car insurance

I agree with PSF, minimal coverage might save you money now but god forbid if you ever wrecked and needed the coverage, especially medical.

After working in no-fault for a year, I now max out my coverages and encourage everyone I know to do the same.

I agree with PSF, minimal coverage might save you money now but god forbid if you ever wrecked and needed the coverage, especially medical.

After working in no-fault for a year, I now max out my coverages and encourage everyone I know to do the same.

+1 and Underinsured/Uninsured Motorists Coverages are PARAMOUNT!

What happened to your car?

It was sitting in a parking lot and pieces of branches fell on it in a storm leaving a couple nice dents in the side.

I just bought a new truck and switched from Progressive to Geico. Geico is offering this new (to me) option where your vehicle is covered against mechanical breakdown. The deductible is like $250 but it would easily pay for itself the first time something breaks that isn't covered by the warranty...

As far as switching from Full Coverage to Liability only, DON'T DO IT. Here's what happened to my brother two months ago...

He had his car paid off and decided to save a little cash by switching to minimum coverage. 3 days later he's driving on the PA state turnpike late at night and has to pull off the road. When he pulls off, he does so into a massive sink/pot hole about 3 feet deep and the width of his car. Needless to say, his car was F'd up. So he calls the insurance company and reinstates full coverage before he reports the accident. Two days later, he tries to report the accident with the whole, "this is so strange. I'm lucky I just switched back to full coverage..." routine and they immediately tell him they'll be doing a full insurance fraud investigation and are going to be pulling his phone records... So... needless to say, he dropped that claim pretty quick. I'm sure his account at Progressive has a flashing FRAUD ALERT for anything he reports in the future and he had to pay the $3000 in repairs.

Moral of the story: Get the best coverage you can afford, because as soon as you don't have it, you'll need it.

As far as switching from Full Coverage to Liability only, DON'T DO IT. Here's what happened to my brother two months ago...

He had his car paid off and decided to save a little cash by switching to minimum coverage. 3 days later he's driving on the PA state turnpike late at night and has to pull off the road. When he pulls off, he does so into a massive sink/pot hole about 3 feet deep and the width of his car. Needless to say, his car was F'd up. So he calls the insurance company and reinstates full coverage before he reports the accident. Two days later, he tries to report the accident with the whole, "this is so strange. I'm lucky I just switched back to full coverage..." routine and they immediately tell him they'll be doing a full insurance fraud investigation and are going to be pulling his phone records... So... needless to say, he dropped that claim pretty quick. I'm sure his account at Progressive has a flashing FRAUD ALERT for anything he reports in the future and he had to pay the $3000 in repairs.

Moral of the story: Get the best coverage you can afford, because as soon as you don't have it, you'll need it.

LOL trust me Progressive goes through every claim with a fine toothed comb.

Besides, any claim right after a coverage change is a huge red flag to probably any insurance company.

If you eligible you can't beat USAA. Besides that Progressive is alright.

I have GMAC insurance, and I pay $1100/year. I'm 25, have a full size pickup with full coverage ($1000 ded.), and I have a pretty good driving record (no accidents in the past 3 years, no points).

When I was looking for insurance, I got an agent to do all the shopping for me. She got quotes from several different companies, and just sold me the cheapest policy. Granted, I'm sure I paid some markup, but I doubt it gets much cheaper than $1100/year for a guy like me.

I have only been with them for a few months, so I cannot attest to their customer service ability.

It was sitting in a parking lot and pieces of branches fell on it in a storm leaving a couple nice dents in the side.
Thats a comp. loss who's your insurance co.?

The reason you're hearing people throwing out names of all different companies is that no one company dominates any area. Car insurance is very regional; each company has their own price points based on certain areas. State Farm might be the cheapest in one area, and one county over, the most expensive. Really, you just have to shop it around to find the lowest rate.

I'd be very hesitant to drop coverage. Certainly, never ever ever drop the underinsured coverage, the non-insured coverage, and keep your medical limits nice and high. I work at a chain of hospitals; trauma bills get VERY high. If they get high enough to clear your coverage, you can be financially ruined.

I'm also always hesitant to drop collision coverage. The worst thing is if you total your car and don't get any money back for it - forcing you into having to buy a new car. At least if you have the collision coverage, you get the blue book value on your totaled car, and you can put that towards a new one.

In the end, you're going to have high rates because you're young and male. Hang in there, the rates only go down from here.