FUEL SAVING TIPS

Author Archive

Classic Car Insurance Tips

A classic car is a sizeable investment. You need to protect that investment by making sure the car is properly insured. The coverage you need will depend on how you use the car.

There are three types of car insurance. Actual cash value is the most common type of car insurance. It pays out the depreciated book value of the car. Stated value allows the car’s owner to state a value for the vehicle that is greater than the actual cash value. Agree value guarantees the car’s owners will get all of their money back in the event that the car is a total loss.

These types of insurance are offered through a standard insurance provider. The owner of a classic car should also consider a classic car insurance policy. These policies can be cheaper and less restrictive than a standard car insurance policy. Some classic car insurance policies require the driver to be 25 years or older. Some programs even require the driver be at least 30 years old. Classic car insurance programs could also limit the amount of driving you do to 2,500 miles or less a year. Annual odometer readings could also be required. The insurance provider will give you specific information on what requirements need to be met in order to insure your classic car.

No matter whether you opt for a standard policy or classic car coverage, be sure that your policy allows flexible use of your car. You want to be sure that you can use the car for an unexpected trip or exhibition without having to buy a rider or a new policy altogether. If you keep your vehicle in storage part of the year, be sure to tell you agent. Some policies offer lower premiums if you drive the car only certain months of the year.

When it’s time to choose a car insurance provider, do your research. Make sure you find a car insurance provider with the knowledge and experience in insuring classic cars. You want to make sure your car insurance provider knows how to properly protect your classic car investment without taking advantage of you. Research both standard insurance providers and classic car insurance providers. Shop around and get more than one insurance quote. Compare quotes and see which provider offers you the best deal. Just make sure the policy offered meets your needs. You don’t want to accept an insurance provider’s offer because the price can’t be beat, only to discover later that the insurance coverage is not what you need for your classic car and driving situation.

Regardless of what type of car insurance policy interests you, make sure you work with a qualified insurance provider. They can look at your exact situation and recommend the insurance product that will best suit your specific needs and protect your classic car investment the way it should be protected.

Tom Martens is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car insurance portal.

Posted by Graham McKenzie on January 4th, 2010 No Comments

Getting The Best New Auto Insurance Deal

After you have already purchased the new car you always wished to have, you may just come to know that you will now also have to get car insurance besides your monthly car payments. For many states, it is compulsory to have car insurance, and most finance providers require you to get a minimum coverage for your new car.

The best way to insure that you get low rates on your car insurance is to buy what is called a “safe car”. These cars are naturally less likely to incur damage from a crash and have special features that make it safer for drivers. Some of these features may include airbags or anti-lock brakes. Even if the car you want is not deemed a “safe car” it still may have some of the features insurance companies look for, and they can discount your rates.

When thinking about car insurance with a new car you will want to think about what type of model you purchase. All insurance companies use some sort of rating, usually an ISO symbol, which tells the insurer about how much it would cost to fix the vehicle in a crash. Although it is not a set number, it helps the insurer get a general idea while they set your premiums. Sports cars have a much higher rating than your average family vehicle, so be sure to take that into consideration while buying. Even the color of your car plays a small factor towards your premium.

You should never use a new car without insurance. Just imagine how bad it would be if the new car gets involved in an accident within few days of buying it, and you don?t even have an insurance to fix the damages. Apart from this, some of the finance providers insist on your getting insurance for your new car. If you don?t get this done, then they may get the insurance for you on three times more the original cost.

Really think about what type of coverage you get with your auto insurance. Most people consider liability insurance standard, but you may want to get additional coverage on a new vehicle. What if a driver hits you and they don?t have any type of auto insurance coverage? This is when collision insurance comes in handy.

Also consider that a new vehicle is naturally prone to being vandalized and stolen more often. This is especially true if you get a sporty type of car. For this comprehensive insurance comes in handy. This covers your car for everything except accidents, so even if a tree falls on your new car, you don?t have to worry.

Insuring your new car may be costly; therefore it is essential that you include this cost while calculating your expenses. Your insurance company takes into account all factors like your past driving record, credit record, and car-type to determine your risk level as a driver. Drivers can try many ways in order to reduce their premium rates, but for this they may need to do a little research for better quotes and look for the different type of discounts on offer.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car insurance portal.

Posted by Graham McKenzie on December 28th, 2009 No Comments

Getting The Best Car Insurance Deal

When the time comes to buy a new or used car, either as your first car or as a replacement for your current one, the choice can be difficult. With a huge range of cars available to motorists, deciding whether you should buy a large family car, small people carrier or an estate car can be a daunting task.

