Quick Car Insurance Question (Tampa, Orlando: apartment complexes, renters, home)

[thekub]

My girlfriend and I are looking to relocate to the Tampa Bay area (in or around Feather Sound area) probably around late September. Our car insurance premium just came due and for 2 cars (08 Impala, 02 Malibu) a 6 month premium in Michigan is ~$650 with Geico. While I was renewing I clicked the “Moving?” link and that started the “I am thinking of changing my policy” procedure. I just randomly picked the address of one of the apartment complexes we are considering and Geico came back with ~$1,650 for a 6 month premium! Does this seem normal? Or did things just go crazy on their end?

[seain dublin]

Florida has higher premiums because of the many uninsured drivers here. In Florida there are many who drive with no car insurance and on suspended licenses. FL leads the nation in uninsured drivers.

Unlike most states they don't impound the cars when they stop them and they have no insurance. All they get is a ticket and they keep driving.

It is mind boggling when you move here from another state, so the information you got is most likely correct.

People who follow the rules here get stuck paying for all the ones that don't.

That was smart of you to check, many people assume it is cheaper here and get a suprise.

[algia]

Yeah, mine jumped by $500 as well and we only moved from Orlando to Tampa!!!!!!!!!!

[seain dublin]

Most people you talk to who move here from other states see an increase.

Well they let hem drive here with no license and no insurance so it is a high risk state to insure.

They were kicking and screaming here about civil rights for having to start wearing seat belts this month or get a ticket.

Seatbelts save lives and lead to lower rates. Every week here it is horrific crashes and no seatbelts.

[kdubose]

That does seem about "normal" for a premium down here for 2 people. You might also want to check around with other companies though because I dont know about everyone else but when I ran my quote with Geico it came up with quite a bit higher price then with my current carrier Metropolitan (MetLife).

[thekub]

Well, I gotta say I did take a double take. Both of us will be moving with out jobs so it does raise the nervousness level a bit. I have a pretty decent grasp of all the other expenses and I think we would be good for 8-12 months regardless. I just wasn’t considering a 150% premium. Ill call the insurance company later and talk to them about it maybe take some of the coverage of the Malibu or see if bundling renters insurance would help.

If anyone else has any experience or recommendations on other companies to look at Id love to hear them.

(Im 28 with a clean driving record for 4-5 years, shes 27 with 1 accident (not her fault) and 1 5-over the limit speeding ticket over the past 4-5 years)

*edit Thanks Kdubose Ill look into MetLife.

[seain dublin]

I would be really nervous moving here without jobs. Tampa Bay is listed as one of the worst places in the country to look for work.

When you have nothing coming in and expenses going out the money goes quickly.

This may be a little risky but can't you hold off on switching your policy and keeping your Michigan plates down here for awhile until you know you will be staying.

If you don't find jobs and end up going back home then you have to switch again.

Believe me, you see everything down here on the road. I have seen cars with a NJ plate in the front and a FL plate in the back. So you could proably hold off on switching everything over until you see how things work out here.

[sassyfragger1]

Our rates actually dropped here from any other state bc we tinkered with the way our coveragge is set up. FL is backwards from any other state on how the uninsured insurance and all that works- like there's something that pays for lost work but you may not want that and there's different deductibles then the other 49 states. Then you can have some sort of coverage where it overlaps if you have more than one car. I'm totally not explaining this well but it's really not like any other state. Call Geico they're nice and they'll explain it all. 21st actually had a better rate for us here. On our motorcycle I got CRAZY different quotes- as high as $4720 yr!!! We went with Sentry and we're paying $350 or so a year- so call around- ask about how to make the rate lower- write it down and shop.

[thekub]

The longest Id be able to coast is until December, thats when my current tabs expire. And we should have enough cash to get that far and a bit beyond. I have been watching and even applying for jobs for a while now and though I have seen a decline since last summer there are still a reasonable flow of jobs that I am seeing. That said, I understand that even though they are there it doesnt mean they are easy to get, but I figure my chances are about 10x better if my address was a local one (rather than MI).

[thekub]

Thanks for the positive news sassyfragger1. Ill likely have enough free time to shop around while job hunting.