X1/9 as first car?

I'm nearly 17 & am thinking of buying an X1/9. I have a few questions about the car & thought here would be the best place to come. I'd be incredibly thankful for any answers to the questions below.

1) I've seen a few X1/9s that I like the look of, & I have a budget of about £3,000. How much should I be looking to pay for a post-79/five-speed X1/9 that's in good condition & requires no or very little work? (If you are selling an X1/9, feel free to message me/reply with details)

2) Obviously the X1/9 is a small car, but how uncomfortable/hard to drive does that make it? I'm 6'2", so I think I should be alright but just wanted to check that it wasn't too much of a hindrance.

3) Insurance premiums are enormously expensive for people my age, & apparently one way of cutting the cost is by having a classic car, as you're more likely to take care of it. After getting some quick online quotes, the best deal I can find is £2,600 for the first year from Aviva (other decent modern cars that I've seen are around £2,200, as is a Mk1 VW Golf Cabriolet). Is this reasonable? I'm aware that Footman James offer classic car insurance for young drivers, but only those 18+, so can anyone point me in a different direction?

As I said, any help is greatly appreciated, & I look forward to hopefully purchasing an X1/9 sometime soon & joining the club properly.

Thanks,

Euan

Hi Euan and welcome. It seems prices are creeping up these days but your budget should get you a good car if you are prepared to look at a few.

Don't be put off by your height! The car will accommodate taller drivers and with a few tricks you can be perfectly comfortable.

Insurance will be expensive for a youngster, don't know whether you could be a named driver on your parents' policy, as long as you don't abuse the terms of the policy?

I'm sure others will chip in with much better and comprehensive advice soon!

Cheers R

Hi Euan

Just a note that in my experience, to secure a classic car insurance access to another car is needed ( sometimes I have been asked to provide extensive details to confirm). Perhaps best to check the quotes you have received?

Good luck!

Ian

I think you need to have a first car insured fully comp and then a classic as your 2nd car with limited mileage (mine limited to 5k per year) to benefit from any big savings. I hope you get something sorted. £3k should get you a tidy example. . .

Hi Euan,

1) £3000 should get you a very good x1/9.

2) I'm 6' and can get in an X1/9 quite easily. I know of people who are taller and can still make it I OK. As you are young and flexible(!) you shouldn't have any problems in an X1/9.

3) For insurance I think you are possibly looking at having to pay as much as the car! I know of first time insurers who've had to pay over £2000 for a VW polo or Peugeot 207. So your quote is not too bad. it may be worth trying AdrianFlux insurance or someone similar who are into older/more obscure cars, to see if they can do any better than your Aviva quote.
I am guessing that you would want to use it as your everyday car, therefore a classic car insurance (if you can get it) may put too many restrictions on the usage for what you want.

Good luck with your search and keep us up to date with how it's going.

Cheers

Andy

Hi Euan

Insurance gets a lot cheaper in a few years. It doesn't take long, don't worry . I would certainly make use of a named driver policy if your living at home. That's what I did, also while I was away at uni when leaving my car at home.

It always helps to add another driver if your getting your own policy, female named drivers tend to help for some reason

Get an X1/9 and you will learn a lot - as I have! You will not regret it!

A second hand car that needs nothing doing to it is like a unicorn isn't it? I'm talking about 'normal' cars too, not X1/9s

£3k would get you a good car with no major faults. However you have to remember that even a concours car will have components that are over a few decades old and so expect to have to replace the odd part and do a bit of mechanical/electrical fiddling. That said any work required is generally not difficult to undertake and the parts are not expensive. As with nearly all cars designed and made over 30yrs ago rust is the biggest headache (not just X1/9's!)and so pay particular attention to that when looking.

In terms of insurance, being a named driver on someone else's policy while you are really the main driver is called fronting and is illegal.
However doing it the other way round, having an older person (parent?) as a named driver on your policy is perfectly legal and should bring the premium down a bit. You could also go for a policy with one of those black box thingies that monitors your driving, they reduce the price too, as long as you stay within the parameters set for mileage/speed.

Thanks to everyone for all the help. I'll keep looking for insurance - at least one positive of paying more to insure a classic car is that it can be 'claimed back' through the car not depreciating in value as much as modern cars. I have found that including my mum as a 2nd driver does reduce the cost somewhat, & I can be included on her car insurance if necessary.

I'm also well aware of the rust issues & have found some a website detailing some 'rust hotspots' to look at when buying ( www.classic-car-mart.co.uk/features/buye...iat-x19-1972-89.html ). I agree that having to do some small fixes & replacements is part & parcel of owning any classic car, but my uncle is a mechanic so hopefully it won't cause too much hassle/expense.

Never worry....I'm a complete duffer when it comes to mechanics but with help from the folks on here you can gain a lot of knowledge to get the 'easier' jobs done. One thing I would advise is that you have a garage to keep your pride and joy tucked up when not in use!

I just hope your mum lets you have a drive now and then