If you or your friends have been boggled down by high cost of car insurance in the past, then it is time to gain some knowledge on that front. It would be good to know what factors govern the calculation of car insurance premiums. This would help you to take a sensible and judicious decision in future. Some cars attract huge insurance premiums because they are considered to be easily prone to accidents. You may be proficient on the wheels, but that definitely is not going to reduce your insurance costs. The insurance company can only make judgments based on the car?s features and not your capability.

The car market deals with different types of cars like big cars, small cars, sports cars, luxurious cars, etc. For those, who cannot afford to buy a new car can go for used cars. This on-line platform will provide you a complete database of car dealers who are willing to buy and sell cars. Browse through the extensively researched categories of cars and get the most updated information related to cars.

Choosing the best family car can be a truly complicated affair. Nearly every car manufacturer offers a range of cars, ranging small family cars up to larger-sized family cars.

When you are shopping for a car, it’s important to spend time making sure it’s safe. The latest cars in the market today come equipped with advanced safety features. Excellent seat belts, airbags, all-wheel drive and anti-lock brake systems are some of them. These technologies not only ensure you and your family a safe drive, but also cut down the insurance cost of the car drastically. Even if it makes the car a little costlier it is worth the investment. You are sure to reap its benefits in the long run.

Security devices such as car alarms and GPS tracking systems can also contribute to lower cost of car insurance. The reason for this is that because your car insurance company has to foot the bill, if your car goes missing as a result of car theft and/or your car is vandalized, taking precautions in that direction will definitely award you bonus points with your insurer coupled with the lower insurance premiums that are associated with it!

Lower cost of car insurance may not be the most important factor when you go for a new car, however it shouldn?t be the least important factor also. Carry out a proper insurance related research before finalizing your car purchase deal and you’ll always get the best car insurance premium rates available.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za, a leading South African car insurance portal.

Posted by Graham McKenzie on November 5th, 2009 No Comments

Choosing A Raise In Deductibles

My friend’s cousin had her car stolen. It was all decked out with TVs and DVD players. When she got it back, all of that was gone and the paint job was messed up. She didn’t have insurance on her car so nothing was able to be replaced. If you don’t think you need insurance, just look up how many car accidents and stolen cars there are every year.

A popular means to reduce your monthly car insurance premium amount is to raise the insurance deductible. Let us explain the deductible. Suppose you had met with an accident and the fault lies on you. You are shelling some money from your pocket at the time of insurance claim. This amount is said to be a deductible.

Though one might be tempted to increase the deductible for getting a lesser monthly premium, you must be able to set aside an amount equal to deductible to be used in the event of an accident else you must wait till you raise that amount. Once you have set aside the necessary amount equal to the deductible, there are other things you have to consider like your driving habits and the chances of a car accident.

Your car driving habits has a significant influence on your insurance expenses. For a safe driver, increasing deductible will be beneficial as he can stay long periods without an accident and the opposite is with an unsafe driver who meets with accident often, it does not worth raising the deductible. Also getting an accident just after raising your deductible ends up in loss like in the following example.

As long as you return home with your car without involving in any accident, the money reserved is safe in your hands. Immediately after raising the deductible you are hit, all reserves will go in drain.

The deductible for you insurance is another variable. You want a deductible you can afford. I know that if I was in a car accident, I would only be able to afford $500 to fix my car, but everyone is different. Make sure the deductible is something you can afford. The higher your deductible, the lower the insurance is, but if you can’t afford to get the car fix so you can get to work, you will not be able to afford to pay your bills either.

Before raising your car insurance premium deductible you must consider carefully your financial condition, your driving habits, the area you reside and the area you work. Only after making sure the above factors you must go for increasing your car insurance premium deductible.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za, a leading South African Car Insurance portal.

Posted by Graham McKenzie on November 5th, 2009 No Comments

Direct Car Insurance

There are two options for buying car insurance. One is going through insurance middlemen and independent agents to buy the insurance. The Direct Car Insurance option is the other one in which we buy insurance directly from an authorized insurance company. This can be illustrated with an example. When you have pain in your joints and fell sick, you have two options. You can either approach a general practitioner or you can proceed directly to an orthopedic specialist. In the first case, he just has an idea about your actual condition and recommends some medicines which make you relieved from pain. But he cannot treat it accurately. But in the second case, as the doctor is a specialist in the human bones related illness, he may examine thoroughly and diagnose the exact nature of sickness. His medicines and exercises will effect more. And that will be the correct choice too.

