roflwell

Hi all,

I'll (hopefully) be moving to BC (Victoria to be exact) in a month, and I'm currently going through the fun that is trying to prise information out of UK insurance companies in the required format - which is proving to be somewhat... frustrating <ungrits teeth>. Swinton seem to refuse to send any custom letters out (and have just sent me the standard no-claims letter out instead), and the AA haven't managed to find any of my previous policies so far.

So, preparing for the worst as always...

I'm 29, I plan on buying something old, cheap (less than $1,000), and I won't be driving a huge amount. I'd be interested in anyone else's experience of premiums. I've had a search through the forums but it seems most people have much newer cars - I'm not sure just how much this makes a difference.

Either way, I know it's not going to be cheap, but whether it's going to be a , a , or even a



Andy.

Aviator

Age of the vehicle makes very little difference. Sometimes it may increase the insurance, depending on value.

roflwell

Understood. I was hesitant at posting this because it's such a vague question.

Out of interest, is it possible to ring ICBC and ask them for a quote, or is this a ridiculous notion best left until I get there? :0

Andy.

el_richo

My wife's old shitty Honda civic worth $1000 was nearly as much to insure our brand new one. Go figure.

el_richo

I think you'll need an address and licence number before you get a quote but I could be wrong.

roflwell

Ouch. How much was that, if you don't mind me asking?

rivingtonpike

you can get a quote in advance of actually owning the vehicle or getting your number plates, but I think you have to know what the car will be, your address, off street parking, value etc. I got a quote on a refrigerated lorry before I bought it - but I did go to ICBC in person.

el_richo

It was more than the value of the car

printer

I have an old work truck, 1997 GMC with almost 400,000 kms, it would cost around $2000 pr year at base rates to insure it without no claims, i pay $1100
The truck is probably worth $2000!
Of course you don't need to take all the insurance extras like collision and comprehensive on an older vehicle and it is possible to shop round for private insurance of the extra bits so long as you take the basic with ICBC, this can help lower cost if you don't have any no claims.

rivingtonpike

If you persevere it is possible to get the right information in the right letter for ICBC. It took us almost 6 months - one of the insurers was the AA too!

sdo1982

2012 Focus SEL brand new, with extra coverage for $3M liability and all the whistles and bells, including work coverage.
Im 30, been driving since 18, no accidents etc, but couldn't get a damn thing from UK insurers, premium came in at $3900.
It could be lower if I add a clause that stops people with less than 10 years driving experience driving the car.
The premium was about $20 cheaper for a 2.5 Escape 4wd that had a higher purchase price.

Super Plumb

Max discount here in BC is only 43%. Rates are high and if you go fully comp its aprox double that of third party. Its your choice at the end of the day, but let me tell you they cant drive. In Kelowna we have a registered weekly ave of 78 crashes a week. The test is a joke and someone has to pay for all the repairs. For the last 20 years its been me and Ive never claimed

agr

2005 Jetta and a 2006 Smart car, $2100 a year with pretty much max discount. But we're in Alberta, so at least we get to talk to a human being at a private sector insurance company that needs our business.

printer

2012 Subaru WRX STI, only get 25% because of a claim. I was quoted $3710 by ICBC.
I just got the basic from them which was $807 then used Canadian Direct for the rest. Total amount for 3000,000 liability, collision, comprehensive and replacement cost from Canadian direct was less than the ICBC basic, i save in total over 50%.
If you have a poor no claim record it is worth checking out Canadian Direct.
I have to also add both my sons, one 20, one 22 are included on the policy at that price.

Aviator

ICBC don't directly sell insurance, you have to go through an Autoplan insurance broker. You would need a post code to get a quote as it varies by location and risk. You can get an indication from a broker, but without already having a policy for them to get information it might not be that accurate.
My 21 year old drives a high performance sports car (6 litre I believe), pays $2500 comp with $5m liability, my vehicles range from the cheapest $1200 to $1600 comp with $5m liability, with 10 year minimum driving experience restriction. (newer pick ups and 20 year old small beater sedan). Minimum libility is $200k, nowhere near enough if you have a low risk threshold, then it goes up $1m to $5m.