Which Car insurance company??

[caligirl1082]

what is an excise tax? this is a tax on top of car insurance??

[haberstroh]

Excise tax is a tax that is charged by your town for your vehicle, but the DMV executes the fee . The actual amount is a percentage of your cars value (Make and Model and Age). You can google it and it will tell you the exact formula. Welcome in the MA!

[eslteacher]

Do I need to get a Mass license before I can obtain insurance?

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by Stockholmaren

I believe rates in MA are usually lower than in other parts of the countries though.

HUH??? We just moved out of MA, and I can tell you that rates are NOT cheaper in MA, unless you're a lousy driver who is being subsidized by good drivers. We saved about 30% on the same 2 cars when we moved.

The socialist system of auto insurance in MA, which is the only one in the country, is a Robin Hood system. Good drivers pay more to support bad drivers. Things like age, gender, and credit history are routinely used in other states to set premiums, and those of us with good driving records and good credit, who fall into a statistical group with lower risk get better rates. That's how it should be.

In MA, those factors are forbidden to be used, and the gov't sets the rates in an attempt to not inconvenience bad risk drivers. Sorry if the truth hurts, but in lower socio-economic areas, there is more theft and more bad driving, and that should be reflected by insurance premiums. Likewise, someone who doesn't pay their bills and has a poor credit history is less responsible and it's more likely that irresponsibility will spill over to their driving, and that should reflect in their rate too.

[capecodcathy]

Be careful what you wish for with auto insurance reform.
Insurers would like to "rate" you based on your driving record, residence, etc. which is already done. But under previously proposed reforms they can decline to insure you for many reason. Or, if they will insure you, it's going to be at an exhorbitant cost.
In past proposals (and in many other states) your occupation can affect your rate. As a a Real Estate Agent, they can either decline me or increase my rate because I pretty much drive for a living. There are stay-at-home Moms who drive more than I do, but I'll be penalized, as will others who spend a lot of time in their car for a living. Corporations with company fleets of cars and trucks will be charged extra. Expect those costs to be passed onto us as consumers.
Also expect that many will allow their insurance to lapse entirely because they can't afford it. No insurance, can't register your car. Can't register your car, can't get it inspected. Danger, Will Robinson.
I'll cite a Globe article that is old, but still relevant.
Real insurance reform - The Boston Globe
Yes, auto insurance here is somewhat expensive but not as high as other areas. My agent found another carrier that allows me to stretch my payments out over more months and I've changed to that.
It's not that some of these carriers can't insure drivers here. They won't. Because they can't do it by their own rules.
Make no mistake, the "Big Boys" are not looking out for us. They're looking out for their own bottom line. And I can't say I blame them. They have stockholders, etc. P&L responsibility. But they're the ones who are really behind all this "reform" talk and they are driving the process (pun intended).

[haberstroh]

Eslteacher, no you don't need a plate or a MA license to get the insurance. But once they issue your insurance form (I forgot the name of it----only MA has such weird stuff) you have only 30 days to register your car or the insurance form expires. Once you have your plates, you have 7 days to get the inspection sticker (gas station). Getting your MA License is an entire different process and has nothing to do with your car. Of course you can do both at the same time, and the law says that you have to change over your vehicle and license within 30 days of moving to MA permanently. In order to get your license you need to prove that you live in MA, show your old license, SSN and proof of signature (i.e. passport or credit card). All this comes with fees and yes your insurance will most likely be higher, no matter where you came from. I just did all of the above. Go to the RMV website or even call them. One little mistake will set you back. Like your name is misspelled on the insurance form, does not include your husband or you miss a document. I had planned a whole day for this and went in the RMV shaking (LOL). It was not so bad after all and did not last long either (30 minutes). But you have to come prepared. And PS: don't forget the title of the car or have your lease holder take care of it. Good luck!

[Stockholmaren]

Originally Posted by neil0311

HUH??? We just moved out of MA, and I can tell you that rates are NOT cheaper in MA, unless you're a lousy driver who is being subsidized by good drivers. We saved about 30% on the same 2 cars when we moved.

The socialist system of auto insurance in MA, which is the only one in the country, is a Robin Hood system. Good drivers pay more to support bad drivers. Things like age, gender, and credit history are routinely used in other states to set premiums, and those of us with good driving records and good credit, who fall into a statistical group with lower risk get better rates. That's how it should be.

In MA, those factors are forbidden to be used, and the gov't sets the rates in an attempt to not inconvenience bad risk drivers. Sorry if the truth hurts, but in lower socio-economic areas, there is more theft and more bad driving, and that should be reflected by insurance premiums. Likewise, someone who doesn't pay their bills and has a poor credit history is less responsible and it's more likely that irresponsibility will spill over to their driving, and that should reflect in their rate too.

Yes, I was incorrect in saying that rates are lower in MA than most states on average, even though many people have been surprised at how much their premiums decreased when they moved TO MA. This has probably to do with the fact that gender, age, etc. are not taken into consideration. Also, MA is densely populated, which drive up costs.

The problem I have with using socio-economic factors is that if I fall under one of negative aspects, I'm being punished for something that has nothing to do with my driving. Yes, you can argue that on average a young male may be at higher risk, but that doesn't mean that I as an individual must be a bad driver. The only fair way to only look at your driving record.

[capecodcathy]

I have to disagree that credit history should be a factor. Many people hit hard times, it doesn't make them bad drivers.