What insurance coverage should I get?

I'm legit asking, I'm 22 and moving out and looking at car insurance now. I have a 2 door 07 base tacoma, it's in fair condition, just some roof rust issues. If
You were me what coverage would you get? In my state you need to have comp, but what deductible should I get? I was also wondering if it's worth it to get collision for a truck that is my trucks age and in its condition?
Any real input is greatly appreciated, just trying to get as much advice as possible.

 

With Tacomas having one of the highest resale values and holding there value I would strongly suggest getting full coverage with collision . The deductible all depends on what you can afford

 

Whatever you can afford, I had a $500 deductible and spent $422 out of pocket on a new windshield. I didn't really have much more extra change around at that moment of time, so it really sucked. I talked to my insurance agent after that to see what my monthly payment would be with a $0 deductible, and it was $3 more per month. Obviously, I switched that day.

I'd call your insurance company and get quotes at different deductible levels.

 

Also make sure you cover your ass in regards to what your coverage is on the medical needs of people you injure in an accident, they're incredibly expensive and you can most definitely get fucked in that regard when insurance covers every expense except a couple hundred grand.

 

This first portion may not be applicable to you, but it was to me so I will share.

When I was in college I had my own insurance (not on mommy and daddys). My insurance company figured out who I lived with and some of them had previous driving violations (reckless drivings, speeding tickets, etc..) Since I lived at the same address as them my insurance rates increased, even though I did not ever let them drive my truck. When I was living at that house my insurance was about another $45/month over what it changed to when I moved into my own place. I am 22 now and have a flawless driving record and use USAA for my truck insurance. When I switched off my parents plan when I was 18, my insurance roughly doubled. I highly recommend trying to keep the plan under your parents policy if possible. I also have a 0$ deductible, because if something were to happen (hail, vandalism, etc..) I would really be taking a hit for a $500 bill. The premium difference (as someone else said) is oftentimes negligible in the long run to have a lower deductible.

Also, keep in mind that the cheapest insurance company may also be the company that screws you when something happens.

My $.02 from being in your same situation not long ago.

 

Get the most coverage you can afford.

 

GET FULL COVERAGE.
My wife has been hit twice by underinsured drivers.
They get the minimum liability.

I end up filing a claim on my insurance and they go after the at fault driver.
They deserve what they get, which I hope is screwed.

 

As the old saying goes; your biggest risk in life is being underinsured...
That said; your biggest liability is injury to others. Have to remember that courts often go in strange ways, to say the least.
So, a hypothetical situation is you get involved in an accident with a high-end ($100k) car or say a motor home. It's not your fault. But the Judge rules (and they do rule strangely in some cases), say it is, or maybe 'fault sharing' which means you're partially responsible for damages and someone may be hurt too. Your insurance company may not crucify you for this but if your liability coverage is too low you may have to go bankrupt. Especially if the other party was seriously injured and requires say, 100k of medical to get better. Rather have the insurance company lawyers do the work.
THus: hypothetically, Collision of $150,000 (preferably $200,000) with $100.00 deductable, Comprehensive (for hail, glass, vandals, etc.), Liability 250,000/500,000 (per person/per occurence) might be a good place to start. Probably have to have an uninsured motorist fee added, etc.

 

i dont have any first hand experience with US insurance companies but through my work (bodyshop) ive dealt with ameriprise, travelers, statefarm.

travelers was amazing to deal with an arranged a rental for the customer for duration of repairs didnt try to skimp on anything.id def look into them.

go with full coverage. youll regret it if you dont and something does happen.

comp you cant control like theft, vandalism, fire etc. so it would make sense to get the lowest deductible you can.

 

I work In insurance.

100/300/300

Pm me for more questions.

 

WOW

$36 more a year... that's a no-brainer decision.

 

100/300/300 in what order? i mean what does each number correlate to

 

I'm an agent for AAA in Southern California, I would suggest having a low comprehensive deductible for claims relating to broken windows.( not an expensive coverage ) Collision deductible is the bulk of your premium. When choosing your deductible take into account your driving history. Have been in any at fault accidents? if no then you can afford to have a higher deductible. You will only pay your collision deductible when you are found to be at fault in an accident.

As for the coverages mentioned above. 100/300 is for bodily injury: it pays out when your in an at fault accident (pays for other peoples medical bills, loss wages and pain and suffering) first amount pays out per person and the second amount pays out a maximum of 300k per accident. The last number is property damage.. Your company will pay out a maximum of 300k per accident. I personally wouldn't go that high. I have 100 k on my policy. I would just avoid rear ending lambs and other high value vehicles. Most claims I say are minimal 10-15k for property damage.

