fall into?

Many thanks
Rosanne

I'd say contact the specialist insurers such as flux et al.
Don't bother with the big boys such as Direct line etc , as a) they won't have a clue what a Minx is, and b) for 17yr olds will be giving Foxtrot Oscar quotes

The problem with a lot of Classic car insurance is that it prefers to have drivers who are at least 21, and often the mileage is restricted quite low - For the series I drive, the 21yr old / 6000 miles limit isn't an issue as I'm an old git, and the MPG of a 6 cylinder LWB Series 3 does restrict it's use as a daily driver

My 10p worth

Good day
My Minx is insured with RH insurance ( part of equity red star). They have always been very competitive for me other than last year when the premium went up from £52 a year to £ 74. I rang around some other companies and got various quotes around the £74. I seem to recall the cheapest was £71 so I spoke to RH and they agreed, as I had been a long standing customer, to cover me for £68.

Clearly your circumstances are different but that's who I am with.

Joining a club will help but the OP's daughter is going to have to bite the bullet at least for the first year. Lack of experience and no no-claims will go against her.

The classic insurers I can think of are Footman James, Peter Best, Adrian Flux, Peter James, Chris Knott, Lancaster, Carole Nash and Heritage. It might be worth giving them a call for some quotes.

One of the insurers was doing a scheme for low risk cars and 17 year olds, I think it may have been adrian flux. I know the morris minor owners club has an affordable scheme for 17 year olds.

My son pays about £300 for his Classic Mini - when I phoned the other day to pay for his renewal Peter James Co said that it would be about half the cost next year as he'll be 25 then. Also check the No Claims and if it would be transferrable if she also gets a modern car - I understand that some companies will only allow a No Claims Discount on one vehicle so that may only apply if she has a modern car as NCD isn't always given as part of a classic policy as it isn't usually the daily driver's car.

Be prepared for a lot of expense - note above who paid for his renewal . . . .

Good luck! Many insurers have now refused to insure anyone under 21 or 25 on a classic policy, and it has caught many people out. Those that do, work out to be no cheaper than a normal policy, I'm afraid all you can do is ring around as many companies as you can bare to and hope you find something that isn't an arm or leg.

Also remember a quote for a learner will be considerably cheaper than one after she passes her test, as they all assume once you have someone sat next to you, you'll automatically drive like an idiot, but it may help her if she gets a few months cover whilst still learning. The nephews insurance wasn't too bad, as he'd got 5 months through on provisional, so it didn't shoot up as much as it could have done going straight in as a new driver just passed test.

Good luck with getting her insured on ANYTHING without parting with human body parts!

On the plus side. I believe Adrian Flux are not only a classic car specialist but also a young driver specialist.

My daughter has a daewoo Kalos. whilst learning to drive, insurance was £750 (17 years old). when she passed, it went up to £1500 (18yo) so we took it off the road for a year and she was an occasional driver of my company car for a year.

She is now 19 and with the 1 year experience it is back down to £750 with Admiral. (don't go there with a classic though)

I tried to put her down as a named driver on my Triumph, but no one would touch it unless she was the registered keeper on the V5....No chance!!!

Definitely worth giving Martin at Chris Knott Insurance a call.

For an extra 50 quid they recently provided an unlimited mileage policy on the R129 when Peter Best were limiting it to 5000 miles/year.

The bloke is really clued in and they have a very good reputation among the specialist Benz clubs.

As always, it's preferable to approach a broker first, comparison sites/insurers second.