collector car insurance

[Guest imported_tigermoth]

has anyone had experience with heacock? they told me stated value and they are the only company that says they allow errands. any thoughts or experiences? reards, tom

[Dynaflash8]

I have home insurance with them, and know Ford Heacock personally; although not well. He's helped a new AACA Region get started in Lakeland, FL, I have some homeowner insurance with his Sebring, FL home office (but haven't had to make any claims thank goodness), and he's a good guy. I say that because one of his clients, and I guess a friend as well, had a wreck with his trailer (32 Chevy inside) on the way to the Grand National Meet in Buffalo. Mr. Heacock saddled up his trailer and personally drove from Lakeland, FL to Buffalo to pick up the man's car and take it home. He attended the banquet and I signed him up as an AACA member. Now that doesn't say anything particular about the insurance, but you can usually make some judgments on a business by the actions of its owner. All I can tell you.

[ted sweet]

you dont want stated value coverage you want agreed upon value.

[Peter J.Heizmann]

tigermoth...

Please listen to what Ted Sweet mentioned: "Agreed Value".

Some years ago, I read an article about a gent, of whom, had a "stable" of convertible cars that were totally destroyed in a fire. All vehicles retained "Stated Value". The gent received pennies on the dollar for vehicles that were in outstanding condition. The gent's message within the article was simple: "Agreed Value" to learn from his lesson.

Peter J...

[Bhigdog]

You would be well advised to talk to Hagerty Insur. and others before you commit. The statement that they are the only company that allows "errands" sounds pretty bogus to me. Also you must have agreed value coverage if you hope to recoup any loss........Bob

[Guest imported_tigermoth]

thanks for the responses.i misspoke. it is agreed value. bob, they are the only vintage car insurers i have found that allow errands. there may be others out there, but i have not found them. all of the big guns in the business quoted me policies that restrict you to tours, parades, shows,recreational drives and club activities. the only restriction heacock quoted was no driving to work. this is the least restrictive policy i have found. thank you all for the comments, and i agree the actions of the company owner is significant. thanks again to all. regards, tom

[Bhigdog]

I checked with Hagerty and you are correct viv-a-vis errands. They would consider that use as a secondary vehicle and it would not be permitted. That is an eye opener for me........Bob

[ted sweet]

unless he can show that in the policy i wont take it has covered.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">thanks for the responses.i misspoke. it is agreed value. bob, they are the only vintage car insurers i have found that allow errands. there may be others out there, but i have not found them. all of the big guns in the business quoted me policies that restrict you to tours, parades, shows,recreational drives and club activities. the only restriction heacock quoted was no driving to work. this is the least restrictive policy i have found. thank you all for the comments, and i agree the actions of the company owner is significant. thanks again to all. regards, tom </div></div>

[ex98thdrill]

I remember when that happened. That was one customer that he really took care of.

[Bhigdog]

I checked with Heacock Insurance for a quote on my 5 cars. The price quote was much better than what I am now paying to Hagerty for the same coverage. I had a long conversation with Gary vis-a-vis using a collector car for an occasional errand. His reply was that it was a gray area and the "prudent man rule" would dictate coverage. His verbage was "if you are out to excercise your car and stop to pick something up at a store or buy an ice cream that is permitted. However a trip specifically to go to "Wal-mart" is not. That leaves a lot of wiggle room. Here is a direct quote from his letter "The use of a collector car for general errands is not a covered activity".

That being said their permitted use policy is still more generous than Hagerty's who flatly said stopping at a store while out for a pleasure ride was not permitted. That coupled with a fair saving may cause me to switch carriers. I need to do a liitle more research first.......Bob

[Joe Block]

One thin to watch these guys on is freeze protection, I lost a block after we did some summer evening work on it and I was going to do more, so I did worry about antifreeze. in December, i fogot and there was a 17 degree night in California. Condon &Shelley has a change in temperature clause exclusion. So the claim was deniated so i been running with cermic sealer in the block for years now. Worst part is they orginally said i was covered, then change their mind.

[Guest ZondaC12]

what does it mean by saying "errands are not permitted"?

does that mean that if something happens they will kick you out or they just wont cover the damage? i would probably have had jc taylor this last year but that was the only one i knew of and they dont do drivers under age 25. so had to go through the company mom's car insurance is with.

then i found out about others like hagerty and was thinking of going with them this year, because they do down to age 18. how about heacock?

i look at it as something thats a nuisance i would probably not bother with especially with my 38 (but probaby not my daily driver either) if it was optional but you gotta insure your vehicle to register it.

all im asking is if i were to run an errand then would they not insure me anymore? does anyone know if heacock is available in New York?

