[Coldjensens]

When I moved from Michigan to California in 1988, my insurance was ten times more expensive in California. I was told that Michigan had a model no fault system that was one of the best in the country. However when we moved back in 2005, our insurance was slightly more expensive in Michigan. I do not understand this. It makes sense that a no fault state should be cheaper becuase you do not have to hire lawyers for every party each time there is an accident. However it seems like it is no longer cheaper. Did something change?

Part of the increase may have been becuase we were renting and no longer got the discount for having homeowners and car insurance with the same company. However we had renters insurance so there was probably some discount. This alone does nto explain the difference.

[merit1sje]

I own a Dodge Ram 2500 pickup with plpd coverage, a 2003 Mini CooperS with full coverage and a 2001 Starcraft camper for $711 every six months. Is this high or is this low? I live in Jackson County, Mich. I'm interested in hearing what others pay.

[arod0331]

Why is this no-fault insurance so high? Hubby and I both drive beaters, back in Ohio we did not pay a lot for liability only. But this is ridiculous.
No-fault insurance is a bad idea anyways, if someone else hits you and does serious damage to your car why should you have to pay for it?

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by arod0331

Why is this no-fault insurance so high? Hubby and I both drive beaters, back in Ohio we did not pay a lot for liability only. But this is ridiculous.
No-fault insurance is a bad idea anyways, if someone else hits you and does serious damage to your car why should you have to pay for it?

Because the car damage is the SMALLEST part of a claim sometimes. No-fault pays lost wages for two years and medical for life. You can also file court action against the other driver. This is where UNDER INURED comes to play. All insurance policies have limits. The other drivers will only pay to that figurer.

[Driller1]

Michigan Auto Accident Attorneys Handling Personal Injury Cases For Car, Truck & Motorcycle Accidents

There is information on this site that is priceless. They are the best in the state.

[Rutt Roh]

Originally Posted by arod0331

Why is this no-fault insurance so high? Hubby and I both drive beaters, back in Ohio we did not pay a lot for liability only. But this is ridiculous.
No-fault insurance is a bad idea anyways, if someone else hits you and does serious damage to your car why should you have to pay for it?

my thoughts exactly. if an accident was caused by someone else's negligence, then why should you pay too? again, as i stated before, that alone should be a reason to have LOWER insurance premiums, not higher ones. i know the general michigan economy is pretty bad but if this is their way of getting additional revenue into the state... that's pretty pathetic at the expense of good drivers.

for your perspective, i'll compare my MS insurance vs. my MI one now.

MS: (fault state)

$498 every 6 mths, full coverage ($1000 ded), towing allowance, rental car for 90 days

MI: (no fault state)

$650 every 6 mths, full coverage ($1000 ded), towing allowance, rental car for 90 days, mandatorystate personal injury protection program applied to policy - adds about ~$65 to the coverage cost

btw, it's not like the roads here are made of gold or anything - in fact, that's far from it. here, in kalamazoo, i can name specific roads that flood all the time when it rains... talk about a good drainage system. i can't tell you the number of times i cringe when i purposely go slow over these deep unavoidable potholes or uneven surfaces and see a driver behind me almost rear end me. i was told that you can't sue the state or county because of horrible road conditions - you're basically on your own if you hit a deep pothole and your shocks blow or you bend your rims. additionally, i'm actually scared of seeing the cars drive around here... many are broken down beaters rusting away driving on steelies. wonder how much they're paying for their jalopies... or if they even have insurance.

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by Rutt Roh

my thoughts exactly. if an accident was caused by someone else's negligence, then why should you pay too? again, as i stated before, that alone should be a reason to have LOWER insurance premiums, not higher ones. i know the general michigan economy is pretty bad but if this is their way of getting additional revenue into the state... that's pretty pathetic at the expense of good drivers.

for your perspective, i'll compare my MS insurance vs. my MI one now.

