[charles bledsoe]

Looking to see who has the best coverage for the best rates on multiple car policies? Any recommendations on which of the classic car insurance companies (I.e. Hagerty, Grundy, J.C. Taylor, etc...) to go with?
Thanks.

[torqjunki]

I am with State Farm. They have a classic car policy. I have an agreed value on my car with no mileage restrictions and such. Might check them out.

[MUSLCAH]

I have the " side walk " policy with Haggerty..cus I don't have a garage at my house...but I store it at my shop in another town for the Wintah . They will only go as far as 29,900 on my policy. It's under 400.00 for the year and no deductible .Maybe some towing too...ill have to check

[Overkillphil]

I had Hagerty for awhile but switched to JC Taylor as it was exactly half the price for the same coverage. Hagerty was cheap when I first signed on but it seemed to get more expensive in direct relation to their excessive advertising etc. like Barrett Jackson for example. I'm not interesting in funding their advertising.

[The Champ]

First of all, insurance pricing can be dramatically different from state to state. I could tell you what I pay in MN, but it would help you figure out what you could expect to pay in TN.

As to the best coverage - for me - I believe Hagerty does - providing you meet their requirements (own other daily drivers insured elsewhere, store your collector vehicles in a locked garage, good driving record).

I have never heard a bad thing about Hagerty's claim service (unlike State Farm).

One of the key determining factors for me was Hagerty's understanding of how you can use your cars. Many company's have mileage limitations and usage restrictions - like you can only drive them to car shows or parade use.

If you want to drive one of your cars from TN to a national meet in Seattle - no problem. If it's a beautiful sunny day and you want to drive your '66 GTO to work with the top down - no problem.

Hagerty only charges liability on the first car. Every car after that pays only for the comp and collision charges.

FWIW - I have a 1949 Caddy Limo, a '64 GTO Convertible, a 1972 Camaro and a 1981 Chevy C10 PU insured with Hagerty. I feel my premiums are an excellent value.

My recommendation would be to look at the coverage limitations first and find companies that will provide the coverage that you want. I would then look at customer satisfaction levels. To me, pricing is the third criteria.

A cheap policy that won't let me drive my cars is worthless. A cheap policy that will make having a claim a difficult experience is worthless.

[pontiacstogo]

IMHO the true test of an insurance company is when you need to make a claim. Hopefully that will never happen. I've been with Hagerty for my T/A and classic bikes for many, many years and I like their policies and prices. I've only ever had one time when I had to call on their services and that was when my T/A lost it's HEI module while I was out for a Sunday drive. They had a flatbed to me in record time and I never paid a cent for the tow.

[Overkillphil]

My JC Taylor is underwritten by Foremost and has the same use and coverage limitations as my Hagerty policy.

And remember that Hagerty is not an insurance company either but rather a middleman with their insurance offerings underwritten by various insurance companies.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Overkillphil

My JC Taylor is underwritten by Foremost and has the same use and coverage limitations as my Hagerty policy.

I was interested to hear this, but I went to JC Taylor's website and read this:

Be used primarily as hobby vehicles: used in exhibitions, club activities, parades, or other functions of public interest. An occasional nice day drive to keep the vehicle in running order is perfectly acceptable.

That seems to be more restrictive to me compared to Hagerty:

Flexible Usage

Our policy allows you occasional pleasure use with no fixed mileage restrictions**. With Hagerty, you can go for a weekend drive, take your vehicle up to the local ice cream shop or attend unlimited events and cruises.

** Occasional pleasure use does not mean use for daily driving to and from work or school, routine shopping, etc

I like to drive my car.

Based on JC Taylor's wording, I'm not sure I could have driven my GTO to my grandson's HS graduation a few years ago. It was a 500 mile round trip that had nothing to do with a a car show or a parade. It was a 3 day trip which "may" violate their "occasional nice day drive" rule.

I'm also not sure if their wording would allow an occasional drive to work. I've actually driven my car to the home office of my employer (300 mile - 2 day trip) for a sales meeting because my coworker that was going with me had never ridden in a convertible.

And then there is golfing. On the right day, what is more cool than taking the GTO convertible to the golf course?

I'm not saying that JCT wouldn't cover it, but I would want clarification in writing for me to consider switching carriers. Even if they were half price of what I pay in Minnesota. (The premium savings - even if they were half price - aren't enough to get excited about).

If JCT's rules work for you and they are half price - that's great for you!

[mgarblik]

As several of you have pointed out, the wording in the policy does not read like a legal document, but rather a conversation between friends. This folksy approach all seems like a nice friendly deal UNTIL you have a claim. Then the insurance company gets all wound up in the legal language and looks for any way and every way to weasel out of paying a claim. This is when the actual agent you have a personal relationship with comes to play. The agent, especially if he is a big producer, has enormous leeway and latitude when working with the insurer. That's why buying direct on-line will save you money in premiums, but God help you if you ever have a claim. Ask me how I know? My advise is to be very careful and try to establish a personal relationship with a local agent you can trust. No, I don't sell insurance but this has been my experience with both homeowners, collector car and regular car insurance.

