49 replies to this topic

[robbo]

sorry didnt mean it to come out quite so ' i no everything ' and u old folk no naff all and we dnt want ur expererience. Just everywhere i go recently its seems people stereotype the young as bad! i no there are a large majority that are idiots but i feel as more responsible 18-19 yr olds we should be able to be treated a bit fairer. the way you worded your

'when you crash you'll put all our premiums up'

just felt like just cause its a young lad he IS going to crash and increase UR premiums because he has a 1275 instead of a 998! dont mean to cause offence but i just feel the young are so targeted and stereotyped that the sensible ones suffer!

hope i havnt caused any offence

[jameswildcooper]

well my mayfair used to be a 998 used to be nippy but then we put the 1275 cooper engine in and it seems a load more faster i think so id say 1275

[mini93]

i was 17 when i had my 1275 mini with stage 1 it was £1200 on my mums insuance which is just stupid this year my mums got 1 years no clames on my mini and its 1/2 priced to £600...to me 600 is alot when my friends are paying less that that

but im pleased with my mini and in the end insurance is worth is because' my mini is the best thing i own and just cant wait till i have it how i like and im racing it

i personaly think you should get a 1275 because' there awesome!! and after a hell of a lot of miles iv still dun 106mph in it

[gardeNknomE]

thanks for the comments guys, but I got to stick up for robbo on this one-young drivers do get a lot of stick when it comes to cars, and there are a few out there who actually drive sensibly, believe it or not.

I can understand why you would think that young drivers like myself are going to just smash it in to a lamp post etc etc...but I can safely say I am not one of them!

Probably will hold out for a 1275cc, and because it isn't that much more on insurance, it should not be a problem.

There is a mini I'm looking at that is a 1275cc engine, but has a "stage 1 engine" and racing breaks. Do you think insurance will go up quite a lot with the stage 1 kit? I can't get a proper quote for it online because there is no option to tell them it is modified.

Thanks in advance

[Clubby1275GT]

welcome to the world of insuring modified cars, try adrian flux, always good prices and u can declare all mods, ent cost me a penny more to declare mine.
u dont need to declare anything under a 10% power increase from standard, but since u dont no (i odnt think) what engine the car is out its hard to tell.
i work for an insurance company and have just checked the insurance groups on mini's the highest grp is 5-6 which is a GT like mine or a cooper sport, apart from the grp 15 special conditions mini ERA turbo.
Most other mini's whether 998 or 1275 are group 2 or 4, which is pittence, a 1.3 fiesta flight is a grp7 so that puts in perspective on how low they are compared to your average car.
Oh and on about young drivers, id say they were the safest, theyve just come out of learning how to drive peoperly by an instuctor so therefore havent gained all the nasty habits people like me n the average jo have!
i bet anyone had there licence for over a year would prob fail there practical test if they took it now!!

[airman87]

me personally i went str8 for the Cooper S Morris (had it as a project at 16, passed my test and cudnt afford to insure it.... BUGGER!)

so i went and got a reno clio 1.4RT *holds head in shame*

this was far too pricey to run so i went out n got a 1.8 Fiesta while i was saving for another mini




(the important bit)

then as of about 3-4weeks ago i went out and bort a white 1275cc sprite.

im only 18, and the insurance is fine!! not much difference between that and a 998cc i nearly purchased.

and i cnt complain at all!! it obviously isnt as fast as my Cooper S but it still holds it own, and can still scare the poo outta ya off the mark


my advise is get a 1275cc =D **but what do i know im 18 n live in stoke**

[airman87]

and with a stage 1, i definatly think your insurance would increase.

[Steamo]

Oh and on about young drivers, id say they were the safest, theyve just come out of learning how to drive peoperly by an instuctor so therefore havent gained all the nasty habits people like me n the average jo have!
i bet anyone had there licence for over a year would prob fail there practical test if they took it now!!

Yeah a few hours driving instruction and a test clearly makes up for years and years of road experience!

Thats the same as saying that the more you drive the worse you get. I'm not convinced.

I know for a fact that I am a much safer driver now than I was at 17 (yes I am still young enough to remember).

