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Thread: Car Insurance

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    Featured Member tRoUbLeMaKeR's Avatar
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    WWW Car Insurance

    Hey Everyone!!

    I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a good car insurance company... as well as any I should avoid.
    When I first moved I bought the cheapest I could find which was with Esurance. But I'm worried about their history and ability to be there for me if I am in an auto accident. Now Proggressive is offering me a better price. Does anyone have any opinions on Progressive?

    Any comments or recommendations would be great! My insurance expires on Saturday so i want to figure this out soon!
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  2. #2
    God/dess Emily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    I've had Progressive for 5 years. I keep checking for something lower, but they seem to give me the best rate every time.

    They are good. The one time I was in an accident, they were very professional and helpful. They called me, took my version of the story, and gave the other party their check. My insurance premium went up, of course, but it came back down three years later.

    I have a question about car insurance though....is full tort worth it? I keep hearing different opinions on this.

  3. #3
    Featured Member GnBeret's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    Quote Originally Posted by Emily
    I have a question about car insurance though....is full tort worth it? I keep hearing different opinions on this.
    Not sure what you mean by "full tort" - same as "full coverage"?

    When you buy auto insurance, you're buying (or can buy) three basic components (although there are sub-components under certain coverages): (1) coverage for losses (both casualty and theft); (2) obligation to defend; and (3) if you choose to buy it, coverage for losses caused by others who either are not insured or are undersinsured ("UM"). Most States require you to carry a minimum of 10/20 liability. How much you should carry above that depends upon how vulnerable you are to a judgment, i.e., if you own a $300K house, you should have a higher amount of insurance so that if you're hit with a large judgment the insurance will cover it - 'cause if the insurance won't cover the judgment, everything you own is susceptible to seizure to satisfy the judgment.

    For the most part, higher insurance numbers are worth it, 'cause they come cheap. For example, increasing coverage from 100/300 to 300/500 will usually cost less than $100 - 'cause they get hit for amounts in excess of $300 so rarely that they can insure you for the higher amounts for much cheaper. The hidden value of a higher amount is in the cost of defense - until the Plaintiff exceeds value of policy, insurance company has to defend you... and that can represent a great deal of money given what defense attorneys charge. Also, UM is well worth the money, 'cause is insurance for YOUR losses where other party who's at fault has low/no coverage and you have large losses.
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    God/dess Emily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    No, full tort is not the same as full coverage. it's insurance on YOU, not the car...like for medical bills, lost work because of minor injuries and pain and suffering.

    I have full coverage...I have to, but I have limited tort....which only pays for "major injuries" and even then it's limited.

    edit: after searching on the net, I realize this is a Pennsylvania thing.....but I still wonder. I think I might be screwing myself over if I get in an accident which injurs me.
    Last edited by Emily; 11-17-2004 at 03:36 PM.

  5. #5
    Featured Member GnBeret's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    Quote Originally Posted by Emily
    No, full tort is not the same as full coverage. it's insurance on YOU, not the car...like for medical bills, lost work because of minor injuries and pain and suffering.

    I have full coverage...I have to, but I have limited tort....which only pays for "major injuries" and even then it's limited.

    edit: after searching on the net, I realize this is a Pennsylvania thing.....but I still wonder. I think I might be screwing myself over if I get in an accident which injurs me.
    OK, gotcha now - but as it's a Penn thing and I'm not familiar with it, can't really help you with your question. Sorry.
    "That's your answer Old Man? I guess you're a Hard Case too...."
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    If there's one thing in my life these years have taught me,
    it's that you can always see it coming, but you can never stop it.
    -Cowboy Junkies

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    God/dess AinNY's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    I just recently went through searching for the best price on insurance.

    For me Gieco was the best....this is on my 93 Grand Cherokee. Much cheaper than Progressive.

    For my 88 BMW M3 i have a special collectable sports car insurance that is VERY cheap...but limits me to around 5k miles a year....i barely drive it more than 2-3k/year miles anyway.

    Check with Gieco.

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    Featured Member tRoUbLeMaKeR's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    I used to have Geico (back in Hawaii) but once I moved to maryland the quote they gave me was much higher than what I was paying in Hawaii. I think Geico wanted to charge me more than Esurance did...
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    may I ask what kind of car?

    If your car is old and isnt worth much...you dont need collision/fire/theft on it, just liability...i dont have it on my jeep.

  9. #9
    Featured Member tRoUbLeMaKeR's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    um I have a 1998 Eclipse GS. Nothing real special about it ....yet
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    God/dess AinNY's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    Quote Originally Posted by tRoUbLeMaKeR
    um I have a 1998 Eclipse GS. Nothing real special about it ....yet
    OOHHH....DSM huh...so you're going to mod it? My wallet regrets the day i started modding my car


    Sort of a sports car.... that makes the insurance rough and youre under 25...and youre going ot need full coverage. Hmmm....if you can get a lower price than progressive or gieco I'd jump on it. Just mke sure you get enough total coverage for liability.

