themslygers

older model honda, volkswagon or volvo cars are usually built well. check for service history when buying car and look thru log book to see if anything is in that. i think the AA or RAC do a service where if u pay them, they will come by and check out the car for you. at the end of the day, you are buying a used car and with that comes risks. my advice is don't rush things. look for genuine reasons for sale. most private sellers are selling due to problems with cars i\'ve found so it may be best to visit a used car dealership, that way u get a warranty with it as well. all tho u will pay slightly more with this.

not sure if it'll help but you could ask for the police officers proof you ran a red. you could argue than cos the police officer was following you closely that you were nervous and thought that slamming on, on the amber light would possibly cause an accident. i received a minor for slamming on on my test cos the instructor said it'd could cause an accident in other conditions.

you are gonna have to ask for quotes of the insurance companies for this unfortunately.

i agree. pass plus tied in with those specialised young drivers companies are the way to go. also you'll pay thru the roof for a car than is only a few years old and is more than a 1 litre. choose an old car (10+ years) and the price should come down some. also these days, there is not a lot of difference between comprehensive and 3rd party. its worth going fully comp and start building those no claims from an early age.

unfortuatley this is the current economical situation the country is in. your best bet is to find an old (and i don't mean 5 years, we're talking 10+) car with low engine capacity (1 litre max) you may have to get an 'un-cool' car unfortuately, do your pass plus (this took £700 of my premium when i passed) and get it insured with those specialised companies for young drivers (in that book they give you when you pass your test). make sure you collect 5+ seperate quotes, don't just use the comparison websites. and make sure they recognise your pass plus as well. tie it all together and you'll hopefully get a quote for less than £2000. hope this helps. - and oh yeah, whatever you do, don't speed and show off cos this will defo lead to a crash. don't listen to anyone ripping into your sensible driving and your premium year by year will drop like a brick.

was there someone in the car with you who has been driving for a bit? you could argue that they were takin you out for a personal lesson. in all honesty you probably get slapped with points and a ban maybe as well. maybe a fine as well.

i personally wouldn't endorse this answer (disclaimer lol), but if you got it reapired yourself and didn\'t involve the insurance companies then i can't see the issue of not telling them - they will only use this as an excuse to raise ur premium. but technically i THINK u do need to inform ur insurer of any accident thru fault of your own or not. if ur renewal is due soon it will probably have an increase anyway due to the credit crunch. you could just wait and see if it changes. if it doesn't then inform them of the bump and see what they say.

i'm feelin all your problems. last year i bought my dream car - lotus elise. With 5 years no claims and no points it came to £1200. a year on, i'm now 27 with another year of a clean license and they've added £350 to my qoute. i've just bought a house and now i just can't afford that cash. its absolutely shocking how they can get away with this. they need to crack down on claims and the "i'll sue you" society we live in now and not do it by raising every young male's insurance up. all these problems originated in america and they drive around in dodge vipers and corvettes at 17. we, as young lads are restricted to corsa's, saxo's and the like. i, for one, am sick of being steroetyped by insurance companies and being made to pay for all the crazy idiot drivers on the road. it was 2 months ago when a 70 year preist ran a red light and KO'd my works vehicle and his response was "i thought the light was broken". i bet he gets cheap insurance still on his new quote....