Tag: Car insurance

Car Insurance for Kit Cars

Do you get weak in the knees looking at pictures of a Shelby Cobra, an Ultima Evolution, Catarham Seven or a Kirkham 289 Coupe? Do you dream of a Lister Bell STR, the Lamborghini Diablo, or the Ford GT40? You may not be able to afford the real thing, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, or more, but there is a way to come close with a kit car. There are some amazing car kits with nice engines and the perks of our current vehicles for those who are interested. The issue I’d like to address is what kind of car insurance does a kit car need?

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Car Insurance and Which Car Teen Drivers Are Rated On

A client called me last week who was surprised at the increase of adding his youngest son with a brand-new driver’s license to the family car insurance policy. I’m reviewing his options, but thought this was a great example of how car insurance companies take different approaches concerning vehicle assignment when adding a teen driver. These differences can result in some very surprising rates, especially if the new driver will be sharing one of the family cars!

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Do Texans Get Free Roadside Assistance and Towing!?

A couple of times a year I’m asked if it’s true Texans get free roadside assistance just for living in our glorious state. Usually the question comes from a client either because they saw it on Facebook or received an email which has been circulated (multiple times now). No, it’s not some fake news article and there really is an 800 number on the back of your Texas driver’s license stating it’s for Texas Roadside Assistance.

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Teens, Car Insurance, and Two Questions

I’ve talked with two clients in the past week. Both are parents of teens who are about to start driving. One client has a teen son that’s about to get their learner’s permit while the other has a son who’s about to get their license. Both had two questions related to their car insurance.

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Car Insurance, Rental Cars, and International Travel

A client called me last week to discuss a question about her car insurance. She’s taking a vacation with two friends in May and will head for Europe for a couple of weeks. They’ll travel through Italy, France, head up to Switzerland, and then back to Italy before returning home. They will rent a car for part of the trip and she wanted to know if her car insurance covers a rental car in Europe.

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What Does Your Car Insurance Cover?

I am working with a prospective client on their car insurance. I realized he’d never had a good explanation on car insurance once we began to review the quote together. I suggested we start over so I could explain each coverage and answer his questions. Unfortunately, I’ve found most people have never received a good explanation on car insurance, what it covers, and options worth considering, so I thought I’d write about that in this post.

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Car Insurance for Classic Cars

One of my all-time favorite vehicles is the 1974 to 1976 Toyota Land Cruiser. It technically was a four-passenger vehicle although the rear seats folded down from the sides and faced the middle. It had two doors, funky curved windows in the back corners, nice ground clearance, and a very utilitarian design. I thought they were very cool, but it wasn’t very pretty. A friend of mine recently bought one and is restoring it, so I thought this would be a good time to discuss car insurance for classic cars.

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How Car Insurance Losses Impact Consumers

State Farm reported a loss on car insurance of $7 billion in 2016. It’s a staggering number, and they aren’t alone either. Allstate, Geico, The Hartford, and Travelers also experienced losses last year. One of my carriers shared with me for every $1.00 they took in for car insurance premium, they paid out $!.10 in claim losses, and that didn’t include the catastrophic car losses caused by our recent tornadoes and hail storms.

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Leasing, Parts, and Car Insurance

I had an interesting conversation with a new client the other day. She leases her car and wanted to confirm whether the car insurance policy covers manufacturer parts, also known as original equipment manufacturer or OEM parts, or would they insist on using third-party parts to repair her car if she files a car insurance claim? No client or prospective client has ever asked that question and it told me she’d either experienced or seen a claim go sideways.

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Autonomous Cars, Ethical Questions and Insurance

Imagine you’re riding in an autonomous or self-driving vehicle. The car is traveling 35 to 40 miles per hour and a pedestrian suddenly walks out in front of your vehicle. Complicating the issue there is a concrete barrier in the oncoming lane. Hitting the pedestrian may result in killing them while hitting the concrete barrier may result in the death of the vehicle passenger. What will the car do? Who will be liable?

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