Reader question:

Where do I go to get car insurance quotes?

Lizzie

Excellent question, Lizzie.

There are several places that you can go to get cheap auto insurance quotes, many of them right here on the internet. The first thing you might want to do is either look around this page at the ads–one of them is likely to lead you to a free instant online auto insurance quote site–or, failing that, do a google search for free auto insurance quotes. The sites that will come up often have several companies from which they glean their information, so once you have finished getting your quotes you will have many options. The truth is that you should never look at one car insurance company, because while a certain company may have the best auto insurance rates for you at one point, when your situation changes so does your relationship with your insurer. You always need to shop around.

Also on the internet are the business sites of many an auto insurance company today. These sites usually contain details about policies as well as car insurance quotes for new and current customers. Many, like Progressive, claim to give quotes of the competitors as well. It is true that they do this, but you can usually get more and more specific quotes from sites that are not connected with a certain company. The upside of these sites, though, is that once you have your quote you can normally also buy your car insurance policy online.

For those who don’t feel comfortable looking on the internet for auto insurance quotes, you can get an expert to do it for you. Car insurance agents are a big help when it comes to finding the auto insurance company that is the best choice for you. There are two kinds of auto insurance agents.

• Captive car insurance agents.

These are agents who give quotes from and sell policies only for the one company that they are connected to. In this case, you might as well just go straight to the company’s website. Captive car insurance agents are a good choice sometimes, but normally only after you have already decided by other means to do business with the car insurance company that they are affiliated with. Even if you do end up choosing to do all of your car insurance business with a captive auto insurance agent, you should at least do yourself the favor of doing a web search on free car insurance quotes or asking an independent car insurance agent for some brief assistance. A little research can go a long way.

There are certain companies who deal with captive car insurance agents only. These include AA, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, and AllState, as well as more.

• Independent car insurance agents.

These car insurance agents tend to work for around five or more car insurance companies. They are like the free quote website of the physical world, in that you can call them up and get quotes for several different plans and policies. They are a good option for everybody, both those undecided on a car insurance company and those settled, but who might seek options at a later point.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Some people prefer to spend their commute either in the silence of their own vehicle or immersed in the music from their radio, which covers up their cracking singing voice. However, one thing these people are missing is the possibility of a car insurance discount that could save them a bit of money if they were only willing to sacrifice a bit of alone time. In line with car insurance companies desire for their policy holders to drive less and more safely, the use of other means of travel than your own car covered by your policy could not only get you a unique discount, but could get you some collateral discount as well.

Quite a few car insurance companies on the market are now offering a special discount for people who choose to use public transportation or car pool on their way to work instead of driving their car. The reason for this not only stems from the fact that the more you drive, the more chance you have to get into a car accident, but also from the road conditions and traffic stress that usually come with driving to work and can increase chances of getting into a collision, even among good drivers. Another great thing about this car insurance discount is that if you follow it faithfully, you might qualify for a low mileage discount as well, which most companies will give you if you travel less than five thousand miles a year in your car.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

I’m thinking about becoming a truck driver. Can you tell me a bit about commercial car insurance quotes?

Oscar

Glad you asked.

Getting a good auto insurance policy is most important for truck drivers, because their wheels are their ticket to the bank. Whenever something happens to what they’re driving or what they’re carrying, it isn’t so easy to bounce back as it would be for a person who just drives a car to work and parks. For this reason, extra thought needs to be put into the process. Here are some guidelines to follow.

• Raise your deductible.

Get a good deductible on your commercial car insurance coverage. If you want cheaper premiums, it’s best to make this as high as you can make it. However, considering how much it costs to repair a big truck. You might not be able to afford the highest deductible, so stick to reality

• Put your deductibles together.

Every commercial car insurance company isn’t going to let you do this, but it is a possibility. If you combine your truck, cargo, and trailer deductibles all into one, it will cost you less and make things go more smoothly.

• Is the price right?

One thing that people tend to think about a little too much when it comes to insurance is the commercial car insurance quote. While this has its merits, when you’re insuring your truck and trailer for business you need to think about more than just price. It’s probably better to get the opinions of friends who work in the same business.

• Explore your options.

There are plenty of avenues you can go through to get commercial truck insurance. You could get it with a trucking association, which offers special rates for truckers on their commercial insurance. You could get it with your financer, which provides you with the convenience of paying your premium and your truck payment at once. Or you could get it with a trucking company, which also gets better rates for those who work with them.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

I was informed that the high rate that I got on my car insurance rate premium was because I have a bad insurance score. What is that and how do I find out about it?

Andy

Good question.

An insurance score is something that is a lot like your credit score. In fact, they are mainly based off of the same thing: your credit report. Although the insurance score uses the information here differently to decide what your car insurance rate should be, it is the same base information. It is also true that your credit report is not the only thing involved in the process. Also to be considered are such wide things as your driving history, any past car insurance claims, your history with different car insurance companies involving voluntary and involuntary cancellations or nonrenewals, and so on. However, the credit report has the biggest impact, so if you want to know what your car insurance rate will look at, take a look there first.

Most people aren’t aware of the insurance rating score as much as they are of their credit report, so it wouldn’t occur to the majority of people that they need to watch it and take care of it the same way they do a credit score. Normally, they don’t know they have one until they find out that it sucks.

