Feeler for BMWCC Insurance scheme

[skh]

Hi, some may know my connections with the BMWCarClub and to give a real incentive for new members and benifit to existing members is every car clubs aim.
As we all need car insurance we have been working v.hard behind scenes to secure a deal with broker to enable us to offer a deal upon which I would like your feedback.
Essentially for the joining fee, presently £40.00, we should be able to offer an insurance package tailored to BMW owners, primarily those of us of lets say mature (over 35 ish??) age, with classics - pre 1990, MPower, Zeds etc which will save members at least the £40.00. Therefore ALL the other benifits of being a Club member ie cheaper club trackdays, discounts on tickets purchased in advance for NEC, Pistonheads, Silverstone Classic, National Festival etc etc along with the monthly top notch Straight 6 mag are FREE.
Would such a deal interest you to join the club???
What are your key factors in choosing insurance company??
Thanks for taking time to reply as your comments may well help shape any package we get to offer.
ps. there will be as expected some parameters/exclusions ie young drivers, points on licience, disqualified etc But for the majority we hope our scheme will be available.

[pony]

are there any special deals if you are below 30 with regards to car insurance?

[Felix79]

I think the demographic is much broader here and doing the 35+ is not that good for most on here.

Also when I was a BMWCC memeber I felt there was very little that was relivent to my intrests.

[billgatese30]

Here is a few threads that we've had over the years asking about the average age of Zoners. they should be able to give you a good idea of the typical demographic of the forum.

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... zoners+age

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... zoners+age

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... zoners+age


Hope that helps

[Kos]

i have been a car club member for many years, the monthly magazine is ok the discounts offered are decent and alone i saved more than my annual membership fee on insurance, the discounts for track days are good as well

with e30's people try to blag a classic policy when really their car is a daily.

dan, what did you expect from the car club that you didn't get ? if you are interested in BMW's then what else is relevant?

the membership is £40 a year, that's 11p per day. i think the cost is with in reach most people.

can we please not have this thread turn in to a CC bashing discussion. constructive points will be fed back to the CC management.

[skh]

Thanks, we shall certainly discuss the e30s are still well sort after and the demographics clearly shows that 80 % are under 35 so a market there if broker can come up with suitable policy.
Out of interest what are you guys paying per year??
Who you insuring with??
Is the price the single most important factor??
any other key factors??

Thanks, lets see if we can help save a few quid here and there.

[HairyScreech]

well, being a university educated, 5 years no claims holding, engineer i guess that i must be immature simply by the fact im under 35.

i think thats just summed up the bmwcc for me, iv long thought they only care about the old boys with expensive cars. "primarily those of us of lets say mature (over 35 ish??) age, with classics - pre 1990, MPower, Zeds etc".

now personally i believe i can bring quite a bit of knowledge to the table, and i try to do so here and in other forums i haunt, but i wont be going near the bmwcc (and other wealthier clubs) due to the elitist attitude that seems to prevail among the membership of these clubs, as though somehow by simple virtue of your age and how much you spend on your cars you can be judged as lesser.

an insurance scheme would have to be very heavily discounted to make me join simply for the reasons above.


(and dont take that as a personal attack, its just you suggested the exact demographic the bmwcc seems to desire and stuff the rest of you)

[Kos]

dude, mature as in age , not mentality.

now you go on to "think" who the members are and what they drive, but what real experiences do you have of the CC ?

[HairyScreech]

mature as in age? surely that should be older as age has nothing to do with maturity, as some of the guys on here have proven more than once.

and you misinterpret me, i "think" that particular statement sums up the feeling i get from your average cc member, as in "i think" that the statement matches my thoughts, not "i think" the bmwcc is like this.

