Car insurance question

18 years ago

DD needs to get insurance on her van and has been receiving various information trying to entice her to take their offerings from quite a few companies.

She wants to know what companies are good, which are not so good, etc. If you get a very good rate do they raise it the next year, even though you have never had a claim?

What about companies like AIG, Nationwide, etc. Any information will be greatly appreciated.

She is getting divorced and her soon to be ex called and told her he renewed the insurance on his truck and she would need to do the same on her van. He is the one initating the divorce and went to live with his sweetie in KC.

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Comments (10)

azzalea
18 years ago
It's really worth it to go through an insurance agent, rather than trying to do this on your own. An agent can crunch the numbers and figure out which insurance coverage is the best and most economical FOR HER. They can compare many different companies, and know what to suggest to lower your premiums, if possible.

No one company is the best or the lowest costing. And example. We have our auto policy through a fantastic company--very small, most people have never heard of it. They only insure really good drivers, and our rates are extremely low. I've checked over the years, an not even the really cheap, discount companies can come close for us. DD had her insurance with 'our' company, and a couple of years ago, decided she'd like to get a better rate. Called the agent and yep--she found dd a policy with another company that was even cheaper for her. We had them check our coverage with that new company? For us, our original company was still cheaper. There are a lot of variables that go into the rate you end up paying, so it is best to have a pro doing the comparison for you.

Also, with an agent, you've got someone to represent you if you do have a problem/claim down the road.

If she does choose to do the legwork herself, a couple of tips. Check with the state insurance commission--they can tell you who has the best rates, what companies have the most consumer complaints, etc. And then, once you find a company that sounds good--check to see if they are allowed to write policies in New York state--they have the most stringent insurance regulations, so usually, if a company meets their requirements, they're pretty solid.
trinitytx
18 years ago
I have used both state farm and allstate. I find that state farm will almost always beat the competition, and offer discounts for "good behavior"
I have had them for the last 15 years, on my car and house, and find them hassle free.

Trin
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Hello, I'm surprised you haven't gotten more responses to your thread. Perhaps its because yours is a rather unusual request, however if I were doing the same thing in England I guess I would have the same type questions. As to registering the car, yes you will need an address, in this case where ever you are going to live in Ark. When you get here, contact your state motor vehicle dept. for forms and exactly what you need to do. Also ask if your UK drivers license is ok to use here. The phone no. can be found in your local phone book. As to buying it, decide on what you want and then shop around till you get the best price. Vistech had good advice about insurance though any insurance company would be able to help in that area. Again call some local insurance agents for advice and be sure to shop for prices. To get more responses, ask what kind of car to buy, you'll probably get more responses than you really want. Good luck, have a plesant stay and don't forget to drive on the right side of the road. Later Skag
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With it in both names, any tickets or accidents can count against you, but again, insurance laws vary from state to state. Does he have it covered on his policy? Are you insured by the same company/agent? I sense that things aren't all that great if you expect problems on a possible pre-nup. When in doubt, CYA. I'd say get it into one name, whether that's yours or his, doesn't matter. You could ask for it as a birthday or Christmas present if it makes you feel more comfortable. Insuring two people could be more than insuring one. I'd expect it to be higher and with it in his name he has every right to drive it. You could call a different agent with the same company and talk to them but the pragmatic side of me says you are taking some unnecessary risks and if you want to continue, you should at least insure yourself. With the hesitation and fear of going for the juggler, does he have a bad driving record or something? Again, states vary, but here you could have an issue with your insurance if they find out it's in both names and only one insured. Here, I for instance will be covered by my insurance on anyone's car I drive and anyone is covered on mine. But they're also very fussy about disclosure. I bought a new(er) vehicle and parked it. I decided to put comprehensive on it after a couple months and they got all bent out of shape because I didn't tell them immediately. They figure if you don't tell them, you're hiding something. This kind of ticked me off since I wasn't driving it (it was garage and not used), but apparently there's something in the policy that I have to tell them if I buy a vehicle, whether or not I insure it. They also figure if you have a vehicle, you drive it and if there's other drivers in the house you have to let them know, whether or not they're allowed to drive the vehicle. Sub-25ers especially. It sounds like you have multiple vehicles. Depending on your ages, driving records, insurance and such, you could have enough discounts that the difference, if any wouldn't be much. The other option if you really don't want to talk to your agent is to read your policy and see what it says in there about it. Good luck.
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kayjones
18 years ago
I have Allstate for everything, and have had no problems.
ritamay91710
18 years ago
We have Wawanesa both for our vehicles and our house.
When shopping around, make sure to ask or read what is in the policy in regards to aftermarket parts. Some of these cheaper ins. companies make you use aftermarket parts.
Good luck.
katlan
18 years ago
We have Progressive. So does our son. I went to their website, typed in all the info, got a quote, then went through my agent for the policy. They give a great discount if you pay in full as opposed to paying over 6 months. Our discount last policy period was $231.

Katlan
User
18 years ago
I use Geico, they have the lowest rates of all I have called, and in the 2+ years I've used them I have never had a problem.
kframe19
18 years ago
I have Erie insurance. It might not be available where your daughter is, but I love mine.
lilliepad
18 years ago
I have Progressive.Went through an agent to get it.We have had it with Progressive for several years and have had no trouble and low premiums and have the convenience of paying online.We pay the premiums monthly but you can save quite a bit by paying all at once.They also give discounts for multiple vehicles.
pfllh
18 years ago
Is there a reason she does not want to stay with the company she's been covered under till now? If she has a home and it's insured with them, she may be able to get a discount for having home and auto with them. If no accidents or tickets within the timeframe a company looks at, she may qualify for a good driver discount.
Perhaps she can talk to friends and get their input for companies in her area. An insurance agency can go through several companies. An insurance company only uses their own company.
Her age, driving record, type of vehicle and how the vehicle is used will all effect her rate. Hope she finds a good company if she gets a new one.
Lynn
joyfulguy
18 years ago
Quite often when you see an ad for some salesperson selling insurance, you see a company logo in the ad.

That person is one who sells only that company's products - a tied agent.

Most folks prefer to deal with someone who's in a brokerage, who aren't tied to one company, but can shop the market for you.

Actually, those with years of experience usually know more or less which company/-ies to approach seeking a quote for a potential client who has certain characteristics.

Have her ask around among her friends ... especially among some who have had claims, for some companies get quite unfriendly when one makes a claim.

Some allow one claim or even more, especially if it's not an at-fault one, without jacking the subsequent rates sky-high. If some of those friends have made claims, their experience through all of that would be useful

How long does she have before her current policy lapses?

Make sure to get a new one in place beginning right after that date.

Does she have email addresses of a number of friends?

Maybe send a message out to them asking for their experiences.

ole joyful

Car insurance question

Comments (10)

azzalea

trinitytx

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