[Guest rbl2]

I'm curious about this errand thing too. I have my insurance with Hagerty and I swear I remember being told it was ok to take it to the local store, say for a soft drink, but not say, to go grocery shopping and what not. I made it clear the car would be a driver. Being a 1926 I also made it clear that it might sit for months and then for awhile be driven several times a week, weather permitting.

What I wouldn't do with it is to take it to the grocery store or walmart or something like that for fear of damage and spectator inquisitivness, people who probably don't mean any harm but will otherwise crawl all over your car.

I think maybe Monday I'll call and double check with my insurance rep.

[Guest ZondaC12]

alright thanks!!!

i found heacock's website, nope, ive got no other choice than hagerty.

heacock: "driver must have 10 years of driving experience" <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

d'oh!!! no love for us "young-uns" who happen to have some old iron huh? <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

[Guest rbl2]

Hang in there. One day real soon you'll wake to find out you turned into an old geezer.

Personally I'm glad to see an embryo with a love of old iron.

[Guest rbl2]

Ok, here's the deal. I just now got off the phone with Hagerty. Our cars, as we know, are not covered for errands or business. Business being work related. Errands being trips to Home Depot, Walmart, etc. Our cars are not insured as daily drivers but they understand and acknowledge that we drive them for non club related purposes. He acknowledged that we drive them to keep the battery charged and to keep them operational.

We cannot use them for daily drivers, ie trips to the store down the street to get your morning paper everyday or something like that. We can do that several times a week w/o any problems however.

Our cars are covered for club related purposes and for pleasure. It's the "pleasure" part where we have a shadowy area. I used the example of going to the store down the street for our discussion. In my case the store is only about 2 miles away. I told him it is common practice for me to go there everyday in my "new" vehicle. I'm disabled, unable to work, and this trip gets me out of the house. Now, I can drive directly to and back from the store, a total trip of about 5 miles. Oft times what I do is take a side road that makes a much larger loop of about 15 miles. It's all back road, little traffic, and a nice diversion. So far so good. Weather permitting I am not above taking my 26 Chevy on this trip. Now for me this is a pleasure trip. I don't use the car every day under any circumstances but I am not above using it to go on the "extended" trip to the store down the street 2 or 3 times a week. He again said that was ok.

I asked about road trips. Club related road trips are permitted He said going to see Aunt Edith in BF, Egypt is not club related and therefore not covered. I replied, maybe it's not club related but it is a pleasure trip. No it's not he said. Oops, grey area. Yes it is too. I enjoy the trip even if it is 42 light years away. It's not like I see her every month or even every year.

We talked a bit about this and he relented that road trips are covered but that it is a shadowy area and one to be dealt with when the time arises.

I don't think so. I'm already in the middle of a lawsuit with an insurance company because they don't want to honor the terms of the contract I had with them at the time of my injury. They are citing "grey" areas. I want to know in advance if I take my old car to the Horse Head nebula it is covered. Could I buy some kind of insurance just for the road trip? No, he said. But, he suggested I contact them prior to the road trip and let them be aware that I was going on this trip and they could issue me a piece of paper saying the car was covered for this trip.

I DO NOT TRUST insurance companies AT ALL.

Club related trips are covered.... UUmm Do I have to be a member of a particular club, if for example, I am going to one of their shows at the Crab Nebula? No, I do not have to be a member of that club, as long as I am going to a show in the Crab Nebula, or the Horse Head Nebula, or BF, Egypt or where ever. It's a pleasure trip related to a car show.

Ok, I'll have my friends in said Nebulas and Egypt watch for car shows and I'll plan my trips around them. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I would urge everyone to call and check with their own insurance companies and if need be, have things put in writing. Even then, I have found out the hard way, that some times insurance companies will not live up to the terms of the agreement. In my personal lawsuit (work related) the company I am dealing with is even fighting federal laws to avoid living up to the terms of the contract. My thought is that they are dragging it out in the hopes I will give up in frustration.

[Guest Moepar]

rbl2-I hope you kick butt, take names, and stomp the insurance company flat. Personally I think that insurance companies have helped to over-regulate us, & always find ways for 'discrimination' because they are a 'risk based' business. Sorry, but every company is 'risk based': they run the risk of not being in business every day due to many numbers of reasons. They (insurance cos.) are also the reason that many numbers of people cannot get insurance due to it being over priced or those folks being deemed 'uninsurable'. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> Then they have the nerve to weep & wail about how many Americans are uninsured.

Just a sore point with me.

[ted sweet]

if collector insurance covered everyday driving it will cost as much if not more than what we pay for new cars.

[Guest Moepar]

Collector insurance purpose-specific insurance. Both sides (supposedly) know what they are getting into. I don't see a problem with that .