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sbgwz
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Absolutely NO chance.

I'm 22, had my license 5 years, have 3 points, 3 (soon to be 4) years no claims, no accidents on the insurance and it would still be the best part of £1000 for me to get cover on a Civic Type-R.

Now consider aged 17 I paid £1700 fully comp on a Fiesta 1.25 in Insurance Group 5.

And theres a very good reason for this too, stick a 17 in a 200bhp hatchback and you are most probably going to have the most ungodly massive accident.

Still, if you can afford a CTR, let alone the insurance, then you can certainly afford something a bit nicer than an 11 year old Corsa.

Even the Fiesta I had was actually pretty good fun to drive, albiet rather softly sprung, infact more fun than the 'sporty' older 1.6 Si model I had a couple years later.

Get a few years experience under your belt first smile.gif

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Absolutely NO chance.

I'm 22, had my license 5 years, have 3 points, 3 (soon to be 4) years no claims, no accidents on the insurance and it would still be the best part of £1000 for me to get cover on a Civic Type-R.

Now consider aged 17 I paid £1700 fully comp on a Fiesta 1.25 in Insurance Group 5.

And theres a very good reason for this too, stick a 17 in a 200bhp hatchback and you are most probably going to have the most ungodly massive accident.

Still, if you can afford a CTR, let alone the insurance, then you can certainly afford something a bit nicer than an 11 year old Corsa.

Even the Fiesta I had was actually pretty good fun to drive, albiet rather softly sprung, infact more fun than the 'sporty' older 1.6 Si model I had a couple years later.

Get a few years experience under your belt first smile.gif

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Agreed 100% - If you live in the wrong postcode then it's snowball in hell material. I last paid £1250 as a 33 yr old advanced driver - but then again I'm in the highest rating outside of special referral frown.gif

If you try and drive a CTR at 17 and aren't blessed with a good deal of talent then you are just going to end up in a hedge or kissing a tree trunk at great speed, even if you have money (it won't save you). Look what happened with the Man U players who ended up causing havoc because they had the money to drive a CTR but didn't have the brains, talent of experience (Madds Timm & Co).

Accept that you don't have any experience, get a 1.0 - 1.4 hatch and build up some no claims. I would also recommend that you look at doing the IAM or Rospa test 169144-ok.gif

In the long run you will benefit and be a better driver for it (plus you will enjoy it that much more when you get there).

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the general consencus in here seems to be swallow your pride and buy a something mundane i spose its only sensible and i would like to think i have the skill for a ctr but we shalll see. does anyone know what sort of price i would be paying if i went on my mums policy with it?

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the general consencus in here seems to be swallow your pride and buy a something mundane i spose its only sensible

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A small engine doesn't mean its boring, I had some great times learning the limits of my Fiesta 1.25.

I remember test driving a Peugeot 106 1.1 litre for a friend and it was hilariously good fun to hustle around too, the chassis was superbly adjustable and the grip levels were modest.

Straight lines aren't really all that fun in my opinion and a well sorted 60bhp hatchback can be a great fun on the right road.

Whats more it's at speeds where you aren't going to lose your license (6 points in the first two years = ban and retake your test) and if you do make a mistake you have more chance of gathering it up (or won't hit something AS hard)

Put it this way, when I was 17 my boss at a garage I worked at let me take out an Audi S3 over lunch. Very fast but I didn't find it very involving at speeds I was comfortable driving it at, where as the 75bhp Fiesta I had at the time I would throw it around the corners with a grin on my face.

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i would like to think i have the skill for a ctr but we shalll see.

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You are 16, you almost certainly have never driven a car on the road, you don't. End of.

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does anyone know what sort of price i would be paying if i went on my mums policy with it?

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Insurance companies are wise to this, it'll be no cheaper.

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the general consencus in here seems to be swallow your pride and buy a something mundane i spose its only sensible and i would like to think i have the skill for a ctr but we shalll see. does anyone know what sort of price i would be paying if i went on my mums policy with it?

