Category Archives: Car Insurance
How To Find The Best Rates On Car Insurance In Oregon
How To Find The Best Rates On Car Insurance In Oregon
Most people really can’t afford to pay any more for car insurance than they absolutely have to. After all I don’t know anyone who likes paying their monthly car insurance premium.
However, pay it we must if we want to drive our cars on public roads legally and morally. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t steps you can take to lowering those monthly payments – some may even be ideas you were not familiar with.
For example, if you have excellent credit talk to your insurance agent about getting a discount on your auto insurance. Most people don’t know it, but your overall credit score can affect your car insurance rates.
And while we’re at it, when was the last time you simply asked your car insurance company for a list of all their discounts. You could be surprised at some of the little-used discounts that could lower your bill.
For example, are you a member of an organization such as AAA or an employee of a large company? Often insurance companies provide group members with a break on their insurance rates.
If you are a student you already know how high car insurance rates can be in Oregon, but did you also know that if you maintain good grades many companies offer a Good Student Discount?
If you combine your homeowners and life insurance and your car insurance all with the same company you’ll probably be entitled to a multi-policy discount.
If your car has any type of anti-theft device or if you have an anti-theft device installed on your own, check with your insurance company – almost all of them provide a break for anti-theft devices on cars.
If you own an older car that has little or no Blue Book value then it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to carry Comprehensive insurance. This is the insurance that pays for you car if there is an accident, and if you car has little or no Blue Book value then your insurance company is not going to pay you much – if anything – anyway.
One of the simplest things many drivers looking for the best rates on car insurance in Oregon do is to increase the deductible on their vehicle. Your deductible is the cash you pay out of your own pocket when you have an accident before your insurance begins to pay. By increasing the deductible on your car from 0 to ,000 you can cut your monthly premium by as much as 50% in some cases.
Whatever you do, you need to shop a variety of companies and compare prices, because prices for the exact same car insurance can vary by many hundreds of dollars per year depending on the company you buy your policy from.
Today there are literally dozens of sites on the internet which allow you to compare auto insurance with the click of a button and find the best rates on car insurance in Oregon in no time at all.
Cheap Car Insurance For The Young
Cheap Car Insurance For The Young
Young drivers have one hurdle in the world of car insurance they won’t be able to jump until they’re older – that hurdle is called “age.” Car insurance companies are known to give younger drivers higher premiums because younger drivers, as a whole, aren’t as experienced at driving as are older drivers. Young drivers are considered a risk to insure.
Nevertheless, young drivers, like all drivers, need car insurance in order to legally drive. Ideally, young drivers would like to obtain cheap car insurance. Perhaps the easiest way for a young driver to obtain cheap car insurance is to be added to, or remain on, his parents’ car insurance policy.
Check out these tips about adding your young driver to your current car insurance policy:
• Your premiums might increase, but you may also get a discount for having multi-drivers on your policy.
• If your young driver has his own car, you may get another discount for having multi-vehicles on your policy.
• If your young driver has taken and successfully completed a driver education course, your current car insurance company will most likely offer a discount; if he hasn’t taken one, get him enrolled. They may also offer a “good student” discount depending on his grades.
• Use this as a learning tool for young driver – lesson: responsibility. Encourage your young driver to get a job to pay for his portion of the car insurance premium. If circumstances won’t allow him to work, make him a list of chores to do around the house to “pay off” his part of the bill. Not only will he be learning the value of a dollar, but you’ll be getting some extra help, too!
Keeping your young driver on your car insurance policy will help him get cheap car insurance as well as learn responsibility. It will help you get discounts, as well as your car washed once a week – for free!
What You Need To Know About A Car Insurance Adjuster?
What You Need To Know About A Car Insurance Adjuster?
If you’re in need of a car insurance adjuster then there are a few facts you should know before you meet with him/her. The first rule of thumb is that if your car insurance adjuster is over friendly remember, he is there to save money for the company he works with, not especially for you.
Don’t ever sign anything without reading every detail and never underestimate the good will of the car insurance adjuster. If the adjuster wants to discuss anything on the phone, request that you would rather meet with him/her in person until after your insurance claim is settled.
You can be pleasant with the insurance adjuster but stay firm. No matter what happened at the scene of the accident, it is not the car insurance adjuster’s fault if the person that hit you was an idiot. Don’t underestimate the importance of an adjuster’s impressions because they all go into your file. The way you act toward him/her could have an influence on your insurance claim later.
Even if, for example, your car hit a deer, insurance adjusters will even be called for this too, to estimate the amount of damage to the car. Again let the adjuster do his/her job and be friendly. When you hit a deer it can cause the same amount of damage in some cases as hitting a car, or even worse. Let the car insurance adjuster look at the damage and make up his/her own mind regarding the extent of damage. Again don’t sign any thing until your car insurance claim is settled.
An independent car insurance adjuster is also expected to settle insurance claims quickly. This person may not owe a particular allegiance to a specific insurance company, but they want to collect the fee from the company. An insurance adjuster’s authority to settle a claim is restricted, but the adjuster will do everything possible to make sure you get treated fairly
The bottom line is don’t let a car insurance adjuster suck you into thinking he’s your best friend in the world, only to be let down later. This is the nature of job and no matter how friendly the adjuster is, he/she is there to do a job. You have little to do with that except provide them with information needed to assess the damages to your car.
Just be a little careful when dealing with a car insurance adjuster.
Gap Insurance: A Financial Safety Belt
Gap Insurance: A Financial Safety Belt
Why is gap insurance considered as a financial safety belt? Simply put, it keeps you from being financially ruined when disaster hits your car. For example you are in this situation, you bought a late-model car three months ago using a car loan with a regular car insurance. The car costs ,000 and you have already made three payments of 0 each month. Then, disaster strikes. An electric post falls and slams down on your car. The car was flattened to half its height.
