Need a good insurance agent

[OzBro]

I have spent days and days chasing down someone to insure the boattail I will buy when I come to the USA for my 2 month holiday.

Most say "no USA licence?!?!?....are you kidding???.. and how old is that car?!?...you must be joking....just go away and don't ever talk to me again!" well....perhaps not those exact words, but it is what they mean.

So I'm thinking that I may have better luck going through an insurance agent, a "Rambo, take no prisoners...I eat hiden, obscure policy clauses for breakfast" kind of insurance agent.

We will arrive in Los Angeles, so someone in California would probably be best.

I will be grateful for any suggestions.

If you prefer to email me, its..... OzRivi[put that "at" symbol here]gmail.com

[Guest 63riviera]

state farm has a good policy for special-interest cars.

[OzBro]

Contacted state farm, they dont like customers who don't have a US licence.

So far all the big companies have turned me down, but a handful have said that Progressive will cover me, so we will see what they suggest....fingers crossed

[NTX5467]

Are there any insurance carriers in Oz that also do business in the USA? What kind of feedback have you gotten from your current carrier about insuring the vehicle (or putting a "rider" on your existing policy to cover the "additional vehicle") while you might be driving/transporting it in the USA, prior to shipping it back to Oz? Of course, the shipping vendor will probably sell insurance for the vehicle's condition while it's in their care, I suspect.

In one respect, there are people who visit the USA every day and drive vehicles on USA roadways, including people who might drive across the northern or southern borders of the USA. If they get into an accident where they might be responsible for some vehicle damage, how is that claim processed? Of course, if it's a rental vehicle that might be damaged, you can purchase "protection" on that vehicle from the rental car companies when the rental agreement is finalized, but that would not be an option on a vehicle you've purchased while in the USA.

This deal might be similar to getting a loan to open a business in a distant town. They usually want a local bank (to where the business will be) to execute the loan, but if they balk, the other option is to go to your local bank (where you live and already have "history") to let them write the loan. So perhaps you might be better off trying to deal with your local insurance operatives, if anybody will talk to you about it--there HAS to be some options somewhere.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Guest COMPACTBC]

Im a retired auto Insurance Broker (40 years in the business) here in California. In my opinion you could get a CA drivers license and them shop the insurance market, without mentioning your short term stay. Also you could go to www.progressive.com and maybe get them to give you a quote on line. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> The company is very flexible in their underwritting. Do you know Tony Gentlecore? He came to the USA from OZ last year and bought a Riv Boat Tail and drove it around the USA before he took it home to OZ. He is a member of the ROA.

[OzBro]

Progressive is the company everyone has suggested, and I have asked them about insurance, and as long as I can give them an address where the car will be "garaged", they will insure me.

I have talked to Tony(unfortunately we are in different states), he was lucky in that the seller kept it registered and insured while Tony drove it, saving him a lot of messing around.

I think I'm streesing a bit about the car, I didn't thing that it would be so scary to buy a car without seeing it in the metal, on the other side of the world <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> ...I think one of my problems is that I see the "potential" of the cars i look at... much like my wife did with me, really <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />