Auto insurance, anyone?

[corilannam]

I am hopefully soon going to be in a position to need auto insurance for the first time in my life. I have absolutely no experience with this.

Does anyone have any stories to share about auto insurance companies in the U.S.? Either good experiences or horror stories?

I need your guidance, beloved flist!

Comments

[minnaleigh.livejournal.com]

When I was down there, I used GEICO. The rates were good and the one claim I had to put in was dealt with very easily.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I wanted to consider GEICO, so I'm glad to hear good things about them!

[destina.livejournal.com]

My company has been GEICO since about 1992, and I love them. I had a bad accident a few years ago, and they made things incredibly easy for me. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Thanks! I wanted to consider GEICO, but wasn't sure about what kind a service a company that big would give. Glad to hear they're good!

[kimberlyfdr.livejournal.com]

I'm old-school...Farm Bureau. It's more personal, the response time is ultra-fast, and it's a neighborhood-oriented company rather than some national one that you get lost in the shuffle with.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think there's definitely something to be said for the smaller local companies. I'm definitely worried about that kind of thing!

[annaoj.livejournal.com]

My parents used State Farm, so they were my teenage insurer, and I got State Farm when I got my car in grad school and have used it ever since. I've had good experiences with them.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Awesome! State Farm has a pretty good reputation, so I definitely want to consider them.

[noelql.livejournal.com]

Love the GEICO! Their rates are MUCH lower than any others I've found, and the customer service has always been good. I've dealt with them for 3 accidents over the 15 years (gack!) that I've had them, and they've always been really good.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Yay! Another testimonial for GEICO! I'm starting to be swayed here. *g*

[kestrelsan.livejournal.com]

Another vote for Geico -- I haven't had to put a claim in, but their rates were about 30% lower than what I originally had with Nationwide.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm definitely going to have to look at GEICO with all this praise it's getting. Thanks!

[kris4n6.livejournal.com]

I've had State Farm for 8 years and haven't had any problems with them. The only claim I've had to make was when some asshat backed into my car and my trunk lid needed to be replaced. I didn't have any trouble with them at all.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Definitely got to consider them!

[sithdragn.livejournal.com]

I learned a lot about auto insurance when I worked in the car biz, most importantly, that it's all about your region: car insurance deals vary by state, county, city -- you name it. Look for a company that will offer good driver discounts, AAA discounts, a discount through your employer, credit union discounts, payment plans without monthly fees for taking the payment plan, and 6-month and 1-year payment discounts.

Go in person if you can -- you'll get a better quote. Agents believe if they can get you in the door, they can get you to sign a deal. the website of my current insurer, State Farm, quoted a rate MUCH higher than my current rate, which I was quoted by visiting the office.

Consider getting renter's insurance along with car insurance. You'll get a monster big break carrying more than one type of insurance through them. I pay $97/month for car insurance (Michigan's rates are the highest in the country) with $250 deductibles, plus renter's insurance for $50,000 worth on my apartment, which includes a special rider on my bike and my MacBook Pro (even if I spill liquid on it or drop it, they'll replace it). Without those two riders, I'd probably be paying about $30/month for the renter's insurance alone without car insurance or the riders. (I live in a pretty decent neighborhood, mind). Really think about adding renter's insurance.

I suggest being wary of insurance agencies (they "help" you find insurance that suits you). They get kickbacks from various insurers, and they're going to refer you to whoever is giving them the best cut at the time.

Most importantly, don't be afraid to shop around often. You might buy a 6-month policy or any other frame of time, but you *can* leave any time if you find a better deal, though insurance companies don't want you to know that. I suggest checking around every year for a better deal. It's easy to be complacent about insurance because it's SUCH a pain to deal with, but about 50% of the time when I check, I can find a better deal.

Good luck!

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Wow, awesome advice! Thank you so much! I was definitely hoping to get renter's insurance, so that would be nice. And I'll definitely keep all the rest of it in mind, too, when I'm shopping around! :-D

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

I've used State Farm, Progressive, and Allstate.

State Farm was the most expensive, and they dropped me from coverage after a bad accident (they covered everything, including a lawsuit afterwards, so that was all fine -- no complaints there).

Progressive...hm. They were fine. They didn't ever tell me "hey, this is state minimum coverage and you'll be totally boned if you, say, hit someone and break their leg and they sue you for like $20,000". I could've looked it up, and yes, I could have changed it, but I am not an insurance expert and I kind of relied on them to let me know if my coverage was OK or not. Luckily, I never had to use it.

Allstate I switched to because that's what my homeowner's is through, and so I get a 15% discount on the homeowner's policy. \o/ Plus, when I read out my Progressive coverage to my agent so he could make a matching policy for me, he said "do you know that's state minimum coverage? I'm really not comfortable with that. That's not nearly enough liability coverage -- you could be in real trouble if something happens." The Allstate policy cost *less* than the Progressive policy, for significantly better coverage. And, you know, the guy told me what he thought was WRONG with my policy and what he recommended we do instead. So I liked that, a lot. That might depend on the agent, though I think Allstate trains their people pretty well.