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If you're still thinking along CTR lines - don't bother. Insurance companies are well aware of the younger end of the world going on high group motors as named drivers only and they adjust their policies accordingly. Quite a few wouldn't let you on a policy at all, some will impose all manner of conditions and a few would let you do it but still make you pay royally. There is unlikely to be much of a discount on the thousands it would cost (as a tip, it could conceivably be anywhere from circa £2k to £5k plus, if you can find anyone).

At the end of the day, the points about accepting your circumstances, getting some experience and no claims still stand. When you hit 17, get a basic Clio/Civic/Polo/Punto/Fiesta or similar and your own insurance (no claims will do you many favours in the future) and spend whatever money you have left (unless you're loaded) on some nice girls rather than a bean can & spoiler kit - I promise you will get way more out of it 169144-ok.gif

I know what it's like as when I was 17 I REALLY wanted a 205 GTI 1.9. Thing is, it would have bankrupted me pretty quickly if I was paying. I would like to think that I wouldn't have ended up in the hedge having done the IAM test by the time I was 18 but having something pretty nippy but twitchy changes the situation somewhat.

Now imagine that 205 with an extra 40-50 bhp (allowing for weight difference), better handling but way more expensive.

As an idea of a prev gen Civic R cost, weigh up this little lot:

Initial:

Car cost - If you were buying my old one and not a total dog - £8k

Ongoing:

Insurance - £2k if you're really lucky, more like £4k+ in reality at 17. Would drop a bit as you got older but still going to be £2k+ until you're 5 years down the line on a Grp 17 car

Tax - £200

MOT & sundries - £200

Service (once a year, costs of std service only) - £200

Tyres & brakes - Front tyres & pads go after 8-10k miles and you would probably need a set of discs every other year - £350 per year should cover it, plus a set of rear tyres/pads/discs over a 3 year life (another £350 somewhere)

Repairs - Although it's a Honda, things still go wrong (especially with a car that is a few years old and done 50k plus miles) and they always cost. If anything major goes then drop your keks and prepare for a 123576-assfeck.gif You can see the thread on here where an engine can cost up to £7k. I had two new steering racks and 1/2 front suspension on mine (thankfully under warranty) and the racks were supposedly £1k each, PLUS labour @ £40-£50 per hour.

Add that little lot up over a 3 year ownership (and add the cost of fuel at around 25-30 mpg) and see if you still want one. If you have the cash then fair enough (you're a lucky chap!!). Otherwise, that is a life crushing number of hours flipping burgers or working at Tesco. Fact is, while cars like the CTR aren't that expensive to buy, they are to run.

Hence, along with the point about driving skill, the advice to start slowly and bide your time.

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Good points Thorburn 169144-ok.gif

It does your driving skills no end of good to sample something with fairly low and reasonably forgiving limits. It's also useful to get some time with RWD (I'm glad I did) but I suppose that's a fair bit harder these days.

Speeding - Hadn't though to mention that but good point. I suppose I was suggesting that an IAM/Rospa test would be the order of the day initially and that would help with the speeding thing (but then again at 17, maybe not!).

Skills - I don't think that always follows with raw ability but almost always does in terms of experience/attitude.

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I agree with Thorburn. Despite having driven a number of supercars on those driving experience days, I think the most fun I've had behind the wheel of a car was during my time in the Sebring rental I had in the US. Even at road-legal speeds you were right on the limit of what that car could do. Going into corners and getting the tyres to screech at 60mph [sometimes less] was hilarious, simply amazing fun. It didn't feel in the slightest bit dangerous because you knew where the limits of the car were and you'd have to attempt something insane to actually overstep them. With most modern cars [and certainly anything sporty] you have to be going suicidally quick to get the same sort of sensation and at those speeds there is a lot less margin for error.

Oh, God, James, you know who else preaches the "lower limits = more fun" message like we are?

