I’m buying my first policy for car insurance on my own. As a 23 year old driver with a new 2013 Mazda 3 iTouring car, I’m getting pretty boned.
I have one accident (not at fault - all comprehensive due to a deer in 2009) and one ticket (fail to yield right of way in 2009)
I am looking at the following coverage:
$100k/300k bodily injury
$100k property
$100k/300k uninsured driver bodily injury
$100k uninsured driver property
$5k PIP
$500 deductibles
30/900 car rental
roadside assistance
State Farm and Progressive were about $175 a month
Farmers, Nationwide, and Allstate were $150 a month
USAA was $110 a month
and then GEICO was $73 a month
I’ve heard nothing but good things about USAA and I haven’t heard anything positive about GEICO. I’m leaning toward going with USAA despite the price difference, but I don’t really like making decisions based off of emotions. I looked at review websites and it seemed to me that everyone is a bunch of complainers on there and looking for someone to blame other than themselves so I am taking those sites as a grain of salt. Does anyone have any REAL experience with GEICO?
They have taken my money with a smile for 10 years…I have never filed a claim…Their self-service web-site works very smoothly…You can add or subtract vehicles, change policy values, print insurance cards, file a claim all with just a few clicks of your mouse…
Did you pay cash for the car and decided you don’t need collision and comprehensive coverage?
I’ve had GEICO for many years but never filed a claim.
I know collision is expensive, but I would urge you to get it for your brand-new car. If you want to save money later, drop it in five or ten years when the car has lost much of its value. But now is the the time when collision insurance will be most valuable, because your car is brand new, and if you wreck it you’ll be kicking yourself for not gettihg collision insurance.
I had a young co-worker just out of school, who had just bought a new Accord. Right after he bought it, he was T-boned at an intersection, and the car was totalled. Fortunately it was the other guy’s fault, and his insurance paid for a new car. But if it had been his fault, he would have been SOL.
I know at least 2 body shops here in NH that if you have GEICO or Progressive they’ll tell you to go elsewhere. Both of these are very good honest body shops. I asked one of the owners why he wouldn’t take GEICO…he told me the story which was repeated several times - On vehicles that are over 4 years old GEICO will NOT pay for new parts. One car sat in his crowded parking lot for 3 weeks waiting for a couple of fenders to be shipped from Mexico. He doesn’t have the room to keep storing vehicles waiting for parts. He also can’t keep shuffling cars in and out waiting for parts. So it’s not worth it for him to deal with GEICO or Progressive (Progressive has a similar policy). If you have a car that’s very popular and has been around a while…then this may not be a problem.
Yep, where you live makes the biggest difference and you are a little young yet if an unmarried male that can’t still be covered under Daddy’s policy. At 25 things get better. I have State Farm and have had them for close to 50 years with no problems. I’ve hit a few deer and they just put a new roof on the house no problem. Of course each state is different for them.
Now you need to also consider renters/homeowners policy and also an umbrella policy. Doesn’t take much anymore to get into settlements in the millions and they can saddle you for life.
I know collision is expensive, but I would urge you to get it for your brand-new car.
If you financed your new car…then the bank REQUIRES you to keep collision insurance. It’s NOT an option. Pay cash then do what you want as long as you can afford it.
We’ve been USAA customers for years now and have had great luck with them. Their customer service is top notch, though luckily we’ve not had to file more than just a couple of claims.
Another instance of ‘‘you get what you pay for’’.
Cheapo insurence equals cheapo service and resulting repairs.
An 07 Mustang in my shop now hit a tiregator on the hiway and blew the engine from oil loss. Their cheapo insurance will only buy a USED engine…not even a reman. ( 76k miles )
And the list goes on ; NON OE radiator ( made in ?? ) AND …THEY are dictating to us what our selling price is to be to them !!!
Here is why we don’t do business with el-cheapo insurances on a regular basis.
and NEVER aftermarket ‘‘warranties’’ either. You pay our bill then subit it to your people and just SEE how little they pay you back.
When I hit my raccoon and wrecked the radiator and air dam, State Farm dealt right with the shop and never had a problem. The shop just needed to show the parts list and the old parts for the $700 job.
