Thursday, December 23, 2010
A clean conscience makes for a great job
The difference between a good job and a great job is all about how it makes you feel.
When this particular contestant was being put through the rigorous and, frankly, terrifying interview process, which sees the final five interrogated, vivisected and grilled by a number of Lord Sugar’s associates and henchmen, she explained her ambitions in terms of wanting to “move on” from cleaning to something “better”.
I was moved by the way one of the interviewers told her that she needn’t think of herself as “running a cleaning company”. Why not instead, he said, think of herself as a managing director?
I was talking about this with colleagues recently. We all agreed that our jobs are great because we’re committed to doing something that makes people happy: allowing them to save money on their car insurance for young drivers.
Yeah, some jobs seem great, they might make you a quick buck, but unless they make you feel good about what you’re doing, chances are they’ll have pretty low mileage.
Image © Steve Greer via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Monday, December 20, 2010
James Bond dreams crushed. Just don’t go bananas, Herbie
My nephew is one lucky boy. He’s just turned 18 and he’s been bought his first car.Like many a lad of his age he’s spent much of the past five years dreaming of freedom and the open road. He’s also spent a great deal of time fantasising about the vehicle he’ll be road-tripping in.
Top of his list was a James Bond-style Aston Martin, or a Hummer H2. But, failing that, he admitted to my sister that he was prepared to settle for something cheaper.
“Like what?” she asked him.
“Oh, you know – something simple.” He replied. He then went on to compile a list of “budget” supercars such as the Nissan GT-R, Mitsubishi Evo or Subaru WRX.
The problem with this, I pointed out, like the most annoying of uncles, is that the vehicle may be “budget” but the insurance won’t be. In fact, as a young driver, even with low mileage cover, the cheapest car insurance he’d find for one of these vehicles is likely to easily reach a four-figure sum.
Actually, this bit of information proved to be irresistible to my sister. In the year leading up to his birthday, whenever my nephew misbehaved, my sister threatened to buy him the GT-R of his dreams, knowing full well that it would prove impossible to insure and just sit in the garage cruelly mocking him.
The car he got? A classic Herbie-style VW Beetle – the lucky lad.
Image © RUD66 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: car insurance for young drivers, insurance, low mileage cover
Friday, December 17, 2010
Taking to the skies, before your voice breaks
If you think that young driver insurance is expensive, you should try getting a quote for young flyer insurance.
Every year here in Britain, a handful of young people will qualify for their pilot’s licenses before they’re even old enough to be eligible to drive.
Perhaps I’m being presumptuous, but with the cost of flying lessons, including the requisite 45 hours flying time, typically exceeding £15,000, my guess is that most young pilots will not typically come from a section of society that has to worry too much about finding the cheapest cover.
In a way, it’s baffling that aviator’s insurance should be so expensive. We’re always being told that it’s safer to fly than it is to cross the road, and the chances of suffering a rear-end, whiplash-inducing collision are very low.
But from another perspective it is easier to understand the cost. Any passengers a young pilot takes up for a flight are likely, by association, to come from the jet set. Furthermore, once you’re several thousand feet up in the air, chances are that if your plane falls out the sky and lands on something, you’re going to do a fair amount of costly damage.
Then you must also consider the kinds of people who are likely to be mulling around a private airport. Bump into a millionaire and you could easily find yourself liable for a multi-million pound payout. And that’s not to mention the probable vehicles. Can you imagine how painful it would feel taxiing into a Ferrari, Bentley or Aston Martin, knowing that you don’t have the liability insurance to cover the damage?
Perhaps I’m being presumptuous, but with the cost of flying lessons, including the requisite 45 hours flying time, typically exceeding £15,000, my guess is that most young pilots will not typically come from a section of society that has to worry too much about finding the cheapest cover.
In a way, it’s baffling that aviator’s insurance should be so expensive. We’re always being told that it’s safer to fly than it is to cross the road, and the chances of suffering a rear-end, whiplash-inducing collision are very low.
But from another perspective it is easier to understand the cost. Any passengers a young pilot takes up for a flight are likely, by association, to come from the jet set. Furthermore, once you’re several thousand feet up in the air, chances are that if your plane falls out the sky and lands on something, you’re going to do a fair amount of costly damage.
Then you must also consider the kinds of people who are likely to be mulling around a private airport. Bump into a millionaire and you could easily find yourself liable for a multi-million pound payout. And that’s not to mention the probable vehicles. Can you imagine how painful it would feel taxiing into a Ferrari, Bentley or Aston Martin, knowing that you don’t have the liability insurance to cover the damage?
Image © Molechaser via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: young driver insurance
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Popemobile car insurance for young drivers
At 83-years-old, the present Pope, Benedict XVI, is unlikely to ever go on a Googling mission for “popemobile car insurance for young drivers”.
Back to the present and, according to various reports, the current pontiff has expressed a wish to convert the famous popemobile to a more environmentally friendly, solar-powered electric engine.
Apparently, solar panels were installed on the roof of the Vatican's main auditorium in 2008, and a solar cooling unit has been installed in its main cafeteria. Both features have won awards.
Although the usual travelling speed of the popemobile is little more than a walking pace, concerns have been voiced about the acceleration capabilities of an electrically powered vehicle should a security scare ever be experienced by the Pope and his entourage.
However, the marketing chief of the solar power firm charged (pardon the pun) with researching the possibility of such a vehicle has refuted this claim.
"It's really no problem," he said, noting that electric cars can go from 0-100 kph in three seconds.
Image © kltkellick via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: car insurance for young drivers
Friday, December 3, 2010
What to give your car this Christmas
Hey, what's good for a car with cold feet this Christmas?
How about a pair of snow socks?
Well, there's a product on the market which is designed to help cars get a good grip on snow and ice, and (so the advertising blurb says) is an easy-to-fit alternative to snow chains.
The textile 'socks' slip over the drive wheels and the hi-tech fabric provides grip on icy roads. They can be used whenever they are needed and can easily be left in the car boot for quick-fitting whenever the weather turns icy.I've checked on the internet and some sellers have a few pairs left, but it seems like they're selling out fast.
So, my dear little car, I hope you don't read this, because I will have spoiled the surprise - Yes, there's a pair of nice grippy socks under the Christmas tree, just for you.
Image © AMagill via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence