I think $250/500 is about average. My point is just because internet people are saying they pay less, it doesn’t mean much unless you have the same insurance. Plus, I am guessing you have extras like uninsured motorists and a bunch of add ons that can get expensive quick. You told your agent you wanted to be safe, so he made sure you were.
If you feel Allstate is too expensive, read your plan and then go shopping for what that plan would cost elsewhere. Also probably a good time to learn how insurance works and weigh the risks vs the price.
Ironically I don’t think we had extras. We definitely didn’t have towing, we didn’t have roadside assistance, or any other outside amenities like that.
Well I don’t think an agent can just slap on extra fees. You had to be paying Allstate’s rates, and what you were paying is incredibly high. You should have a plan that shows everything you were paying for and the prices.
I’ve received extremely helpful advice here, so I won’t sign anything until I know what I actually need.
Now to find a vehicle. If anyone has a vehicle type they suggest due to always holding up and performing well beyond 100,000 miles, please let me know. My gut says most things Honda or Toyota, but that could be wrong? I don’t know anything about other car manufactures.
I live in Michigan as well and I pay about $1700 a year for full coverage on my 2011 F-150 4x4 (Progressive currently). Like with anything, you should always be looking for a better price and never assume your company isn’t trying to screw you over. The price Jeff was paying is outrageous, but you can see that all over the place in every industry. I’ve seen several cases of people (especially older people) paying hundreds more per month than they should have been on their cable or phone bills, for instance.
As far as reliability is concerned: My old car was a 2000 Corolla and I sold it with 275,000 miles on it, and it still started up every time and ran. If I were in the market for an extremely reliable car, that’s probably the make I would go with, though Honda has a fantastic reputation as well of course.
We’ve owned a Honda CRV, two Hybrid Toyota Camrys, and a Hyundai Optima. All of them have been quite dependable. But we are pretty diligent about getting the required maintenance when the mileage hits.
If you can find a good used Lexus reasonably priced, grab it. I bought a used Lexus RX 330 and have driven it for 5 years. I have only had one issue, the timing chain, which was beyond its replacement window so I had that done before anything bad happened. Besides that, its run like a top. The down side is that parts can be pricey but if you keep up on the basic maintenance, it will last you for a long time. I hope I never have to replace mine, it’s a really nice car with all of the amenities.
I’ve got to say just how stunned I am at how much we were overpaying as examples show up. I never thought I was such an easy mark. They knew my health situation was precarious so who knows… maybe instead of protecting me they knew my vulnerability made it easy to blow up my coverage.
Thank you for the manufacturer recommendations. It makes me a lot more comfortable moving forward.
This, 1000 times. I insurance shop every year. I dont always change but I have also change several times because of unreasonable jumps in premiums. I have a pristine driving record and have for decades. Watch out for companies that low ball you for the first year and then jump your rates the 2nd. I had Allstate do that to me. My insurance went from $1350 to $2400 in one year and I had no claims or incidents at all. When I called them on it they claimed it was the “industry standard”. I now use an independent agent who shops several insurances to get me the best deal. I have yet to find a better price than what he quotes me annually.
I think, as a general rule for auto insurance, is that you should shop around every 2-3 years. I’ve had State Farm, Progressive, and Erie over the years. We’ve now been with Erie the longest (~8 yrs) as we bundle home, auto, and my wife’s life insurance and I haven’t been able to get all three at a better rate.
As far as car shopping, I used the CarFax website 2 summers ago to find a car for my oldest son. It seemed pretty good, but we still had to test drive, etc.
Geico’s been good for us. American Family crept up to about $1400/year (Illinois, two good record drivers, two modest vehicles, one with collision, $500 L/C $1000 comprehensive ), so we switched to Liberty Mutual, which got to the same point after a couple years (much more aggressive price increases.) Geico quoted us $350 every six months and has held steady for four renewals now. I’m willing to switch to save but it’s been weirdly reliable pricing so far.
If we hadn’t been re-purchasing our car every 20 months based on our insurance payment, it would feel a lot more acceptable.
It’s interesting, I’d always assumed the insurance providers that advertised so heavily had to have really high rates to support all that advertising. Good to know that’s not the case.
Toyota are famous for reliability. I would depend more on the model of the car rather than any dealership’s word. Every dealership i’ve bought a car from has lied to me, albiet on very minor things, but they’ve never been 100% truthful. Honestly i think it’s just if you ask a salesperson a question they don’t know they’ll just make up an answer they think will get you to buy.
I pay about $1300 a year insurance.
As far as model, i like Tacomas but they retain such high value that even used they tend to be +20k for around 100k miles. I’d get some kind of high milage multipurpose car.
The sad thing about those guys who take perfect care of their cars is that this maintenance and concern isn’t reflected in the insured value. A 20 year old truck that’s been immaculately maintained and rebuilt with OEM parts from the inside out is probably worth just a fraction more than a 20 year old junker, because we live in a world that doesn’t care about individual idiosyncrasies and experiences, just the aggregate average, because the average is much, much easier and lower in manpower hours to perform.
As far as specific insurance companies, what you get in one state will not necessarily apply to Michigan. I’ve priced Geico several times and not once have they been a bargain but I have friends in other states who swear by them. Michigan is the most screwed up state for auto insurance in the US.
If your own state ever tries to vote for no fault, DONT DO IT! No fault means it’s your fault no matter what. There is nothing more fun than having someone hit your car, file a claim and then watch your rates go up because you were in an accident that someone else caused. The only winner in No Fault is the insurance company who gets to bang all parties involved regardless of fault.