The OP (and, perhaps, Bing) should be aware that the same insurance company may act differently in different states, and they may act differently in regard to car insurance and home insurance.
Last year, Superstorm Sandy caused a lot of damage in my area, with many downed trees and many heavily damaged roofs in my development. My home insurance company (which is so small that it probably doesn’t even register on the radar) paid–in full–for a complete tear-off/re-shingling of my roof–to the tune of $7k+.
My next door neighbor, who has State Farm insurance, and who sustained even more roof damage than I did, was told that they would only pay for patching his roof, despite the fact that the re-shingled patches would not match the rest of the roof, and would actually lower the resale value of his house.
He appealed State Farm’s decision, and he was told, “We are not about to write you a check so that you can take a vacation in the Bahamas”. (That is a direct quote.)
He has filed a complaint with our state’s Commissioner of Banking & Insurance, but, the bottom line is that my roof was replaced in February at no cost to me, and–6 months later–my neighbor’s roof is still covered with a blue tarp, due to State Farm’s intransigence.
The OP needs to do a lot of research, including asking questions of people in her own state, before she commits to an insurance company.
I’ve had GEICO for 40 years on my own and 45 counting time with my parents policy. I have had claims and they have always provided decent service. They will use aftermarket parts, but in my case, they were out of sight. I’m satisfied.
This thread makes me so proud that I keep my old trucks well maintained. My annual insurance for 2 trucks is <$220 per year and the tax and tags less than $50 per year. The Ford and Chevrolet each get about 18 mpg but all that insurance expense will pay for a lot of gasoline. Maybe I’ll wax those beauties this afternoon.
I’m with you on that one @RodKnox. Insurance on my 20 year old car and my 40 year old truck is quite reasonable. I use the extra dough, instead of on insurance payments, to go off roading and camping. Oh, and repair costs. Good on you for keeping your trucks on the road and well maintained. A little wax? That will never hurt either!
@VDCDriver My brother had car insurance with State Farm. He had a single car accident simply by being blown off a cliff during an ice storm when the road was glaring ice. The car was totaled. It took him 6 weeks to get a settlement. Since the car was brand new, he got the full price. He did not get a loaner car.
Out here State farm is so slow that the joke is the only time you get a quick settlement is to collide with their adjuster.
We are insuring a 2007 Corolla and a 2012 Mazda3 through a local Coop. We have the same coverage as the OP with added collision with $300 deductible. We pay $125 per month for the total of 2 cars with a loaner in case of a collision or theft.
@vdcdriver Like I said “with them each state is different”. They are like a co-op so savings passed on and higher expenses also passed on depending what the loss history is for the state. Actually I just got a roof on from hail. State Farm came out and wrote a $12,000 check on the spot with an option for $4000 more depending on the cost. Full tear off, new turtles, flashing, etc. And that was on an 18 year old roof. The guys just got done for $11,800. Of course we have full replacement coverage which makes the difference. There is no pro-rating that way. On the other hand, I usually have on hand matching shingles or can get them. After 15 years, there was a little difference with the patched areas from old to new but nothing real noticeable.
In the past I managed a body shop.
A vehicle was towed in and when I contacted the owner he told me he had Geico and was going to have the vehicle towed to a shop closer to his home. I offered to make all the calls to have the vehicle towed before he changed his mind.
My boss and I would rather lose a job than repair a Geico claim.
On the other hand we had a good working relationship with Progressive and had no issues with them.
Geico makes a good commercial but they are clueless about insurance.
If you were not there, there would not have been a collision so drive accordingly.
If you had a green light and someone hit you, you may not have been wary enough. A green light does not give you the right of way as red light runners are known to happen. Don’t hurry along with a new green light.
That said, shop around. I have two motorcycles insured for minimum liability with Progressive for under $100 per year, an incredible deal.
You can save money if you have your house and car insurance covered by the same company.
In the case of the OP, it pays to be old so bite the bullet and wait for 25!
Young people should unite and all vow to drive carefully at all times to get good insurance rates. (humor)