[Kos]

mature as in age? surely that should be older as age has nothing to do with maturity, as some of the guys on here have proven more than once.

its being polite calling some one mature. i'll give you an exmple. wayne rooney,he likes mature ladies but the tabloids say he likes old women. whats more polite to both ?

and you misinterpret me, i "think" that particular statement sums up the feeling i get from your average cc member, as in "i think" that the statement matches my thoughts, not "i think" the bmwcc is like this.

and you misinterpret something that will benefit any e30 owner. if it matches your thoughts then you think that, right ?!

any how

i've been a CC member for 10 years, since i was 20. i've always got on with most people in the CC who i've met. there are one or two who i dont get on for personal reasons but that aside all people are welcome with any BMW

with my membership i saved £70 on my e24's insurance premium and the insurance company accepts the valuation i had done through the CC.

[HairyScreech]

mature as in age? surely that should be older as age has nothing to do with maturity, as some of the guys on here have proven more than once.

its being polite calling some one mature. i'll give you an exmple. wayne rooney,he likes mature ladies but the tabloids say he likes old women. whats more polite to both ?

fair point.

and you misinterpret me, i "think" that particular statement sums up the feeling i get from your average cc member, as in "i think" that the statement matches my thoughts, not "i think" the bmwcc is like this.

and you misinterpret something that will benefit any e30 owner. if it matches your thoughts then you think that, right ?!

any how

i've been a CC member for 10 years, since i was 20. i've always got on with most people in the CC who i've met. there are one or two who i dont get on for personal reasons but that aside all people are welcome with any BMW

with my membership i saved £70 on my e24's insurance premium and the insurance company accepts the valuation i had done through the CC.

perhaps i have been unlucky enough to bump into the less accommodating members.

[Kos]

perhaps

i'm lucky enough to get discounts at most places but the CC ensure this with some other specialist things. i;m going to be buying a car cover for my e24 some time and the ones i want are supplied by a company that give CC members a discount.

like everywhere in life , you will not always get on with every one. i dont thats for sure but i use the CC for what it is and to benefit me.

BTW

rooney IS a granny fucker

[HairyScreech]

and possibly a great gran at that!

[rp2]

i heard a rhumour that you get discount off parts at bmw with bmwcc membership. is that at all dealers or 'selected' dealers?

i would be interested as you can get discounts ect. i did concider it recently but i was annoyed as a just spent quite a nice sum of cash at bmw and didnt see it before to get the discount.

also with the insurance saving thing, is it similar to most classic car policies where it needs to be your second car with low milage as i use mine every day 12,000 miles a year.

[Kos]

dealers as far as i'm aware are not obliged to offer discount for CC members but i've not ever heard of them refusing it to anyone. the discount amount depends in the item. you'll usualy get at least 10%.

the give discount at ECP as well and many other places

the policy details i am unsure off, but i'd hazard a guess that it would be an enthusiast policy or classic policy and the car would probably have to be your second car. use limitation to SDP no commuting

the OP will be able to help more on this aspect.

[polsta]

im not sure the exact jist..but a bit of feedback from a novice in this sort of thing and an e30 owner..

asking me to pay £40 a year,with regard to getting at least a £40 discount on car insurance like that...surely youd want to know the quote 1st ?

as what good it it paying £40 to become a member with that in mind (ie not a regular normal member anyway regardless of an insurance offer) ...to then be told right your insurance quote is £475...minus £40 ...£435 !! ...when other companies might be quoting £250-£400 etc , so it might still be a lot more than i can get anyway ?

so to answer your question would that tempt me to join the club for £40 ...it would ONLY if i knew the quote 1st and exactly how much id save by joining and that i was going to buy the insurance and knew it was a good company etc

[Kos]

the point of this is not only a saving but you'll have policy which caters for the needs of enthusiasts. they recognise the car club and this way the valuations of the cars will be more realistic than the usual insurance companies

you'll find that right now insurance is going up and a lot of people moaning about it

[polsta]

i understand that kos..but a lot of classic insurance companies do cater for that, hes asking would that saving offer tempt someone in to joining them..surely youd want to know what sort of quote it would be ? before paying £40 to join with that offer in mind ?

