Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

Hi all, we are now investigating the possibility of purchasing a car here. Will purchase the car outright but want to understand if anyone has any good hints, tips and tricks to get the best insurance deals possible?

We both have only had our NY licence for less than a year and havent owned a car here previously. So the only driving we have done is in rentals.

Not sure if it also matters but since we have also been living out of the UK for the past 3 years we are not sure our collected no claims from back home mean anything at all now let alone anything here in the US.

Any advice welcome, thanks!

Re: Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

Plenty of threads on this.

Don't buy it outright. Get a loan, pay most of it off, leave a grand on it that you pay off over 12 months and it'll be a good start to your credit history.

Your UK driving and insurance history means nothing over here.

Buy a beater, it'll get battered in NY, in the winter....plus it'll be cheaper to insure.

Don't know what things will improve it in NY, but down my way, seat belts, ABS, TC, alarm, immobiliser, off street parking, covered parking, airbags, passenger airbags, low annual mileage use, distance away from NH, low crime town...those all affect the cost of insurance coverage.

Re: Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

Easy. Keep calling around. Not what you wanted to hear, eh? However, one firm quoted me less than half their nearest competitor for the same coverage. So, keep calling.

Re: Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

I just bought and insured my first car here. I just got quotes online until I found the cheapest one. The difference in cost can be huge, so it's worth the effort to check out plenty of insurers.

Re: Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

Don't get a ticket!!!!!!!! I got a speeding ticket and it adds $100 per six month to my insurance cost plus the price of the actual ticket:(

Re: Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

Depends on the State.

In MA, you get given 1 freebie every 3 years in that regards, before it can ding your insurance, that's if the ticket is less than x miles over the limit, I think 30 on the interstate.

Re: Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

Unfortunately I have got one. I am due in court in 3 hours!:(

Re: Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

In Ohio, price depends on the amount of coverage you get over the state minimum requirements. Minimum coverage may not be enough if you are in a bad accident. . . then you may be sued for the difference.

Re: Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

Progressive cut our rate nearly in half when they learned on the phone that the reason I hadn't carried insurance in the past three years was because I was living overseas. They said something about flipping a switch to change the calculation.

Re: Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

Thanks all for the advice so far...much appreciated. Will do some internet searching and phoning around. First need to find the car :)

Based on some feedback it seems that credit history directly affects the cost too, is that correct? If so, I think I have built up a better credit score so far whilst we have been here since (until recently) my husband has not been working. Therefore does it make a difference to have me as the primary insured and him secondary?

Re: Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

that's exactly what Safe Auto won't tell you...........

bollocks isn't it.

I still say don't buy the cheapest insurance, unless you have the cheapest car.

If you have a decent motor from a decent manufacturer, then buy decent insurance from a decent insurer.


no point buying a $30,000 mercedes then argueing the toss over $100 per year on insuring it.

Re: Tips and Tricks for best car insurance deals
 

No freebies in MI :( I was ticketed for doing 10 over (even though I was doing more over) and it was my first ticket, my insurance put the rate up by $100 per six month until the point are removed (3 years later). Last year I called around checking on quotes all increased the rate because of the ticket and 1 actual refused to insure me.