Reader’s question:

My daughter just got her license. Is it cheaper if add her to my policy?

Anna

Yes.

You can add her to your policy and you can actually save more if you do it that way. Even though your premiums will go higher, you will get more savings though if you add her to your premiums than getting her a separate policy. If she doesn’t use her car very often, you can have her listed as an occasional driver or a secondary driver.

You can save more also if your daughter has completed her graduated licensing or driving course because she can get a discount on this. You can also get a discount for about 40% if your child goes to college and the car stays at home. The school should be about more than a hundred miles away from your home.

Its best to inform your insurance company regarding your daughter as the new driver because if you dont, the insurance company will deny the claims in case your daughter gets involve in an accident.

Goodluck!

-MariCAR

Reader question:

My car was broken into the other night and the air bags were stolen! It was crazy. I mean, who steals air bags? What would you do with them? But the problem is that now I might get charged more for my comprehensive car insurance coverage, and I want to avoid this and protect my car. How?

Glen

Glad you asked, Glen.

Amazingly enough, over the past year almost a hundred thousand air bags were stolen out of people’s cars across the United States. It comes as a surprise to me, too. I assume they sell them, or recycle he fabric… I don’t really know, but whenever there are people out there who want to steal your things, it’s important to protect them. Most people only think about protecting the car itself, and might assume that the chances it gets stolen are slim, but there are so many options for thieves.

If you want to save on your comprehensive coverage, the best way to go is to get a car insurance theft device. You can get one installed on your vehicle, and not only will this protect your car, but it will also get you a discount with some companies, and at any rate better prices. Some car insurance companies won’t even sell you comprehensive coverage if you don’t have some kind of anti theft device installed on your vehicle.

Here are the types of anti theft devices that you can get on your car, although not all of them will be accepted by car insurance companies:

• Mechanical. These kinds are the cheapest and easiest to get and to install. What they do is freeze up the steering wheel so that even if the thief manages to start the car, he won’t be able to move.
• Alarms. These usually come with cars and cause a lot of noise. They aren’t much use for anything other than drawing attention, so not enough if your car spends a lot of time in parking garages.
• Electronic immobilizer. This is where no matter what the thief does, he can’t get the car started. These are preferred by car insurance companies.

Among the above anti theft devices, they fall into two types, which are either active or passive. Passive devices have to be activated by the driver every time she gets out of the car, whereas active devices are always on. Most car insurance companies require you to get an active device.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

Is it better to do with the bigger auto insurance quote?

Randall

Maybe.

I can’t make any sweeping statements about this because there is really no way to do it and be honest with you. Getting cheap auto insurance quotes is one of the best steps that you need to take on the road to getting the best auto insurance rates, but it is not the end of the process, nor should it be. Whenever you are choosing an auto insurance company, you need to consider ore than just the quote that they give you. In fact, when you end up unsure about who to pick out of two car insurance companies that have similar ratings, you might want to consider a couple of other factors, such as:

• One car insurance company might give you a higher rate because of the area that you live in, your driving record, your credit report, and so on. This puts you into a group of high risk drivers that file more claims and cost more to insure.
• If you always go with the cheapest auto insurance quote, you might get a bad customer service experience. Their claims might be handled very badly, they might do everything they can to get out of paying you the right amount and nothing to actually help you with your claim. They might be rude, always closed; they might try to fix up your car with shoddy parts.

In the second situation, it may not be obvious at first. If you don’t drive your car very much anyway, it might be a good idea just to go to the cheapest quote. However, if you use it often then I wouldn’t advise it. Remember that when looking for a good car insurance company, you should be interested most in the value, and value is quality plus price. If it has a good value, go for it. But if it only has a good price, stay away.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

The assigned risk pool for Louisville car insurance is called the Kentucky auto insurance plan. First started up sixty years ago, the purpose of this plan is to get applications from people who would in most cases be unable to take out a regular cheap car insuranc policy, and to assign these customers to different car insurance companies that participate in the pool. The Kentucky AIP is controlled by nine people who have exceptional experience in the car insurance industry. The money to fund it comes from the pockets of the licensed car insurance companies themselves, and they continue to participate by taking in whatever customers that are sent to them.

For the Kentucky auto insurance plan, you are able to get any kind of car insurance coverage that you have to get under Louisville law. This includes such coverage options as bodily injury liability and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

What do you have to do to be able to join the Kentucky AIP?

