I'll try to keep this short and to the point. I'm about to get my first car at 18 after driving my Dad's truck for years. As an 18 year old male college student, I realize that insurance companies definitely don't like sports cars and bump up the prices accordingly; however, the 350z is in my price range, I'm just wondering whether the insurance will be doable. My parents have agreed to help me out with buying the car and paying for insurance; but they have made it very clear that they will not pay for ridiculous insurance rates. I'm not looking for numbers because those are almost impossible to determine without calling the insurance company (which is not exactly an option at this point because...well, let's be honest, my parents are sick of hearing about the incredible car that is the Nissan 350z). So basically what I'm asking is will the age of the car make a difference. If I compare the insurance rates of a 2003 Z to a comparatively priced 2009 Civic EX, will the sports car factor still ruin my insurance? Or will the age of the car bring it down a bit?

 

Oh man, first post in

Time for some win.... annndddd.... GO

 

05 35th anniversary model 350z Is what I have and I pay my insurance twice a year so overall its a bit less but every 6 months is around $600 with no tickets or accidents, and the student discount from State Farm.

 

Oh, yeah...I forgot to say that my insurance is Progressive. The 600 is definitely reassuring, though, after hearing the insurance horror stories from friends that drive mustangs.

 

You don't need your parents to ask the insurance company for you dude, it's called a phone, use it. Tell them who the policyholder (one of your parents) is and that you are covered under their insurance policy. Ask them how much it would be if you were to buy the 350z in question.

 

It is 600 every 6months so a year is 1200 not sure if you caught that! But I also get a small discount because my mom and my winter car are covered along with our house by state farm.

 

I actually assumed that I wouldn't be able to get a quote for their account without their involvement...I will definitely check that out...at this point I'm just looking for a general idea as to whether anybody has noticed a considerable change in insurance cost with older cars. I've been using the Allstate Ballpark Insurance Estimate, but I decided that I should go to a 350z forum and just ask around to see what I could learn.

 

I did catch that...My cousin pays 300 a month for his mustang and he's 22...of course, he did do time for street racing...for some reason I feel like that may have contributed a bit.

 

yes it definitely did

 

If you are asking if YOU can afford the insurance, then no YOU can't, but your parents can. It's still a sports car and the insurance will not be nearly as cheap as a Honda Civic. Its a Z rated car to the insurance company and the prices show that. For decent coverage with a clean record It will cost your parents around 160/mo.

Edit: Honestly all you have to do is pick up the phone and get a quote.

 

It looks like that's what I will end up doing. Honestly, as much as I love the Z, there are plenty of other cars that I'd be happy with, I'm not planning on racing it, I just really like the idea of a Japanese car with some power behind it (in other words, NOT a civic). So I'm using all resources available to try to find loopholes that will allow me to drive a decent sports car.

 

Buy a used RSX.

 

I like the RSX, but from what I've been reading it seems that even it has high insurance if I get the Type-S (which is the only real option for a true sports car)

 

I'm glad our convincing helped you. You will not crash on thanksgiving afterall. Start with FWD, such as the Type S.

 

When I said "It looks like that's what I'll end up doing" I was referring to calling the insurance company. Also, I was under the impression that RWD cars were much easier to control than FWD?

 

Also, just to save time, I went to the progressive website and got quotes for various vehicles. Now, the numbers are not accurate since I will be on my parents' policy; however, I would think that they would work fine for comparison (you don't have to have exact number to realize that Car A has insurance similar to Car B, Car C has really high insurance rates, etc.) That being said, I was pleased to discover that, although the insurance is higher on the Z than on other cars, it was by a much smaller margin than I expected. Here were the quotes I received.

2003 350Z: 662
2009 Civic Sedan: 612
2004 F150: 581
2008 Colorado: 614

 

I'm trying to determine what is REALLY your question?
If you are set on buying a specific car,find a way to make it happen.
In the long run,the insurance over a year's time is not that big a deal.
Seems like you are more concerned about what the insurance costs than
the passion for the car.
Dude,you came to the wrong place.
Guys here love the Z.
We take no prisoners!

 

About DNash9
Location
Florida
Occupation
Student

OK cool. So where is the 350Z?

 

Allow me to clarify. I love the Z. I believe that it is an incredible car and would rather drive a custom Z than Porsche or Corvette any day. My problem is not that I am cheap or that I am not willing to sacrifice for the car. I'm a broke 18 year old headed to college to get a Master's Degree in Computer Engineering. I'm looking at 7 years of school...it's expensive. Thankfully, my parents have agreed to buy me a car. They also agreed to pay my insurance for the first few years as long as I keep my grades up. I am in the process of getting a job now; however, I couldn't afford a 300ZX with the money I'll be making at whatever local fast-food joint that happens to hire me. I'm not a kid that watched Fast and Furious and decided to start street racing...I love the Z, and am doing everything I can to get my hands on one, because I'm a teenage guy and that's my dream first car. I don't profess to be the most knowledgeable or most passionate about cars...all I can say is that I love that car, and that I'm doing everything in my power to get my hands on one...can you blame me?

 

@DavidV Definitely still gonna push for the Z, but I keep looking up rates because it's definitely nice to have a backup plan. Nothing I'd like more than to have a 350Z, but if my first car is a 3000GT or a turbo Eclipse, I definitely won't complain.