If you want to know about some of the biggest information that goes into the decision of your car insurance rate score, then you should order a C.L.U.E. report. C.L.U.E. means comprehensive loss underwriting exchange, and its purpose is to provide information about all of your consumer claims info that has happened over the past half decade. This si what the car insurance companies are looking at, so if you want to know what’s on their minds, you should definitely get one of these.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

Do I have to get my motorcycle insured?

Mario

It depends on what state you are in.

Motorcycles are in the realm of cars and other vehicles in that a lot of states in the U.S. require that they are insured with car insurance coverage. There are some states where you don’t have to get them insured, or are only required to insure them when you are using them, so check with your state department of insurance to find out if you are in one of these states. Even if your state does not require motorcycle insurance for your bike, I would still suggest that you get it. The reason I say that is because you are in a lot more danger on a bike, if you get into a crash it will be more easily totaled, and it’s probably a luxury item that you had to save up to get, so why not protect it, right?

If you do intend to (or have to) get motorcycle insurance for your bike, think about what its actual worth is. If it would be less than what you are paying for insurance, then don’t get it unless you have to. Here’s some advice.

• While there are companies out there that offer policies for motorcycle insurance alone, often the cheapest car insurance rates can be gotten by adding your motorcycle to a car insurance policy that you already have.
• Motorcycles are notoriously dangerous, so if you put some safety features on yours, your car insurance company will give you lower collision rates.
• When you get your bike, get it from one of the more popular sellers. The reason for this is that if it gets damaged, you want to be able to get cheap parts so you can get better rates.
• Motorcycles get stolen a lot, so get lots of anti theft security.
• If you live in cold areas, you can often get better winter rates by getting yourself a lay up.
• Become a member of a group for bike owners. These usually offer car insurance discounts for their members.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

耄䲐

Reader’s question:

What’s umbrella car insurance coverage, and do I need it?

Grace

Good question.

Umbrella car insurance coverage means something that sounds a lot like its name: it covers your policy. It is the coverage of your coverage. When your coverage runs out, umbrella car insurance coverage steps in. It is a valuable asset when you get into a big accident that ends in a lawsuit which can take up a whole lot of money. Your regular liability car insurance and even home insurance policies may kick in here, but once you run out of those options, the umbrella coverage comes into play. It is just that bit of extra protection that can keep you from being swamped in lawyer fees.

Umbrella policies can help you in cases involving things like slander or libel in your car insurance lawsuit, and this type of coverage is also extremely cheap. For the low amount of less than two hundred dollars every year, you can get as much as a million dollars of coverage with most companies. And if you want to get even more, each extra million costs much less than the first did to add on to your car insurance policy.

If you want to buy umbrella coverage, the requirements are a lot like those for getting gap insurance coverage. You have to be insured to the teeth already. There is no getting umbrella coverage when you only have the minimum liability; you have to have the maximum.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

I now have my first speeding ticket. Will my car insurance rates go up?

Elaine

Possibly.

There are so many variables in all of this that you really can’t say. Whether or not your car insurance rates will go up after a speeding ticket depends on what state you are in, first of all. Every state has a different kind of policy when it comes to when car insurance companies can legally raise your rates, and for many of them the threshold is not at one speeding ticket, so you’re probably in luck.

Even if your state does allow for car insurance rates to be raised after one single ticket, or even after several, it will still depend on what company you are with and what your history is with them. Some companies forgive several offense for all of their customers, and others are more likely to forgive severe offenses for customers with very good driving records.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

What’s SR 22 car insurance?

Andrew

Good question.

An SR 22 is something that your car insurance company has to fill out and file with the department of motor vehicles for your state to provide proof that your vehicle is insured. Normally, there are reasons why you have to have SR 22 insurance. You might need it if:

• You have a ticket for driving without insurance.
• You have a drunk driving offense.
• You have a speeding ticket.

For the most part, if you have to get SR 22 car insurance then you will have to have it for a period of three years. Usually it is more expensive than other types of policies, and you may find it hard getting insured with this requirement. And after the three years, your rates do not automatically go down. It may take five years.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

When I bought my car, it had a salvaged title. Does this mean I will get charged higher car insurace rates?

Alvin

Maybe.

While most insurance companies don’t ask for the title of the vehicle when you take out a policy, withholding this kind of information is considered fraud, so you should disclose it. Even though it will probably mean that you will face higher car insurance rates, it usually isn’t such a bad raise and can be metered with other discounts and shopping around.

If you have a car with a salvaged title, then normally you have to put extra effort into proving that the car can actually drive and is thus able to be insured. In order to do this, most car insurance companies rquire that you get a note from a mechanic vouching that the car is okay and not going to break down any second just so you can make a claim.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

What sort of auto insurance coverage do I need to cover damages done to my car?

Greg

Glad you asked.

It normally depends on how the car comes to suffer the damage. For instance, if you are in an accident that another driver causes, then your car’s damage will be covered by their insurance plan. However, if you cause the accident, then it will need to be covered by yours. This does not come with the minimum liability, so to make sure that you are covered whether you cause an accident or not, you need to get collision coverage on yur policy.

Another way to protect your vehicle in the case of damage is to get comprehensive coverage. This will also protect you if your car is stolen, but pertaining to your question it covers things such as natural events, like a bad hail storm breaking your window, or vandalism that causes damage to your car.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.