kriste: Robots (Default)

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posted by [personal profile] kriste at 10:12am on 23/06/2004
Insurance for me seemed easier, except for the bit about actually finding a company to insure me. This is provided, of course, that you are willing to part with something like 1/10 th the cost of your car (no kidding). Otoh, I got the car first (maybe this helps?). On ringing most companies though, when you answer that you have not been in the country for more than 3 years, you get a rather poor, sorry we can't insure you, or in the case of Direct Line (one of the major insurers if you believe the ads), the hung up on me. I was disappointed (but unsurprised) that none appeared to take into account the fact that Australians abide by the same road rules, complete with driving on the left.
In the end, I got my insurance through AA, and they seem ok, though I am sure I am still paying more for my insurance than most other people (on account of being a nasty foreigner). And car insurance was much easier than trying to get a mortgage. In the end I just gave up on that (pity, because I would have quadrupled my investment as I lived here by now).
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Yup, sounds about right ...

posted by [identity profile] davidcook.livejournal.com at 04:48pm on 23/06/2004
That sounds pretty much like our experience, including the 1/10th figure (ow). In our case, though, the car dealer wanted a "certificate of insurance", apparently they don't sell to people without insurance. Lovely little almost-Catch-22 there, since the insurance is based partly on what sort of car you have.

(now we're hitting loan-getting hurdles, ai ya !)

(still to do : Sign up with NHS, find private medical insurance (I guess we'll want it), and house contents insurance. Oh, the fun.)
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kriste: Robots (Default)

(no subject)

posted by [personal profile] kriste at 01:22am on 24/06/2004
Actually I needed the certificate before I could take the car away, but they were quite happy to take my money in advance.

The loan was actually one of the easiest, but now the bank regulations are tightning to strangulation level (I tried to open an account to deal with rent as soon as we had secured the new flat - I still need to obtain more paperwork for them a month later as they have rejected most of the seven bits I've already sent).

Private health insurance is not really necessary from what I've found but you'll be extremely lucky to get an NHS dentist (but if you do it's quite good).
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