Posts Tagged ‘Insurance Cars’

Auto Insurance Advice for Senior Citizens

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Who is a senior citizen is a question that gets different answers from different people. But no matter how you define “senior,” it is still necessary to maintain adequate insurance coverage, especially if you drive. While car insurance is a heavy expense for many seniors, there are many ways to lower costs while maintaining the right amount of coverage for your individual financial situation. Auto insurance is required for every one who drives, of course, regardless of age.

Sit down with a qualified insurance provider and thoroughly review your policy. Make sure it still fits your needs. If you are driving more, you might need additional coverage. But if you are driving less, then you could perhaps scale back on your premiums and save some money while still having proper car insurance coverage.

If you also maintain insurance coverage on your home or life, consider having all your policies with the same company. This practice is known as bundling, and it’s a terrific way to save money on insurance. Bundling is more convenient, because it means you get all your bills from one company. You can arrange to pay all your premiums on the same date, or, if it is better for budget, stagger your premiums so they are not a financial burden.

Ask your insurance provider if they offer senior citizen discounts. Many providers also offer discounts to members of certain groups, like AARP, or other clubs or organizations. If there is more than one driver in your household, ask if there are discounts for multiple drivers or multiple vehicles.

Never buy coverage you don’t want, don’t understand, or don?t’ need. Many agents will try to sell you riders, that is, coverage for additional events that are often not necessary and always cost you more money. Never feel pressured into buying something you don’t need. If you inform your agent that you are not interested in the rider and they insist you take it anyway, then it’s time to find a new company.

Also, don?t purchase anything you don?t understand. Keep asking questions and have the insurance provider explain it until you do understand. Don?t be embarrassed or afraid if it takes several explanations for you to understand something. Make sure you get everything in writing. Review all contracts thoroughly, and don?t sign anything you don?t understand or like.

Finally, if you are not satisfied with your insurance provider, shop around and get new insurance quotes. Make sure your needs are met and that you have the insurance coverage you need without breaking your budget. Even if you are satisfied, it never hurts to shop around to see if you can get a better deal elsewhere.

No matter what your insurance needs, always be sure you buy from an authorized and licensed insurance agent. They can help you examine your situation and offer a policy precisely tailored to your needs, and answer any questions about coverage and premiums.

Tom Martens is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car insurance portal.

How to Insure Your Sports Car

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Many drivers dream of owning a sports car, but sports cars can be a nightmare to insure. Fortunately, there are methods of getting the coverage you need without breaking your budget.

When looking for insurance quotes for a sports car, get more than one quote. Check with the competition to see if they can offer a better rate. The insurance market is competitive. Take advantage of it and get a good deal.

Make sure you get comprehensive coverage of your sports car. Sports cars are expensive investments. It would be foolish not to protect that investment, especially in the current economic situation when it might not be as easy to replace a sports car after an accident or theft.

Join clubs and organizations for sports car owners that can get you a discount on your insurance premiums. It\’s often possible to find a lower rate just because you are a club members. Marquee clubs also get lower rates for members. Ask around to learn which clubs are getting discounts with which companies.

If you also insure your home or your life, consider bundling your policies. Bundling is getting all your policies from the same company. When you get more than one policy from the same company, you may get significant savings on all our policies. Moreover, it is more convenient for you to deal with a single provider of all your insurance needs. Another way to save money is to consider increasing your deductible. Just raising your deductible one level can provide important savings on your premiums for your sports car. The only catch is, you must be able to pay the deductible should you need to file a claim.

Do you belong to a special category, like senior citizens or students? Many insurance providers offer discounts to these groups. However, drivers under 30 with sports cars can expect to pay some of the highest premiums around. Most students tend to be under 30, which makes a student discount on your car insurance all the more important.

You could also take a basic or defensive driving course to help lower the insurance costs on your sports car. Many insurance providers offer discounts for successfully completing these courses. You could also simply choose to drive less. You can scale back on your insurance premium if you only drive your sports car for a few months out of the year. See your insurance provider for details.

Sports cars cost more to insurance than other vehicles because sports cars are more prone to accidents and are associated with speed and reckless driving. Sports cars are also targeted by thieves, which increases the cost of insurance premiums. Whatever your needs are, contact a qualified insurance provider. They can examine your situation and develop a comprehensive insurance plan to meet your specific needs. A sports car is an investment and a dream for many. You want to make sure you properly and adequately protect that investment so you can enjoy your sports car for years to come.

Tom Martens is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car insurance portal.

Disadvantages of Pay as You Drive Insurance

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Taking off in popularity, Pay As You Drive insurance plans for auto owners are, as their name suggests, based on the number of miles you drive your car. The more miles you drive, the higher the premium. The fewer miles you drive, the more you save. In our present economic times, the idea of paying less for this unavoidable expense is quite appealing. However, Pay As You Drive presents a few disadvantages.

First off, if you use Pay As You Go, you have to allow your use of your car to be monitored. Monitoring your mileage is not free, and you pay those costs, not the insurance company. Especially if you have a GPS device installed, the costs of monitoring can be greater than the savings in your premiums. Moreover, if you change companies, you will have to change monitoring devices, too. That means you should think twice before you change companies just to get what appears to be a lower rate.

Second, the companies that make the odometer tracking devices often charge a monthly fee for transmitting the data. So, not only do drivers have to pay for the odometer tracking device to participate in a Pay As You Drive insurance program, but they will also have to pay additional fees. Again, this could possibly strip away any savings benefits gained from Pay As You Drive insurance.

Third, the insurance companies have had an opportunity to develop a completely new price structure when they offered Pay As You Go. This has allowed them to pass off new costs to drivers, again, canceling out the benefits of your careful and frugal driving.

Concerns have also been raised about the data gathered by the odometer tracking devices. Supporters of Pay As You Drive insurance claim the devices will only monitor the mileage necessary to compute the Pay As You Drive insurance premiums, but that could easily change. The devices could be revamped to gather additional data on drivers, including whether they drive, when and how often. This data could be then be passed along to the insurance providers, who could possibly use this information to justify rate increases for Pay As You Drive insurance premiums.

Pay As You Drive fans say that driving fewer miles will result in fewer crashes. However, there isn\’t a simple correlation between how many miles you drive and how many accidents you have. Low-mileage drivers do not necessarily drive more safely. It is every bit as easy for a driver covered by Pay As You Drive to have an accident as it is for a driver covered by a traditional policy.

The potential financial benefits from Pay As You Drive insurance make the program look very attractive on the surface. However,drivers who are considering Pay As You Drive car insurance should contact a qualified insurance provider and ask detailed questions. Gather as much information as possible in order to accurately decide if Pay As You Drive insurance is right for you.

Tom Martens is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car insurance portal.