Immediately, you reported it to the auto insurance company, which they in turn play with numbers, mileage, depreciation, market values, and other related stuff. After a couple of days, the adjustor informs you that the worth of your car at the time of the accident is ,000. This is the amount that the auto insurance company will provide you. But the finance company that gave you the loan will still consider the car to be worth its original price. They also play with numbers, interest rates, taxes and license fees. Then they come up with the amount of ,000. This is the amount that you need to pay them. If the auto insurance company releases the ,000, where will you get the remaining ,000? Your car is already a wreck but you still owe the finance company.
You need not face such a dilemma if you have a gap insurance. With the gap insurance, you can ignore the difference between the amount covered by the regular car insurance and the amount you owed the car loan company. This difference is called a “gap” and the gap insurance bridges it so that you need not rack your head for additional financial resources.
A car lease contract must also have a gap insurance. It is a feature that prevents you from draining all your finances. Some dealers who lease cars don’t offer a gap insurance. This is okay as long as they include a “gap waiver” in their lease contract. This waiver declares that you are no longer responsible for gap charges that may occur when your leased car is wrecked.
When you get a gap insurance, determine how much is offered in the gap policy. You should also know how much will be added to your monthly bill. A gap insurance, for it to be recognized, must be accompanied with comprehensive insurance policies that cover collision.
Sometimes, a gap insurance may no longer be needed if the terms in your regular auto insurance policy indicated that the company will pay off the full amount you owed from the car loan lender.
Gap Insurance
Gap Insurance
Why is gap insurance considered as a financial safety belt? Simply put, it keeps you from being financially ruined when disaster hits your car. For example you are in this situation, you bought a late-model car three months ago using a car loan with a regular car insurance. The car costs ,000 and you have already made three payments of 0 each month. Then, disaster strikes. An electric post falls and slams down on your car. The car was flattened to half its height.
Immediately, you reported it to the auto insurance company, which they in turn play with numbers, mileage, depreciation, market values, and other related stuff. After a couple of days, the adjustor informs you that the worth of your car at the time of the accident is ,000. This is the amount that the auto insurance company will provide you. But the finance company that gave you the loan will still consider the car to be worth its original price. They also play with numbers, interest rates, taxes and license fees. Then they come up with the amount of ,000. This is the amount that you need to pay them. If the auto insurance company releases the ,000, where will you get the remaining ,000? Your car is already a wreck but you still owe the finance company.
You need not face such a dilemma if you have a gap insurance. With the gap insurance, you can ignore the difference between the amount covered by the regular car insurance and the amount you owed the car loan company. This difference is called a “gap” and the gap insurance bridges it so that you need not rack your head for additional financial resources.
A car lease contract must also have a gap insurance. It is a feature that prevents you from draining all your finances. Some dealers who lease cars don’t offer a gap insurance. This is okay as long as they include a “gap waiver” in their lease contract. This waiver declares that you are no longer responsible for gap charges that may occur when your leased car is wrecked.
When you get a gap insurance, determine how much is offered in the gap policy. You should also know how much will be added to your monthly bill. A gap insurance, for it to be recognized, must be accompanied with comprehensive insurance policies that cover collision.
Sometimes, a gap insurance may no longer be needed if the terms in your regular auto insurance policy indicated that the company will pay off the full amount you owed from the car loan lender.
Auto Insurance Online Shopping For First Timers
Auto Insurance Online Shopping For First Timers
A mere thought of a safely net to count on each time you get involved in a car accident would give you peace of mind. Surely, you don’t want to think of any emergency expenses all the time. But if that safety net costs you so much, then you may be getting a good protection yet certainly hurting your pockets. The essence of a safety net is spoiled and the idea of a good protection is wasted. That is why as a first time car insurance buyer, you have to realize that is it not enough to buy any car insurance policy that is suggested by a friend or similar to your parents.
Assuming that you are at the right age, already have obtained a driver’s license, have purchased a vehicle, have learned the terms and the different car insurance policies, then you are ready to buy your car insurance; the best place to do it is online.
However, shopping for car insurance online can still be very confusing if you are just armed with the above assumptions. Here are the step by step procedures which will help you in your pursuit for car insurance online:
1. Shop around
Search for different car insurance companies. Also look for sites that offer free quotes. This will enable you to know the exact amount you will have to pay for your car insurance policy. Search for car insurance company websites that offer online support. Read financial strength ratings of different car insurance company. You may want to visit Standard & Poor’s ratings and the A.M. Best regarding this information.
2. Be ready with the information you need when you ask for quote
These are: home address, previous car insurance details, driver’s license number, details about your car to be insured (model, year, and VIN), driving history, car’s use (business, leisure, etc), mileage per year, and so on. Have them with you once you begin researching.
3. Learn the tricks on savings
There are several factors that influence the amount of your car insurance policy; factors like your location, age, gender, status, credit rating, car’s security (anti-theft) system, number of years as a driver, driving history, etc. Some of them you cannot change while some can. Learn to lower down your premium using these things.
For example, a person with a clean driving record can get a cheaper premium compared to those who have received few tickets purchasing for the same coverage. Another example would be: purchasing a policy with the highest deductible you can afford can lower your premium. Also, a car with security and anti-theft devices such as airbags, car alarms, automatic seat belts, and tracking systems has a lower premium than cars without. There are several of these, know them all and you will surely get the most out of your coverage.
4. Get car insurance quotes from at least 3 sites
Different car insurance companies offer different prices for the same coverage. Make sure you get at least 3 car insurance quotes to know which company offers the best price for the same protection.
5. Weigh and select which one offers the best
Now that you have the quotes from different car insurance online, you have the final say on which one will serve you best.