When I was in high school, back in the mid-80′s, my aunt drove my cousins and I to school in her Comet. It wasn’t a huge car, it had four doors, a brown body with a white top and all style baby.
I remember my cousins being embarrassed about riding in it. Me, I really didn’t care, since it was better than walking to school, especially on those wonderful humid days we tend to get here in Miami. This being the case, it wasn’t a surprise that when it came time for me to open community college my aunt gave me the car. She was going to give it to one of my cousins, but she refused to drive anything that didn’t just come off the showroom floor. I was ecstatic over this snub, since it meant I was getting a car! I was truly thrilled because this meant I had finally attained a certain amount of freedom. I could go to my classes at any time. I could go to the mall, to the movies, anywhere and not have to depend on anyone taking me or picking me up. It was substantial…until I actually had to drive it.
To begin with, the fuel gauge was broken. I never knew how mighty gas I had. At first I would objective fill the tank whenever I thought I was getting low. But I stopped doing that after several instances in which I’d overflow the tank and gas spilled all over my shoes. From that point on, I would just fuel up every three or four days. It wasn’t too much of an imposition, especially since at the time five or ten dollars worth of gas got you a pretty long way. The car also didn’t have a working air conditioner, which was brutal since I was attending Summer classes. I looked forward to the Winter term thinking I wouldn’t have to worry about getting to school dripping with sweat. My excitement however was short lived. In the mornings once I began the winter term, I realized in order for the car to actually go anywhere, I needed to let it warm up for almost half an hour! I had to wake up, go outside in the freezing morning, (yes I know it’s Miami but for us fifty degrees is cold) turn on the car, hit the gas for a minute then let it stay running while I got myself ready for school. And of course since it had no air-conditioning that meant the heater didn’t work either. Sometimes it was colder in the car than it was outside!
After driving it for about two years it finally died on me. My dad and I went to tumble it off at a junk yard, and can you believe they wouldn’t take it? Not even for parts! It would up just sitting in our drive-way for several months, until one day I noticed it wasn’t there anymore. Turns out my cousin’s then boyfriend was asked by my aunt to “make it disappear.” The car was still registered in my aunts name, so she ultimately had to report it stolen. There was no insurance on it so she never received anything for it, just extra room in her drive-way.
I look support now and realize it was actually sort of fun to drive that car, when it worked properly. It wasn’t fast, and whenever I’d hit the gas to speed up, it sounded like gun-shots coming at me from late. It was rusty and there were several holes in the rear door. But it was a tank. I was once hit on the side by a Honda Prelude. The Prelude’s bumper was smashed inward, whereas my Comet drove away with a mere scratch, which my dad attempted to buff out. Why he even bothered I’ll never know.
Filed under Aaa Auto Insurance by on Feb 26th, 2011. Comment. 
There are a few things in life that are sure. Death, taxes, and if you drive, car insurance cannot be avoided. Here are some things you can do to chop your auto insurance costs.
1. Raise your deductible to reduce your Auto Insurance costs: According to the Cleveland Insurance Agency, “increasing your deductible from $200 to $500 on collision coverage could reduce your cost by as much as 30 percent.” While you will have to pay more out of pocket should you have an accident, price reduction in your insurance bill will more than make up for it. Plus, if someone else caused the accident, their insurance company may reimburse you for the deductible.
2. Drive less to crop your Auto Insurance costs:OnlineAutoInsurance.com reports, “the less time that a person spends on the road, the less likely that they will be involved in a traffic accident and cause a loss to their provider”. For that reason, you car insurance will be less if you reduce how much you drive. Don’t forget to portray to your insurance company that your mileage has decreased or they won’t know to cut your rates.
3. Bundle your policies to cut your Auto Insurance costs: According to DMV.org, you can bundle car, homeowners, health, property, rental, and/or life insurance policies for considerable lower rates. Don’t just give one company all of your business though. Do your homework and ask several carriers for quotes, measuring what each will cover versus what they will cost.
4. Pay your bill in full to cut your Auto Insurance costs: Car insurance companies used to charge a lump sum twice a year to cover your car. Eventually they realized that they could charge extra processing fees each month if they collected monthly payments. Progressive Insurance reports that if you obtain one payment when you remove your policy, you get discount and don’t pay fees.
5. Improve and evaluate your credit rating to gash your auto insurance costs: An error on your credit report could mean a lower credit rating and higher insurance premiums in all states except California and Georgia. According to USInsuraneonline.com “The insurance industry keeps statistics on credit ratings and insurance claims and, based on these statistics, they have found in general that the lower the insurance credit gather, the more likely you are to file claims, exaggerate the claims you file, and perhaps even commit insurance fraud.” Therefore, they will charge you higher premiums to compensate.
6. Crack down on your teen to slit your auto insurance costs: Edmunds.com reports that “16-year-olds accumulate into accidents almost six times more often than drivers between the age of 30 and 59″ To find your insurance rates lower, your kids will need to maintain a “B” average in high school or college. Have them earn a young driver discount by taking safe driver classes. They should also leave the car at home when they go off to college. If your teenager feels this is too much to ask, make them pay their own auto insurance.
Filed under Aaa Auto Insurance by on Jan 20th, 2011. Comment.
