Car Insurance issues (Los Angeles, Redondo Beach: apartment, renting, how much)

[Jakehorror]

We move into our room (renting a room from a friend) on March 1st. Just my wife and I. We only have 1 car for the time being. I have looked all over the web but can't find a straight up quote telling me how much it would a month. About how much do you guys pay for full coverage? FYI: 2001 PT Cruiser.

Also, since it wont even be documented that we are CA residents until we get our own apartment I think we'd be ok keeping the Indiana tags and Indiana Insurance. It covers us in all 50 states. I hear the insurance is out of this world in L.A. Right now we only pay about $70. a month.

Suggestions?

[lalagonegaga]

This may sound weird, but are/were either of your parents in the military? If so, you're eligible to get drastically reduced insurance through a special company. PM me if you or your wife have/had a parent in the military and I'll pass on the info.

[Jakehorror]

My Grandpa was in WW2, does that count? i wish! Thanks for the info though.

[motoman]

They just passed a law in California that requires insurance companies to not base rates on where you live, but I don't know when that takes effect or the specifics of the law.

When I first moved here I lived in Redondo Beach with a friend of mine. My insurance was almost identical to what I was paying back in Dallas. When I moved to West LA, just 15 miles due north of Redondo, my premium went up $400 per year. And that is the cheapest I have been able to find anywhere.

I currently pay about $1,200 per year on an 8 year old Nissan Maxima. It's insane really. I've tried all sorts of different coverage options, but even liability itself is close to $1,000 per year. So to me the incremental difference doesn't make it logical not to have full coverage.

By the way, I have a perfect driving record, no tickets, no accidents.

[Jakehorror]

Thanks! Well I found that our rates will go up about $25-35 dollars per month compared to Indiana. That's not bad, I thought it would double or something. We pay $80. mo now and it will go up to between 105- 115. I can handle that.

[motoman]

Originally Posted by Jakehorror

Thanks! Well I found that our rates will go up about $25-35 dollars per month compared to Indiana. That's not bad, I thought it would double or something. We pay $80. mo now and it will go up to between 105- 115. I can handle that.

That's about what I pay. I think it's typically cheaper for a married couple than it is for a single male. I guess they think you're more responsible or something when you're married. :-)

[2mr41h]

I live in metro Atlanta and our insurance is as bad as for Los Angeles residents. Our crazy traffic here is one reason LA didn't even faze me with the driving. It's nearly identical.

[Jakehorror]

Originally Posted by 2mr41h

I live in metro Atlanta and our insurance is as bad as for Los Angeles residents. Our crazy traffic here is one reason LA didn't even faze me with the driving. It's nearly identical.

Yeah i expected way worse the first time I went to L.A. I am used to Indianapolis and Chicago and Detroit driving, L.A. has always been a breeze in comparison to these cities. L.A. had longer increments of stopped traffic though. At least L.A. doesn't close every other exit for repair (eg. Chicago). People drive fast on the 405, but it's nothing compared to I-65 north and south in Indy during rush hour. Indy is the home of the Indy 500 and it shows in their driving habits.

L.A. driving was a breeze.

[black Jack]

Insurance companies have fine print and insurance reps make errors. Be very careful in choosing a company and or a person to buy insurance from.

In the 90s I failed to pay a $25 uninsured motorist fee. The rep filled my mailing address in incorrectly. They tried to contact me 3 times by mail then cancelled my entire policy. I was in an accident 2 weeks later. They informed me after the fact via phone that I was not covered because I failed to pay a portion of the insurance policy, but they were still taking my monthly payments and had all my phone numbers. See Quackenbush

[CaliforniaDreamin']

As a newbie to owning a car, I'm sure it'll be a real shock to the system when I move to LA next year

What insurance companies would people recommend as being best or more reliable ?? Or most cost efficient ??