[bmwsport]

Fing me cheaper classic insurance for under £264 (H28) & £219 (C2 2.5) and i'll gladly join up. I'M 25, 5 YNCB (should be approx 6-7 though but lost out on some due to going through a stint of testing out different cars/cancelling policies ).

[B7]

I am a member of the club and already recieve cheap classic insurance on the e30. Not sure what the benefits are of what you are offering.

46 YO with 89 325i convertible for £185 FC a year.

I'd say whats required is a competitive daily policy for club members. Trouble is. the way insurers work with clubs, they add into the risk factor, you are an enthusiast, will cherish your car more and therefore are less likely to smash it up.

Problem is, you'd get any tom dick or harry, laying out the 40 quid, add no value to the club at all just in order just to a cheaper policy. The only way out of that is to have been a member for say 5 years before you are eligible?

[capri_rob]

I joined BMWCC at the classic car show last Year, the mag is OK - definately very well produced and looks like something you could buy off the shelf in the shops but apart from that I haven't really got much from it.

As far as Insurance goes I pay well under £200 a year on a classic policy on my turd ( and it was discounted when I said I was a member on E30 Zone - it seems online car clubs do qualify for insurance discounts )

The acid test is to do all your shopping around, barter to drive the price down to the minimum and then ask if you get a further discount for being a BMWCC member - probably not if you've done a decent job of screwing them down on the price already. Most classic insurers seem to have a pretty good idea of what I want and be able to provide it - I wouldn't bother approaching "mainstream" insurers to cover an E30 - they havent a clue.

As for discounts on parts I found the "discounted" price with ECP didn't apply to the prices on their website - it seems that the "Discounts" apply to in store or "RRP" prices which no one pays anyway. And if you buy regularly from a main dealer you can get 10%+ discount anyway.

I think if you have an E30 and a modern BMW then CC membership if probably worth it, but for people who just have E30's probably not - if you know what you're doing you can always negotitate prices down on parts and insurance, and the Zone is the best knowledge base for cars I have ever used.

The mag is a nice read once a month but I spend enough on car mags already to do without it and I don't do trackdays or anything like that so probably won't be renewing this year.

I guess in answer to the OP what it comes down to is if the insurer I would have used anyway would offer a further discount on their best price ( say at least £20 ) for CC membership then yes I'd spend £40 renewing/joining the club.

What normally happens with stuff like this is that the club "approved" insurer is more expensive than the insurer I would have used anyway. The trouble with insurers is that they are geared to different sections of the market - if you choose an insurance partner whose core business is modified cars, they will be uncompetetive for standard stuff and vice versa - if you're going to do it you probably need to partner up with 3 or 4 insurers to stand a chance of being able to cater for a wide enough range of owners.

[DaveD]

After having had lots of trouble with my current insurer (Highway) over the last few months I would like an agreed value policy with limited mileage for under £225...all clearly stated on a clearly worded quote. I also think that your 35 year old age is too high 25 would be better as it is about commitment not just running an older car as a daily driver...and before anyone says anything I am SLIGHTLY older than the ages noted....unfortunately.

Also remember that E30s where made up to 1993 so we would need a policy to cope with that and of course you would have be able to see a price ....but it should not be available until you could prove a membership number.

I also have been a member of the CC for a few years now and consider it good value, I get discount from Sytners on parts and a magazine (with variable content) all for an annual subscription (dd) of £35.

B7, if people are prepared to lay out £40 to the club to get cheaper insurance...why not ..we (members) will all benefit

[Ziggy]

Saving at least £40 vs every insurance company out there sounds like a tall order tbh.
Perhaps if you stick to unmodified stuff, but that will rule out a heck of a lot of people on here...

[capri_rob]

Most over 35's driving unmodified E30's will be paying peanuts for insurance anyway - there won't be the profit margin on a sub £200 policy for the insurer to offer the discount to make it worthwhile.