It?s a similar situation when you choose a direct car insurance policy rather than an indirect car insurance policy. You could argue that it?s easier to get multiple quotes and broader policy information from multiple indirect sources because there are a number of them on the market. These indirect insurers could also offer a wider variety of services to set themselves apart from their competitors in a crowded market.

This approach doesn?t have costs of its own, however. It?s important to keep in mind that independent agents and other middlemen aren?t seeking to provide you insurance services out of the goodness of their heart-they?re looking to make a profit from their work. While on the face of it, you may be offered various services at what look to be good rates, it?s important to realize that you are likely paying above the actual cost of the insurance. The independent agents have to include their profits in the quote; the larger the independent insurance company is, the larger their hidden costs are.

Now, instead of approaching an indirect agency, if you go for a direct car insurance company, the things will become clearer. Here, you will directly be in touch with the car insurance providers. These large companies have various facilities and services like emergency pick up vehicles, tie ups with official car service centres, legal advisors etc. They don?t have to outsource their services to other car insurance agencies.

You?ll also save on costs if you buy a policy from a direct car insurance agency. It?s very possible get affordable car insurance with good services. Also, keep in mind that it?s not the number of services offered but the availability of those services when you need them that?s most important.

If you bother to look into the industry a little bit, you’ll find that there are plenty of options available even for a casual direct insurance shopper. If you have multiple vehicles, you can save by insuring them all simultaneously with the same company. This is just one of the more common options widely offered. Many companies will offer many different variations on these kinds of deals, so you have to do your homework and look into the benefits of each particular company before you sign on with them. It doesn’t take an expert to figure these things out, just a little bit of time and attentiveness.

As said above, there are a lot many indirect car insurance agencies. But only fewer direct car insurance agencies are there. Even if it takes more time to find out such direct agencies, they are always better. So always choose the beneficial one. Going in for direct car insurance agencies saves money and provides much more facilities and services.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za, a leading South African Car Insurance portal, which provides cover for all Car Insurance types.

Posted by Graham McKenzie on November 5th, 2009 No Comments

Why Short Term Car Insurance Is Worth Your Money

Whenever you need to use a car other than your primary one you will still want to have coverage in case an unforeseen accident occurs while you are driving a temporary one. Many car insurance companies have policies to protect for just this kind of thing, called temporary car insurance coverage or short term auto insurance coverage. These policies give you the same kind of coverage you have with your normal policy except you only pay for it for the days you will be using it, these types of policies can also be used when someone else is driving your car.

Temporary car insurance is designed to work just as effectively as your regular car’s coverage, only it functions for a pre-determined period of time based on how long you’ll be stuck with your temporary vehicle. This kind of policy is also flexible enough to be adapted for the use of a temporary driver in your own car. You don’t have to name every single short-term driver in your long-term auto insurance policy! All you have to do is take out a short-term policy, keeping the temporary driver insured but separate from your own insurance policy.

These different policies are much like the ones you have on your existing auto insurance, they could either be a comprehensive coverage or third part liability coverage. Comprehensive coverage is just what the name says; comprehensive whereas third party is only limited in coverage to include only those damages that are caused by the temporary driver to another person or property. Comprehensive, while not necessarily covering everything that could go wrong covers most issues; it covers accidental injury and property damage to a third party like the third party liability, but also covers yourself, and any insured drivers.

This is all while also encompassing the basic legally mandatory coverage that third party liability would grant. While it doesn’t cover every single car-related problem under the sun, comprehensive covers enough of the significant problems that you’re generally unlikely to be put in a situation where your insurance won’t cover you.

If you’re convinced that you need temporary insurance, but don’t know where to find it, try the internet. The fast-moving insurance industry has embraced the world wide web and all its tools with open arms. The result is that potential customers are free to browse a wide range of user-friendly sites that happily offer quotes and quote comparisons for no charge at all. Be sure to enter all your information accruately and honestly, though.

These comparative quotes will usually get to you through your email account. You will have the chance to properly assess these comparative quotes using your own parameters. As these comparative quotes are issued based on the specifications that you only enter in these comparative quote web-sites only one time. The same specifics plus information are used by the insurance companies offering short term automobile insurance coverage?s. This would make it not as hard for you to assess the quotes as you will be able to compare these quotes apples to apples.