  11. #11
    Featured Member tRoUbLeMaKeR's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    I wasn't going to get full coverage. Just what I needed. What exactly is full coverage? My dollar amounts for the coverages are low. 25/50 mostly.
    I'm hoping to just modify my car a bit. But I'm not sure when that will happen! ;p
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    God/dess AinNY's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    i went with 50/100 just to be safe...25/50 was a little low for me.

    Full coverage meant...liability/collision/fire/theft/water/etc....i only got liability on my jeep b/c its not worth much more then the deductable.

    If you need any help with what mods to go with...let me know...dont get all Fast and Furious on me

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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    Wawanesa is really great! I first heard about it from my cousin's BF who works in a collision center for Lexus. He said they're always great to work with when it comes to paying for peoples claims in the event of an accident. My boyfriend just switched from Eastwood insurance and his fees went from 200+ a month to around $83. He also has better coverage and a lower deductable. The only downside was it was about a week from when he called to when he recieved his quote in the mail. I think they're based in Canada, so you are covered in both the U.S. and Canada. www.wawanesa.com/insure_index.asp

  14. #14
    Rebuildme
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    I like Progressive, I really like their complimentary roadside assistance (free pop-a-lock service...I locked my keys in my car 3 times in two months...

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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    When choosing a car insurer it matters a lot how you use your car i.e. what sort of circumstances you're likely to be in if/when an accident occurs. Since I'm on the road so much it's highly likely that when the day comes that I need an insurance adjuster it will be in a different state far from home. For this reason I pay a little extra for insurance with a 'premium' underwriter - in my case State Farm. This way the State Farm agent can take care of dealing with the 'local' collision services and garages to get my car fixed, while I can still concentrate on dancing (versus getting ripped off by 'locals' and spending a fortune on taxi's and rental cars running around to deal with these matters myself) !

    Obviously, if you live and work in the same city all the time, if you have friends and family nearby from whom you can bum rides or borrow a car, and if the collision service and garage who will wind up handling your car know that you are a 'local', you won't need the hand-holding of a "premium" underwriter !

  16. #16
    AudreyLeigh
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    I will never use state farm again. I totaled my 88 Acura when i was 16. In stead of totaling it out they tried to "fix" it. They racked up over $10,000 bill trying to "fix" it. It STILL needed a new tranny. They then proceed to say that they will not be putting the new transmission in. Needless to say... instead of giving us the $9000 it was worth they wasted $10000 and we ended up getting rif of it for $5000 needing a tranny...

    We were later involved in a huge civil suit against them for this same thing happening to others... I dont know how much my parents got. BUT thanks to that stupid insurance company my parents bought me a stupid 88 Nissan Sentra piece of crap... damn them... from a red, v-6 with leather to a piece of crap.. I hate them

    ~Audrey

  17. #17
    Featured Member GnBeret's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    Quote Originally Posted by tRoUbLeMaKeR
    I wasn't going to get full coverage. Just what I needed. What exactly is full coverage? My dollar amounts for the coverages are low. 25/50 mostly.
    Bear in mind that "just what I needed" involves two separate issues: (1) what's your car worth; and (2) what're YOU worth. People tend to largely focus of issue no. 1, as they don't want to pay high premiums to cover a car that's just not worth that much. However, the better method of determining what you actually need is to examine issue no. 2 first: 'cause if you're a homeowner and/or otherwise have significant assets that can be seized or wages that can be garnished, you need the higher covereage amounts - and if your car isn't worth insuring at those levels use high deductible amounts to reduce the costs as much as possible from there.
    "That's your answer Old Man? I guess you're a Hard Case too...."
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    "Some men, you just can't reach...."
    - Boss, re Luke

    If there's one thing in my life these years have taught me,
    it's that you can always see it coming, but you can never stop it.
    -Cowboy Junkies

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    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car Insurance

    However, the better method of determining what you actually need is to examine issue no. 2 first: 'cause if you're a homeowner and/or otherwise have significant assets that can be seized or wages that can be garnished, you need the higher covereage amounts - and if your car isn't worth insuring at those levels use high deductible amounts to reduce the costs as much as possible from there.
    Yup, this is exactly my situation. The value of my car (even though it's not yet a year old) is really a secondary concern compared to a potential civil damages suit should someone be injured as a result of my accident retain some ambulance chaser to try and rake me for 1/4 million dollars worth of pain and suffering.

    Also to be honest, State Farm and other 'upscale' insurance companies treat customers with 100/300 coverage much differently than minimum coverage customers, simply because the insurance company itself has much more to lose !

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