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Covid and antique auto insurance


Lahti35

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Anybody having issues getting insurance for antique autos during the covid pandemic?

 

I recently bought a vintage army truck and got a quote from Hagerty in which I noticed they required the historical registration. In Michigan you need insurance to get the historical registration after you transfer the title.

 

Currently the secretary of state in Michigan is appointment only with November being the soonest you can schedule one. You can do the historic plate through the mail in MI but not transfer of title (which you need for the plate application). They were closed until further notice when I bought the truck so no way to transfer the title at that time.

 

Currently waiting on a reply back from Hagerty to see what they say about this circus...  They do have a home base in Michigan.

 

I also tried Grundy and they too required proof of historical registration.

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A couple of others you can try (if you haven't already) but I would guess the same issue will arise...

 

https://thepeoplesagency.com/personal-insurance/classic-car-insurance/

 

https://americancollectors.com

888-450-8519 

 

Or, maybe try going through a list of local agents who might need the business in your state? 

 

 

 

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25 minutes ago, padgett said:

In Florida you must show proof of insurance to transfer a tag or title. JCTaylor has always been very good about this.

 

I send the RMV Title/Registration form to JC Taylor and they stamp it and send it back.   Mass was booking 2 to 3 weeks out,  but it depended on location.

 

In Michigan,  can you try looking at other locations to see if there are sooner time slots?

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If it's a truck, just call your regular insurance Co and add it to your existing policy. You can fix registration and change insurance later when things get back to normal (whatever that will be.)

If it's a tank, you may have other issues.

Terry

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Recently I decided to get a Pennsylvania Antique License plate to replace the regular tag on my 35 year old Volkswagen. I got to the point where paying the annual Registration fee and then paying for the safety and emissions inspections was a pain the the rear-end. I was also curious as to how long it would take PENNDOT to process my application given that I believe their offices had been closed due to Covid-19 and they had accumulated a backlog of work to do. After filling out all the appropriate paperwork for a regular Antique Tag (ie not personalized) I mailed it to PENNDOT in Harrisburg and waited. Much to my surprise I saw that PENNDOT cashed my check two weeks later and the License Plate arrived a week after that (a total of three weeks after I mailed the paperwork). I do suspect that the new PA Title for my car will take a few more weeks as they always take longer than the license plate. Now my car is all set to go to the Hershey National in October (DPC).

 

Just thought I would pass along my experience in case others here in Pennsylvania were wondering.

 

Charlie

 

 

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2 hours ago, padgett said:

In Florida you must show proof of insurance to transfer a tag or title. JCTaylor has always been very good about this.

 

Thanks Padgett, I forgot about them... I'll give them a try.

 

Michigan is so messed up right now it's not funny. They did open the SOS back up but only with one employee serving customers... they may be open but they are still falling behind at the rate they are going. 

 

 

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When I bought the Allante in June JCT just asked for the VIN on the phone and they sent a card back via email so had with me when I bought it. They handled all the paperwork and photos electronically afterwards. Of course I've had a JCT policy for years.

 

ps in Orange county the DMV only serves local residents and you must have a mask and an appointment (make appointment online and get notices on phone). Works pretty well

Edited by padgett (see edit history)
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Hagerty will also insure it without the historic vehicle registration at a little higher rate then lower it once you get it re-registered.

Scott

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After doing some more investigating I am able to secure insurance.

 

Hagerty wants to insure it the standard way until I can get into the SOS for the registration, then get the historic plates and insure it as that, they will back date the historic registration by a number of weeks but not the full time it would take to get into the SOS here in MI.

 

JC Taylor had no issue with insuring it as historic without the historic registration. The cost was a bit more, but no substantial. I decided to go with them.

 

Thanks for all the input guys... weird times!

 

 

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Glad that worked out. We've been with them for many years and they are always my first recommendation. It's not always about price, it's service and value. 

Terry

 

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Lahti35, there are no problems with insurance, if you have different options in your area and you know for sure what papers do you need to prepare for signing up. You can pay attention to this blog ( https://www.americaninsurance.com/luxury-car-insurance ), if you want to understand how to find the best insurance companies, which will fit for your "antique" purposes.

Edited by darrell8Z (see edit history)
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I am surprised you had trouble getting the coverage without BMV papers. I have always added cars with Hagerty on a phone call and never had an issue, usually before making the trip to the license branch to do the title transfer. 

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1 hour ago, gossp said:

I am surprised you had trouble getting the coverage without BMV papers. I have always added cars with Hagerty on a phone call and never had an issue, usually before making the trip to the license branch to do the title transfer. 

I was surprised as well. I've always just been able to insure as historic without any papers, never a problem until now. The cost difference was minimal going with JC Taylor, not a problem.

 

I had an issue with Hagerty years ago as they denied me service on a antique for not having a new enough daily driver but they never asked for historic registration then either. Maybe its just Michigan, no clue.

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