Soooo . . . . without sounding like a yuppie with too much money . . . what is the best way to title & insure multiple cars which I drive only a few hundred miles (each) a year? Anybody have any experience with “Dealers” tags? Classic tags? Limited insurance? (limited use). . . I have three classics, one veteran daily and one sports car daily driver. The insurance is horrible . . and so is the proce of registration. I live in Pennsylvania. Rocketman
I also have several “donor” and “project” cars, & a dune buggy which I don’t title but could with a little work. Too many cars. Rocketman
When I was in university, my parents insurance company reduced my rates down to 1/3 of what they were, since I was away for 8 months of the year. Yours may do something similar, since you likely only drive a few of the cars infrequently. Maybe just give them a call and see what they can do.
Many insurance companies have “pleasure status” and classic staus, and these vehicles are substantially less expensive to insure. It pays to shop around. When we were overseas for 5 years, both vehicles were put on pleasure, occasional use status.
I regularly complain to my insurance agent that we can drive only two vehicles of five (three cars and two bikes) at a time. There is no plan available for that he tells me; only a fleet discount for the three cars. The bike insurance for me is cheap and if I leave a car parked most of the time, however, he will, on request, put a note in our file to provide insurance for a temporary time such as a week or so. I call him to ask for this with the recorder on the answering machine running. I trust him but will be able to verify the request if needed.
Check your state for the availability of a collector license plate for vehicles over 20 years old.
I found very inexpensive insurance for cars over 20 years old from ads in Hemmings Motor News years ago. You could drive maybe 2000 miles a year, but that was plenty.
I think your best bet is to survey a number of companies. They have various policies on cars that are seldom used. The limited mileage, special and multiple vehicle discounts can add up. You probably only want the minumun coverage on some cars, with your daily vehicle fully covered. An agency that offers coverage from mulitple companies may do the research for you, but I would try the internet. I switched companies a few years ago and cut my insurance by about 40%, and I thought I was with the cheapest to start with.
I have found with RV insurance, you can sometimes find policies that will allow you to drop part of the coverage while a vehicle is in storage. You could try applying that type of policy to your cars and notify the insurance carrier when you would like to engage the coverage. However, that might not be practical if you want to just get in and drive. I have other ideas too. Your policy should be partially based on the mileage and type of driving you do. Talk to your agent about the low mileage put on these cars and be sure you tell other agents as you get competitive quotes. Tell the agent whether or not you use them for commuting and how many days per week you drive. You can get a discount on your policy for things like storing the cars in a secure garage and/or using anti-theft devices. Some insurers will discount cars with alarms but not “Club” type anti-theft devices. However, I have found that some will also give you a discount for “Club” type anti-theft devices. What is your driving record like? You might be able to elect to take defensive driving to earn a discount. What about skid school? Talk to your agent to check to see if any of these ideas will work. Look for an insurer that has safe driver discounts and policies that bring the premiums down over time. My rates are so low that I can’t find another company who can compete, simply because I have stuck with the same insurer and drive like a sane person. Over the years they have routinely lowered my deductible and my premiums for keeping a clean driving record. I have filed claims for windshield damage and similar items and the rates and premiums have still declined. However, I am disappointed that I have not gotten additional discounts for training as a truck driver and training as a motorcycle safety coach, which will earn you a discount with some companies. Shop around to see if you can find a company with customer friendly policies.
Insurance will be the highest on your daily driver. Pick one that will be your regular commuter car. The other’s can be used occasionally for commuting, but should be listed as pleasure cars. You will need to quote mileage consistent with your declared status. If you must have 2 daily drivers, be prepared to pay more. Talk to your state to see what they term as classic or antique. You might qualify. There are also insurers that specialize in classic and antique cars. If you do a web search for “classic car insurance” you will get a lot of hits. Some of these companies will insure just about anything. I wouldn’t call a new street rod a classic or antique, but they will insure them. Hagerty and Grundy come to mind. Contact them as well as your current insurer to see what you can do.
I understand your problem. I’m sure not a wealthy man. But I am a car addict. I have a '57 BMW isetta, '63 Austin Cooper 997, '64 Vespa 90, '67 Mercedes 200 fintail, '70 BMW 2002, '72 BMW Bavaria, and my trusty '95 Civic (45 mpg!!). Insurance and registration is tough on all that! You beeing from PA, you need to call Grundy Worldwide. You have to have indoor storage for whatever is insured. But the typical, ONLY ON SUNDAYS, HOLIDAYS, OR TO AND FROM PARADES, doesn’t apply. You can drive them when and where ever you choose with no mileage limits, and it’s CHEAP! They’re in Horsham. 866-338-4006(Toll-Free)
Thanks PJ! I’ll call them Monday! Rocketman
Grundy is also on-line at www.grundy.com