Shopping for auto insurance:

For the past 2 days since I received my next years policy I have been asking for quotes from the usual insurance companies you see advertise on TV. Geico, Liberty Mutual, Allstate, and Farmers.
I have 4 vehicles with full coverage, and currently 3 licensed drivers. I currently have Plymouth Rock and they want over $3550 for the year.
Allstate and Farmers are close at around $1550 for 6 months, but they won't quote for a full year.
Liberty Mutual is at $3450 for the year.
Geico I ignored as they quoted me $850 for 6 months. That is not realistic for 4 vehicles with full coverage, it's a come on.
Now the fun part, go through each quote line by line to make sure I'm comparing apples to apples.
I leaning towards Allstate even though Farmers is a few dollars cheaper. What Farmers quotes on the phone is different then what they email me.

That's not bad ours is $1850 a year for two vehicles and two licensed drivers. Ours is bumped over the state required minimums in the event we're at fault with an $80k Mercedes or similar. Don't want to be individually responsible for someones hunk of mangled metal.

Ours is, off the top of my head, about 1300 yearly for two drivers and two vehicles. Replacing both our vehicles cost us ... the old Ranger and Escape were 800 a year but the repairs we had to make to both easily exceeded the difference. You pay one way or another. What surprised me was the Fiat- it cost a fair amount more to insure than DW's Honda CR-V despite it costing much less. Its two doors and not its mighty 101 horsepower make it a "sports car" in the eyes of the insurance company ... go figure.

I shop mine every 6 months. Still have Progressive and have for 15 years or so.
About 1300 every six months, 3 drivers, 3 vehicles. One of the drivers just turned 20. Upgraded from state minimum to 100/300/100 liability. Uninsured motorist to cover Mexico too.

No one else comes close for me. About as close as they get is 4-5 hundred per 6 months higher.

We have Grange now for 3yrs or so, had Allstate for 20yrs before that.

Wow... some of you guys are getting HOSED.

We have Safeco, 3 vehicles insured (two with full-coverage), one RV (2012 truck camper) and two drivers.

Our premiums run less than $1700/yr.

Also, I can vouch for their quick claims service. I had a window smashed out of the canopy I now have on my truck, and they had a check issued within 48hrs. I would've done the window replacement myself, but it's a curved, glued-in window that's proprietary to SnugTop. The canopy had to be shipped to SoCal to be repaired. So, I claimed it. Didn't have glass breakage before, so it was subject to my comprehensive deductible. But, I do now!

I settled on Allstate as I have done business with them in the past and know the owner of that agency from the kids playing soccer. I up'd my collision and bodily harm to $250/$500K and kept my deducts at $250. Next year it will go up in July when my son turns 17 and gets his license. He has his permit and rides a moped but until he gets the auto license no extra charge. Moped is $150 a year no matter who drives it. RV trailer and 1953 Dodge are insured separate.
Allstate also gave me a real nice coffee mug with candy and a few pens. That was the deal closer lol.

TheQuig wrote:

I settled on Allstate as I have done business with them in the past and know the owner of that agency from the kids playing soccer. I up'd my collision and bodily harm to $250/$500K and kept my deducts at $250. Next year it will go up in July when my son turns 17 and gets his license. He has his permit and rides a moped but until he gets the auto license no extra charge. Moped is $150 a year no matter who drives it. RV trailer and 1953 Dodge are insured separate.
Allstate also gave me a real nice coffee mug with candy and a few pens. That was the deal closer lol.

Sucker for the swag!!

I can't pass up a good coffee mug. I've been buying a mug from the Iditarod for the past 20 years, but no one is allowed to drink out of them. Yes, I have a sickness.

I've also noticed the newer more expensive the vehicles are increases the rates substantially.  Carrying full coverage on all of mine.  My older Camaro's and Mustangs were like 30% of the cost of a relatively new vehicle.  Vehicle premiums would decrease in cost over time.

We've had $90k+ in claims over the last five years.  Two weather events, two vehicle damage/property thefts, one totaled vehicle.  

On the vehicle total, not at fault.  The at fault driver's insurance didn't want to total the vehicle.  $13k on initial estimated repairs on a $30k new vehicle.  All airbags deployed, engine shoved into firewall, uni-body up front in another hemisphere.  My insurance totaled it, gave me a check for $25k and then went after his insurance to get settlement.  I was free and clean.

My agent is my next door neighbor.  He was laid off from AT&T, his wife laid off.  He quickly got involved in the insurance business.  I spend money with him it's the right thing to do.  He's a great neighbor too.  We build stuff, borrow trade tools, go camping with our daughters. He always has beer on hand, never runs out!  I could prolly save a few dollars elsewhere, my conscience tells me buying what it is he does for a living is the right thing to do.

joemac wrote:

 I could prolly save a few dollars elsewhere, my conscience tells me buying what it is he does for a living is the right thing to do.

WHOA with the crazy talk!

EVERYONE knows the American way is that cheaper is better and who/where a product is generated is pointless as long as the cost is lower.

I like the idea of giving the local guy the business. He is active in the community and his prices are reasonable. One day this week I'm going to go back with my homeowners policy that went up $700 this year to see if there is anything he can do. The last time I showed him my policy from another company, He said it was a good policy for a good price and stay with them.

TheQuig wrote:

I like the idea of giving the local guy the business.

When we bought our home 7 1/2 years ago the real estate agent recommended a local independent agency. I called them and gave the lady that answered the info about the new house and vehicles. When I gave her the address, she chuckled .... turns out she lives right across the street and the insurer (West Bend Mutual) is based here in WI- doesn't get much more local than that. We've had some bad storms come through here and twice we've had calls from the insurance company seeing if we were o.k.- that a first for me.

Rusty,
How do you like that round-about at 65/G?
Those came in after we left the area.

Diesel Dan wrote:

Rusty,
How do you like that round-about at 65/G?
Those came in after we left the area.

It's o.k.- I was a real skeptic at first. They're not cheap ... I cross six of them before I get on I-94 in Roberts (Exit 10) in my a.m. commute (when I'm working) and iirc, the price tag for the six was well over $7 million. DOT says the intent was to reduce/ eliminate fatalities and they seem to have done that. Still have to pay really good attention but if you get clobbered now (some still don't know what "yield" means) the vehicle that hits you is only going 20-30 mph rather than 60-70 mph. Some of the bigger combines have some trouble getting around it.  

In the end I think traffic flow and safety (the roundabouts are well lit) is improved-  a bunch of stops have been eliminated and the six roundabouts shave about 4-5 minutes or more off my morning commute. They feel like a go-kart track in the Fiat ... a blast to drive. Took a while to get used to them but in the end I think they are a real improvement ... I've had some real close calls at 65/G prior to the roundabout. When the 65/G roundabout was under construction it became a four way stop. No way in hell could you miss it with loads of orange warning signs, flags, and big red stop signs but some idiot in a BMW yacking on his cell blew through it about 70 mph ... never even slowed down.

They've got a roundabout now at 63/64 (Four Corners), too. Taxes aren't low here but I feel like we get something for our money- they (the county) take good care of the roads and our dead end street gets plowed. When I go to the Twin Cities it's like they farmed out road maintenance to Afghanistan ....

Could be wrong but I think the county will grow a lot after the new St Croix Bridge is finished and any improved traffic flow won't hurt.