Car Insurance

[off-the-grid]

On one of the boards someone said they keep very minimal car insurance, just for liability for the rare occasions they drive. My current carrier only provides coverage in NJ, so I'd have to switch anyway. But, is it really even worth paying for that coverage, once you dump the car? Seems like just getting the rental companies insurance for those rare occasions would be just as cheap...and easier.

[Vasco]

Rental car insurance is not cheap. really increases the cost of a rental. Many credit cards cover insurance on a rental car.

[off-the-grid]

Guess I better check that then. Just seems a little crazy to keep insurance for very rare occasions. I have a bike aboard, and hate driving, so once the car is gone, I'll avoid it like the plague.

[Drew13440]

Credit Card car insurance is usually limited to covering loss of or damage to the car itself - no liabillity, which is really what matters. Read the fine print. Me, I wouldn't keep car insurance to avoid the extra fee on an occasional rental. Makes no sense.

[Minggat]

I came back to the States after 13 months overseas. Had to buy a car and insurance. Guess what? Insurance companies look at you funny if you don't already have some existing policy. Things aren't what they used to be. You must have been without insurance because you are a low life of some kind. They squeezed me in with some kind of military explaination. (I am not military, it's just something that those guys also have to deal with).

Just one more area where liveaboards or cruisers don't fit in the same slots the rest of the world does.

[off-the-grid]

Drew13440 - That's what I'm thinking. Buses, cabs, trains, bikes, etc. Why pay for it just for the unlikely event that I rent one.

Minggat - Just another fine example of how dumb the insurance companies are. Commuting by bike is becoming more and more popular. There are millions of people living in major cities who don't drive. Do they pull the same crap with them, if they move and decide to get a car?

[Minggat]

Insurance companies, banks, goverments....

The guy at the keyboard gets boxes to check. If you fall in line, you get the right box checked. Problem is, they don't ask the right questions, and the guy at the keyboard has to figure a way around it so he can get your account.

It's better than anarchy.... (Thread drift so soon?)

[maxingout]

We had a policy with USAA that continued our car insurance even though we didn't have a car. It was called non-owners car insurance. It recognized the fact that we were long term customers of USAA, and it gave us full policy limits that we used to have when we had a car with USAA. It allowed us to rent cars in the USA for at least two weeks a year, possible longer without having rental car insurance. It was very cheap, something like fifty dollars a year.

When we were out cruising, we used our non-owners insurance whenever we returned for a visit to the USA.

[lorenzo b]

We just rented a car from a European site that offered complete insurance coverage. Most local companies don't want to deal with overseas coverage plans so this package plan is great for overseas tourists. The price is right and you can do it all online.

[st599]

Originally Posted by lorenzo b

We just rented a car from a European site that offered complete insurance coverage. Most local companies don't want to deal with overseas coverage plans so this package plan is great for overseas tourists. The price is right and you can do it all online.

Er no, they won't deal with your overseas insurance as it's a legal requirement to have at least third party insurance cover (which requires a full driving licence and recent vehicle inspection certificate to be valid) in most parts of Europe. They could be liable as accomplices to providing an uninsured driver with a vehicle if your insurance doesn't cover the legal minimums.

[lorenzo b]

Try ebookers.com
We rented through them and they set us up with a car from Avis in Newport RI
Paid ebookers.com directly in Euros

[off-the-grid]

Originally Posted by lorenzo b

Try ebookers.com
We rented through them and they set us up with a car from Avis in Newport RI
Paid ebookers.com directly in Euros

Well...maybe if they're around 1 year, 2 years...whenever it is that I decide I actually need to rent a car.

[off-the-grid]

So, how exactly does this non owners thing work? Seems like it's really geared towards people who live in cities and don't own cars, and rent on occasion, not cruisers (AKA: travelers). The few places I've called so far, would only cover you in a specific state, which can't be changed. You move, you cancel your policy, and sign up for a new one. Even for someone who's just snow birding between NJ and FL that's a little bit of a PITA.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by grunzster

. . . My current carrier only provides coverage in NJ, so I'd have to switch anyway. . . .

There is something missing there. In the USA your automobile insurance covers you in all the States and other USA land areas. If you mean your auto insurance covers you and charges premiums based on you as a resident of N.J. that is another matter. If you move to a new State then the car insurance and obviously other insurances will all be recalculated to your new resident State. Different States has different car insurance laws/required coverages, etc. which change the rates you will pay.
- - Exact same thing with your boat. Where you keep it and where you will use will determine the rate charged for insurance. And you can cruise to other States and be covered while you are away from your home State.
- - If you sell your car and do not or can not switch to a non-owners car insurance coverage, then when you (or if you) get a new car and try to get insurance, you will most likely be put into the State "pool" insurance and those rates are very, very high. Enough so that keeping a car in storage just to keep your car insurance active is sometimes cost effective. Especially if you are on a Sabbatical cruise and plan to return in a few years to resume your life ashore.
- - If you rent a car overseas it will not be covered by your USA car insurance. Buying the car rental agencies daily insurance is - most times if not all the time - well worth the $10-15/day. The hassles of an accident/damage in a foreign country where you are the "alien" is not pretty. Paying the rental agency that extra money is IMHO very well worth the peace of mind and the ability to leave the country when you want to leave to continue your cruising.

[matauwhi]

Base yourself out of New Zealand. No insurance required here at all, including 3rd party. 100% your option if you want to cover yourself or not. Cheers.