I hope this helps, if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

 

thanks for the info! so I'm getting quotes and this is what I'm putting, does this seem ok?

 

bump, anyone?

 

i'm an ins agent, i 100% suggest get full coverage comp/collision. that truck still has alot of value. considering your age though, probably $250 comp and $1000 coll deductibles. at your age you can get discount for the following things, depending on the company so make sure to mention them to your agent:

- if your married you get a discount
- if you choose automatic draft payments from you checking account you get a discount
- if you pay the policy in full in one payment YOU GET A HUGE DISCOUNT!
- if you are in school and have above a 3.0 GPA you can get a discount
- if you select paperless billing, meaning all docs goto you via email you can get a discount
- if you have good credit you can get a discount
- if you have had continuous coverage for over a year (if you were on your parents policy, that counts) you can get a discount
- if you own your home you can get a discount
- if you rent, but have a renters policy youcan get a discount
- if you have a CDL drivers license you can get a discount
- if you lived at your current residence for over 12 months you can get a discount
- if you are active military you can get a discount
- claims free for over 3 years you can get a discount
- VIN etching you can get a discount
- if you have a college degree you can get a discount
- if you have more than 1 policy with the same agent you can get a discount


other tips...

- if you have health ins. decline 'uninsured motorist coverage'
- decline 'medical'


!!! i highly suggest asking the agent what the multi-policy discount is and how much it would save you! for example, if you pay $200 a month for your truck insurance and the company offers a 5% discount if you have more than 1 policy with them, then buy a $25,000 term life insurance policy from them. it will cost you like $5 a month, BUT you get 5% off your $200 a month truck insurance. so you saved $5 and now have life insurance! the same goes for renters insurance and ESPECIALLY homeowners insurance!

if you have an EXCELLENT record, meaning no tickets and no claims (BTW comp claims now count against you just like coll claims) even though i quit working for them, i suggest you try state farm. if you had a lapse in coverage or a bunch of claims and no tickets (like comp claims or not ticketed accidents) i highly suggest finding an Imperial agent. if you have a horrible driving record (tickets/accidents) find an Omni Insurance Co. agent. their service sucks! claims get paid REALLY slow! (they do pay fairly in my experience) BUT they do not run your credit and do not check past claims, so its cheap. (personally i quit doing business with them, i only mentioned because for some people every other company wants $500+ a month and sometime Omni is the only choice that they can afford)

 

i would get roadside and rental. between the 2 probably cost you $3 extra a month and saves you alot money later! like if you truck breaks down on the interstate, they pay to come pick it up and tow it, etc...

 

well i have a completely clean record, never been pulled over, no accidents (knock on wood), no damage from comp type claims, and I've been on my dads insurance since i got the truck 5 years ago. i just wish talking to an agent wasn't all about getting their sale, and just to help, not to take anything away from the insurance agents here... but i went to geico to just talk about what it'd cost me and it seemed like the agent just wanted to get the sale, and not really help me with everything i wanted, at the deductible i wanted. if there is one thing that irks me, its a sales pitch lol, sorry about the rant.. but thats why I'm asking you guys! you guys are just looking out for everyone on here, with that said, I'm looking at buying my policy online to avoid another sales pitch lol

 

well, i hate those agents too!!!

no one at my office is like that. by law the agent/producer/broker represents you, alot of agents forget that. it also helps that i started out as an adjuster and have seen damage and the effect it has on people's lives, etc.

if someone calls my office for a quote, auto/home/commercial/life/etc we take the info the person gives us and do what we can, or sometimes just in the first conversation i can honestly just tell them they would be better off going with xxx insurance company. ALL HONEST agents do that, i get numerous calls a day from state farm agents, metlife agents, shelter agents, etc saying that they have a customer they can not help and ask if i can take a look at their info and see what i can do. likewise i make numerous calls to those same agents every day saying the same thing, can you help this person, we cant.

STAY AWAY FROM those 'turn n burn' boiler room' companies like geiko and go auto and the general, etc. those reps could careless about you, are forbidden to advise you if you would be better off with another company, etc. that rep gets a commission on a sale and will never talk to you again. as an agent i know that if you have a claim you will call me and expect things to be made right, and i will do that. also as an agent i know you live here and have family and friends and it matters very much how good our service is for you. we get probably 5-10 people a day who currently are with those companies calling us and asking for quotes because of various problems.

i am not trying to sell you on any company by any means, we represent about 25 companies and i have not mentioned any of them here, just trying to help