Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[clan chieftain]

I have tended to stick with the same insurance company (The AA) for a number of years now and thought that £216 for my Suzuki Alto last year was good.
Now being retired I thought I would see if I could get it cheaper.
I decided to shop around on Go Compare. This year my renewal with the AA will be £222 an increase of only £6 which is ok but Zurich can give me the same cover for £146 which is a big saving and Privilege are £148.
Would it be worth my while to see if AA can match it or should I just go with Zurich. If not I will go with Zurich.
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The Clan Chieftain

[D4B]

Hi Larry,

Yes if you contact the AA and tell them you are about to swop due to
the prices you have now been quoted ~ you will be surprised how far they
drop the price ~ good luck

[Rick]

Yup negotiate, insurers have retention people working for them whose job is to negotiate renewals with customers who are thinking of going elsewhere. The renewal rate they send out is never the best price they can do (IME).

I shopped around for an alternative insurer on the Dodge truck a few days ago, and managed to insure all my roadworthy old vehicles on one policy for less than I paid in 2012 for the truck alone.

RJ
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[Bitumen Boy]

Another thing comparison sites are good for is if you're thinking of buying a more recent car/van/bike and want an idea of how badly you're going to be robbed for insurance. OK I know you could always ring round before but it was just so time consuming, especially when you didn't know all the fine detail of a vehicle spotted in the small ads - the comparison sites don't seem as fussed and you can get a pretty good idea of costs in a fraction of the time

[Riley Blue]

I change my Audi's insurer almost every year as most insurers give a new customer discount which exiting customer's don't receive. I once saved over £100 and though the difference has reduced in the last couple of years, ten minutes on line always results in a saving of £20-30.

I do the same with household utilities too, always manage to save something.

[ukdave2002]

I shop around every year, always pay less than the renewal price......last 3 years have stayed with the same company but pay less than the renewal price.

Dave

[Scotty]

I always use web sites like ComparetheMarket.com, Confused.com - this year I saved £120 by not renewing with my previous insurer and changing to Esure.

It always pays to internet shop around, but a wee bit of patience is needed with each initial registration onto the web sites.

I even buy my tyres from Blackcircles.com as their prices take a lot of beating.

[Roger-hatchy]

One problem with 'trying' to buy on line.
Why do they insist they can't sell you anything if they don't know your car.
When I first did the rebuild in 1970's I made a note of what vehicles the parts, and part numbers, had been sourced from.
That is no good now, there are only three tyre sales outlets that will deal with you without 'vehicle make' and 'Registration number' seems they are forbidden to sell you anything without the registration and vehicle make, even if you tell them the tyre size.
Talking of tyres, why metric width yet imperial radius, 205mm x 15 inch

Same goes with parts, no registration or make, no sale.

AND it's not just on-line, the shops are just as bad nowadays

[Jim.Walker]

Of course all tyres used to be completely Imperial dimensions.
Michelin were virtually Radial pioneers with the "X".
I suppose, being French they decided to define section in Metric terms, probably to distinguish them from crossplies.
I imagine changing Diameter to Metric was not an option as they were selling tyres to fit existing wheels manufactureed in Imperial sizes, even on the Continent.
However, having typed all that I now remember the first Radials fitted to my dad's Austin FL1 were marked 6.00x16.
Quite a story about that! They were sold directly by a Michelin Rep. who talked my very reluctant dad into trying a pair.
The handling of the car was truly awful (they may have been fitted on the front - I don't remember), but they were the first radials we had even heard of! And we had never heard of "Radials on the Rear".
Back came the Rep in response to the complaint and left everyone on the firm gobsmacked! NO ONE ever talked my dad into anything once he had made his mind up, but that chap sold him another pair for the other end.
Dad never fitted anything else afterwards on his own car -but he would not buy them for anyone elses!
We had to soldier on with crossplies on 9 other FL1s
Jim.
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Quote from my late Dad:- You only need a woman and a car and you have all the problems you
are ever likely to want". Computers had not been invented then!