insurance companies

[Booreatta]

Has anyone used Geico insurance? They do a lot of advertising but don't know how well they pay claims if ncecssary

[Terry Bond]

This question comes up all the time.  At least you are asking the right question as most are only interested in the cheapest insurance and never ask about service-the most important part of the deal.  My personal recommendation is J.C. Taylor, although there are several other top companies to select from.  Their service is amazing.  I know many others would would agree.  Whoever you choose, be sure they specialize in collector car insurance.   Based on what I've heard from others, conventional insurance companies are usually not recommended.

Terry

[John_S_in_Penna]

1 hour ago, Terry Bond said:

...Whoever you choose, be sure they specialize in collector car insurance.

Based on what I've heard from others, conventional insurance companies are usually not recommended.

 

From what I have heard, Terry's advice above is important.

NEVER insure an antique car with a company that does not

specifically deal in antique-car insurance.   A regular car-insurance

company does not know how to deal with antique-car claims,

and, according to reports I've read, may pay just pennies on the

dollar.  In addition to J. C. Taylor, Hagerty and Grundy are

two other companies well-known in the hobby.  

Edited March 15, 2019 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[FLYER15015]

FYI, I would choose Condon and Skelly.

They now insure 2 of my cars with their "declared value " policies and I am very pleased with their rates.

 

Mike in Colorado

[zepher]

I've used both Hargerty and Grundy in the past.
Hargerty was a little easier to deal with when getting the policy started and the rates are about the same.

I have not had the need to file a claim against any of my collector cars so I cannot comment on the claims process of either one.

 

I am interested to hear which companies members of this forum have dealt with and their experiences, good and bad, during the process.

[padgett]

I have both: Geico (since before the Gecko) for my DD and JC Taylor for my "collectibles". Am very happy with both.

[mercer09]

JC Taylor

 

the largest and easiest to deal with..........have had no claims though

[Paul Dobbin]

Remember J. C. Taylor and Hagerty, Grundy, Condon & Skelly, etc. are only the agents.  They place your policy with an actual Insurance Company,

which usually are the ones who specialize in our market.  Those companies are A.M. Best rated insurance companies.

[plymouthcranbrook]

My company asked for an appraisal and my cars are insured up to that amount. If I want to increase it I can see if another appraisal will be higher. The part I like is that I can drive the cars as much as I want, anywhere i want  as long as every driver in our household has a regular driver for daily use.

[TerryB]

Progressive treated me extremely well when a driver crashed into me and my motorcycle.  They may have off beat ads but in my case their response to my predicament was excellent.

[JACK M]

9 minutes ago, TerryB said:

They may have off beat ads

 

Go with the "Flo"

[Frank DuVal]

18 minutes ago, TerryB said:

Progressive treated me extremely well when a driver crashed into me and my motorcycle.

 Were you the Progressive insured or was the at fault driver Progressive insured? This makes a difference in deciding which company to go with. Unless in a no fault state, you do not get to choose the insurance company to pay you when you are not at fault.😉

[39BuickEight]

Like any business it depends on the individual you have to deal with.  Insurance companies do have their desired markets, for example Hagerty and Geico are not after the same customers with the same needs, and therefore price their products and handle claims accordingly.  After that, you have some great claims employees and some bad ones at every company.

[John_S_in_Penna]

1 hour ago, TerryB said:

Progressive treated me extremely well when a driver crashed into me and my motorcycle.  They may have off beat ads but in my case their response to my predicament was excellent.

 

Was this an antique motorcycle?

[TerryB]

2 hours ago, Frank DuVal said:

 Were you the Progressive insured or was the at fault driver Progressive insured? This makes a difference in deciding which company to go with. Unless in a no fault state, you do not get to choose the insurance company to pay you when you are not at fault.😉

I was the one who had Progressive insurance in this case.  They quickly covered the motorcycle damage which amounted to total loss of a three month old motorcycle plus they covered replacing my riding gear.  All this was handled in a very timely and professional manner.  The accident required more investigation that eventually dragged out for a year and a half as my injuries were catastrophic.  In PA the motorcycle bodily injury liability insurance is handled differently than that of an automobile accident policy.  I had not chosen to have the bodily injury rider on my motorcycle policy, instead I opted to have that insurance through my employer.  Thank goodness my employer had excellent coverage.  At one stage I had seen the bills to date while I was still in the hospital, at that time the bill was in excess of $800,000.  That is not a misprint and I was still getting treatment.   All of the expenses were covered by my employer’s insurance and I did not have to repay any of it back to them when all the dust settled.  Progressive also made a settlement as part of my underinsured motorist coverage with them, again in a timely fashion and without a ton of paperwork required.

[mercer09]

Terry,

isnt this a bit different then antique coverage? I think that is John's point.

