Whoever posts last is best

[Grahamm]

Thanks :thumbup

[fazerscotty]

Excellent news.

[robbo]

Errr, right...!

Now I just need to sort out a car.

I'm looking at something like a Skoda Octavia which can take a 9' longboard in the back, except the cost of one I've seen locally is £6,499 and the cost of the cheapest online insurance quote is £1,025!!  :eek

I'm going to phone up my bike insurers on Tueday and say "Look, you know I'm not some irresponsible teenager who's going to show off to his mates. I've already done my Advanced bike test, and probably going to do Pass Plus or similar, so can you do me a better price...?"

9ft is a lot to get into an estate car, unless the front passenger seat back folds forward or you take the seat out. I considered an Octavia for transporting fishing gear in 2009, but settled on a Vectra estate which gives a perfectly flat surface with the rear seats folded and has a load length of around 84” to the back of the front seats, much greater than the Octavia, and perfectly comfortable to sleep in. Been happy with my choice. However one end of a 9ft board would be touching the dashboard, with the near side head restrains, front and back,removed. A van would be a better choice but the insurance would be very steep.
If the little weasel Khan gets his way, then the Vectra will be for sale, but fingers crossed it won’t come to that.

[Grahamm]

I've checked the measurements and I could get a 9' board inside an Octavia or Superb estate with the front seat down, but the cost including insurance would be really stretching my budget.

I can get a Fabia hatchback which has a much lower insurance group (only £700 insurance instead of over a grand!) and will take a 7'6" board that I have and if I can get a year of safe motoring and NCD, the premium should drop substantially.

There are also lockable roof racks for surfboards, so if I do get the 9 footer but conditions dictate a shorter board, I can store that safely without needing to put it inside the car.

[robbo]

Nice one :thumbup The Superb is a great car, usefully bigger than the Octavia. Has won the annual best in class for several years, but as you say, the cost of insurance is a killer.

[Grahamm]

Well my shiny new driving licence turned up in the post today fortunately still including my bike qualification too.

(I'd taken a picture of the old one just in case someone made a mistake...!)

[robbo]

Making a copy of your old license was certainly a good idea. I’ve known of two people who have lost their motorcycle license entitlement, when their licenses have been renewed. Pretty sure there is a DVLA dept. where you can check and print your entitlement prior to renewal.
The trick now will be to try and keep your shiny new license, stamp free

[Grahamm]

I do actually still have my Bike Test pass certificate from 2007 (I don't throw stuff like that away), so I could prove I've got the qualification if necessary, but I'm glad I didn't have any hassle.

As for the new licence, I'm probably going to get a Skoda Fabia 1.2 for the first year or two because it's got a low insurance cost and the small engine means you *can't* hoon it around (not that I ever would...  ) and risk picking up tickets...

[robbo]

Good choice :thumbup

[Grahamm]

There's several on offer locally, but I need to figure out which is the best option.

One has a good price, but it's an ex-fleet (Enterprise) car which I'm a bit dubious about because of the number of people who may have driven it without much care about what happens to it after...

[robbo]

Fleet owned vehicles are usually religiously maintained, however an ex-hire would have had a multitude of drivers with varying degrees of mechanical sympathy, so understand your reservations on that particular one.
Would it be worth going to a car auction just to see what you’d get for your money, but leaning more towards “trade” prices.

[robbo]

An afterthought would be the timing belt kit change interval being approx 75k miles. If it’s due to be done you’d need to factor in that cost, which including a waterpump would be around the £300/£350 mark, if done by an independent mechanic. Some are mobile and will come to you to do the work. Just a thought.

[Grahamm]

The cars I'm considering have done around 90k miles +/- 10% and there are notes on them about various parts having been replaced, but I'll certainly do some checking.

I'm also not averse to paying for a full AA/ RAC check because finding out about a problem that I didn't even know to look for could be more expensive than the cost of getting that done.

[fazerscotty]

"I'm also not averse to paying for a full AA/ RAC check because finding out about a problem that I didn't even know to look for could be more expensive than the cost of getting that done."

Wise move - I would also look at the owners forums on the internet and see if there any recurring problems that pop up.

[Grahamm]

Yep, I've been checking out reviews and comments from owners as well.

Fortunately the Fabia (especially the later models) seem to be very good on reliability, even with high mileages.

[robbo]

Yep, I've been checking out reviews and comments from owners as well.

Fortunately the Fabia (especially the later models) seem to be very good on reliability, even with high mileages.

Have you bought one yet?

[Grahamm]

Not yet.

There's a couple locally, one that I want to test drive but probably not buy because it has "boy racer" striped wheels, however it will let me get a feel for the car.

The other (the ex-fleet one) has come down by £200, so I may well go for that one, however I'm going surfing in Bristol on Wednesday and Thursday, so I've not got the time at the moment.

[robbo]

Hang ten :thumbup

[fazerscotty]

So, where did we get to?

[Grahamm]

I tried to get a test drive in the "Boy Racer" one last week, but just got voicemail and left them a message.

I called them again yesterday, only to find they'd sold it on the weekend.

So I called the other showroom...

... and they'd sold theirs on the weekend too..!!

Oh well, I'm not in a rush, so I'll keep looking.