VAN INSURANCE

jjtwister · 01-12-2013, 06:16 AM

I've searched the forum to find out what members are doing regarding van insurance. I see a few of you have Progressive which I have for my van and Highlander.

I called Progressive (I live in Vermont) and found that they have a $5, 000 limit for "add ons"....I will be up to $9,000 and still going by July so that is not an option.

The other way is to insure it for "stated amount" which would be about $40,000 by July. Problem is they want a monthly premium of $250.

I find this hard to swallow on my budget. I will be using the van for a solid 2 months this year on a trip out west and then on weekends occasionally. Otherwise it will be garaged.

I have not checked out any other carriers yet. Can anyone on the forum give me some feedback as to how I can get good coverage with a lower monthly premium?

Thanks,

jjtwister

**daveb** · 01-12-2013, 11:06 AM

I went with an RV insurer and added another vehicle. GMAC was killing me until I made it a multi car policy

jage · 01-12-2013, 01:03 PM

My progressive is "agreed value" and so the add on limit is not relevant. My auto policy has a $500 add on limit (not 5,000) which I ran into when my truck cap was totaled out by hail.

Progressive might vary by state. I need to switch however, as Progressive has a $500 cap on trailer and $0 on contents.

MKRyan · 01-12-2013, 05:25 PM

We have State Farm for all of our insurance, cars, house, etc. The SMB is insured as an RV and costs $513/year with $500 deductible.

Hope that helps.

Mike and Kris

**daveb** · 01-13-2013, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MKRyan

We have State Farm for all of our insurance, cars, house, etc. The SMB is insured as an RV and costs $513/year with $500 deductible.

Hope that helps.

Mike and Kris

Before I bought the SMB, my house, Silverado, Impala, Camaro, Ranger bass boat and Harley were all insured by State Farm. The most they would go was over double your rate around 1300 per year for the SMB alone. And it's not like I'm 21 and have a poor driving record...they just put the hammer to me on the RV and I don't know why. AAA gave me a quote the other day and it was too close what I'm paying with GMAC to switch which is about 560 every 6-months for the van and pickup (93). Maybe I should try them again...I just can't see how others get such low rates with SF. My van is insured at replacement value of 106K though.

MKRyan · 01-13-2013, 08:05 PM

I just double checked with my wife and our policy is for replacement value also. Not sure why State Farm has been low. Hope I never have to find out how good they are. So far, I just pay them money and my agent keeps saying I'm good to go.

Mike and Kris

**daveb** · 01-13-2013, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MKRyan

Not sure why State Farm has been low. Hope I never have to find out how good they are.
Mike and Kris

I agree...no matter what company insures me

Lots of BS could be floating around and it sure would be nice to nail this one down once and for all. I think it changes state to state and even between agents. I'd hate to have to see the end results of a total.

carringb · 01-13-2013, 08:45 PM

State Farm is the only insurance company I recommend anymore, other than USAA for those eligible.

For the last 2-years, I've had the opportunity to see the "other" side of insurance claims. The tricks/scams that some insurance companies pull should be illegal. In fact, they probably are, but most consumers either don't know, or aren't willing to put up a fight.

Farmers is the #1 offender for weaseling out of claims. Allstate is a close #2. Progressive seams hit and miss. They sometimes deny a claim unjustly, but then when that is disputed the claim then gets elevated, and it seems to go smooth after that.

State Farm is the only insurance company I've dealt with regularly (several times a day usually) and they NEVER try to weasel out of a claim, or make it hard on the insured driver by making them jump through hoops like required them to file a claim with the at-fault party. State Farm simply pays everything, then they do the subrogation on the back-end so you don't have to worry about. I've been very impressed with what I've seen them do, including covering winch-outs totaling thousands of dollars, without any hassle to the driver. I've seen Progressive deny a claim for a winch-out (also around $3,000) because the driver was on a road with a sign that said "NOT MAINTAINED FOR WINTER TRAVEL". Even though the crash had nothing to do with conditions, and was actually caused by a rusted out brake line which burst. It has become so bad, that State Farm is the only insurance company we would bill directly because they always pay. All of the others require payment before the car is released, because non-payment for service became the norm instead of the exception.

USAA has been great form what I've seen, just never had to to deal with them very often.

carringb · 01-13-2013, 08:47 PM

BTW - State Farm simply listed my upgrades and my agent took pictures to attach to my account.

**daveb** · 01-13-2013, 09:03 PM

Well I simple could not afford State Farm when it came to my van. Now that was back in 05 and at full replacement value which was only offered for 5 years from the purchase date. I've had several claims with them on other vehicles and they have been very good to me. BTW they were one on the insurers that had an issue with an RV not having a black water tank. Maybe that is why I got such a high estimate. Guess I could lie and let them try to find out if I really have one but GMAC never had a problem with it. State Farm suggested that I look at a agency that dealt with RV's but that was several years back. Perhaps they've changed here in Ca...I don't know. Like I said, I'll have to look into it again.