Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

Post from another forum that i was discussing car insurance on:

wow! that's crazy. Costco sells car insurance through a partner company, we saved quite a bit through them, my guess is that they will give you a quote before you become a Costco member https://www.costco.com/auto-home-ins...-services.html Here's an article that suggests some auto insurance https://insurify.com/blog/car-insura...grant-drivers/companies that don't have a steep penalty on recent immigrants

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

Okay, back in the game.

Was trying to get 'pre moving' quotes for car insurance before we land in California through the big underwriters. For a general car, we're looking at something like a 2018 Explorer. Quotes had to be gained over the phone as without an SSN, i struggled to get through the online questionnaire. Having read many posts on BE, I knew insurance would be heavy, especially for newcomers but quotes came back from State Farm and Gieco, both circa $3500 for 6 months !!!

Someone sent me the link (in my first post) aimed at new immigrants trying to find good coverage but at reasonable premiums. The online quotes were very different, between $116 and $178 per month for $250k/$500k. The broker/agency is called Insurify, anyone had any experience with them?

Thanks

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

Insurify as far as I know is just a comparison type site, you put in your info, and it goes looking for quotes and displays the various quotes from different companies and not an actual insurance provider.

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

Thanks, yes, think you are right actually, defo not the underwriters as it guides you to them.

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

I would call an independent agent in the town you are moving to for a quote. Independent agents list themselves as such and deal with many insurance companies. Some big insurers are not widely known because they don’t spend millions on advertising. They reach their customers thru the independent agent and could possibly offer lower rates.

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

I'll be sure to do that. Many thanks

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

I had success with State Farm local agent, I know some people will find them expensive, I found them to be reasonable, and there's no substitution for going into an office and going through things with somebody in person. I'm in Michigan so things will differ somewhat, but expect $1-2k/year to be a good ballpark, It was useful to bring in my UK policy with No Claims and policy handbook.

When checking lease prices, check and include the insurance, some mid-premium cars lease much better, and have cheaper insurance. And don't believe any of the mainstream Ford/Chevy advertised lease rates, ASA doesn't apply in USA - they seem to be able to advertise $199 leases that when you get a quote turn into $399.
Also, if you have assets worth more than your insured amount (i.e. >$50k) - look into Umbrella policies.

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

Here in US everything works negotiating:
Insurance, Car Dealers,... it is like being in the Dubai Zouk or Istambul Grand Bazaar.

I personally hate it, however I have had the car insurance down from $400 to $140/month with a local agent and including the annual renters policy :) and car prices going down $8k-$10k just bargaining between the 2 dealerships on the same city...
As I said, I hate it, but if you do not do it, you will pay way more than the rest of the folks and someone (the salesman) will secure a good bonus.

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

Thanks all, interesting info.
I guess negotiating is now almost part of everyday life.

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

When negotiating for insurance, especially for car insurance, be sure to check what coverage amounts you are buying because the legal mimimum insurance amounts in some states may be a lot less than is reasonable/ sensible, and you could find yourself being sued because there is inadequate thirdparty coverage.

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

I have just reduced my insurance by about 30% to 40%, paying around $800 a year full coverage for 2 cars. Unfortunately Allstate only has this option in 3 States, Oregon, New Jersey and Texas. For anyone driving less than 10,000 miles a year I highly recommend looking at milewise.

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

is that one of the plans that has you plug in a OBD port device to monitor your driving and mileage ?

Re: Car Insurance - might be useful to someone
 

Yes, this has an OBD device. Milewise just monitors mileage, I had drivewise previously, that just monitored driving habits, braking, speed and time of trip. Milewise also monitors engine diagnostics but that doesn't affect insurance. My mileage has dropped considerably since March when WFH and SFH started. You still get the multi policy discount.