This is an old blog from another site, which is now defunct. After the thoughts about purchasing something rusty and running, I remembered a time in the recent past when I tried to do something similar........
Anything can start me off on a car hunt. I guess I am really just a car hunting time bomb waiting to go off! This time it was the words ninety quid, four months tax, eight months MOT and Carlton that did it. And that was it. Now I am looking for a Citroen AX. Eh?
I’ll explain.
Whilst chatting to a colleague at work the other day, the subject of time wasters was bought up… “I’ve advertised my bloody car for weeks now, people keep phoning me and telling me they will be round to look at it and they never turn up!”. My ears prick up… Car, Advertise. I experienced the immediate warm feeling down below that encompasses me every time I hear those words! Clearly I need a new job or some other focus in my life. “So what are you trying to sell”? It turns out that my workmate has just bought a new-to-him Omega and his eighteen year old 2.0 GLi Carlton, which has just had a top end engine rebuild and has tax and MOT on it, is going spare. As he is an older gentleman, the likes of Ebay and various other internet sites have been ignored in favour of the good old newsagents window. Alas to no avail!
Subsequently, he has undertaken investigations regarding disposal at a scrap yard and is crestfallen that his old pal of fifteen years is going to end up as minced motor. That, and they only offered him ninety quid!! Lion King, Circle of Life keeps spinning round my head, not sure why? Still, me being a sucker for a sad story (and hell, a bit of a bargain), I suggest I may be interested. “£200 to you if you want it” he says. He knows where to hit this guy. “Let me check out the insurance first”, I say trying not to chew his hand off. And this is where it all starts to go a bit wrong!
Some sniffing around has unearthed the fact that it will be physically impossible for me to insure this automotive dinosaur for less than about £250 on a 1500 mile a year limited mileage policy, third party fire and theft. Even the “classic” policy route didn’t come out any better and with those I didn’t even accrue a no claims bonus. My mental two hundred quid car, two hundred insurance meant I just couldn’t justify this deal, especially as it was only a bloody GLi Carlton and not something more “interesting”. But it got me to thinking.
It isn’t the first time I have been offered a car for silly money that I’ve been convinced I could turn round for a profit, if just a little time and effort was lavished on it. The only thing that has stopped me in the past has been the insurance. So how about a motor traders policy? Chatting to my insurance guy, he seemed to think that it was a good idea, but I would actually have to trade cars regularly to be allowed to have one. No problem. Then came the sucker punch. “£1400 a year based on a £15000 indemnity, fully comp”. Bugger me, that’s a lot of trading to do just break even. Yes I could do it, but do I want the hassle?
The issue seemed to be around my no claims history. You see for the past ten years or so, despite not having been involved in an accident or claim, I have been insured on my company fleet policy. Whilst there are schemes out there for private insurance that recognise an exemplary record whilst using a fleet policy, the companies involved in the motor traders stuff don’t. Which brings me neatly to the Citroen AX mentioned earlier. I am now looking to get my no claims bonus back via the cheapest means possible, whilst still having a little fun… oh and also insured to drive any other car in the process. And this all started as me buying an old Vauxhall. Go figure!
Buying - Search - Make: Citroen - Model: AX - Engine Size: 1.0. Ebay, watch out, here I come!