However if the CC partner up with a modified specialist insurer where the typical client is paying £500+ per year for their policy and where the cost of cover can vary wildly from insurer to insurer there should be enough in it to be able to offer a discount.

[pony]

I am a BMW CC member. I have been for three years now I think.
I was a member when I had my BMW E46 323Ci Coupe and now my BMW E30 325i Sport.
For the record I am soon to be 28 so count as a younger member.
I think anyone who REALLY LOVES their BMWs it is worth joining.
As I love BMWs of all ages to be honest (though not the 3 series Compact or the Z3).
When I go to the BMW dealer to get parts most of them usually give me a 10% discount.
I think the magazine has improved ALOT over the past three years.

Nowdays when I get the magazine I think it is REALLY GOOD and I probably spend a couple of hours reading all the interesting articles.

I have been to about three BMW CC meets...........two of them were at Gaydon and another indoor one.

I dont have much experience of other members so cannot comment but they have all seemed alright. Though there are quite alot of simply amazing BMW E30s to be found in the BMWCC which have amazing history, low owners, low miles, orginal paint so on.

As far as knowledge and enthusiasm goes for BMW E30s this forum E30Zone is SIMPLY THE BEST. There is so much knowledge and enthusiasm for these cars here.

However, I recommend joining if you want to get knowledge and learn about all BMWs. I recommend it for the discounts with parts. There are many more discounts available. I recommend it for club events particularly the big ones can make a nice day out with some good people. I really look forwards to the magazine each month.

I think some people nitpick with the BMWCC when I think it is good. They offer alot.

I joined simply because I LOVE BMWs and I am a BMW enthusiast (as i particularly like the BMW E30 325i Sport, BMW E46 M3 CS/CSL etc) myself.

However, the choice lies with you whether you want to or not.

[skh]

Some very well made points have been raised above which is exactly the feedback we need.
Firstly do believe I am not in this for myself or just the club but would hope IF it comes off then the benifits will / should be of interest to a wider audience incl. members on here.
I do apologise if the 'northern' wording of "mature" insulted some - that was obviously not intended but a yardstick, which having now been lead to the zones demographic is cleal with cisrca 80+% between 17-35 which highlights an area we must take into consideration.
Also the daily drivers and modified.
We shall discuss this with the 'partner(s)' and a mechanism as to how the benifit can be controlled for members.
I agree members should seek best value for insurance, albeit IMO £££ is not the only consideration yet clearly v. important one and no I would not look to pay much/well over the odds for a better policy.
Do keep the comments coming, I am thick skinned and do appreciate your comments + or -
but genuinely if your interested in your e30/BMW then we need your feedback so we can, wherever / whenever possible the club can accomodate and perhaps become more and more useful in the enjoyment of your ownership. No issues with this I assume??

[pony]

I am open to learning more about cars and how they work.

PS the magazine has articles on a range of subjects e.g. legendary engineer Paul Rosche, car detailing, fixing problems, BMW M8 prototype, Dual-clutch transmissions, BMW E92 M3 Competition Package Coupe and many more etc

[Kos]

as source of information for e30's this forum is 2nd to none.

i will say that the CC forum is quiet, very quiet. but with every bmw model about there are some dedicated model specific forums to accommodate the owners. the CC forums should be used as tool to update its members with meets/events/shows/deals and discounts. the companies affiliated with the club should be on the CC forum like you see other traders do so on other forums.
i'd like to see the car club move forward but to do so it needs members, to get new members it needs to give more of an incentive to them, anything that can help is a bonus especially if its insurance related.

how about a if policy is taken out and offer a limited number of free valuations to go hand in hand with the policy ?

[DHFiS]

I'm in the BMWCC and got my insurance through Norton who advertise in the mag.

I made a claim on the policy and they were so good to deal with I would seriously think about staying with them even if another policy was a bit cheaper.