Insurance - Had Enough

[MuricaDad]

Are any of you guys insuring a minor on your C10? I'm finding it to be a royal pain. Constant inquiries as if looking to find a way to cancel us. I just want a decent policy so the boy can be legal. This is not an expensive garage queen. I'd like for any insured member of the family to be able to drive it as desired, use it for whatever, and not worry about it. Just a basic policy to be legal and specify a reasonable value on the truck. I shouldn't have to agree to garage keeping, minimal miles, and keeping the minor away from it in order to have a basic policy like I described. Anyone find such a thing? At this point it would have been easier to throw the kid in a brand new Honda Civic rather than one of our old trucks that needs everything, yet the boy is willing to put in the time and effort to learn and do it all in order to have himself something he can be proud of.

[Coley]

Well, insuring a teenager on a car or truck is never cheap. They are the highest risk category out there....particularly if you want your vehicle insured for collision damage should it occur and with them at fault.
It recently has gone up due to the history of (all/most) teenagers being seemingly, addicted to texting....and they do this a lot while driving. Definitely one bad habit (...and this texting/habit is becoming the new 'drinking and driving').
You might have to 'pay the piper' on this one....or find a very cheap vehicle that isn't worth putting collision insurance on for them (him?) to drive....an old corolla or something like that.
My two bits.
all Good
Coley

[Grumpy old man]

Get out your check book it's gonna cost you . What you want and what they are willing to provide are going to be two totally different things for good reasons .you don't own the insurance company and they don't want the risk of a teenager driving a 50 year old truck with a higher risk factor than a civic

Put the truck in his name and pay the price or assume the risk keep it in your name and hope to God nothing ever happens when he's driving it because they'll deny coverage and any.damages or injuries and it will all fall on your shoulders . Sometimes things cost money weigh your options and decide which is more important ,your son cruising in a cool truck or the potential for serious financial damages against you .your singing to the choir many of us had to make this same decision many years ago and now it's just your turn .he has to wait until he's 18 .

We were a lot more mature many years ago at 18 than today's 18year olds chasing some imaginary animal around town on a cell phone .

[Dustmaker65]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

We were a lot more mature many years ago at 18 than today's 18year olds chasing some imaginary animal around town on a cell phone .

Whatcha trying to say Grumpy? This critters are not real??? LOL

I am kinda grateful for this new game. It has our 12 yr old out of the house and running around for hours a day...instead of holed up in his room days on end.

As for the insurance issue... pay the piper if you want to play the game. It will only be for a couple years and it will get better. Most of us have been there in the past.

[Blessed66]

Yeah, gonna have to go ahead and tell you that no matter what a teen drives, it will be expensive to insure.

To put this in persepective, I turned 18 in May 2001, and by January 2002 I purchased a new-to-me 1994 Camaro Z28. Liability only was a hair over $200 a month (don't even ask me what full coverage was, it'll bring back the nightmares). That was, of course, well before texting and driving was such a huge issue, so I imagine $200/month is almost affordable by today's standards for an 18 year old in a V8 "sports car," much less anything else.

I feel your pain, I have a kid turning 15 this year... it won't be long until I deal with the same issue.

[dmjlambert]

Originally Posted by Coley

...
It recently has gone up due to the history of (all/most) teenagers being seemingly, addicted to texting....and they do this a lot while driving. Definitely one bad habit (...and this texting/habit is becoming the new 'drinking and driving').

Yes indeed.

Even talking on a phone with hands free device is very dangerous, and I think using an electronic device in any capacity is new drinking and driving. I have personally experienced inattention blindness caused by the cognitive distraction of a cell phone conversation, and it was quite alarming. It is different from having a conversation with passengers in a car. I now don't even look at the phone at all, I just let it ring if I'm driving. I'll talk later. I think this sort of thing is not covered adequately in driver's education, and teenagers feel immune to this sort of thing, but I'm afraid they are wrong. I thought this article was interesting:
http://www.nsc.org/DistractedDriving...hite-Paper.pdf

I realize this is somewhat drifting off topic, but I'll bring it back on topic with this: With insurance it is all about the numbers (numbers of collisions, numbers of tickets, numbers of lawsuits, numbers of dollars, etc.), and I think wireless device use is the #1 reason insurance is going up in price for all, and especially for young drivers.

[Grumpy old man]

You'll love this $100,000.00 liability on my 95 GMC 2500/Z-71 ---$22.50 a month and I can drive just as fast just as reckless as any 17 year old out there . Oops gotta go I'm texting as I drive in traffic !

