Rioja

This question is based on the cost of insurance alone, not any risk of theft etc.

I have calculated 3 online quotes (Norwich Union) for an MY05 STI with PPP for my own personnal circumstances as follows;
No security Device and No tracker; £542
Thatcham Cat 1 and No tracker; £532
Thatcham Cat 1 + RAC Trackstar; £507

Putting aside the stress caused by the loss of your pride and joy does £35 a year really compare to the cost of installation and subscription of all these security systems? as far as the tracker goes, would I want to get my car back if some ****** has been riding about in it? I am actually very surprissed at how little there is between the quotes, considering the amount that is discussed on SN regarding trackers etc.

richs2891

Personally I dont like trackers, Yes they could and I say could be used to catch car criminals but the chances of them getting caught and convicted ??
My personal view is probably that of many on Scoobynet, it my car does get stolen I would prefer not to have it back and I will simply replace the car with the same or better.
I view a tracker as insurance (that your paying extra for, cost of tracker, yearly fees etc) for the insurance compnay. Ie you pay for a an item that should minimise the risk to the insurance company event of a theft.

When you do the maths as you have done re quotes without tracker and quotes with - when adding cost of tracker and yearly subs, from a money point of view Not worth it IMHO.
For peace of my mind I much prefer blackjak.


Richard

jbwrx300

I'm surprised to see that cover was offered on a non security basis, however it does make sense I suppose. Whether or not you have a security device nowadays I would have thought is fairly irrelevant.

I'd love to see how many newer scoobies were stolen after the thief overcame security devices vs the number where the keys were stolen or carjacked etc.

I would like to bet that the second category is more prevalent these days, and therefore the security does provide a good deterrent. The only reason I could see to get a tracker is to help the insurance company minimise their losses after a theft. However lets be honest, if you are a sophisticated thief stealing to order, you would know where to look and how to remove the offending item quickly enough to avoid detection.

I personally wouldnt want mine back if stolen, and in fact when the 12 months trackstar runs out, if it doesnt reduce my insurance by £150 by having it on, I will not be reactivating it as financially it doesnt make sense.

If its stolen then returned to you it'd still count as a claim in the eyes of the insurer, so they would still dick you on renewal the year after anyway.

Rioja

Jb, I agree, the financial incentive of reduced insurance cost does not even come close to the cost of trackers etc.

My original post came about as I'm considering a euro import, and am probably looking at about a grand to cat 1 / tracker it. At £35 a year insurance saving it's going to take a few years to recoup that cost!

Kevadair

Tracker not worth it, my cars got one but not worth £109 yearly subscription or £350 one off fee. If someone nicks my car I dont want it back, would rather get the insurance money and buy a new one!!

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Yes it is worth adding extra security, if my car was stolen and recovered due to the likes of a tracking device and the ****** got banged up for it, its one less low life off the streets.
The more security the better in my opinion, i think most long time scoob owners will agree with me here.

Tony

Rioja

Are you saying that your insurance company do not insist on the tracker, and the cost difference is less than the subscription? However, as a lot of other posts state; insurance is often not even available to people unless these devices are fitted.

Rum*

Just a quick note on the Tracking side of things...whilst I agree and accept most people would not want their car back if it has been stolen...in reality most insurers won't pay out for a theft claim until a reasonable time has passed (since the incident) in case the car is recovered...now in my case I need my car for business...and as such if stolen (and not recovered) then I would have to "hire" a car pending settlement (again most insurers will not allow a courtesy car until the vehicle is recovered and then being repaired by one of their authorised repairers)...1 weeks hire is going to cost me in excess of the £120.00 it costs me to have the car tracked....in other words in my opinion it is worth having...

Also if the car is tracked and recovered....at least it goes to an approved repairer and you get a courtesy car for the duration of repairs...or if it is written off due to being uneconomical to repair....well settlement from the insurers is almost immediate...

With regard to Cat 1 alarms etc...if buying a Type UK STI....then it comes with a Sigma M30 Thatcham Category 1 Alarm/Immobiliser and RAC Trackstar Protector (first years subs included) and as such the discussion is irrelevant....if a UK WRX...then again the Sigma is fitted as standard...

...if its a NON UK car then (again IMHO) it is worth putting a decent Cat 1 Alaram/Immobiliser onto it...I don't know any insurer who will provide Theft cover for a group 19/20 car i.e. WRX or STI without at least Cat 1...

...as far as online quotes are concerned the systems know what security is fitted to the standard manufacturers vehicles...and as such I believe you would be putting in "additional" security...rather than standard fit stuff....

Hope this makes sence and helps a bit

Tom
Subaru Insured

Rioja

Excellent points Rum, the Cat 1 looks a must-have, and to be honest I would get it on a euro. The Tracker?! Mmmmmmm, I suppose it depends on circumstances, alternative transport and the like.

Kevadair

Agree with a lot of the points made however if ure car does get stolen and your insurance company does not give a courtesy car you simply hire one at your own expense (short term) and put it on your c/card along with all other 'out of pocket expenses'....sure enough they will pay eventhough it may take some time.

