The new news 24 thread

[EssDeeWon]

MOT time for my ML in Gibraltar,  a bi annual test that lasts approx 5 minutes, I think as long as the lights and brakes work you’re ok.  😎

[horriblemercedes]

8 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

I think it's an Allegro - but you are close as David Bache headed up BL design at the time even though the car was a Harris Mann iteration.

Kennings sold mostly BL stuff. Hugh business as has been said.

Maybe you're right. I drove a 1970s Range Rover extensively but never an Allegro... I just recognised that dash pod from the Range Rover 

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, WillCarter said:

So I seem to own this now.

IOW reg? Low miles, maybe

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, horriblemercedes said:

Range Rover on the front cover? 

Nah, Allegro binnacle

[Supernaut]

5 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Even so, a policy to cover all five "old" cars (Rover, Toyota, Volvo, Renault, Innocenti) comes in at under 500 quid.  So that's pretty decent.

Honestly, how the fuck?

I keep seeing loads of folk on here paying thruppence ha'penny for insurance yet I pay more than 500 quid just to insure ONE of my cars.

[Tickman]

8 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Honestly, how the fuck?

I find being old has helped massively with the cost of insurance.

[captain_70s]

54 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Honestly, how the fuck?

I keep seeing loads of folk on here paying thruppence ha'penny for insurance yet I pay more than 500 quid just to insure ONE of my cars.

Classic car insurance and low miles innit. 

Just renewed the Volvo today. £109, 2500 miles a year, no commuting. Least I've paid for insurance for a LONG time, wonder if prices are dropping a but...

[comfortablynumb]

Same as @Supernaut, my daily alone is over £500.

I'm also old.

However the escort renewal had just come in at £47 for the year so swings and roundabouts I guess.

Shame swombos wants to sell it 🤦

[EyesWeldedShut]

9 hours ago, Tickman said:

I find being old has helped massively with the cost of insurance.

I'm 62, Child Bride is 56. No claims, remote(ish) postcode. 
Limiting to 8,000 miles (or less) plus cashback we have Bini (£85), CLK (£86), SLK (£130). That SLK is the same price as the Citroen C4 I originally took the policy out on (!).  The Sprog was being quoted over £700 for that C4 when he moved to Brum which is why he binned it.

(My first insurance cost me £400 TPF&T on a £440 Triumph Vitesse back in 1982 - age and location does matter a lot)

[Supernaut]

I pay about £400-odd to insure the Megane for 10k miles including commuting. Fair enough.

The BMW is over £500 for 5k miles, social domestic and pleasure only.

I'm in the middle of fucking nowhere too.

[Split_Pin]

I had to dash over to my mum's house yesterday evening because her car insurance renewal came through and it was INSANE. She's not confident at applying online and using GoCompare so I always help her.

She's 76, clean licence, no accidents ever, declared diabetic, drives a 3 year old 1.2 Corsa and has a 3 year review period on her licence so the annual premium is a going to be a bit pricey. It was £271 for last year but the renewal came in at £715! I cancelled the renewal immediately, went on to our favourite opera singer's* website and found her a new policy with RAC, same benefits, same things declared for £277.

Definitely shop about.

[Metal Guru]

23 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I had to dash over to my mum's house yesterday evening because her car insurance renewal came through and it was INSANE. She's not confident at applying online and using GoCompare so I always help her.

She's 76, clean licence, no accidents ever, declared diabetic, drives a 3 year old 1.2 Corsa and has a 3 year review period on her licence so the annual premium is a going to be a bit pricey. It was £271 for last year but the renewal came in at £715! I cancelled the renewal immediately, went on to our favourite opera singer's* website and found her a new policy with RAC, same benefits, same things declared for £277.

Definitely shop about.

I’m guessing the algorithm the first company uses, triggers a very high rating for over 75. I doubt if any real human people were involved.

[Supernaut]

25 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I had to dash over to my mum's house yesterday evening because her car insurance renewal came through and it was INSANE. She's not confident at applying online and using GoCompare so I always help her.

She's 76, clean licence, no accidents ever, declared diabetic, drives a 3 year old 1.2 Corsa and has a 3 year review period on her licence so the annual premium is a going to be a bit pricey. It was £271 for last year but the renewal came in at £715! I cancelled the renewal immediately, went on to our favourite opera singer's* website and found her a new policy with RAC, same benefits, same things declared for £277.

Definitely shop about.

Aye, but the £500-odd for the BMW was the cheapest I could get, through a specialist broker.

The companies on comparison sites all either wouldn't quote at all or wanted 4 figures.

[Split_Pin]

I don't know how that is, I ran your car through GoCompare and I got very reasonable quotes around the £260 mark. I'm 46 and I'm guessing you are late 20s, anything above 25 and the price starts to come right down.

I presume my e46 has a few more safety features but it's the cheapest of my 4 cars to insure,  something like £14 a month.

I would have thought living where you do would be a much safer post code as well. Weird. 

£400 for the Megane seems pricey as well.

BMWs not been modified has it?

[Split_Pin]

26 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

I’m guessing the algorithm the first company uses, triggers a very high rating for over 75. I doubt if any real human people were involved.

Aue I think there hoping enough people won't open the emails/letters and let it auto-renew.

[Supernaut]

2 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I don't know how that is, I ran your car through GoCompare and I got very reasonable quotes around the £260 mark. I'm 46 and I'm guessing you are late 20s, anything above 25 and the price starts to come right down.

I presume my e46 has a few more safety features but it's the cheapest of my 4 cars to insure,  something like £14 a month.

