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For a measly $68 dollars it's a nice insurance policy and peace of mind.....
Yeah, but a lot of insurance just isn’t worth it. And if you are a creative worrier (guilty) nothing will buy you peace of mind. So, you just learn to accept risk and move on.
OP you say you never will lock yourself out because you both have keys. Are you conjoined twins with your husband? Do you never go anywhere without him? I remember one time I used AAA when I was at a ski resort with my girl buddies at closing time and found that I'd locked my keys in the truck. My husband was 90 miles away, it was getting dark, and temps were already below freezing. Having a tow truck there to get my truck open in 25 minutes was awesome!. Had a flat one day on the way to work and I was in a dress and heels. They saved me again. We tried to use my SUV to retrieve a log on our property and got it stuck on a hill 60 feet from the pavement, they winched us out. Hubby's vintage car just wouldn't start and a jump didn't help. They were able to tow it 45 miles home (we have premium, as there is usually nothing within 5 miles, and paying the $1-5 a mile for excess mileage that AAA charges, and the prices that others charge, is just not going to happen). We had a problem with a faulty gas gauge that allowed us to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. They gave us ride to the nearest station and back to retrieve gas. We have lived for the last 20 years a minimum of 10 miles from the nearest auto shop, and the places we go are often 50 miles or more from a decent shop. Call any towing company and ask how much they charge per mile, and what is their minimum charge. AAA is a bargain and provides peace of mind.
OP you say you never will lock yourself out because you both have keys. Are you conjoined twins with your husband? Do you never go anywhere without him? I remember one time I used AAA when I was at a ski resort with my girl buddies at closing time and found that I'd locked my keys in the truck. My husband was 90 miles away, it was getting dark, and temps were already below freezing. Having a tow truck there to get my truck open in 25 minutes was awesome!. Had a flat one day on the way to work and I was in a dress and heels. They saved me again. We tried to use my SUV to retrieve a log on our property and got it stuck on a hill 60 feet from the pavement, they winched us out. Hubby's vintage car just wouldn't start and a jump didn't help. They were able to tow it 45 miles home (we have premium, as there is usually nothing within 5 miles, and paying the $1-5 a mile for excess mileage that AAA charges, and the prices that others charge, is just not going to happen). We had a problem with a faulty gas gauge that allowed us to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. They gave us ride to the nearest station and back to retrieve gas. We have lived for the last 20 years a minimum of 10 miles from the nearest auto shop, and the places we go are often 50 miles or more from a decent shop. Call any towing company and ask how much they charge per mile, and what is their minimum charge. AAA is a bargain and provides peace of mind.
Actually, on vacation, we are pretty much conjoined twins. Lol.
OP you say you never will lock yourself out because you both have keys. Are you conjoined twins with your husband? Do you never go anywhere without him? I remember one time I used AAA when I was at a ski resort with my girl buddies at closing time and found that I'd locked my keys in the truck. My husband was 90 miles away, it was getting dark, and temps were already below freezing. Having a tow truck there to get my truck open in 25 minutes was awesome!. Had a flat one day on the way to work and I was in a dress and heels. They saved me again. We tried to use my SUV to retrieve a log on our property and got it stuck on a hill 60 feet from the pavement, they winched us out. Hubby's vintage car just wouldn't start and a jump didn't help. They were able to tow it 45 miles home (we have premium, as there is usually nothing within 5 miles, and paying the $1-5 a mile for excess mileage that AAA charges, and the prices that others charge, is just not going to happen). We had a problem with a faulty gas gauge that allowed us to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. They gave us ride to the nearest station and back to retrieve gas. We have lived for the last 20 years a minimum of 10 miles from the nearest auto shop, and the places we go are often 50 miles or more from a decent shop. Call any towing company and ask how much they charge per mile, and what is their minimum charge. AAA is a bargain and provides peace of mind.
Based on your description of YOUR car problems, I'd say that AAA would be a screaming bargain!
