Sunday, July 19th, 2009 at
6:09 am

Matt asked: I’m looking to get my first car fairly soon. I’m still learning to drive and I would probably get the car and insurance before I take my test… on this topic I’ve noticed its cheaper for insurance on a provisional license than on a full but new license, but does this mean that once I get my full license my insurance will go up!? I understand that new drivers can be complacent and whatever, but this still doesn’t make much sense to me.
Anyway, back to the question…
I’m quite tall (6″4′ ish, maybe a bit more) so I’m looking for something with a bit more room in it. I can’t really fit in a Peugeot 205 and my sister’s Yaris is also a bit of a squeeze.
I’ve been looking at Vauxhall Astra’s (2006ish) which fall just within budget and seem quite nice, but the 1.7l engine model (which is what all the ones for sale seem to be) is an insurance group 6.
Am I likely to find anything a similar size in a lower insurance group or am I wanting too much?
I’m not bothered by engine size and I suspect a 1.4l or 1.2l would fall into a lower insurance category. Problem is I can’t find any similar cars with anything less than around a 1.6l.
My budget for the car is around £4000. Not bothered much by high mileage cars.
In terms of budget for the insurance, its whatever works out as cheapest. For the 1.7 Astra I was getting quotes of around £3200 which is quite frankly ridiculous – I could buy another car for that!
So basically, if anyone has any suggestions for hatchbacks that would be cheaper to insure, please send them my way!
Thanks
Jeanne