MS: (fault state)

$498 every 6 mths, full coverage ($1000 ded), towing allowance, rental car for 90 days

MI: (no fault state)

$650 every 6 mths, full coverage ($1000 ded), towing allowance, rental car for 90 days, mandatorystate personal injury protection program applied to policy - adds about ~$65 to the coverage cost

btw, it's not like the roads here are made of gold or anything - in fact, that's far from it. here, in kalamazoo, i can name specific roads that flood all the time when it rains... talk about a good drainage system. i can't tell you the number of times i cringe when i purposely go slow over these deep unavoidable potholes or uneven surfaces and see a driver behind me almost rear end me. i was told that you can't sue the state or county because of horrible road conditions - you're basically on your own if you hit a deep pothole and your shocks blow or you bend your rims. additionally, i'm actually scared of seeing the cars drive around here... many are broken down beaters rusting away driving on steelies. wonder how much they're paying for their jalopies... or if they even have insurance.

No-fault is not easy to understand. Look though the link I posted. You are getting more coverage on a medical claim. It is not just about the cars. You have a very basic policy, so let us say you hit me. My guess is you have $40,000 in coverage. Not near enough in some cases. With no-fault, I can go back on my policy.

[Rapunzll]

Originally Posted by Rutt Roh

when i was looking over my current insurance policy i realized how expensive michigan was... for whatever reason. even the insurance rep said so.

along with a no-fault insurance policy (which to me is weird) plus a mandatory PIP - personal injury protection program - that by law needs to be in your michigan auto policy, no wonder why the premiums across different insurance companies are relatively high.

guess i'm used to paying less than $500 every 6 mths on a clean record - and i drive a grocery getter. i'm now paying $150 more! wth??? i wouldn't be surprised if higher insurance rates were seen in states i would expect like in CA, CT, or NJ... definitely not michigan.

anyone one have insight as to why it's so darn expensive? i mean the money sure isn't going to the roads by any means or people really taking care of their cars (i see many cars everyday with rust eating away at their fenders). and with a no-fault clause, personally, i think that's the dumbest policy because even if it's not your fault for an accident you still pay something. that reason alone would make me think that the premiums should be lower.

I'm also with USAA and recently moved from Traverse City to Greenville, SC. My auto premium with virtually the same coverage went down about $400.00 a year. Actually, I think it is even more than that, but I don't have the info. right in front of me for my six month premiums.

[SpaceGhost79]

I actually had the opposite when I moved out of state. I'm with USAA and around 2000-2003 I was driving a 1995 Ford Taurus and paying about $450 every six months (can't remember if that was with collision insurance...probably was).

When I moved to central Illinois in 2003, my insurance jumped to $675 (!) every six months.

I moved back to Michigan in summer '04 and bought a new Ford Escape and I'm paying about $500 every six months these days.

I could switch to another insurance agency and probably get a lower rate, however, in my opinion, USAA kicks ass with their customer support. They've always been on the ball for me, whether it's with my car insurance/claims, home insurance, banking, my mortgage, moving (Mover's Advantage program), etc... I do everything through them. And at the end of every year I get a small dividend back on my car insurance, usually between $25-50.

When I lived in Illinois and people had their homes destroyed by tornadoes, I saw stories on the news about some insurance companies who were only going to pay to have like four plywood walls and roof thrown on a top rather than rebuilding the entire house, basically giving them the bare minimum.

I've read so many horror stories like that, that I don't care if I pay a little more with USAA, I know I'm getting my money's worth when an incident happens and I need them.

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by SpaceGhost79

I actually had the opposite when I moved out of state. I'm with USAA and around 2000-2003 I was driving a 1995 Ford Taurus and paying about $450 every six months (can't remember if that was with collision insurance...probably was).

When I moved to central Illinois in 2003, my insurance jumped to $675 (!) every six months.

I moved back to Michigan in summer '04 and bought a new Ford Escape and I'm paying about $500 every six months these days.

I could switch to another insurance agency and probably get a lower rate, however, in my opinion, USAA kicks ass with their customer support. They've always been on the ball for me, whether it's with my car insurance/claims, home insurance, banking, my mortgage, moving (Mover's Advantage program), etc... I do everything through them. And at the end of every year I get a small dividend back on my car insurance, usually between $25-50.

When I lived in Illinois and people had their homes destroyed by tornadoes, I saw stories on the news about some insurance companies who were only going to pay to have like four plywood walls and roof thrown on a top rather than rebuilding the entire house, basically giving them the bare minimum.

I've read so many horror stories like that, that I don't care if I pay a little more with USAA, I know I'm getting my money's worth when an incident happens and I need them.

That is the way I feel about our insurance company. They have been great about things. They have always waved our deducible. It is not possible to compare state to state because of no-fault.