Auto Insurance Recommendations

Moved my insurance from Allstate to Geico; it dropped 30%.

 

If you belong to one of these credit unions:

http://www.geico.com/about/pm_creditUnions.htm

then you can get significant discounts on premiums



Chris[/url]

 

I was massively shocked when I called to get a quote for an '04 Prius from my current company (Amica).

Given that I was currently driving an 18-year old Civic (no collision insurance, just liability and yadda-yadda), I expected a HUGE increase in the premium.

Turns out -- not counting the collision insurance, the rates are actually cheaper for the Prius than for the ol' Civic. From what the agent said, this would have been true of many newer cars (that weren't out-and-out sports cars/mid-life-crisis-mobiles) -- just moreso with the Prius.

BTW, he said that there wasn't a discount for side airbag options; but that the engine immobilizer (which all Prii have) is a factor in the cheaper rates.

 

WOW - 3.49% up to 60 months looks outstanding

Chris

 

Allstate is charging me more for the Prius than the last car, and it is a more expensive car to be sure, but I don't think I'll be sticking with them unless I see a rate reduction come in the July renewal notice...

 

I am with State Farm, and have been for years. When I shopped around (for all my insurance, State Farm was less expensive). I did check with AIS, but the did not save me any money.

The Prius came to $484 for 6 months with $1000 deductible (self insuring to some extent) and something like 100/300 for liability.

The agent said that the Prius was similar in cost to other cars of similar size/price. She said people who buy luxury cars have much higher premiums (things like Lexus).

Location is Southern California, just outside of LA.

High traffic vehicle, which also makes a difference.

 

i own a new york insurance agency that goes back to 1892. we represent 15 companies. the bottom line these days is you have to shop. and no one company is lowest for everybody. credit score plays a big part, so does age, and so on. and in some states they are allowed to count things that would be illegal in others... it's a mess, but like everything else, you have to be an educated consumer

 

I have insurance for my Prius with Allstate and they offered me a new policy which will replace the full new value of the car [not the depreciated value]if it is totaled. It also provides tow service, but I already am an AAA devotee.
This is a great offer for me as I also have a new Dodge Ram 1500 on the policy as well as homeowners insurance. Which gives me multi discounts. Like the post previously said, it depends on you ,age , state etc......
But, the full value replacement is an offer hard to resist.

 

There are two important factors with insurance:

1. What will they charge you.

2. Will they pay you if there's a claim, and how hard will they make it for you.

Lots of cheaper insurance companies make up the difference by not paying, paying less, or making you jump through hoops to collect.

I use State Farm because they've always been great with me. There's never any question about claims. Take it to the adjuster for a few pics, take it to two (or more if I want) body shops for quotes, and then I pay the deductible directly to the shop, and State Farm pays them the rest.

I would not trust an insurance company that offered to charge me less because I'd never know if they would really pay, or if they'd always be searching for a loophole to get out of it.

 

Just to support this statement: a number of years ago, more than 10, I was insured with 20th century (now 21st century) because they were very inexpensive. Some one totaled my 9 month old Honda Civic exiting from a parking lot.

Although i made a claim against the other party's insurance, I asked 20th century to provide a value on my car. Result?

Other Insurer (AAA) - $8000 plus 600 salvage on my wrecked car.
20th centurey - $6000.

I also feel more comfortable using State Farm because of my service experience with them for claims on my home, and vehicles.