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Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long ambition
I have been keen to own a Bristol for quite a few years, I've read all the books and now intend to go ahead and buy one. I am used to handbuilt cars and their foibles having owned a number of other hand-built cars, I currently have a Morgan AeroMax, as well as another Morgan and some tin-tops.
It has been interesting reading the various threads on this site, even if it surprised me to read some of the more ascerbic comments, I always thought that Bristol-folk would be total gentlemen/gentlewomen! Luckily, this seems to be the exception rather than the rule and it really is a super site. Anyway, I think the way to go for me is to buy a second-hand Blenheim but I am really open to any advice re model's and who to buy from. I intend going up to the showroom when I am back in the UK, are there any other marque specialists that I should speak to? I hope that I've not been controversial, as that is not my intention rather I am really just after some marque advice. Brian |
Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long amition
Hi Brian, you might consider joining the owners club, where you will
find a real welcome. I bought my first Bristol by hunting around but I have subsequently bought directly from Bristol and I would strongly recommend it, especially with their no quibble warranty. It really is no quibble! Which is amazing to get on cars up to sixty years old. You might be pleasantly surprised at the value for money and a visit to the showroom is always a treat anyway. They have some very nice Blenheims in stock at the moment, including the first 3s which I have driven and it is a rocketship in A1 nick. |
Dear Brian,
I wish you the best of luck in making your decisions... I have to second lansdownplace's comment about BOC, AND about going to Kensington High Street, and to consider very, very seriously dealing with them. It's what I did, with never a regret, about two years ago...and ended up bringing a '79 603 into the US. Had I been able to work it out, I would have preferred a newer model, but from our import rules, couldn't have done so. You can see my car here in the albums, all work done by Bristol, after working with Toby Silverton of Bristol. Third album down: Bristols Seen and Owners Met, elaborated upon in BOC Bulletin #137. I can also send you the article if you'd like. |
Many thanks to both of you for such prompt replies and that Kentucky Red really does look gorgeous and I look forward to reading more about it. I have applied to join the BOC and will certainly visit Kensington High Street when I am back in the UK in early March.
The 3S certainly looks the sort of car in which I would be interested, though I will be in a better position to buy a car in the second half of the year. I will keep you informed of my progress and thanks again, it was good to hear from you. BR Brian |
Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long amition
Hi, Brian - small world, isn't it :)
After Morgans, you will find a S3 a very different car, I remember complaining to Brian Marelli (of Bristol Car Services in Chiswick) that the suspension of my Brigand was still a bit too soft to my liking, and he responded "But, Sir, you came here in a Morgan. After that, *anything* will feel soft! Bristols do have their share of "They all do that, Sir", but as long as you are willing to pay, the Chiswick team will sort it out. Julf |
Hmmm - if I had the money, a 411 S6 for me. Modern mechanics with, to my eyes, the most handsome bodyshape.
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Hi Julf,
Yes isn't it, I'd forgotten that you have a Bristol in your collection! Don't forget that the suspension in the Aero range is much more forgiving than the original on the trads, and is certainly much more comfortable than the 911 that we have, so I'm sure we can coe to terms with the ride in a Bristol. Thanks for the advice about Chiswick, it seems that a Kensington car is the way to go. I will make an appointment for early March and see how I get on. I look forward to joining the club of Bristol owners. BR Brian |
That could be an option jimfoz, but I do quite like the style of the Blenheim - it's a handsome car I think.
Brian |
Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long ambition
A good used Blenheim from Bristol Cars direct is difficult to beat
as they mostly seem to have very very low milage and the depreciation during ownership is negligible if present at all if you maintain it well. The price seems to be dictated by condition not age. The series six option is available on the earlier v8s, the 603s and 412s as well so you can have absolutely anything you want, You could go the whole hog you could buy a Blenheim to drive whilst waiting for your series 6 car, which a lot of people seem to do. I bought a 412 factory restoration package (with donor car included) when I went in to buy a Blenheim. Visiting Kensington is a bit like being a kid in a sweet shop unfortunately! Paul |
Small world Brian!
Still hunting a Bristol but got side tracked by a Gordon Keeble..... Bristol Owner's club worth joinging in my opinion |
Hi Roger
'Another' Mog refugee it seems! Did you buy a GK or where you just looking? A Bristol is a much better choice imho! As you suggest, I have already joined the club and am now just finalising the purchase of a Blenheim. :D Cheers Brian |
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That's the one Lou, ex Simon Draper's collection I believe? It is having a couple of things done to it by Bristol and then I pick it up on the 20th April 2010.
Cheers Brian P.S. Does anyone have any recommendations on insurance, as I'm having a pretty negative reaction so far from our usual insurers. |
Thanks for the advice Paul, ended up doing the same but bought the Blenheim 3S that they had in the showroom. Thanks to several others also for their advice off-group.
Best wishes Brian |
Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long ambition
I use Aon as recommended by the BOC.
