Automatic Punishment

Cazza

I'm shortish, 5'3", and I can reach the clutch but I can definitely see where the OP is coming from! The reach to the clutch is just that little bit further and if I was 6" shorter I'd probably struggle too!

OP, what models of car where you quoting on? Have you checked which insurance groups they were in? Also, has the high quote got anything to do with where you live or where you keep the car?

bestpud

horrorhag wrote: »

Ive tried various size cars from smart to my dads hugh Mercedies 4x4 and nothing works clutch wise. im only 4ft 5 tall tho. i could reach the clutch but after 10 minutes i would get excruciating pain which would last for days in my left leg from over stretching to reach. not safe getting leg spasms on the road.

This may be a rubbish suggestion but have you tried using stretching exercises and/or perservering with it?

I ask because I had exactly the same problem when I started to drive. Even though I am tall enough to reach the pedals, I am 'all body and no legs' so I find it difficult to drive some cars. The pain did pass once I'd got used to it though.

However, if I drive for long distances, or take a break for more than a few days, I get the pain again! After I'd had my children (c-sections) I was in agony after going a week or two without driving, and I get the same after we have been on holiday, as DH tends to drive when we are away.

It's horrible, I agree, but it does go (for me at least).

B.E.N

Really surprised regarding quotes - I'm a 19yr old male - and I'm looking at 1300 Third Party, but girls usually get it much cheaper than that!

Try: www.ecarinsurance.co.uk (if it's any good, sign up to TopCashBack, and get £40 cash back as well

Regards, Ben

horrorhag

thats why im wondering if the quotes are so high because its automatic

Blacksheep1979

As Clapton says before worrying if it's more expensive due to being automatic get a similar quote for a manual car.

jennifernil

I gave my daughter my Volvo V40 1.8S automatic last year . She is now 23,a post-grad student and stays in a flat in Glasgow. The car is worth about £6000 and is kept parked on the street. She has had a full licence for 5 years however. She recently renewed with Diamond (1 year NCD) and paid £700 for comprehensive cover.
I don't think the fact that it's an automatic is making it expensive for you, it's your lack of driving experience and your age.
However, do shop around, daughter had one quote that was £2350!!!!

Gemmzie

The quotes are higher because you're 21/22 not 17 - my friend learnt at 22 and had the same problem. It's something to do with them expecting you to need the car more at 22 than 17 and more likely to night drive.

pinkshoes

If the car is only worth £400, then there's really no point insuring it for £1600 3rd party, when the car would obviously be written off in a crash, so it thus seems unlikely that it's the car that's causing the high insurance.

On the other hand, there's so few automatic cars on the road, that perhaps insurance companies quote high as they just don't wanna insure them?

Your best bet is to phone an insurance company rather than getting a quote online, and speak to them, and ASK them why. Perhaps they need a few more things clarifying before they can give you a sensible quote?

Blacksheep1979

pinkshoes wrote: »

Your best bet is to phone an insurance company rather than getting a quote online, and speak to them, and ASK them why. Perhaps they need a few more things clarifying before they can give you a sensible quote?

Seeing as the person you speak to simply taps the info into the same system you do online you're not going to get a cheaper quote, infact you often save 5-10% by buying online. Also they're not going to need anything 'clarifying' as they'd need that for the policy anyway which can be bought online without talking to anyone.

Have you tried using any of the comparison sites such as confused etc? Then have a look and see what refunds you can get via quidco some insurance companies give over £100 back via quidco.

Shoshannah

I wouldn't have thought the automatic gearbox would make a significant difference to the quote. The things that affect quote are age of car, engine size and driver age/experience.

My automatic car was only £50 more to insure (per year) than my previous manual car. These were the same make and model, same engine size. Only other difference was that the automatic was 5 years younger, which probably made the quote higher, not the automatic gearbox.

I'd carry on with the automatic lessons if you feel more comfortable and confident driving an automatic car. There is no point in struggling on with a manual.

Shop around on the price comparison sites for quotes. I have 5 years NCB and still get quotes as high as £950 from some companies, yet I pay just £230 because I got quotes from other companies (and that wasn't even the cheapest quote I got). I passed my test five years ago and paid £1100 on a 2.0i car, I guess this was relatively low for such a powerful car because a) I'm a girl, and b) the car was 16 years old at the time so only worth a few hundred.

Personally I wouldn't worry about your employability, you may not even get a job which offers a company car anyway. I've never considered a company car, I expect I will get one in my first job due to the line of work I am going into but I would much rather drive my own car and take a vehicle allowance.