[Scooter Guy]

Most insurance companies (even Geico, Allstate, State Farm, Progressive, etc., etc.) will sell you insurance for whatever vehicle you want, so long as you are willing to pay their price for it. There are always exceptions, but I have never not been offered a quote from an insurance company when interested in buying insurance.

 

But...not all policies are created equal and you need to know what you're buying. Your choice of specific policy has a direct correlation to what happens when you have a claim. That is, in my opinion, more important than what company's name you're buying from. 

 

Also, one thing to watch out for: "stated value" (some companies call this "declared value") is not the same as "agreed value" to most insurance companies. I know some people that have gone through a lot of heartache because they didn't know the difference when they filed a claim. Stated value is where your policy starts, at a value you state to the insurance company. But stated value policies factor in depreciation and when you file a claim you can end up with the stated value amount or actual cash value (ACV being what it is worth at the time of the claim) - but that amount will be whichever is less, as determined by the insurance company. Agreed value is what most collectors want and what is often confused for stated value insurance. With agreed value, you and the insurance company agreed on a guaranteed value for the vehicle and that amount will be paid by the insurance company in the event of a total loss. 

 

At the end of the day, make sure you understand what type of policy you are buying so you know what happens when there is a claim. 

Edited March 15, 2019 by Scooter Guy (see edit history)

[TerryB]

23 minutes ago, mercer09 said:

Terry,

isnt this a bit different then antique coverage? I think that is John's point.

Yes it is but the information is applicable to anyone who drives a car or motorcycle when they are not driving an antique car which is about 99% of their driving time.  I had antique auto coverage through my Nationwide rep that I never had to use so no comments there + or - on it.

[TerryB]

John was asking about Geico which is not a name I associate with antique auto insurance which is another reason for my reply.  My first hand experiences might be helpful to others.  Bottom line is be sure you know what coverage you have long before you are in a position to need it.

[60FlatTop]

This me me in 1974, insured by J C Taylor and been with them ever since.

I had the 1994 Chevy Impala insured by them when it was 19 years old. I switched that back to my driver carrier, Liberty Mutual, last year since I wanted to drive that car outside the limitations of the collector car policy.

 

In New York State there are no titles on pre-1970 cars so anything I buy I immediately license to transfer legal ownership. J C Taylor has been excellent in helping get those cars in my name.

 

BTW, I no longer smoke two cigarettes at a time. That's going to keep me a Taylor customer for a few years longer.

 

Bernie

 

Edited March 16, 2019 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[TerryB]

Be sure to know what happens if you get hurt!  Car replacement is one thing, medical expenses and underinsured drivers can be an eye opener experience.

[nick8086]

I use JC -Taylor.   My dad has been a member with them since 1968..

 

They were great to deal with. My father pasted away.. I was able to just move his account to my account.. No questions or a redo of under writing..

 

Some cars were only 47 cents a year to insure..

 

I call them to drop a few cars and they call me a gold , VIP member. Not sure what that means..

 

I think that pile of stuff was only 680. a year.. Now it about 1K since I up the values.. 

Edited March 19, 2019 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[Mikefit]

Well any time a insurance company pays in a timely manner be sure it's to their advantage . That's why we have lawyers. 

[Graham Man]

I used to use State Farm, until they would not insure my 1933 Graham because it was not shinny enough (even they could not give me a definition) anyway went with Hagerty I have 6 cars insured they have been great so far, my favorite part is for a couple bucks you can get a rider so you can keep your car if it is totaled., 

[Restorer32]

Bear in mind regardless of which insurance you have the appraiser who shows up to value your damage will likely have zero or very little experience with antique vehicles. All Insurance companies farm out their inspection and appraisal work to which ever appraiser is in the area of the vehicle.  We have done quite a few insurance repairs and not once has the appraiser had any useful knowledge about antique cars. On the bright side we have never had any problems with insurance companies once we educate the appraiser to the facts. Appraiser "well, can't you  just buy a new bumper for that '29 Pierce. No reason we should pay to repair and replate this badly damaged one". Different appraiser "What would a new front fender for this '32 Packard cost?" "Have you tried calling a junk yard ?"

[edinmass]

Restorer32......please PM me the name and number of the junk yard with the 29 Pierce parts car.........the 904 Packard doesn’t need anything as of now.......but you can also pass that info on please?😎

[60FlatTop]

5 hours ago, Restorer32 said:

"Have you tried calling a junk yard ?"

 

"You should go look in some junkyards. It would be too expensive to send me." said the appraiser.

 

[Restorer32]

Honestly, those are exact quotes.  Our actual final prices for crash repair work usually run about 100% more than the appraiser's evaluation due to scarcity of parts and hidden damage. Happily the insurance companies have never seriously questioned our repair bills. They are generally just happy to settle the claim and move on. We are a Hagerty approved shop but have worked with various other insurance companies on the handful of crash repairs we have done.