Have been down this road with an insurance company when a 320i BMW was stolen many years ago....so long as I had receipts for taxis, hire cars etc, etc I claimed it all back. (why do u think they charge stupid money for insurance....yes there greedy but also because they pay out lots of claims with add ons...injury/out of pocket expenses)

Some companies will insist on trackers so as to limit the amounts paid out on claims ie. its expected the car will be retrieved and not a total write off thus not so much to pay out. The factor of it stopping thiefs is secondary.

Quite a few companies only insist on a tracker if the car value is over £15k.

joeyded

u should get a tracker standard on the sti if from a dealer m8

jbwrx300

Do NU quote online with PPP? That is a step forward surely, most insurers still never heard of PPP.

If online, they will be based on UK model in which case, surely the quote engine will automatically know that a cat 1 and tracker are fitted as standard. I'm almost certain that whetever security options you choose on a website it does not override what the quote engine already knows about the car unless it improves it - on the assumption that you are not going to decrease the security spec.

Therefore, no security device and no tracker in this instance probably means UK STI = RAC Trackstar and Sigma M30. If you opt to add additional security devices the small reductions will probably be due to the system realising that you have only decreased the theft risk marginally as you now have in fact 2 alarms and 2 trackers!

With an MY05 STI I would have thought that tracker is fitted and operational is a condition of insurance with nearly all insurers who can't individually underwrite (eg mass market insurers)

Rioja

JB,

Regarding the online quoting for PPP, I have requested clarity on this from NU as follows;
my email;
Dear Sir,
I am considering purchasing the following car; 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX Sti Type UK with a dealer fitted Prodrive Performance Pack. I ought to point out the car will be imported from an EU country with the Prodrive Performance Pack covered within the manufactures warranty. The details of the car and its accessories are shown here;
http://www.subaru.co.uk/IMGGB/WWW/S.../6B012576955491
9D80256DDD003AF2C9/$FILE/03MY%20STi%20PPP.pdf
I would be pleased if you would note the important information on the second page, especially;
* Following installation of the Performance Package, cars can
be serviced in the normal manner. All service parts are standard Subaru items.
* Customers should be advised that most car insurers require
vehicle owners to inform them of any changes to vehicle specification.
Failure to do this may invalidate their policy.
Could you please confirm that the car equipped with this accessory pack is the vehicle shown on your on-line quotation system as;
IMPREZA WRX STI TYPE UK (PRODR
I presume the field does not allow for a longer name to be input.
Regards

The reply;
Thankyou for your email and sorry for the delay in responding.
I have checked the details and can confirm the car listed on our system is rated with the "Prodrive" kit. Assuming the car is the same spec as the UK equivalent model supplied by a UK Subaru dealer then this will be accepted.
The car does carry a restriction of over 25 year old drivers and carries a further £400 excess on top of the standard excess.
I hope this information helps,
Regards
Guy Goddard
Internet Support Team
Norwich Union Direct

The NU reply does say 'same spec as UK car', I'll have to investigate further on the Alarm / tracker issue as fitted.

regards

jbwrx300

Rioja, be very very careful.

I reckon, that I can categorically say without fear of contradiction, that this feller is talking bollocks. If you look at the wording of the email, it brings a couple of things to the fore

This on its own would be a believable statement - if he would confirm to you in writing what he understands the "Prodrive" kit to be. However:

ALARM BELLS RINGING HERE - big time. There is no model supplied by a UK Subaru Dealer other than the WR1 or WRX300 which is equipped with the Prodrive Performance Pack. Other than this it is an aftermarket modification and extra premium would be due. Thus leading me to believe that he in fact does not know what the prodrive package incudes.

If they quote you the same premium for a standard UK STI as for one with PPP, they have definately misunderstood that there is an extra 40 horses mate, in my experience it needs spelling out in idiot language, and even then there is no guarantee they will understand what you say.

Even if you ring up, the muppets on the private lines insurance will try to shoehorn your vehicle into what they believe it is given the list in front of them. For example, if I ring for a quote for a WRX300, most times i get a quote for a UK300 which does not have PPP and is a 3 year old model - therefore if I claim, performance mods have not been declared, model is incorrect and insurance is void. When I mention prodrive, they say, "Oh, you mean the Impreza Prodrive Style" - NO YOU STUPID SPOTTY **** LISTEN TO WHAT I AM TELLING YOU!!! ITS AN EFFING WRX, WITH PPP WHICH MEANS A PRODRIVE EXHAUST AND REMAPPED ECU = 40 EXTRA BHP, WITH A SPECIALLY RETRIMMED INTERIOR AND GOLD WHEELS.

Thirdly, I understood that you cant get PPP fitted onto an import as a UK dealer wont do it. (Search for some recent posts) So if you do somehow get it done, your warranty is up for debate if you make a claim. This I believe is an ongoing issue others have taken up with IM/prodrive.

TBH, I think it has become common consensus on the main board that if you want an STI with PPP currently, it is a better deal to get a UK car with free PPP, no service or warranty issues, and including security.

Just ring a-plan and save the hassle. They know what they are talking about and are very competetive.

Rioja

Cheers JB, I'll keep all that in mind. Due to circumstances at the moment my purchase has been delayed by about 6 months, so I'll wait and see what happens.
As far as the prodrive kit goes, I believe that can be specified at the time of purchase and fitted by the supplying dealer. Certainly appears to be the case on cars from Holland, without effecting warrenty. That's another story that has gone by-the-by.

Cheers again for the advice.