Questions to ask when shopping for Auto Insurance

TripleAAA

Golden Member
Jul 7, 2002
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Until recently, I've been on my parents' auto insurance and now I will be shopping for my own. I recently turned 26, will be in grad school, and have an excellent driving record/history. I will be relocating to Kentucky and I know insurance policies can vary significantly froms state to state. My credit is also excellent.

I've seen the commercials for All State offering discounts, "new car" replacement, good driver discounts, etc but I'm sure they are making their money some way or another.

What are some good options to have in your policy that even though you may pay more for, might be worth it? Do most insurance companies typically provide money for a rental car should you get in an accident an be without a vehicle?

Any input, experiences, recommendations, would be appreciated.
 

FeuerFrei

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2005
9,144
929
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Allstate offers "accident forgiveness" where if your involved in an accident your rates don't change. I use Allstate.
 
L

Lola

first off... its Allstate (one word, sorry... :D )
second, the Your Choice Auto plan is just part of the policy you can add on. In many instances it is only a few dollars more each month, and i think it is worth it. I have it on our policy.

questions to ask:
What type of medical pay (or MedPay) is on this policy?
Do you rerun credit every renewal? Will that make my rates go up?
How often do you run MVR's (motor vehicle reports)
How much of a disount do you give your insuring your home and auto together?
Do you do annual reviews with your customers?
Do you make cuoursity calls for people going into cancellation (in case you forget to pay?)
How much do you need to start the policy?
What kinds of collision deductibles to you offer?
 

jrphoenix

Golden Member
Feb 29, 2004
1,295
2
81
Originally posted by: TripleAAA
Until recently, I've been on my parents' auto insurance and now I will be shopping for my own. I recently turned 26, will be in grad school, and have an excellent driving record/history. I will be relocating to Kentucky and I know insurance policies can vary significantly froms state to state. My credit is also excellent.

I've seen the commercials for All State offering discounts, "new car" replacement, good driver discounts, etc but I'm sure they are making their money some way or another.

What are some good options to have in your policy that even though you may pay more for, might be worth it? Do most insurance companies typically provide money for a rental car should you get in an accident an be without a vehicle?

Any input, experiences, recommendations, would be appreciated.


Hi Triple AAA (do you work for them?, they have auto insurance?).

With good credit you should get good rates at most companies. The cost for the "new car" and accident fogiveness makes the policies more expensive. Actuarily most companies can figure a cost for the different things (how many totals they have, how much do they pay on average, etc...).

Good options.... medical payments, uninsured motorist (underinsured in some state) coverage, ERS (if you don't have AAA), Good liability limits because people love to sue.

Give State Farm a try...
 

jagec

Lifer
Apr 30, 2004
24,442
6
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I have State Farm, they've been pretty good to me. I had to file a claim when someone broke into my car and stole the stereo, and it was pretty quick and painless.

Other people have mentioned some details, so what I'll leave you with is that, while Collision may not be worth the cost..Comprehensive almost ALWAYS is. It'll cover things like your car getting stolen, or your windshield getting cracked on the freeway, or all sorts of stuff you have no control over. It might be worth looking at Uninsured/underinsured as well.

I don't totally understand Collision, myself. It seems that you don't need it unless you plan on getting into a whole bunch of at-fault accidents, or you have a nice car and don't think the other persons' liability will cover everything.
 

KK

Lifer
Jan 2, 2001
15,903
4
81
What is the purpose of the medical payments if you already have good medical insurance?

I just signed up with Progressive, they were 200 dollars cheaper if I paid 6 monthes at a time. I was already paying 6 months at a time with my previous insurance company, so it was a no brainer for me. Hopefully if I need to use them, the claim dept will handle it alright.
 

TripleAAA

Golden Member
Jul 7, 2002
1,412
0
0
Yeah, I've heard good things about State Farm. I've been using Allstate for my home insurance and they've been pretty good the last couple years. I'll definitly look into both of them and maybe one other to compare.
 

TeeJay1952

Golden Member
May 28, 2004
1,532
191
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I think price is way over rated.
Service, responce time and ease of use are my key points.
I don't want to save 10% on my premiums only to have the claim part be difficult.