However, just to put things into perspective, not everyone would do the things that you and your husband do.
For example:
1. Not everyone would attempt to use their SUV as a tractor and attempt to pull logs out of the back 40 timber lot and get the car stuck up in the mud. That's what tractors are for.
2. Not everyone keeps a junk... err, excuse me, a "vintage" car that they have trouble starting or that needs towed 45 miles because it won't run.
3. Not everyone drives a car with a non-working gas gauge. Even if they did, it doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to write down the mileage at the last fill-up, and then refill it again before going over 300 or so miles. Or is the odometer busted too?
4. Locking yourself out of your car while out drinking? Yeah, I guess that can happen.
5. Having a flat tire while wearing a dress and heels? Well, not going to happen to me, but I suppose that it might happen to some people.
I've had it for over 40 years and now gift all my adult children with a membership for their birthdays each year. Almost all of us have used it at least once every few years and several of us have had AAA come out and install new batteries, which is so much nicer than being towed or hoping and praying we make it to a shop before it fails again. We all get the PLUS membership because one of my kids drives all over the country and none of us want's to worry about how far we are from home or a familiar place. As far as the other benefits go I really enjoy doing my DMV stuff at the AAA office instead of the actual DMV.
They never think about how old the battery is until the car won't start. They never think to check the air in the tires until they get in the car and find that one of the tires is flat... and they don't have a spare. In short, they are never concerned about anything going bad... until it does. Then they call for help.
I used to drive to work about thirty miles each way. I had a spare tire in my trunk, but if you think I would get out of my car in the dark (I worked night shift) to change a tire on a busy, poorly lit parkway with limited or no shoulders you would be mistaken. There was a period of 1-2 years where I had at least three flat tires, all from nails or screws going into them. Another time we were driving home at around midnight when a huge branch that we could not get out of the way from completely flattened our tire---and this time my husband was there but our jack was broken!
My dad was a mechanic and he now has AAA because he physically cannot change tires anymore.
I had a brand-new car konk out once, so I called the manufacturer's roadside assistance. It took so long for them to answer the phone that I called AAA on the other line and they answered right away.
So based on that experience I have kept AAA ever since. When I need emergency assistance I want a human to answer the phone.
Several points based on my 38 years of membership:
1) People tell me that AAA is unnecessary as you can call a local tow service. The first and last time my wife tried that in rural Virginia at Midnight, she was told "please call me in the morning." That does not happen with AAA.
2) People tell me that you can use your insurance for roadside service. I have had several friends find that after a claim, their auto insurance increases significantly.
3) People above start to say that many people don't keep up on their service. I ALWAYS take my vehicle for service as required by the owner's manual. Yes, that would reduce calls. However, you can maintain your cars very well and still hit black ice or pick up a nail in your tires and the like.
4) I drive through the desert all the time. If I break down, I want to be able to tow my vehicle into a reputable shop. I have the 100 mile tow service and for me, I would rather use that than have it towed to wherever the other place will tow it to. I will have it towed to the dealership 40 miles
away.
5) I am getting old. It I hit a nail and my tire goes flat in I-10 on the way to Phoenix, I would rather have a tow truck with flashing emergency lights blocking off traffic while the technician changes the tire instead of me doing it.
To me, what I pay for service to AAA is well worth the cost.
Don't know where you are from, but I have the So Cal Auto Club of AAA and by far the biggest benefit is being able to do a lot of DMV business at. About the only DMV service you can't get at AAA is driver's license renewal or test. That alone is worth its weight in gold.
Then AAA is a top notch travel agent, especially for cruises and you can get great discounts on hotels, car rentals and dining.
The battery jump service has saved me more than once as has the towing. I'd never do a cross country trip without it.
I got my first membership as a gift from my grandmother when I turned 16 and that was 47 years ago. Never regretted for a minute my membership. It gets even more important the older I get.
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