Classic cars under £2,000 for young drivers

An article on the above subject in today's Daily Telegraph. The suggestion was that young drivers would learn more driving skills on cars without all the current load of electronic driver aids.
The cars selected were: Saab 900; Citroen BX; Fiat Cinquecento Sporting; Skoda Favorit; Mazda MX-5.
But one of the commentors, A S Bardill, suggested the Audi A2. He wrote " How about a Audi A2 ? Not quite a classic yet, but maybe a future classic given the propensity for insurance companies to write off cars with minor damage in view of the repair costs to the aluminium body. Common VW mechanicals and no rust on the aluminium bodywork. Even the Telegraph motoring correspondent bought one for personal use. Lots of help and advice from the A2 Club members. What's not to like ? "
Unfortunately I was the only one to mark the comment with a 'like'.
 
the big issue will be the insurance for even the lowliest 1.4i because of the bodyshop fear of the Aluminium work, sadly. Agree totally with the premise, but having been quoted nearly 2k premium on our 350 quid 52-reg 1.4i A2 for an early 20s female (daughter's big sister) where the same driver was quoted about 590 quid for our 5 year old Citigo in the same week for the same cover, and only 300 quid for her Mum on the A2 - we went with the affordable distribution of vehicles and insurances. As luck would have it, with a proper valet the A2 came up so well that my other half loves it even though the Citigo was and is a great wee car. The biggest thing is that you can really see the difference in quality of materials now that both are 8 and 19 years old respectively, and there aren't many Island Green 1.4is around where we live so my other half loves the cachet. I would suggest a similar aged Polo if looked after and not rusty because they will be infinitely cheaper to insure with the same mechanicals

Looking at the other cars listed above I assume the author is smoking something potent - Saab 900 - now firmly in specialist territory ; BX - even more so and probably not many left with MOTs outwith owners clubs ; Fiat CC Sporting - "Sporting" is going to kill the insurance .. - ; Skoda Favorit beginning to get difficult to find and assume many quite rusty by now, and again, MX5 - MkI, rust and rarity, later ones start getting expensive, and again, what insurers are going to cover an rwd MX5 for a newly-qualified 17-18 year old? Frankly this list is insanity. I understand the concept of minimalist vehicles to teach skills having spent my formative years driving 2CVs - but you could presumably do most of that with an early 00s Fiesta which will be infinitely easier to insure / repair etc. Getting people used to driving cars with low power and emphasising common sense, situational awareness and defensive driving (as well as the importance of good tyres and maintenance) makes far more sense than promoting low capabilities or outdated safety. About 11 years ago I was driving home from the supermarket and observed the recent after-effects of some (presumed) boy racers in a late 80s red XR3i achieving their ability limits at probably not much more than 30-40mph with central fencing between our carriageways ; they had hit the central barrier pillars sideways with the drivers door. The driver's door and roof above it were v-shaped at least 2 foot into the car. Not pretty.
 
the big issue will be the insurance for even the lowliest 1.4i because of the bodyshop fear of the Aluminium work, sadly. Agree totally with the premise, but having been quoted nearly 2k premium on our 350 quid 52-reg 1.4i A2 for an early 20s female (daughter's big sister) where the same driver was quoted about 590 quid for our 5 year old Citigo in the same week for the same cover, and only 300 quid for her Mum on the A2 - we went with the affordable distribution of vehicles and insurances. As luck would have it, with a proper valet the A2 came up so well that my other half loves it even though the Citigo was and is a great wee car. The biggest thing is that you can really see the difference in quality of materials now that both are 8 and 19 years old respectively, and there aren't many Island Green 1.4is around where we live so my other half loves the cachet. I would suggest a similar aged Polo if looked after and not rusty because they will be infinitely cheaper to insure with the same mechanicals

Looking at the other cars listed above I assume the author is smoking something potent - Saab 900 - now firmly in specialist territory ; BX - even more so and probably not many left with MOTs outwith owners clubs ; Fiat CC Sporting - "Sporting" is going to kill the insurance .. - ; Skoda Favorit beginning to get difficult to find and assume many quite rusty by now, and again, MX5 - MkI, rust and rarity, later ones start getting expensive, and again, what insurers are going to cover an rwd MX5 for a newly-qualified 17-18 year old? Frankly this list is insanity. I understand the concept of minimalist vehicles to teach skills having spent my formative years driving 2CVs - but you could presumably do most of that with an early 00s Fiesta which will be infinitely easier to insure / repair etc. Getting people used to driving cars with low power and emphasising common sense, situational awareness and defensive driving (as well as the importance of good tyres and maintenance) makes far more sense than promoting low capabilities or outdated safety. About 11 years ago I was driving home from the supermarket and observed the recent after-effects of some (presumed) boy racers in a late 80s red XR3i achieving their ability limits at probably not much more than 30-40mph with central fencing between our carriageways ; they had hit the central barrier pillars sideways with the drivers door. The driver's door and roof above it were v-shaped at least 2 foot into the car. Not pretty.
Totally agree Robin.

It's absolutely the laziest bit of writing with zero thought as to what they're saying. The Fiat is little safer than popping your 17 Yr daughter onto a motorbike. One star was it?

I still maintain best simple learner car is a base Aygo / 107 / C1: safe compared to classic cars, very, very simple, tiny running costs. They're all Toyota (PSA did seats and exterior design for the French brands) so fundamentally very reliable. Best of all, really good fun and have perfectly judged controls: happy to be pottered like a modern, or double de-clutched and heel-n-toed like a classic. Super light so feel peppy on its 70 or so bhp's. £20 tax just to round it out.

Can't see many yoofs lusting after a BX 1.9TDi really (I used to sell those btw).
 
the big issue will be the insurance for even the lowliest 1.4i because of the bodyshop fear of the Aluminium work, sadly. Agree totally with the premise, but having been quoted nearly 2k premium on our 350 quid 52-reg 1.4i A2 for an early 20s female (daughter's big sister) where the same driver was quoted about 590 quid for our 5 year old Citigo in the same week for the same cover, and only 300 quid for her Mum on the A2 - we went with the affordable distribution of vehicles and insurances.

When I passed my test (in my A2!) the A2 was the second cheapest car to insure. Now in my early 20s and I’m paying £300.
 
Don’t forget that car insurance is just an algorithm based on many different factors, but one of the main ones is the number of drivers in that age group that have crashed in a particular model of car.

That’s why insuring a corsa/fiesta is often more expensive than insuring a less run of the mill car even with a bigger engine and more bhp.

That’s why choosing a more obscure car like the A2 can often actually be cheaper.
 
Yes, this topic is on my mind as I am thinking of an A2 for my daughter to learn to drive in.

The insurance quotes for a A2 75TDi were within £150 of quotes for a Polo albeit with a black box policy.
 
Don’t forget that car insurance is just an algorithm based on many different factors, but one of the main ones is the number of drivers in that age group that have crashed in a particular model of car.

That’s why insuring a corsa/fiesta is often more expensive than insuring a less run of the mill car even with a bigger engine and more bhp.

That’s why choosing a more obscure car like the A2 can often actually be cheaper.
Yeah aged 21 as a male first year driver my insurance for my 1.4 petrol was £860 with a black box, that was for 6k miles, seemed decent to me. Probably a bit cheaper as I wasn’t 17 I guess…

Plus the black box was pretty lenient, you would have to be driving like a complete maniac to have any problems with it
 
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