• Be able to sign off that you have tried to get a car insurance policy in the last two months and have been rejected.
• Car must be registered in Kentucky.
• You have to live in Kentucky most of the time.
• Be able to make a deposit when you apply.
• Have a license.

If while you are on the Kentucky AIP you should find car insurance elsewhere, the AIP suggests that you get it there. The AIP is the last option, basically, and it is usually more expensive than all others. If while using the AIP you need to file a claim, you need to do so directly with the car insurance company.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

How do I pick the right auto insurance company?

Manuel

Fantastic question.

I think I am probably very annoying in the fact that whenever I buy something big, I do a bunch of research about it and then make a list of questions, which I then hammer the salesperson with. However, when you’re spending your money, especially on something like an auto insurance company, then I think it’s better to be annoying than forgettable. If you really want to get the most quality auto insurance company while you are shopping around, then not only do you have to look at things such as the quotes, but you also have to learn to ask questions, and the rights ones. Here are some questions to bring along for your trip to the office.

• When you file a claim after a collision, does an adjuster come to your house to examine the car, or do you have to take it to the car body shop to get it looked at first?
• What sorts of repair shops are on the auto insurance company’s recommendation list that are within a short distance of your home?
• When your car is getting fixed and a part needs to be replaced, will they use aftermarket or OEM?
• Once everything concerning your claims process is done, how much time does it take for you to get your check?
• If your car is getting fixed up, what sort of rental do you get to drive in the meantime? Are rentals even provided?
• If you go for a long time without having to make any car insurance claims, do you get any kind of discount?

Before you even go into the office, though, you should do some initial research. First, of course, comes the gathering of several instant auto insurance quotes online. Once you have at least a dozen of these, pick companies out of them and go find out what they’re about and if they are stable enough financially to handle the claims that come at them. To do this, you can go check out Standard & Poor’s websites, which deals with financial ratings for companies.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

How do I get classic car insurance?

Bob

Good question.

Classic car insurance can be gotten the same way a regular car insurance policy is–through your typical auto insurance company. However, there is another way to do it, and doing it this first way is not a very good idea. Why is that? Well, the main reason is that if you get into a car accident and your car is declared a total loss, then your car insurance company will give you your claim check for the total cash value. For a car that old, that is not a lot, because it doesn’t take into account the deserved amount as a refurbished collector’s item. If you get your classic car insurance with a egular auto liability company, then you are just asking to lose.

There are, however, companies that work specifically with insuring classiccars. In order to be able to take out sa policy with one of these kinds of companies, you normally have to fit into a certain guideline of customer type.

• You have to have been driving for a few years, normally three. You have to be able to show that you own a different vehicle for regular use. You can’t use your classic car for work. There is a mile limit which you have to be under every year.
• The classic car has to be at least a particular amount of years old, usually twenty five to thirty.

If you get your classic car insurance policy with one of the insurance companies that specializes in this, then you will get the cheapest deal coming out of it.

When you get a classic car insurance policy, normally you get one called an agreed value policy. This means that instead of the supposed total cas value of the car, you and your car insurance agent agree on what your car is worth from the get go and that number goes into your policy sheet. Then, if you get into an accident, it is used as a benchmark. If you stay below it, then you get paid for repairs. If you go above it, then you get paid the agreed value. Whatever you do, if you intend to insure a classic car do it this way. It is both cheaper and safer.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

Ever since I got my laptop and wireless internet connection, I’ve been buying things almost exclusively online. However, some things I’m not sure I should buy over the internet, like car insurance. I mean, will the instant online car insurance quote I get be as good as the one I would get in the office?

Aurelio

Nope, you’re going to be okay shopping for car insurance online.

There really is no reason for you to be nervous about getting car insurance online rather than in an office. One of the main reasons for this is because the form that they have you fill out online is often even more thorough than are the questions you are posed by the car insurance agent in the office. The agent can forget and omit, but the online form remains the same. Another things is that you are providing the same information, so that comes out to the same quote. You won’t get a better car insurance quote because the agent meets you and thinks that you’re a very nice person; it’s based on many things, but not that.

One of the best things about shopping for car insurance online is that there is so much information there and it is so easy to get to. Even if you researched online before going to a car insurance office, it wouldn’t be the same. If you are buying online, you can always check at the last minute for things and so on. You are able to not only get instant online car insurance quotes, but once you have them you can choose from a list of companies with the best quotes and research further into their websites.

