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I like how everyone throws around the word "full" coverage. As Elke said above...what is "full" for one person is not "full" to another. You could have "full" coverage with liability limits at $100,000 and still have "full" coverage with limits at $500,000.
I always get the terms confused, but for me, "full" is not the basic liability, its basic liability + comp and collison ( theft, fire, property damage, peronal injury to others ect.... ). I dont know what my payout limits are, but i'm sure its lower end of the spectrum to keep my rates low.
I suggest you stay away from State Farm. I was in a minor fender bender several years ago, and they gave me a surcharge that was far more than what they paid to the other driver. It would have been to my advantage to not have insurance! And once the 3 years passed and they could no longer surcharge me, they took away my wife's accident-free discount (she has never been in an accident, and we were not even married at the time of the accident).
I switched to Allstate. They have accident forgiveness. That means that if I ever get into an accident with Allstate, they won't raise my rates. And they are giving both me and my wife the accident-free discount! And, they are charing far less than what State Farm charged.
We recently left Geico for All State. Geico's rates rose 15 percent over the past year (despite the fact that we are getting older, have a clean driving record and great credit). All State was a lot less, and Liberty Mutual was in the same ballpark as All State. My local All State agent's rates were a lot lower than what the All State website quoted me. If you would like to give him a call, his name is Sal and he is at 516 378-1500.
GEICO is the only insurance worth buying. One day you might have an accident and realize how fortunate you are to have them. Unlike Allstate and State Farm, GEICO will handle all of the legwork involved with moving your car, estimates, and pay out quickly. The trick is to know where you want to send your car if(before) you have an accident. By NYS law, you can take your car anywhere you wish. If your car's damage is borderline totaled, your body shop should provide an estimate high enough to assure it will be totaled. If you want to fix it, your shop should be able to work with GEICO and get it done. Shop around before hand for a good body shop and educate yourself on how insurance works as a pre-emptive strike.
Some reasons people's rates go up are:
500 deductible...1000 is fine...you will pay that 500 bucks tenfold over the years and your body shop should be able to negate it anyway. If you sustain a loss and the accident isn't your fault, GEICO may well get the deductible back anyway
Check the usage of your car and always go for the minimum ("I commute to the train every day, 2 miles round trip") Always submit minimal usage. Your rate will plummet.
Defensive driving certificate expires. Keep it up to date.
Rate will go up once car is over 3 years old, you lose "new car" discount".
Changing insurance companies a lot will hurt you too.
Kids in your house that are driving age will put your rate through the roof whether they are listed or not.
Unsafe cars. That smart car might get 80 mpg but insurance figures to pay out a lot more in medical than the Yukon will. And that Volvo might be a 5 star safety rating but parts for it cost your unborn children.
Go with the gecko. Your insurance card is more than a piece of paper. You get what you pay for.
The accidents you just described should have zero effect on your rates, forgiveness or not.
The keyword is "should". State Farm just looks for any reason to raise rates, whether justified or not. Why did they raise my wife's rates when she wasn't even in an accident? I'm glad I left State Farm.
Family Guy knows what he is saying. I have been with Geico for over 25 years. I have the higher liabilty coverage, comprehensive, towing, rental reimbursement and pay $800per year on a brand new jeep laredo. I have a bit more peace of mind knowing geico will pay without a hassle.
I too use tge car only for commuting to the station, have the $1000 deductible and a sqeaky clean driving record....yes, folks you can drive for 40 years without getting a moving violation. I had 1 accident about 25 years ago. To geico, im a money maker for them. I just think of all the money i paid them because the roads are filled with a holes getting tickets and crashing every other year.
I have never had Geico insurance. I have been told that they tend to drop you as soon as you have a claim. Whether or not that is true, I do not know. The reason why I went with Allstate rather than Geico was because Allstate offers accident forgiveness immediately, while Geico requires you to be insured with them for several years before offering accident forgiveness.
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