Which Volvo is best for a 17 year old

[Aubergine S70]

Hello, my son soon will be starting to drive and he wants a classic volvo, which is strange for a 17 year old as his friends all want corsa's and Fiesta's. He likes a lot of old Volvo's from 740 to V70 and 850. We're looking in to this but what would be best for a young driver if he had to choose a Volvo and which car would be cheapest to insure as this is the biggest breaking point.
Thanks

[AllHailKingVolvo]

My ‘91 740 2.0 non-turbo Estate is the cheapest car to insure I’ve ever owned. I’m 36 and a working musician (something which usually socks up premiums due to high miles and the presumption that we’re all drug bins/boozehounds!) and I pay £216 a year. Not sure if there are cheaper Volvos to insure but I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by how cheap the cover is on them. My 940 2.3 LPT was only £280 a year to insure too, despite being turbocharged.

A 740 saloon would be a cool car for a 17yr old, the aggressive styling would have really appealed to 17yr old me...and 36yr old me!

[aardvarkash10]

These two. Seriously.

In 20 years time, carbon-fueled vehicles and possibly thre private motor vehicle are going to be rapidly fading dinosaurs.

Regardless of the type of car, a private vehicle is a $5k/yr hole in the road. Do you really want to lead your kid down that path?

[Triple-S]

A friends bought his 17 year old son a basic 1400cc Volvo 340, which he passed his test in, due crippling insurance otherwise. During summer he changed its appearance so as to be acceptable to his mates. When I saw it at a show in August it was certainly that....

P

[AllHailKingVolvo]

Originally Posted by aardvarkash10

These two. Seriously.

In 20 years time, carbon-fueled vehicles and possibly thre private motor vehicle are going to be rapidly fading dinosaurs.

Regardless of the type of car, a private vehicle is a $5k/yr hole in the road. Do you really want to lead your kid down that path?

It’ll cost him a fortune to insure and run that bus, but he’ll be very popular when his mates want a lift! 😂

[Aubergine S70]

Would a 240 be cheap to insure?

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Aubergine S70

Would a 240 be cheap to insure?

maybe but not on fuel !

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Aubergine S70

Hello, my son soon will be starting to drive and he wants a classic volvo, which is strange for a 17 year old as his friends all want corsa's and Fiesta's. He likes a lot of old Volvo's from 740 to V70 and 850. We're looking in to this but what would be best for a young driver if he had to choose a Volvo and which car would be cheapest to insure as this is the biggest breaking point.
Thanks

a 340 would be the car or a 400 if you can find one . ....

[aardvarkash10]

since my earlier comment might be construed as flippant, here's my checklist for a teenage boy's first car:

1 - no back seat
2 - ABS
3 - Traction control - locked on
4 - airbags
5 - tracking device
6 - automatic

The list is in descending order of priority. Manufacturer immaterial.

[Laird Scooby]

Get a few quotes on various different models, you may well be surprised! Chances are a 740 or even a 940 with a n/asp B200 or even B230 will probably be the cheapest to insure and a lot more reliable than a 340/440. That said if you can find a 360GLS (carb rather than injection) it will give good performance and economy while being reliable and a lot more economical than a 340 with that 1.4 that gets pulled backwards by rice pudding skins!

Strange though it may seem, many insurers think the more sensible youngsters go for bigger cars that don't need all the "boy racer bling" on them to go well and won't be driven flat out because they go well enough without having to do that.
This was certainly my experience when i was 17, confirmed by my insurance broker at the time. Also experience and knowledge of others since has confirmed the same. A few years back on another forum i'm on, there was a 17 y/o member with a top of the range model with the biggest engine (2.7 V6 24 valve) and he was paying £2k a year insurance. All his mates with Clios, Corsas, Fiestas, Saxos etc were paying £3k+++ so he was saving £20-£0 a week just on insurance.

Also consider running costs. I had a 144 DL auto when i was 17 that i managed to get 32mpg out of. My mate had an 850 Mini that he struggled to get 30mpg out of and was forever renewing tyres, wheel bearings, brake linings etc.
We worked it out one night, he had spent more just on tyres for his Mini than i had spent on tyres, petrol, spare parts (points, condensor, filters etc) and road tax on my 144 in a 6 month period.
He then had his road tax, petrol etc on top! That was in the days when the tax for an 850cc Mini was the same as for a 6750cc Rolls-Royce and the same as the £55 i spent on taxing the 144 for 6 months.

I did 2-3 times as many miles as my mate so you know how many tyres he went through!

The words "false economy" come to mind!