So I’m looking at getting an early mx5 eunos. I’ve seen a 1990 one with a couple of mods: coilovers, alloys and a front spoiler. Why is it so expensive to insure??!
Is it because I’m only 20 or the age of the vehicle? Adrian Flux wanted over £4k and LV wanted £3k.
For a more modified 1993 car I got quoted around £1300 Mark. What is the major difference?
Any young drivers got a good insurer for early eunos that is actually affordable?
Will I need to wait until I’m 21 or 25 before I don’t get ripped off for insurance?
Cheers
I personally never found ‘specialist’ insurers at all competitive, have you tried any of the comparison sites like Compare the Market? I’m not sure about younger drivers but Admiral (for example) seem fairly relaxed with mods for older drivers.
I think 3K and over is basically telling you those companies don’t particularly want you!
It will come down at 25 certainly, and a big jump at 30, but that’s a long time to wait, I’m pretty sure you should be able to find better quotes in the interim
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Try Admiral.
Also the reason (from experience) that it will come at an high price to you, under 21, a few mods, an import (but that should affect it too much but it does with some insurers) and you need some NCD to get the price down.
If you can put your parents on the policy as a named driver, it helps.
Don’t do comparison sites ring direct, start with the above mentioned and work throy the mainstream companies, good luck.
Curious as to why you say don’t do comparison sites?
Reason I suggested them is that if you don’t get any sensible quotes at all from a database of 60+ insurers then you instantly know you’re pretty much wasting your time, whereas if a few give reasonable prices then yes it’s worth starting to ring around.
You could potentially spend hours on a wild goose chase otherwise…
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It’s always been thus.
Stats over decades held by insurance organisations show (?) 25’s & under are high risk in a 3 cylinder Poxhall Cursebox never mind a zippy open sports car.
They really don’t want you much…so hard ball premiums are a sort of way of saying…“Go elsewhere”
My son, ex army, 3 years back at 30 years of age had his first own car to insure. A mere Fiesta 1.25 Zetec and his premiums kicked off at £1,400, which after a few hours of homework I got down to £740.00…zero NCD you see. It’s tough, but that’s life. It mattered not he drove everything but tanks in war zones eg fast response Landies fitted with 50 cals! 
I’ve tried comparison sites and 1990 stock is ~ 3k but as soon as I get a 1991 car and put it in stock I’m looking at ~ £800. The year thing is what I don’t get the most. What’s the big difference??
By the sounds of it, I might be wasting my time 
Get about £3k on comparison for stock 1990 eunos. 1991 though is much cheaper and I don’t get why
I suppose Admiral might be my best bet. Parents are both already on the insurance.
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Do you drive either of their cars?
EG…you have some history as a 3rd party driver?
That can make a difference.
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I used comparison sites for my softly modded NC and previously for my imported Mk2 RS. I’m well over 60 and some of the mainstream ones didn’t want to know as soon as you pressed the button that said, “any modifications” and some really ramped the price up. Just my experience, when I spoke to Admiral direct about my daughter’s first ever insurance policy as a new driver she got it down to around £800, previously she could only get quotes no lower that £1800 via the comparison sites with exactly the same info.
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Can’t answer that sorry, makes no sense does it? I know insurance on a really new car can occasionally be cheaper on the basis a driver is more likely to look after it, but 1 year gap at that age? who knows…
Realistically there’s no difference between a 1990 Roadster and a 1991 one to make it a much higher risk. I do hate trying to outguess insurers to work out what it is they don’t like. I suspect they don’t know themselves - they just know the computer says no.
(I put a friend on our family car’s insurance when he was back home without a car - no extra cost, just an admin fee. Intended to take his name off at renewal time until warned that would cost more! Later I asked to add son’s girlfriend to the same insurance and was told this time an extra person would cost £££ unless I took a name off. So I swapped his name for her name - no charge. Baffling.)
Your problem might be something as daft as their computer noting that people who buy the very oldest model are a higher risk. Or a particular colour. Or any random thing. It’s infuriating.
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Yep, I’m on my daughter’s policy and bonus I can drive her car fully comp.
Ok she was 28 years old when she passed her test, Admiral offered her an option of a black box or not fitted to the car, lower premium with one fitted but she didn’t take that option, they were ok with that.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been refused insurance based on what car I had a the time, just some companies don’t want to insure imports or modded cars, you just move on and look elsewhere.
As I said I hit the comparison sites then speak direct with them before stumping up the payment, most companies will bend a little more and give more discounts, after all you’re there on the phone they want the business.
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No I don’t have any experience as 3rd party, only as policy holder. I currently have a peugeot 107 as my daily 12000 miles and that’s just renewed £400 with 3 years no claims. I’m keeping the peugeot
I’ve done it with a few eunos roadsters and the year difference of 1990 to 1991 always seems to change the insurance by £2-3k. It’s so ridiculous!
Think you need to employ a broker to sort this out and let them take the pain.
It makes no sense at all.
The only thing left for me as a wild guess is the 1990 is an Mx5 and the 1991 is a “grey import” like mine…though too early and highly unlikely.
Possible pre-prejudice…silly though it is. It happens.
Cannot help further but good hunting, and let us know the outcome.
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I suppose they might be avoiding the short nose crank issue that can bite the early cars but was redesigned in '91.
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Hi Alexa, you’ve posed a fascinating question, why is the 1990 model more expensive to it insure?
I don’t have an answer for you unfortunately. Insurance companies work to their own apparently arbitrary rules and these sort of inconsistencies rear their ugly heads all too often.
There seems to be little or no accountability or answerability for their decisions, they appear free to charge whatever they wish to whom ever they wish for whatever they wish.
Interesting that you’re keeping your 106. Basically you’re starting with no NCD on your second car?
How would the total work out if you insured the MX-5 as the first car and used the 106 as your second car?
Also, in your particular circumstances going forward, could you consider buying a standard NA until your premiums come down to sensible values then begin modifying your car at that point?
Either way, I hope you can make it all work affordably.
Cheers,
Guy
I’ll be calling Hastings tomorrow to see about multi car policy as that is who my current car is with. I’m keeping the peugeot 107 for 2 more years until my brother starts driving and my parents buy it off me as his first car. The mx5 will then be my daily. Would love a stock one but just can’t find one! All the ones that aren’t a project and within my price range (and not like 300miles away) have at least coilovers and one other mod.
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