Mike Hargreave Mawson did a fantastic job of calling round a number of
insurers for comparative quotes. I enclose a copy of the e-mails he sent
with the results below:
Well, this *has* been an interesting exercise. And yes, I did find a
better quote than Footman James...
I didn't telephone all the companies John so kindly listed for me, but I
did ring a representative sample (nine out of twenty-two) before I got
bored. All calls were made during normal business hours, and outside
of the lunchtime rush (12.00 - 2.00). The information I provided was
as follows:
1977 Spitfire 1500, unmodified, value c. GBP3000
Usually parked on public road
Based in Bedford
Named drivers to be self (34) and wife (maybe a little older, but a
gentleman never reveals his wife's age unless he absolutely has to...)
Claims in last five years - one each for self and wife, neither our
fault; all costs recovered.
Convictions in last ten years - nil
Terms of Use required - SD&P, plus travel to and from place of work. No
business use.
Maximum No Claim Bonus (NCB)
Member of Triumph Sports Six Club
Here's what I found:
LANCASTER
My existing insurer. Renewal premium GBP237.10, mileage limited to
6000 p.a. Policy comes complete with Breakdown and Legal Protection
Cover. Agreed Value insurance. Note that "Classic Direct UK"
apparently operates from the same switchboard, and is therefore
presumably a trading arm of Lancaster (or vice versa).
FOOTMAN JAMES
Three separate quotations, as follows:
Spit as Main/Only Car, Unlimited Mileage - GBP229.95
Spit as Second Car, Unlimited Mileage - GBP95.55
Spit as Main Car, mileage limited to 3500 - GBP95.55
All policies come with Agreed Value, Breakdown Cover and Legal
Protection.
AON
Waited in vain for a human being to answer the phone for over three
minutes - unacceptable level of service, did not obtain quote.
DIAMOND INSURANCE CONSULTANTS
GBP201.65, mileage limited to 6000, policy complete with Breakdown
Cover.
CLASSICLINE INSURANCE SERVICES
Declined to quote, as they do not cover classics for use driving to and
from one's place of work.
SURETERM DIRECT
Asked me if I had had any other quotes, and on being told that Footman
James had quoted GBP95, said "Send them a cheque, then - you won't do
any better!"
RH INSURANCE
Two separate quotations, as follows:
With Legal Protection - GBP103.95
Without Legal Protection - GBP93.45
All policies are "Agreed Value" and come with Breakdown Cover. Mileage
is limited to 5000.
FIREBOND
Words cannot express my loathing for their automated queuing system.
They kept me hanging on for five minutes, telling me my position in the
queue every fifteen seconds. After I had been "Position One" for a
couple of minutes, a recorded message told me that "All our operators
are busy, please try later," and hung up on me. Totally unacceptable
level of service, did not obtain quote.
PETER BEST
Did not initially want to quote, as "we are not very competitive when it
comes to cars that are parked on public roads" but were persuaded to do
so. GBP140, mileage limited to 5000. (This actually puts them in the
Top Three of those who quoted, so they are probably very competitive
when it comes to garaged cars).
CONCLUSIONS
Of the companies polled, the cheapest source of insurance for a Spitfire
that is left on the road overnight is RH Insurance, but with this you
get no Legal Protection Cover, and your mileage is restricted to 5000
per annum. Legal Protection Cover is very much worth having, and for
an additional two pounds per year, Footman James offer an unlimited
mileage policy which includes it.
COMMENTS
I spent quite a long time talking to Footman James about their criteria
for their policies, and the concept of "Main Car" is very important to
them. Other insurers merely ask "Do you have access to another car?"
or "Do you or your wife own any other cars?" Defining a "Main Car" is
tricky. My Spitfire is my main car when the only thing I am
transporting is myself, especially when the sun is out. It is also, of
course, my favourite car, which makes it "main" in many ways. <g> The
Saab is my main car when I am transporting large or heavy items, or when
the Spit is out of commission. My wife's Mazda is the main family car
(i.e. it is used on a daily basis, and is always used when all three of
us need to go anywhere). Logically, I suppose, "main car" should
either mean the one that does the most miles, or the one that does the
largest number of journeys. Within my family, that's the Mazda, on
both counts. This being the case, I qualified for the GBP95.55 policy
premium. Bear this in mind when contacting Footman James, and, if you
can in all honesty say that your Spitfire is *not* your main car, you
should get a similar price, all other things being equal.
If you are prepared to accept a limited-mileage policy, you should
contact RH Insurance for a competitive quotation as well as Footman
James.
If your Spitfire is garaged, or on a driveway, and you are prepared to
accept a limited-mileage policy, you should contact Peter Best for a
competitive quotation as well as Footman James and RH Insurance.
If you believe in encouraging the concepts of fast and efficient
customer service, you might want to think twice before giving your
business to AON or Firebond, regardless of their premiums.
The pernicious policy of including AA/RAC/Whoever cover in insurance
policies now appears to be universal. No longer can you chose whether
to have roadside breakdown cover, nor can you chose which organisation
is to provide that cover if you wish to have it.
Almost all quotations ignored existing NCB; the only exception was
Lancaster, whose maximum NCB was three years.
ATB
--
Mike
Michael Hargreave Mawson, author of "Eyewitness in the Crimea"
http://www.greenhillbooks.com/booksheets/eyewitness_in_the_crimea.html
Dear All,
As a footnote to the survey I posted the day before yesterday, I should
mention an additional and totally unexpected set of benefits that the RH
Insurance Policy explicitly includes, and which the Footman James policy
does not (discovered when the written quotation arrived this morning):
"Your vehicle can be used in a non competitive rally provided it is used
in accordance with the rules and regulations of such rally.
"Cover includes dismantled parts kept in your private locked garage.
Liability is limited to the value of your vehicle.
"In the event that your vehicle is damaged beyond repair, you may retain
the salvage free of charge."
These are not of greater importance to me than the unlimited mileage
offered by Footman James (RH restricts use to 5000 miles per annum), but
they might be to you.
ATB
--
Mike
Michael Hargreave Mawson, author of "Eyewitness in the Crimea"
http://www.greenhillbooks.com/booksheets/eyewitness_in_the_crimea.html
Personally I go with Peter Best, by far the most competative quote for me
(30 years old, 1 recent fault accident (in the Spit), unlimited mileage,
driveway parked). They require you to belong to a club, I belong to Club
Triumph.
Since Mike didn't call all the insurers that John had identified, a search
of the archives may uncover the list of 22 insurers that John found. Late
Jan / Early Feb is the time-frame to be looking at.
Good luck!!
Richard & Daffy
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