On the internet, you don’t just have to go by what the company web site says, either. There are dozens of consumer review sites out there that you can go to and read several people’s real testimonies of their customer service experiences with each car insurance company.

And even beyond that, you can find out how good your car insurance company is from more official sources. First of all you can make sure it is regulated by the state department of insurance, and then you can see how many complaints have been submitted to them about this company.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

I work at home doing customer service over the phone, and I have a car but only use it to go out and have fun. I want to cancel my insurance policy because of mileage low car insurance rates just aren’t out there. Should I?

Abram

Great question, Abram.

You should never cancel your car insurance policy unless you intend to immediately get a policy with a different car insurance company. I definitely understand where you are coming from, as one of my cars is broken down and has been for about a month, so it’s just sitting there while I’ve already made two premium payments for it during that time. It’s so frustrating to have to pay car insurance for a vehicle you are hardly using or not using at all, because seriously, how are you going to crash it?

However, there is the reason that it is required by law in all states but New Hampshire, and that you never know when you might get checked in on. Another reason is that even though you hardly use your car, you can still get into an accident. In fact, it’s more likely if you are only using it to go out on the town with friends. The more people in a car the more likely you are to get into a car accident, especially one involving fatality or injury, so full protection is a must.

If you really want to save money on your car insurance, you can look into getting a discount for your mileage low car insurance rates. Most car insurance companies have an option for a low mileage discount, and normally the amount of miles you have to use to qualify is very low indeed. Most companies put it at around five thousand miles tops. If you drive under this amount every year, then you could get five to fifteen percent discounts on your car insurance rates.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

I’m going to be joining the army as soon as I graduate from high school. Are there any discounts for military car insurance policies?

Brad

Thanks for asking, Brad.

There are several car insurance companies in the business that provide discounts for those who are members of the army, navy, or marine corps. As for the other companies, if you live on a military base you are most likely going to find that the car insurance companies surrounding it tend to have lower prices. However, the discount isn’t the only thing you should look for in a military car insurance company. Being in the military involves ups and downs, long absences to constant presence. You need to get with a car insurance company that knows how to deal with that. One suggestion is GEICO, which started out as an insurance company for the military and other government employees.

If you are part of the military, you might get deployed at some point, and when that happens many military people just cancel their car insurance coverage until they get back, leaving their vehicle in storage. This is a bad idea in general, because a flood or a fire or many things could happen to damage or destroy their uncovered car in that time period. This is why getting with a good military car insurance company is key, because you might be able to get cheap rates for low mileage, and they might also be able to work out a deal with you on knocking down your coverage to comprehensive alone while you are deployed.

Another aspect of being part of the military is the moving. You’ll probably be knocked from base to base a lot, so if you get your car insurance policy through an agent you’ll have to switch agents every time. Instead, then you should get your policy with a direct writer, and you can deal with the same person all over the country.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Minnesota is a no fault car insurance state, and all of the car insurance companies that operate in it are regulated by the Minnesota department of insurance. These companies are required to follow the guidelines and restrictions set out by the state department of insurance, and policy holders are required to carry the amount of Minnesota car insurance coverage protection that is outlined by the state’s car insurance laws.

In Minnesota, you are required to carry four different types of car insurance coverage. These four types are:

• PIP, personal injury protection.

Also called no fault car insurance coverage, PIP takes care of the injuries aspect of an accident. Not only does it pay for medical bills, but if you miss work it pays for that for up to a year, and it also pays or funerals and other possible necessities.

• Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

These coverage types work in addition to your PIP coverage, and come into play when the liability car insurance coverage of the driver who was at fault in the car accident is not enough to handle your needs. Or, sometimes, the other driver does not have car insurance, so you need this coverage.

• Liability.

This is coverage for when you are the driver who is at fault in the car accident. It takes care of claims for thing such as injuries and deaths, as well as property damage to another car or someone’s possessions. This is also the kind of car insurance coverage that is required pretty much across the board in most states, so it’s good to have while you are out traveling.

One of the ways that personal injury protection coverage keeps prices down in no fault states like Minnesota is that you do not have to file a claim with the other person’s car insurance company unless the coverage that you have with PIP is not enough.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.