Just got my PA "Classic" plates - but as I don't garage my car, I'm having a tough time finding classic auto insurance. Anybody know of an insurance co that will cover under a classic registration that doesn't require the car be garaged? I'm paying $250/6 mo's now, and classic should cut that by at least 50% (if I remember right...)

Most classic ins. underwrighters view classic cars as something that is not driven very often, and taken very good care of. I have 3 cars that have "classic" insurance on them, a Fiat, Triumph and an Opel. All cars had an inspection done where a guy came out and took pics of the car, under the car, under the hood.....you get the idea. The cars are covered for an agreed value. On my policy I can drive the cars as often as I want with no limitations, but the get driven perhaps once per month.

You might also besure you understand how your state takes care of classic plates, in MO it requires a little bit of paper work.

I think you might have trouble finding someone that will write "classic" insurance on a car that is stored outside, and one that sounds like it might be a daily driver.

Ouch!
So this is your daily driver then? That would, of course, change the rates. My '88 GT does not have any classic designation and I drive it less than 5K per year, but my insurance is only about $100 per 6 months. Not sure what is required in Indiana in terms of paper work for classic vehicles, and that might be reflected in the insurance rates.
Good luck!

I take good care of my Baby. The body, paint and interior are in very good condition, repairs and replacements have kept it stock; the Jasper Duke is still under warrantee. Its not a daily driver - no more than once/week and I never take it into downtown DC where I'm currently working on a Federal contract. (Yikes!) I just received the classic Pennsylvania plates. I had to photograph it from all angles and complete an application form. But I don't have a garage - I keep it under a custom cover in the court where Im living while working on this contract. I'd sure like to save a pile of money on insurance though if I can.

If the car is outside you are going to have an hard time finding anyone who will insure it. Classic car insurance has nothing to do with how well you take care of your car. It has everything to do with the uses of the car, the cars age and what kind of car it is. To be blunt classic cars don't get used that much, In Missouri all use on classic cars has to be written down in a book you keep with the car. You only get (X) miles per year of non event/repair miles per year. That is why the plates are charged differently, cars have no state inspection..... Same deal with insurance, the insurance people think that this car lives a better life then most children, kept in climate controlled areas and driven on sunny days to special events, they are outside once a month. On the street there is so much that can happen to it.

Good luck, I think you will have an up hill struggle to find something.

BTW:
Unless you have an agreed value placed on your car you might as well put just lib. on the car. The insurance company will want to give you book value on the car no matter what you did to it. If you want more out of a crunched Fiero you are going to have to fight for it, and it will not be pretty.

Try Haggerty insurance. They ask if your car is garaged, but they don't check.

look into Grundy -- agreed value is a plus -- has restrictions but with club functions / cruise nights etc - you can still get plenty of seat time with your classic.

[This message has been edited by steve308 (edited 05-07-2008).]

quote Originally posted by pswayne: Try Haggerty insurance. They ask if your car is garaged, but they don't check.

*DING!* WinnAr!!!!

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~Michael

Project IMSA Formula Coming Soon!
'85 GT 4sp white - SOLD | | '85 2M6 Auto red - SOLD | | '84 2M4 bare chassis - SOLD
Crap, I'm out of Fieros! Time to buy another!! - "Your mileage may vary."

quote Originally posted by pswayne: Try Haggerty insurance. They ask if your car is garaged, but they don't check.

of corse they dont, untill you need to file a claim........

About them "not checking"... believe me, if you file a claim, they most definitely will send an adjuster out to inspect not only your car, but your garage (which the policy will no doubt stipulate must be YOUR garage on YOUR property, at the address where your car is titled.

The entire purpose of having insurance is to have your loss covered if indeed you have a loss. Why would you buy an insurance policy knowing in advance that the company would deny any claim you might have? Especially with an "agreed upon value" policy, which all classic car policies are, any fibbing on the application automatically absolves the insurer of any liability, i.e., you send them money, you get nothing.

I'm with Fierotoyboy, I would kill for $500 a year. I'm paying $200 a month with a spotless record.

quote Originally posted by Toms88: Ouch! So this is your daily driver then? That would, of course, change the rates. My '88 GT does not have any classic designation and I drive it less than 5K per year, but my insurance is only about $100 per 6 months. Not sure what is required in Indiana in terms of paper work for classic vehicles, and that might be reflected in the insurance rates. Good luck!

Tom, how'd you swing $200/yr without classic plates?