The MG Owner's club shocked.gifcrazy.gif

Anyway, so it makes so much more sense to spend your first couple of years just building your no-claims up. No-one wants to do it, but it's something we've all been through. All drivers start out thinking "it won't be me" but plenty have problems with even 60bhp. Just ask the young girl who nearly crashed into the front of my car because she was on the wrong side of the road, unable to take a corner at even 15mph in her Getz because she hadn't allowed for the effect of carrying passengers. I could see it was going to happen before she even entered the corner. You could actually see the fear in their eyes as I had to calmly brake and let her sort herself out. Everyone makes mistakes when they're young and starting out. Everyone. It's just important to make sure yours are smaller mistakes.

God, I sound so old. Still, when you have five years no-claims like me, you too can sit here and hand out advice about the perils of starting out driving grin.gif

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Oh, God, James, you know who else preaches the "lower limits = more fun" message like we are?

The MG Owner's club shocked.gifcrazy.gif

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They preach it about group 15 cars though, not group 5 wink.gif

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This is true. And whatever he buys will prove more reliable, at least! yelrotflmao.gif

Sounds like he has a reasonable sum of money to spend, so it could be something pretty new and low mileage.

To be honest, when you first pass your test, that sense of extra freedom and the feeling of being behind the wheel of your car, rather than an instructor's takes some beating. Most people are over the moon whatever their car at that stage, right guys? 169144-ok.gif

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can someone please inform me on what the IAM/ROSPA test is exactly. See i wouldnt reli mind the %k mark for insurance but my problem is when i saw a company quote me as an 18 year old new driver for 18k now that is stupid i may however look into a clio but again would reli reli love a 182 cup would this be as high?

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what happened to the days when you could have what car you wanted for your fist car aslong as you had the money to purchase it??? il probably go a clio 1.6 or something or is that too much power??

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I am not sure that those days ever existed coffee.gif

I suspect the Clio 1.6 insurance may even surprise you. I had a 1.2 Punto as my first car (when I was 21, I drove my Mums until then), and insurance was >£1K

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can someone please inform me on what the IAM/ROSPA test is exactly. See i wouldnt reli mind the %k mark for insurance but my problem is when i saw a company quote me as an 18 year old new driver for 18k now that is stupid i may however look into a clio but again would reli reli love a 182 cup would this be as high?

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Clio would be a bit cheaper but still silly money. Hopefully you're getting the message that it isn't a good idea.

IAM & Rospa are two organisations who look promote road safety and better driving standards. Both offer advice & tests at a higher level when you've passed your initial test.

Don't be put off by the old man image and (at times) slightly contrived driving style they promote - get your initial test out of the way then listen & learn, take one of the tests and even if you don't get any insurance benefit and don't feed the wheel/follow every speed limit everywhere to the letter, you will be a better driver for it, I guarantee!

IAM

ROSPA

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How do chap, we've all been here I'm sure, I remember looking at 300ZXs and GTOs when i was 18, but honestly it just ain't gonna happen. I used to have an MR2 Roadster (Group 13) and nobody would insure me until I was 21, luckily I turned 21 the week after I bought it so they let me off but still your chances of having anything properly fast are nil.

HOWEVER this doesn't mean you can't still have fun!

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i want my firsty to be memorable

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This struck a chord with me mate and i'll tell you something if you want your first car to be memorable I would suggest that it's not the car that matters it's what you do with it! Nowt wrong with a decent little hatchback i.e corsa/fiesta and spend the money saved on a few road trips, maybe some european jaunts? Load up your car with mates, tents and beer in the summer and spend a week on the coast having BBQs and so on and so forth, you know it makes sense!

I had a Corsa 1.2 SXi when I was 18, great little car it was, had some good times in that smile.gif and plenty quick enough!

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With the experience of some fairly reckless teenage driving (as a passenger and driver ROLLEY~14.GIF) I would totally agree with the other posts on this thread. Unless you are blessed with some natural god-given driving talent, a type-R is a suicide ticket on wheels.

You've got years to enjoy fast cars once you've got a bit of experience. Why not enjoy other free things.

Girls are free when you're 16 after all. yelrotflmao.gif

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