08/08/2026
My faithful Corsa has just hit 150,000 miles and it runs as good as the day I bought it. The secret is regular servicing with oil changes 4 times a year.
A few days back, somebody asked me why I don't change the car?
That's a fair question, and here's why.
Most of my clients are 17-22. When those people pass their test and buy their first car, it's going to be something very simple and reasonable to insure.
Typically, a Corsa, Fiesta, Polo, somewhere around 15 years old. Not all, but most of the time.
Those cars won't have lane assist, park assist, front and rear cameras, 15 inch touch screen, blind spot sensors and all those other lovely gadgets typically found on a current model car.
So, for example, someone can learn to drive making use of those cameras for parking, but what happens when they get into their own vehicle, which doesn't have the technology?
My view is teach people to drive in the type of vehicle they will typically own once they pass their test. Something simple.
Teach the old school methods of using your eyes, ears, and good judgement. Understand how to keep a car in the centre of a lane without something on the dashboard prompting you.
Get the idea?
So yes, I could pop out this afternoon and come back with something shiny and new, packed with gadgets.
Personally, though, I think the teaching process loses something important when we over rely on technology.
It's a little bit like not bothering to learn how to do addition, subtraction and multiplication in your head because you've got a calculator on your phone.
Or remembering your important phone numbers by heart, because they're on your phone.
That's fine until your phone fails or you lose it.
I'm old school and happy with that. It works, and for the present, I see no reason to change.