Insurance , Had enough .....you haven't had any YET ! Wait until a few tickets hit his record .lots of kids are walking until 18 when their parents just can't afford to pay for insurance .let alone a classic truck .Sometimes you just have to say no .

[truckwife]

Ok, same boat here.

Our truck is a regular truck. Nothing fancy. Looking at it you think it's a piece of crap. ANd it kinda is (but we are working on improving it slowly)

We want to drive it. Not lock it away for parades and shows only.

NO "regular" insurance policy will cover it (we've tried) because they consider it too old.

The classic insurance companies will not cover it because it isn't show-y enough, and we actually -- GASP-- want to drive it. Whenever we feel like it.

And that includes the cardinal SIN of driving it to home depot to pick up something. Even doing this, I guarantee you we drive LESS than 500 miles a year, so what is the big deal here?

We have a 16 year old also. He has a regular driver car. We would like him to be allowed to use this occasionally also.

Do we HAVE to lie and tell them we wont be driving it except for shows? Isn't that crazy?

What do ya'll do?
Surely there's a policy out there that will cover all our drivers to allow us to use this whenever we want???

I'm very frustrated. Never had so much trouble insuring a vehicle before.

If ya'll have suggestions or thoughts, I'd love to hear it. Thanks!

[MuricaDad]

Guys,

Thanks for the input. And I understand the cost issue. I know in many cases it's stupid high. But the other thing is the restrictions they often want. Garage kept. Limits on how often, where, and for what reasons the minor can drive. Mileage limits. Etcetera.

[Grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by MuricaDad

Guys,

Thanks for the input. And I understand the cost issue. I know in many cases it's stupid high. But the other thing is the restrictions they often want. Garage kept. Limits on how often, where, and for what reasons the minor can drive. Mileage limits. Etcetera.

Welcome to the world of insuring a 50 year old classic truck .Wanna play you gotta pay !

[Fatherflash]

I read an article (not online, in a newspaper) that actually compared insurance costs for 16 year olds and the cost difference between carriers were incredible. One company quoted the family a 216% price increase over their old policy.

The lowest price increase believe it or not was with AAA who raised rates 14% national average for a 16 year old. I am insured with them including my truck, and have never had a problem going on 17 years. It definitely not a show truck however, it is mine and they have insured it for its true value. Wouldn't hurt to go in and give a visit, do some comparing and see what they have to say. And no, I do not nor does anyone in my family work for AAA.

[Eddie H.]

Several years ago, I had 3 teenage drivers on my policy at the same time. $$$$$$$$$$$
I can't even imagine how bad it is now.

[Grumpy old man]

Manual truck 2 arms 2 legs required and your a true driver . No abs , No air bags all the insurance company sees is $ cha ching $ !

[AirSpeed]

It cost me nothing to insure my three daughters to drive, they got a job and paid for it themselves or they didn't drive.
Posted via Mobile Device

[In The Ten Ring]

What I have to say may not help at all, I don't have any kids myself so I've never run into this.

Could your child get his own car and pay his own way? Is that too expensive in MA? I do recall (me) getting a discount on insurance rates because I had straight A's in high school.

[flashed]

I am 53 years old now ,when I was 16 I was required to not only pay for my own insurance but also my own truck and gas too .I went to school during the day and worked in a shoe factory til midnight every night and was required to pass all my grades as well as other chores at home ,todays kids have it too easy.

[davepl]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

We were a lot more mature many years ago at 18 than today's 18year olds chasing some imaginary animal around town on a cell phone .

Unless you were in the military (I'll give you a pass for that) I've yet to see a generation that wasn't composed primarily of idiots as teenagers.

The Romans said the same thing. So did the Greeks. Probably caveman though the new cavemen were slackers who didn't understand personal responsibility and had no work ethic.

[Grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by flashed

I am 53 years old now ,when I was 16 I was required to not only pay for my own insurance but also my own truck and gas too .I went to school during the day and worked in a shoe factory til midnight every night and was required to pass all my grades as well as other chores at home ,todays kids have it too easy.

But,but,but that would time away from Pokémon , how could they survive ?

