Insane insurance quotation !

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

Hi to you all out there.

I am currently running a recently acquired 3 owner/registered keeper  year 2000 registered 325 Ci Convertible Auto the car was showing 29,830 recorded miles and all supported with service history and MoT history.

This is my second such model having owned the first one for some time but then foolishly sold it on with a mere 64,000 miles some 6 years ago.

 

I am currently looking at dipping my toes into a rather tidy 08 plate 635d Auto Convertible in Metallic Blue with 133,000 miles showing on the clock.

I was rather taken aback by the quotation for insurance of £740.00 !!

I am just approaching 79 years young with a completely clean license and 39 years of accident free driving.

 

My current insurance company  is quoting me £90.00 to swap cover from my current 2005 Mercedes C220 CDI Avantegard Auto from the middle of June until the policy ceases at the end of November.

In conclusion - why is the proposed change going to cost so much - I wonder.

 

[Greydog]

Morning John

Welcome to the Forum

One word "Greed" my insurers last year tried to tell me it was because of Brexit ?? Covid ?? and the rising cost of repairs ?? (we are in the same age group with similar history)

Time to get the Meerkat working and all the other comparison sites

Good luck

Dave

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

2 hours ago, Greydog said:

Morning John

Welcome to the Forum

One word "Greed" my insurers last year tried to tell me it was because of Brexit ?? Covid ?? and the rising cost of repairs ?? (we are in the same age group with similar history)

Time to get the Meerkat working and all the other comparison sites

Good luck

Dave

Hi Dave. The insurance quote of £740.30. came from one of the comparison sites (MoneySupermarket) when they flagged up 1st Direct as as being one of the two most competitive.

Yesterday I received an E'mail from 1st Direct asking me how they had done !!

I gave it to them right 'between the eyes'.

I actually have two policies with them.

When I took issue with them on the phone they just blamed the 'Underwriters'.

 

The other policy that I have with them is for my year 2000 registered 3 series - 325Ci Convertible Auto.

Let us see what they come up with on that one in due coarse ! 

Edited June 4 by ARoosterinaRoadster
Addition info.

[Greydog]

Hi John

Sadly they seem to reward "New" customers with sometimes great offers but don't make any attempt a retaining loyal customers ?? You would think that one of their "clever" marketing people would work out retaining customers is often cheaper than having to find new ones all the time.

Good Luck hope you enjoy the 635

Dave

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

6 hours ago, Greydog said:

Hi John

Sadly they seem to reward "New" customers with sometimes great offers but don't make any attempt a retaining loyal customers ?? You would think that one of their "clever" marketing people would work out retaining customers is often cheaper than having to find new ones all the time.

Good Luck hope you enjoy the 635

Dave

Hi again Dave.  Rightly or wrongly I have let the car go !

This was a decision based upon Principal and serious consideration of the old adage - that they do not put pockets in shrouds - yet !

I will not subscribe to barefaced and damned blackmail by faceless/nameless people that site behind desks creaming their salary off of people that deserve better.

Earlier this morning I got quotes from the "Meercats" - even they quoted me £734.40.

 

It is high time that the insurance industry was really taken to task by a real life Rottweiler such as Andrew Neil or Piece Morgan.

 

With the two figures that I have quoted you being so coincidentally close to each other there is a reasonable case for claiming collusion/cartel behaviour.  

Edited June 4 by ARoosterinaRoadster
To correct a mild indiscretion !

[Greydog]

My wife's renewal earlier this year was with the Admiral (she has been with them for years) and although they had an increase it was £70 mine comes in next month that will be interesting 

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

5 hours ago, Greydog said:

My wife's renewal earlier this year was with the Admiral (she has been with them for years) and although they had an increase it was £70 mine comes in next month that will be interesting 

Hi again Dave. Interesting that you mentioned Admiral because they were one of the alternative two insurers that quoted me via Meercats and they were within a tenner of the first quote that brought a huge lump to my throat.

In truth I had not realised that the car was a Group 50A car where as in the past my Mercedes SLK 350 Auto was a Group 43A car.

 

There is after some serious rethinking of the issue - a possible return to going for broke with the car !

I have contacted him and his sales chap that gave me a PX deal  on my Mercedes C220 CDI Avantegard Estate Auto asking is the deal 'still on the table'

It is not my intention to letting my 2000 registered 325Ci Convertible Auto go as it only has just turned 31,300 miles - I recently purchased it from a dealer in Derby on the 19th January with a mere 29,830 miles with full service history and a very very tidy MoT history.

The 635d is within a twenty mile drive and the dealer is known to me from 45 years ago when I bought a car from him when he had not long been trading.

It has 133,350  miles on the clock and is in exceptional condition with full service history and an MoT that broadly speaking many would wish for !

 

 

 

[Greydog]

My X5 is the same engine as the 635 your considering over the last weekend we covered just under 700 miles Sussex to Yorkshire and back and some trips over the hill to Penrith 

Where I can I don't spare the horses so proper Motorway speeds maintained, average MPG was 38 which is pretty good for a big car with the aerodynamics of a brick and for one of the trips to Penrith I pulled a trailer for a friend 😁The 635 should be much better than that on fuel

Hope the deal works out

Dave

PS I also had an X5 E53 4.6is and held onto it as there are less than 200 left on the road. A local BMW Specialist persuaded me to sell it to him recently now I miss it !! Keep the 325i

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

6 hours ago, Greydog said:

My X5 is the same engine as the 635 your considering over the last weekend we covered just under 700 miles Sussex to Yorkshire and back and some trips over the hill to Penrith 

Where I can I don't spare the horses so proper Motorway speeds maintained, average MPG was 38 which is pretty good for a big car with the aerodynamics of a brick and for one of the trips to Penrith I pulled a trailer for a friend 😁The 635 should be much better than that on fuel

Hope the deal works out

Dave

PS I also had an X5 E53 4.6is and held onto it as there are less than 200 left on the road. A local BMW Specialist persuaded me to sell it to him recently now I miss it !! Keep the 325i

Hi again Dave. That is an interesting bit of info about the X5. I was looking at buying one some years ago when I was towing the Elddis Crusader Super Sirocco but being only 4'10" tall with an inside leg measurement of 23" the floor was a long way off of my feet and having had a total left knee replacement I risked doing some damage if I landed awkward- so I stayed with my Volvo V70 Auto's.

Yes I will hold on to the E46 and see what happens when the insurance for the E63 comes up for renewal.

The initial change of policy from the C220 CDI Avantegard Auto Estate at £90.00 will allow me time for a proper Summer and Autumn time appraisal before the renewal is due in November.

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

Hi again Dave. Well the deal is done and collection is scheduled for Saturday 15th June in the afternoon.

The colour of the car is Deep Sea Blue Metallic with a Black Dakota Leather interior.

I am rather surprised in finding that the 635d Auto is not as rapid as was my recently sold Mercedes Benz SLK 350 Auto and yet the insurance on the BMW 635d is group 50A and the Mercedes SLK 350 was group 43A.

I had also seriously considered a Mercedes SL 350 Auto and that was also a group 50A car.

The SL 350 was the most sluggish/less rapid of all three and I am blowed if I can get my head around the much lower insurance rate for the SLK 350 Auto.

[Greydog]

Very nice looking car John

I hope you enjoy it as much as your 325

Strange how sometimes the way the car develops and delivers it's power can feel so different. I owned a Whale tale Cosworth that felt fairly ordinary until 3k  then hold tight, two E55 AMG's that were brutal yet the CLS 63 AMG despite having nearly 200hp more never felt like the 55's (made it easy to collect points if you weren't careful)

The only car I have had that felt really strong was the Lotus Carlton it always felt like it was delivering every ounce of power

My X5 4.6is was mildly tuned (uprated Cams and Throttle body) acceleration is instant, the Diesel needs to be above 2.5k before it starts to move. I had both cars at Goodwood a couple of years ago and lap times were within tenths yet the V8 always felt faster. Get the 635 rolling road tested just so you know it's delivering as it should maybe even an ECU tune 

The main thing is ENJOY it 

Dave

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

Hi again Dave. Truly - my pretend "boy racer" days are long long over and now I am able to simply enjoy what I couldn't afford all those years ago;mortgage;three daughters and the completely broken dream of stability when divorce raised the "hurdles" even higher !

Interesting that you isolated/identified the Lotus Carlton in your comparisons !

A truly awesome car and sadly something that I could never ever afford or justify at the time.

My car (Estate car) that I had for many years and only really afforded by using  it legitimately for my business activity and having it fitted with a tow bar and twin electrics for when my then 8' x 4' twin axle trailer was called in to collect furniture for reupholstery and or delivering newly constructed hand built traditionally built upholstered furniture.

The car was a first generation V70 T5 CD Auto in Aquamarine Turquoise which came on the back of and after a brief spell of running a Volvo 850 Auto Estate - I went on to run a further 5 V70's with both petrol and diesel power;the latter three all with the Geartronic auto boxes.

 

[Greydog]

Hi John

In the late 70's through the 80's we had a business and by buying some Company cars and Leasing others we were able to indulge ourselves I had a couple of Cosworth's the last being a Cosworth Sapphire which I didn't have long before it was stolen (they were top of the list in those days) That was a Lease car and when they offered a replacement our insurers gave a quote that was almost the cost of the car !!!! They offered me the Carlton (Chassis 32) instead and the insurers accepted it (I will never figure that out) 

Had a few Volvo's all estates my wife loved them for pulling the Horse trailer and plenty of room in the back for children and dogs. Started with 760's then 960 then the 850 T5 and 850R MK1 V70 T5 x4 then V70 T5 AWD and T6. All the Volvo's were Auto

Then in 2000 my wife suffered shoulder damage and found the Volvo's heavy to park we found the Subaru Outback to be super light on steering so that is where she has stayed I brought the first X5 not long after to pull the Horses. A wife and daughter with horses I sometimes thought divorce was a plan  🤣🤣 Children all grown up and away from home so now we just have more Horses and Dogs (I don't ride just pay) 😂

 

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

Hi again Dave.  Peace at almost any price can often be a relatively life changing compromise !!