I need help with a desicon

[metalmonkey]

Okay I am going mad over this.....I need some ideas to check my sanity.

Right I have been looking at van insurance, it turns out if I move my no cliams over to van insurance then I can't move them back to the car. So I would lose 6 years, whcih is a hell of lot of me driving well!

Its to do with comerical insurance, that it can't be done it seems.

So i figure put my van, on a race transporter policy which is ?200/year don't need no claims its a flat rate. But I can't use for driving to work, at all limted to 5000 miles. Its a pleasure policy only.

So the van wouldn't be used hardly at at all.

Right I can buy a car for ?1000 I know the history, that its fine no issuess with it. Insurance is cheap as well. But still ?1000 u know what I mean?

So do I buy that, or buy something for like ?50 a spend enough to keep it on the road? I was thinking of a Ford Fiesta I used to have one cheap to run, cheap parts, I can do all the work myself manily. But run the risk of it, err not working.....or spending more time fixing it then driving it.

But I would treat it as a throw away car, you know if it was really broken scrap it!

So whats the best option, buy the car for a ?1000, know that it fine was my mum's/sister car it is a great little car. Or run the risk and buy a heap, that sort of works to use as a run around?

[Sosha]

How about a trailer instead of a van?

[SoulKiss]

Desicon - is that some new kind of Transformer?

Surely you dont HAVE to insure the van as a commercial vehicle?

Surely commercial only comes into it if you are using it to make deliveries?

Surely moving your bike would still count as SDP use ?

Speak to a different broker - try H&R Insurance near Aberdeen

http://www.insurance2000.co.uk/

[MiniMatt]

Second a trailer, unless you're planning on kitting out the van to sleep in as well I guess.

Or a pickup truck? There seem to be tarts-handbag pickups around now that are used for the school run so I'm guessing pickups might fall under normal car insurance? An old L200 or something might be affordable. I would have said a Hilux but since Top Gear proved they're indestructable second hand prices for 20 year old models are sky high.

[Camel]

What are you using the van for? Just private motoring? Moving your bike?
Swap the van for an estate car if you don't need it, but like a large load space.

If I'm missing something can you expand a little please!

[Luckypants]

My kids have their vans insured on a non-commercial basis. The vans are used for kayaking and transport, bit like what it sounds you will use yours for. They got SDP cover same as a car. Can find out about who they insured with if you want, apparently only one or two companies do this in UK.

This is well known issue with the kayaking crowd, they all have vans :D

[Viney]

Van insurance is odd. As said, there are only a handful of companies that do this on a non commercial basis.

[metalmonkey]

I would use the van manily for getting my bike about, to and from tracks ect. Also when I need to so where when I can't use the bike thats the main use really.

I would use the an to sleep in at the w/end at the track to save money ect, it seem that most people do that, they can be kittted out quite nicley to make them comfy.

I don't want to lose my no claims, as one company already would say that would happen. Just phoned H&R used to have my 125 insured with them, so see what they say.

[arenalife]

I insured my van as a private policy and kept my NCB when I went back to a car. Stay away from call centres and ring a broker in your high street, they're knowledgeable and helpful when things aren't straightforward.

[Ceri JC]

I'd go for £1K estate car (old volvo or similar), £500 bike trailer and £50 gazebo (to prep the bike under if weather is bad).