[jeffahart]

Originally Posted by MuricaDad

Are any of you guys insuring a minor on your C10? I'm finding it to be a royal pain. Constant inquiries as if looking to find a way to cancel us. I just want a decent policy so the boy can be legal. This is not an expensive garage queen. I'd like for any insured member of the family to be able to drive it as desired, use it for whatever, and not worry about it. Just a basic policy to be legal and specify a reasonable value on the truck. I shouldn't have to agree to garage keeping, minimal miles, and keeping the minor away from it in order to have a basic policy like I described. Anyone find such a thing? At this point it would have been easier to throw the kid in a brand new Honda Civic rather than one of our old trucks that needs everything, yet the boy is willing to put in the time and effort to learn and do it all in order to have himself something he can be proud of.

Put all vehicles in your name. Tell them he only drives occasionally, because he takes the bus to school. Get good liability on the truck. It will do no good to try to make like he pays his own way or even try to make him pay(he probably can't afford it, gas money will eat his weekly check!) . If you got bucks in the bank, and he gets in a wreck, and you are his provider, then that money's up for grabs. My son is in his last year of college, all his vehicles have always been, and still are, in my name. I make no bones, I am responsible for him, and his actions. I don't kid myself. Insure yourself well, you must!

Ya just never stop worrying... it's the plight of a parent!

[davepl]

Originally Posted by jeffahart

Put all vehicles in your name.

Varies by state. I have 10 vehicles and 2 teenage drivers (soon enough 3-4). In WA they all have to be covered on all of the vehicles because they COULD in theory drive any of them.

Hagerty won't insure my Z07 for the same reason - teenage driver in the house and WA state law that requires he be insured on it since he lives in the same house.

In some other states you can limit which vehicles have insurance for whom, and it's a lot cheaper.

[KY_GMC]

When we put my son on our insurance, we made him the primary driver of the the 72 GMC. Actually, the insurance company suggested this on their own to save us money!

He was actually driving a turbo VW which was in my name!

[jeffahart]

Originally Posted by davepl

Varies by state. I have 10 vehicles and 2 teenage drivers (soon enough 3-4). In WA they all have to be covered on all of the vehicles because they COULD in theory drive any of them.

Hagerty won't insure my Z07 for the same reason - teenage driver in the house and WA state law that requires he be insured on it since he lives in the same house.

In some other states you can limit which vehicles have insurance for whom, and it's a lot cheaper.

Ya, varies by state for sure. I meant to convey that all vehicles are registered in my name. But we insure for him to drive any vehicle in the house. And I think that's what the insurance companies assume these days anyway. I'm in a litigious state and I'm probably over insured. Anyone in a wreck around here seems to think they've won the lottery!

Oh, and see my nose.... that's what I pay through!! $$$$$$

[palallin]

My 18-year-old is insured on our '99 Tahoe. Our agent wanted to put him on the truck, but he can't drive a stick yet, but the truck would have been cheaper.

[Coley]

Originally Posted by MuricaDad

......But the other thing is the restrictions they often want. Garage kept. Limits on how often, where, and for what reasons the minor can drive. Mileage limits. Etcetera.

Yep, up north of the border here we call it a 'graduated licensing program'...and its a good thing and a long time coming.
Years ago, I got my license about 3 weeks into being 16 and that program was not around at that time. However, to be quite honest I was probably not responsible enough to be in charge of 2 tons of accelerating steel.
With that said, teenagers unfortunately today are even further behind the curve on being mature and responsible (thanks Mom!!...lol) enough to handle a vehicle without a lot of restrictions helping control that.
As a result, I'm a fan of it....
I think the graduated licensing program has them having a mandatory 'N' attached to the back of the car...then after 1 year then get a 'L', then a year later they can have a full license.
In the meantime...they can only drive during daylight hours up until 10 at night. If there are other teenagers in the car, there has to be an adult present in the car too....a few things like that.
Again, a good thing.
If we had kids at home I would have them lock their phone in the trunk in front of me everytime they left for the first 10 trips out of the yard. I know they would retrieve it within a block the first 9 times...but I would hope they would at least consider giving it a pass on the 10th time....knowing what it would mean to me to 'leave it alone' until you get there.
A cell phone in their hand or beside them will injure or kill them long before their lack of driving ability.
My two bits.
Coley

[Gmc.guy]

Back years ago dad said there's no way I'm on his insurance but he would help out on $ on my own if I needed it. He has a perfect record. No accidents claims or tickets. He said no way to me screwing that for him. I am glad that he did too because starting on your own with your own vehicle and insurance gets you better prices way sooner. People are shocked when I show them how little I pay. Then double shocked when they see how many vehicles too. And 2 even have commercial liability. All at least fire and theft.
When they do get their own in a few years it's like starting over and it's better off for them to be a few years ahead on their own