I would have thought living where you do would be a much safer post code as well. Weird. 

£400 for the Megane seems pricey as well.

BMWs not been modified has it?

Ha! Try 37.

I have no idea if it's been modified or not. Hastings refused to cover it when I sent photos of it claiming it was modified, but they wouldn't elaborate.

I've actually un-modified it in my ownership. I took the silly exhaust off. The only actual tangible modification is the non-original radio that does bluetooth.

 

Christ knows. I still stand by my belief that they pull a number out of their arses sometimes.

[Metal Guru]

2 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Ha! Try 37.

I have no idea if it's been modified or not. Hastings refused to cover it when I sent photos of it claiming it was modified, but they wouldn't elaborate.

I've actually un-modified it in my ownership. I took the silly exhaust off. The only actual tangible modification is the non-original radio that does bluetooth.

 

Christ knows. I still stand by my belief that they pull a number out of their arses sometimes.

They probably have quotas for certain groups too, so as not to be too exposed to one type. So if you’re in “boring beige middle aged, low risk , low reward” and it’s full, £250 becomes £500+. They don’t really want anymore business of that type, but are happy to take it at a silly price.

[Supernaut]

3 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

They probably have quotas for certain groups too, so as not to be too exposed to one type. So if you’re in “boring beige middle aged, low risk , low reward” and it’s full, £250 becomes £500+. They don’t really want anymore business of that type, but are happy to take it at a silly price.

Fuck knows, one of these mysteries of the universe.

Since I got my first car in 2010, I've never paid less than about £400 to insure anything. I've also never paid more than mid-£500s either. I've had a right eclectic mix of vehicles too.

[Metal Guru]

10 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Fuck knows, one of these mysteries of the universe.

Since I got my first car in 2010, I've never paid less than about £400 to insure anything. I've also never paid more than mid-£500s either. I've had a right eclectic mix of vehicles too.

My first insurance was £450 (in 1982), and I don’t think I’ve ever paid much more than £500 since. Currently at around £350 (for a modified Impreza) and has been as low as £169.

[Split_Pin]

27 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

boring beige middle aged, low risk , low reward

I resemble that remark, sorry for filling up the category 😂

Agree 100% on the random figure out their arses though! 

[lesapandre]

Tesla sales down by a third:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2025/jun/05/european-central-bank-eurozone-interest-rates-inflation-lagarde-construction-car-sales-stock-markets-business-live-news

                         'Oh Dear What a Shame.'

[Metal Guru]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

I resemble that remark, sorry for filling up the category 😂

Agree 100% on the random figure out their arses though! 

37 isn’t middle aged. I remarked I was middle aged when I was about 55. My wife pointed out, I’d be very unlikely to live to be 110.

[comfortablynumb]

13 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Nah, Allegro binnacle

Very similar, if not identical, to early Rrc 

But then, that's Austin rover Leyland land rover etc for you!

[wuvvum]

15 hours ago, Supernaut said:

Honestly, how the fuck?

I keep seeing loads of folk on here paying thruppence ha'penny for insurance yet I pay more than 500 quid just to insure ONE of my cars.

I'm 46, I have a clean licence and I live in the arse end of nowhere, so other than my new-found penchant for crashing into things I'm generally a fairly low risk.  Plus that policy is SDP only, it doesn't cover commuting - I'll need to have a separate policy in place for the Leaf which does include commuting, which is going to be about the same price again.  Although by the standards of when I were a lad the Leaf is basically a hot hatch (150bhp, 0-60 in 7.9 seconds) so 450 quid for that isn't unreasonable I suppose.

[mk2_craig]

18 hours ago, Tickman said:

I find being old has helped massively with the cost of insurance.

Third party fire and theft on a six year old 1.1 Fiesta was something like 550quid in 1995 when I turned 17, I’ve just coughed up 450 odd for a years comprehensive cover on a five year old Focus ST with the 2.3 petrol lump. That’s a bit of a hike after years of insurance policies having been around the 200 mark but I suppose it’s not bad on a £ per bhp basis (even if I’m barely averaging 50 miles a week in it) 

[captain_70s]

Purchased a nice mid century cabinet.

 

 

 

 

 

With insides.

1960 Kolster-Brande QF80 Majestic. £115 new, £2.3k in today's money!

Sadly it ain't gonna be showing a picture again...

[Sunny Jim]

Woot! The Grim Sleeper, a black hearse that the DVLA think is a grey "limosuine" has an MoT pass as of this afternoon. One advisory for "underbody covered in underseal" which I didn't need advising about as I'm well aware it's there but I'm not going to quibble.

 

 

 

[High Jetter]

46 minutes ago, Sunny Jim said:

underbody

I thought the bodies were supposed to go inside? 😀

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, captain_70s said:

Purchased a nice mid century cabinet.

 

 

 

 

 

With insides.

1960 Kolster-Brande QF80 Majestic. £115 new, £2.3k in today's money!

Sadly it ain't gonna be showing a picture again...

Oh it might.  That's not a massively unusual screen size from memory, so a "no hoper" with a serviceable tube might turn up one day.  Shame as looking at the condition of the dropper resistors in there it looks to be a really low hour set.

[Supernaut]

1 hour ago, captain_70s said:

Purchased a nice mid century cabinet.

 

 

 

 

 

With insides.

1960 Kolster-Brande QF80 Majestic. £115 new, £2.3k in today's money!

Sadly it ain't gonna be showing a picture again...

Shouldn't be too hard to hack it all to bits and mount a cheap flat screen in there.

Starts putting on running shoes