I am curious about the relationship between "classic" plates and insurance. Under Michigan insurance law, classic plates have no relationship to insurability or rates, they are just a nice vanity thing you can get if your car is 25 or older, and you pay a one-time $5 fee for the plate. Must be different elsewhere, I'd be really interested to hear.

quote Originally posted by Fierotoyboy: I am curious about the relationship between "classic" plates and insurance. Under Michigan insurance law, classic plates have no relationship to insurability or rates, they are just a nice vanity thing you can get if your car is 25 or older, and you pay a one-time $5 fee for the plate. Must be different elsewhere, I'd be really interested to hear.

In Missouri the plates are a one time fee, you are also exempt from safety inspections. If you have vintage plates on your car you are expected to keep a log of all miles driven and where you where going. There is also a mileage limitation on use outside of events. It has NOTHING to do with insurance. Not realy a vanity thing, just something to save you a little money on a car that the state know is not going to be out on the road very often...even if it sits on the street under some cloth, classic insurance is to work the same way.

The entire classic/vintage setup is to help out those that are putting classic cars back in road worthy shape, and in my experence people that spend tens of thousans of dollers putting together 37 Chevy, 67 Triumph, or 77 Trans Am or an 87 Fiero are not parking them on the street, when was the last time you saw a SuperBird parked outside an apartment. States that issue vintage plates know this as well as insurance companies that insure the cars.

[This message has been edited by cherokee 140 (edited 05-09-2008).]

Thanks for the info Cherokee. In Michigan, there are NO safety or emissions inspections for private passenger vehicles, new or old, so that's so much for a classic plate for that reason. There are also practically no cars on the road over 4 years old, at least out where I live. I think this is all in line with Michigan politics and values; since the entire economy here is in one way or another directly tied to the car industry, new car ownership is encouraged in any way possible - and if your car is more than 5 years old (or an import) you are considered an unworthy citizen. There are political groups here who vet politicians running for federal offices (like president) based on the make and age of the vehicles they own. The classic plate owners here still pay property taxes on their vehicles. I think I will call Grundy, though, and see if they will cut a bit off my premium if I get a classic plate - but as I recall, I already asked them that once and they said "not in Michigan". Also, I think the age for a classic plate in Michighan is 25; so my car won't be eligible for one until 2009 or 2010 (it's an '85). Any Michiganders, please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this.

I recently saw an article in a magazine about collectors car insurance. It was very specific about when the car was and wasn't covered. Most companies will ONLY cover you if you are driving directly to or from a "CAR EVENT". If you stop at Kmart to buy some wax on your way to the event and get hit in the parking lot, you are NOT covered. If you only drive the car to church on Sundays...in the summer..when the temp is between 72 and 75 degrees and their are no clouds... you are NOT covered. Get the point?

The bottom line is you CAN save money by getting collector car insurance, but its not without risk. It will get you by your states requirement to carry insurance on your car, but if you get in an accident, don't expect the insurance company to pay off unless it was related to a car event. The flip side to this is that if you can go 4 or 5 years without an accident, you could SAVE more than enough on the premium to pay for any damage yourself.

I pay 68 dollars A YEAR for collector car insurance on my 84 Fiero SE.

edfiero,

You can negotiate for specific terms with an insurance company on an "agreed-upon value" policy. What they will cover will determine the premium they offer you. I have one car insured by Grundy - I could have gotten a rate varying anywhere between 300 and 700 a year depending on what I want to do with the car. I can't drive it from my house to Kmart and back, and expect to be covered. But I can drive it to a car show 2000 miles away, and if I need to stop at a Kmart on that trip, and the car is hit in the Kmart parking lot, I am covered. The policy is completely customized. I can also drive it to area parks for a Sunday family barbecue and be covered there and on the way there and back. Same with driving it to a repair shop or gas station. But I can't drive it to work, or the mall. Bottom line is, an insurance policy is an agreement between the insurance company and you; you can get whatever you are willing to pay for.

quote Originally posted by Fierotoyboy: edfiero, You can negotiate for specific terms with an insurance company on an "agreed-upon value" policy.

I agree that most of the companies do let you negotiate the VALUE of your car, which obviously effects the premium. However I think being able to negotiate WHEN you are covered is not so flexible. Just warning everyone to read the fine print on their policy very carefully.

Yes, read every word of the fine print and make sure you understand it. If you don't like what you find in the fine print, you don't have to quit there. The fine print can be changed through mutual agreement. This may of course mean upping your premium.

It concerns me whenever I learn that a Fiero guy who has spent upwards of ten thousand dollars on his car does not have an "agreed upon value" policy. You may have Broad form collision coverage, but if you total-loss that 10,000 dollar car, you know what kind of check you're going to get with a standard policy? Maybe two thousand? Don't let that happen.