Remember, just because you’re driving a vehicle temporarily, it doesn’t mean that you can drive around without insurance! Insurance is required to drive legally, and it’s just plain a good idea regardless. Short-term insurance is incredibly cheap compared to the potential costs of paying for accident-related repairs out of pocket. Don’t sabotage yourself by being lazy and not getting the tools you need to protect your wallet.

About the Author:

Posted by Graham McKenzie on October 15th, 2009 No Comments

Insuring Your Car-The Best Way

A car is a wonderful mean to make your life smooth and keep yourself away from the hustle-bustle and chaos of daily Life, but if you don?t take care of your car properly then it will trouble your car, and you, ultimately. The best way to take care of your car is to insure it and the insurance should be bought carefully. If you buy insurance without thinking and inquiring, that might hurt you all your life. Here we will talk about some tips which will help you select the appropriate insurance for your car.

It?s important to call around for some quotes even if you?re already insured as there may be something better out there for you. It?s comforting to know you are getting the best rate available to you. Quotes will depend on several things including where you live, what kind of driving history you have, your age, the kind of car you drive and how much coverage you are seeking. With so much factored into the rate, it?s likely that you will be able to find a provider who can insure you for less than what you are currently paying or what you were previously quoted.

It?s also a good idea even after you?ve chosen a company to occasionally make a phone call and see what else is out there. Rates, as well as your circumstance are subject to change and you could be pleasantly surprised that the company you are already insured with has come up with a new, lower cost program that fits your needs.

These discounts can save you a lot of money on your car insurance policy. You must research continuously to know about all these discounts since they are not advertised. You may be already receiving a good discount, but it is not the end. You can continuously ask your car insurance dealer about new discounts available for you. For example if you have a good driving record you might be qualified for the discount that is eligible for a good driver.

Make sure you tell your insurance company if your car has features such as anti-lock breaks, air bags, and automatic lights. Also, find out what age brackets offer discounts because you may fall into one throughout the course of your policy and become eligible. You also may be able to save by insuring your home and car through the same company. . Look over your policy to see if there are any discounts you are already taking advantage of and see if there are any other discounts that may have become available to you.

Having a good driving record is critical. This will generally save you the most money. The one thing all companies have in common is giving lower rates to safe drivers. Abide by all traffic laws and be aware of what?s going on you when you drive by being on the lookout for driver?s that aren?t driving safely. While it?s true that some accidents you can?t avoid, driving safely will help you have a good driving record to keep the cost of your car insurance down.

Insuring the car should be taken seriously. If an accident happens, then your car might get damaged to such an extent where it can be unaffordable for you to repair it but if it is insured then all tension goes directly to the Insurance Company. Insuring your beloved car is always advisable.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za, a leading South African Car Insurance portal.

Posted by Graham McKenzie on September 10th, 2009 No Comments

How To Handle A Hit And Run Accident

You may be an abiding follower of rules when you are behind the wheel. The fear of driving is not driving itself but as to who is behind your vehicle. Mishaps occur because all are not strictly adhering to road rules.

One pretty common rule on the road is that everyone is expected to have car insurance. It is illegal in most states to drive around without insurance, and in states that it is not required it is considered decent to have it. Unfortunately, the most common drivers in accidental vehicle accidents are ones without insurance.

After an accident, both people involved are expected to stay on the scene while the police respond to the accident. Both people are also expected to act very humanely and exchange insurance numbers so that the insurance companies can work it out. If the person that you get into an accident with does not have insurance or does not want to see the police, they may drive off in order to try to evade the police.

At the scene of an accident, the major rule is to remain calm. Do not start pointing fingers and trying to blame each other. Make sure that everyone keeps a cool head and this will go over much more smoothly. After that, make sure to document the license plate number. You do not want the person to run off never to be seen again.

A police report has to be filed for a hit and run incident no matter how small it is in order for your insurance company to be able to file a claim. If you have underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage or hold full coverage on your vehicle the insurance company will handle all the repair and medical expenses that were involved with the accident up to the limits of your policy.

You will be responsible for any deductible you have within your policy. Even though the accident is not your fault you will have to split over the deductible amount in order to have the insurance company cover the remaining costs. It may seem unreasonable but it is much better than being left with the total bill. In most cases hit and run drivers are not found if the driver of the vehicle involved does not think fast and take down the license plate number. If the police do find the culprit then you will be able to turn the matter over to your insurance company and they will charge the individual for the amount that is to be paid and if you choose that you can take them to civil court to be reimbursed your deductible and any other out of pocket expenses you may have encountered due to the accident.