They are now tied up with Footman James. A discount is supposidly offered to BOC members. They are contactable in the first instance on 0844 875 0579 Nick C. |
Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long ambition
Hi Brian,
I would strongly recommend A-Plan as Brokers who specialise in exotica. (Chris Bishop 01494 427900). They have covered my rebuilt 412 with Hiscox on an agreed valuation supplied by BCL (which I can tell you about off forum). The cover is with Hiscox and other than requiring a tracker because of the value they are very easy going. It is insured for business and pleasure with unlimited milage and repairs at BCL rather than Knock 'U' Out Body and Chop Shop where most insurers put you for repairs. I have had a heavily uprated new engine installed recently and they were happy with this and didn't load the premium. It is a little more expensive than Aon but in my experience you get what you pay for and the actual value for money is the same. The AON policy has a lot of small caveats. Hiscox are excellent insurers when it comes to payout time, which is when you need it. That particular Blenheim 3S is an absolutely fabulous car, I believe it is the first 3S.A very good buy indeed. Paul W. |
Congratulations, Brian!
Who did Draper use for insurance? They would already know the car. Knowing that a couple of Draper Bristols are pictured in Balfour's book, I looked, but this is not one of them. |
Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long am...
The proof of the pudding is when you come to claim. I have been with
Footman James which is now Anon and was unfortunate to have my car damaged by a third party. The first thing they did was to try and get me to sign up with a car hire company who wanted to charge 200 gbp a day for a hire car for me to drive, and also sign a finance agreement so that when you read the small print you are responsible for all the costs of the repair if the other side does not pay. But they say if it does go wrong the holding company will cover you, but there is nothing in writing to say this, and of course they are not involved unless something goes wrong. I would suggest that you insure with an insurance company direct that covers all aspects themselves and not to a broker that farms out the various covers to different organisations, this is what I will do next time. Bellerophon |
Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long am...
I agree with Bellerophon, and from experience. Most insurance companies are very active in trying to deny claims, particularly around non-disclosure and they all want to hammer costs down. Hiscox have an extremely good reputation on claims. The only good practical example I can give you is on my home insurance, when my son smashed a very expensive brand new flat screen TV playing Nintedo Wi Boxing (He thought the closer you stood the better the boxing). I rang Hiscox helpline and told them what had happened (honestly), they asked for the TV model number, looked up the retail price and the full replacement value less excess was in my bank account the following day.
On getting a replacement car to drive during repairs, be careful, they will reclaim some or all of the cost from you if you don't reclaim all the costs from the other side unless your policy explicitly states that you are covered for a like for like replacement car during repairs. Often they only specify 'a car' and you get a Corsa. On using brokers, the cost is the same whether you use one or go direct generally speaking. If you have a good broker they will help when there is a claim and do know what to do if it goes bent. You also get a second layer of protection as they are regulated by the FSA. Both the insurance company and the broker are required to 'Treat you Fairly' As Bristol are the best people to repair a Bristol, I wouldn't use anyone that didn't cover OM repairs. Hiscox policy is summarised here http://www.hiscox.co.uk/personal-and...tor-insurance/ but do use a Broker as you get more leverage. As I said in an earlier post, Chris Bishop of A-Plan is very good and they do shop around. I have used them for almost ten years. 01494 510 520. All in all you get what you pay for. Paul W. |
I have had exactly the same problem with SAGA concerning a claim on our day car. A company called Help-Hire supplied a car at £130 per day. The repair at their 'approved repairer' took two weeks longer than anticpated to prolong the hire. I would not enter into the agreement, and Help-Hire didn't realise that I hadn't signed. I told SAGA that my contract was with them and nobody else - they have never responded. RH Hoskin cover our other classics and with one claim in twelve years which was settled instantly with a repair which exceeded the value of the car. They also covered competitive regularity rallies on the continent and one in Iceland at no extra charge.
Richard Clarke |
Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long ambition
Not being a frequent contributor to this forum I feel I can add some value
now having just spent weeks trying to get insurance for my 411 s6 which has had a complete restoration. Having been turned down by footman james (after days of answering their detailed questions) I finally found www.norton-ib.co.uk to be the lowest cost and best service. Naturally, you usually get what you pay for - but at the low price I am paying I almost thought they had made a mistake. John |
Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long am...
Help-Hire was the same company that Footman James tried to foist me onto,
and the hire people also specified the crash repairers which I was allowed to use, both of course I did not. The best advice before you renew your policy is to ask your insurer if they operate such a scheme and if they do go elsewhere, just hope this will not spread like a cancer in which case the motoring bodies need to become involved for in the end the hirers will make large amounts of money and the cost of insurance will increase for everyone. My regards, Bellerophon |
Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long am...
Oh dear. Helphire. I've had no pleasure in dealing with them recently, after claiming from Footman James to recover my excess after a crash that was not my fault. They sent me a form to fill out - after a year of correspondence, ignored my complaint letters to them (until I sent a private and confidential letter to the MD, and even that only solicited a sorry but so what reply), and even asked me.to contact the Polish driver I was claiming against because they couldn't understand his insurance. I will going elsewhere.for my insurance next time.
Regards Quentin Brooks |
Thanks everyone for all the information. I have started working down the list of contacts and these are some of the results.
Firstly, we tried the current insurers of our Morgan's - ClassicLine operated by Boncaster. They said the 3S was not 'old enough to qualify', strange (and disappointing) as the Morgan Aero's are 2008 and 2010 and the insurance cost at an agreed value of £130k each is £900 p.a. Next tried Norton, they said they do not insure cars with a value over £60k. We have had this response from them before, as they operate the Porsche Club insurance and would not insure our then new 911! In view of the unfavourable comments about Footman James/AON, I have not been in touch with them; as yet. A-Plan quoted £1,932 p.a., £1,500 excess and Tracker to be fitted, this is the rate for March which may go up in April. I then spoke to Hiscox and they said we should contact Finch Group Brokers, in Reading, being our nearest brokers. They quoted £1,857 p.a., with Tracker and £1,000 excess - reduced to £1,406 if we put all our vehicles with them, but how much will they charge for the Mog's? We are still awaiting quotes from Aviva (former Norwich Union) our previous car's insurers, who have changed their mind and said that they will now quote us. And Equity Direct - the owners of Boncaster, who are also willing to quote. Lastly, a kind owner of a Fighter has offered to get us a quote if we include our house insurance, etc. I must say I am surprised that it is so difficult to get a good quote for a Bristol, especially as we have not experienced this problem before with the cars that we have owned and we have a clean driving record. We will keep you advised of progress and also of the company that we finally choose for our insurance. Best Brian |
Newbie - Considering fulfilling a long am...
Brian, you have not tried the best yet! Have a look on the web at Hagerty
Classic Car Insurance who are based at Silverstone and only insure Classic cars including the most exotic makes. One of the best things is that if you have an accident they let you chose who you want to repair your car, that would be Bristol Cars if you so desire. Let us know how you get on. My regards, Bellerophon |
Many thanks Bellerophon, I have filled in the form on their site asking for a quote. I'll let you know how we get on.
Best regards Brian |
Well finally an end to my insurance search. Hagerty gave a good quote at GBP1,133.37, but have a strict limit on mileage of 3,000 miles which they would not negotiate upwards. As we will do probably 8/10,000 miles p.a. in the car this obviously did not work for us.
Finally settled with Chubb, GBP1,625.00 fully-comp, any driver, agreed value, specified repairer, Tracker required. Job done. Thanks to all who helped with advice, etc. Now pick the car up on the 20th April 2010. Best Brian |
Quote:
The first is firm; I will actually be at Kensington High Street on 14 May. I've never found a way to get UK coverage if I brought my car back over...Without a UK driving license, I can't get any insurance there, and as a non-Brit, I'm not elegible for the license. My US coverage isn't even good in Canada or Mexico, I"m told, not that I'm planning to go in either direction. My '79 603 can only be insured for what I paid Bristol Cars for it, US$39,300; the value of all upgrades is excluded. I have $500M liability, the same for Uninsured Motorist each person/each occurence; $10M personal unjury; and $500 deductible for damage I cause. This costs me US$1006 (L650?)annually currently. No driver restrictions. What's a tracker? Good work, Brian. |
Well we were due to fly back to the UK tomorrow en famille, but we got an email yesterday from Virgin Atlantic that the flight is cancelled. We have completely given up on our trip until the situation normalises, but we still need to get our daughter and granddaughters back as one starts back at school on the 20th April and the other on the 21st!
Looks like we won't meet up this time Lou! The actual policy has been sent to our UK address so once I read it I will confirm that it really is any driver and not just "any UK driver". It is an agreed value policy and in this case they are willing to accept Bristol's own invoice. Most insurance company's in the UK who do agreed value policies will accept a valuation, I have my AeroMax insured on this basis. Tracker is a GPS-based vehicle recovery system, I have had this one fitted, but there are other makes: TRACKER - Stolen Vehicle Recovery Products Best Brian |
It's too bad about the messed up travel. Kaye just came home from Barbados, but of course there are lots of folks down there in your situation, wanting to get home to the UK and other parts of Europe.
Good luck in your situation. We are crossing our fingers for our 12th May departure. I thought that might be what a tracker is. |
Luckily, we were able to get our daughter and grandkids on the first flight out, but I have now re-scheduled my UK trip to the 13th May and now finally pick the Blenheim up on the 14th May 2010. It has been a long wait and I'm sure the car will be worth it!
On insurance, I have checked with the broker about the 'any driver' cover and he says "it would indeed cover an American to drive, providing he was driving within the terms of the short term exemption foreign drivers get when visiting the UK. (I think they get 12 months before having to get a UK licence.)". If you, or anyone else, needs the contact details for the broker please PM me (you also have my email Lou) and I'll let you have his coordinates. I hope that your trip is still on schedule, maybe we'll meet in Kensington. Brian |
Although not yet confirmed, my plans are still to be at KHS the morning of the 14th May.
Failing an earlier email confirmation, I will phone next week. |
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