Not condeming all young drivers by any means, the test has certainly got harder in recent years and theoretically the standard of young drivers should be improving. Equally there are those older drivers for whom experience breeds complacency (sp). However in the main I think that the old adage still applies - Practice makes perfect(ish)

[93-rio]

Practice might make perfect, but what about all of us naturally gifted young drivers who can handle the serious power of our near standard "A" series engines hardly gona set the world on fire, but i try my best

[robbo]

im not saying young drivers are better! just we all not complete willy heads and can drive sensibly!

[pikey7]

Wow. theres a lot of opinions on here! So I'd better give mine!

Young drivers dont have the experience and knowhow how to get out of a bad situation. Having a more powerful car is more likely to put them in one. The thing with older drivers is that while complacency may put them in a bad situation, they do generally have a good idea of how to get out of it, so the power situation doesnt matter so much. Of course thats not to say that all older drivers can actually call on their experience to pull them out of all bad situations. Some people are just unskilled!

Back on subject though, of course a 1275 will give you more initial "power" that a 998, and will give you more flexibilty in the future when you are looking at upgrades. Thats not however the be-all-and-end-all. You have to consider your situation with the car. 998s are generally better on fuel consumption. They are generally better when pootling through town centre traffic etc. So the ideal engine for your situation may not necessarily be the most powerful option.

When you do make up your mind, don't go being a complete chav pleb and race the world. You'll only wreck another Mini (and to be honest, if you do that then as far as I'm concerned then its another idiot off the road.) Learn your car, hone your skills by getting to know it, rather than pushing its limits, and if you do insist on going fast, then take it to a track or autocross, and go get some advanced driving lessons so that you at least have the theory behind you.

[Roo]

When you do make up your mind, don't go being a complete chav pleb and race the world.

Thats the reason why young drivers have been given a bad name. I'm 22 and passed my test only a year ago and i know i still don't have alot of experience on the road. but i have to agree its the 17-19 year olds who insist on racing you. Everyone knows its been on the news and i think there were talks about raising the age for first time drivers.
The only way to make it difficult is to make the insurance premiems higher for younger drivers.

How do you think my mini ended up in the garage waiting for repairs? A young male driver going too fast breaking the rules of the high way code, not seeing me or the car behind me (both of us stationary) and smashing straight into the back of the car behind me.

I would go for the 998. get some experience driving first and then get a bigger engine.

[Clubby1275GT]

mixed opinion, love a good debate, totally agree that experience in essential in becoming a better driver, but if you were insistent on driving normally everywhere then fresh out of a test is probably a good thing, ur taught all the things u need to knowto avoid crashes and be cautious.
But this is a mini forum for enthusiasts who like to drive with passion and treat driving as a joy and not like your average trip to the shops 40 year old lady.

In that situation then experience is the key, but along with experience can come bad habits, like not checking mirrors so often, thinking gaps are bigger than they are and underestimating stopping distances, all which you are taught to perfection on a test.

agreed, if ur an enthusiast then theres no replacement for experience, but if u want to go the shops and use a car for transport rather than the joy of driving then i think youngsters are probably better at?

not trying to cause offence by anything said above.

SORRY IF DRIFTED OF TOPIC!!!

[minislapper]

But this is a mini forum for enthusiasts who like to drive with passion and treat driving as a joy and not like your average trip to the shops 40 year old lady.

Offence taken!!! So once you reach 40 the only time you drive is to pootle to the shops? That's certainly far from true !!!!

Being fresh out of a driving test probably does mean you are using some of the things which us ancient old crumblies probably can't even remember from that far back BUT, there really is no substitute for experience. Unless you have been in a particular situation and come out of it the other end you will not learn the same things by being told it by an instructor.

How many youngsters would know what to do (and not just because you read about it in your driving test) if their car went into a skid or you had a high speed blow-out?!

All you little people fresh out of your driving test, if you want to learn how to handle a car and get some experience then get yourself on the track.

[Purple Tom]

spent ages writing a reply to this, got so angry that I had to delete it all because it was p*ssing me off.

Go with the 998, it'll be perfect for a year or so then you'll appreciate the 1275 when you get it.

Tom