About the Author:

Posted by Graham McKenzie on August 21st, 2009 No Comments

Strategies For Maintaining Low Insurance Premiums

Not all people know that their insurance premiums are partly determined by their insurance history. The lack of a current insurance policy or a substantial history of insurance can result in a higher premium when soliciting new coverage. Conversely, continuous coverage can result in receiving lower quotes from other insurance companies when you decide to get more quotes versus just renewing your old policy.

This may seem arbitrary and unfair, but remember, you’re asking them, up front and knowing nothing about you, to agree to pay the costs of any traffic accident you have! Once you prove to them that you are trustworthy and reliable, a safe driver who promptly pays the premiums, they’ll be eager to keep you as a customer, and they’ll offer you a significantly better deal.

Applicants are better served by soliciting quotes from new insurance companies while still covered by their previous ones, rather than waiting until their old policy expires. Given that insurance companies examine an applicant’s credit history, a record of premiums paid consistently and on time is very important in determining whether that company will decide to offer you coverage.

Though you can find brokers offering high risk insurance covers at best rates for persons with a new driving license, or for a person with lots of traffic violations or accident claims, the fact is ,the initial payment and the deducted amount will compensate the rate offered ,finally summing up for a poor insurance coverage.

So, for amateurs, it is best advised to go for a short term insurance policy, say around 6 months. Prompt timely payment and a good driving history for at least 6 months will give you a good chance of having a better quote next time. Instead of continuing or extending the same policy after 6 months, it is always better to compare what the other companies are ready to offer you. No doubt, there might be some surprising deals for just 6 months of clean history which might save you a handsome amount, may be a few hundred dollars.

Having a clear history, and extending or renewing the same old insurance policy is actually not a good idea. If you have a strong clean history with the previous insurance company, better look out for what the other Insurance company can offer you, because usually the company itself will not review your actual insurance cover, instead its left you to pick the best deal which suits your need. Switching to them might offer you to save lots of money.

In summary, drivers should be vigilant about looking for the best available insurance rates. In order to ensure the lowest premiums, it is essential to keep up with one’s payments, to maintain constant coverage, and to keep one’s driving record as clean as possible.

About the Author:

Posted by Graham McKenzie on August 7th, 2009 No Comments

Basic Limits of Liability Insurance

In most states you are required to have at least the most basic type of car insurance to be able to legally operate a vehicle on the road. Liability insurance is the most basic type of car insurance and it does not cover your vehicle in a car accident only the others. Included in liability insurance is not only damage to property but coverage for injuries or deaths.

The minimal amount of coverage that is offered through liability insurance is known as the basic limits of liability. While some companies have different minimums the lowest coverage that you can receive is $25,000 worth of property damage and $50,000 worth of bodily injury.

There is another type of car insurance that you can have that will cover your car and the other vehicles as well. While these plans are more expensive they are preferable if you have an expensive car or if you want to have limits that will protect you in case a car accident causes serious bodily harm to the other person.

By having full coverage and higher coverage limits, you will have less to worry about in the event of a serious accident. In most small accidents basic liability will cover the property damage. However if you get into a serious accident with only the basic limits of liability then you will be liable to pay the difference. Thus it pays to have higher insurance coverage so that you don?t end up owing tens of thousands of dollars in damage and hospital bills.

As you may expect the price for your premium will go up with the higher coverage plans. However there are some other factors that can increase the price of your plans as well. If you?re a young driver, have a bad driving record, or a sports car you are likely to pay higher premiums. Likewise if you?re the parent of someone who has one of these three items and he or she is on your plan you can expect to pay higher rates as well. You should also remember that the medical coverage is always the larger number and is usually double the amount of the property damage coverage due to medical bills being so expensive.

Driving without insurance is risky and illegal in some states. It?s best to have even the basic limits of liability to protect yourself. If you have a newer car then you will want to have better coverage. In most cases you will want to have collision and comprehensive insurance to protect your car in the event of an accident, theft, or bad weather.

Whether you have an older car or a car that?s 2 days old, it?s important that you choose the right type of insurance for your vehicle. If you don?t know what type of coverage you should get for your vehicle then you should consult an insurance agent.

About the Author:

Posted by Graham McKenzie on July 20th, 2009 No Comments