[1968GTO421]

Originally Posted by Overkillphil

My JC Taylor is underwritten by Foremost and has the same use and coverage limitations as my Hagerty policy.

And remember that Hagerty is not an insurance company either but rather a middleman with their insurance offerings underwritten by various insurance companies.

I've had JC Taylor since 1982 and hd excellent claims service from them. If their limitations ever bother me I'll ask for "exemptions" and failing that look at Hagerty.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

This is when the actual agent you have a personal relationship with comes to play. The agent, especially if he is a big producer, has enormous leeway and latitude when working with the insurer.

Having spent 10 years of my life selling business insurance, you'd be surprised at how little influence the agent has over the claims department.

It doesn't matter how big a producer the agent is, he/she can't change the coverage.

I was a national award winner (in sales production) for the two insurance companies I worked for.

If an agent ever made it appear that he had influence, he was only making you think he was. All he did was get you what you were actually entitled to. Which any agent should do.

[pontiacstogo]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

That's why buying direct on-line will save you money in premiums, but God help you if you ever have a claim. Ask me how I know?

OK - I'll bite.

As I mentioned above, to me an insurance company can be the best company in the world to deal with, but the true test is how they are when you file a claim. Have you had an instance where a classic car insurance company denied or fought a claim on a classic car? These are the types of problems I'd like to know about!

[mtdaniel]

I was with state farm classic. Their rates were to high for a pro street car I had. So at one of the swap meets I did some shopping and came across Heacock Classic and collector car ins. I have an agreed value on all my classic with $0 deductibles. Unfortunately I had the pleasure of having a claim with them 2 weeks ago. It was absolutely painless. I sent pictures of the damage , went to the body shop of my choice for an estimate and they sent me a check for the estimated repair amount from the body shop. No claim adjuster was ever sent to look at the car. $35,000 agreed value zero deductibles in Pa. for $ 212 a year.

[flyingn]

Tried them all including State Farm who I have life insurance, home owners and three every day cars with.. No one including State Farm, haggerty, Grundy, american collectors touched Condon skelly for prices for my 2 and soon 3 cars. Go to their website and try em. Then even have a huge free car show at HQ near us in Jersey coming up soon.

Www.condonskelly.com

[mgarblik]

The Champ has the real world experience and if what he says is true, I must have had the worst agent in the history of insurance. My primary bad experience was a homeowners claim that was denied for a roof. Every single house on my street got a new roof almost no questions asked except me. I was in the same hail storm and had the same damage. My agent really didn't go to bat for me and I had to fight it alone. The carrier Motorists Insurance, the scum of the earth, said go ahead and sue us, you will be dead long before this ever settles. 20K later, I have a new roof, 100% out of pocket. Switched to a new agent and agency, Erie for everything but my collector cars and Haggerty for the collector cars. Have had 2 claims in 10 years, handled very well and my agent was on top of the situation start to finish. My agent is a muscle car collector with an extensive collection. I feel he really knows the product, and the needs of his clients.
So when you buy a policy on-line with no human contact, what do you do when their is a claim or a problem? Fly to the call center in Pakistan and try to find someone who speaks English?

[Ram Air IV Jack]

Originally Posted by 1968GTO421

I've had JC Taylor since 1982 and hd excellent claims service from them. If their limitations ever bother me I'll ask for "exemptions" and failing that look at Hagerty.

Agreed. JC Taylor to me is the best but Hagerty and Grundy are very good as well. Stay away from the traditional State Farm, American Family, etc. polices. Great for everyday cars but not classics. Too many horror stories about owners being burned having these polices. You have a total loss then some rummy adjuster comes over and tells you they will pay off a fraction of the agreed amount. JC Taylor is reasonably priced. I pay about $1100 a year on a "stated" policy of $171K. If I suffer a total loss, fire, theft, accident, this is what I would receive. Insurance is a personal choice of course but think about it well and ask many questions before buying.

[ponjohn]

Had Heacock. They don't care if car has cage, nitrous etc.
Agreed Value replacement with incremental increases every few years.

[TCSGTO]

I have had Heacock for a long time now and haven't made any claims yet. There driving policy seems to be more liberal than some of the other classic insurers. They will cover any car with modifications where some companies are geared more toward restored vehicles.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

The Champ has the real world experience and if what he says is true, I must have had the worst agent in the history of insurance. My primary bad experience was a homeowners claim that was denied for a roof. Every single house on my street got a new roof almost no questions asked except me. I was in the same hail storm and had the same damage. My agent really didn't go to bat for me and I had to fight it alone. The carrier Motorists Insurance, the scum of the earth, said go ahead and sue us, you will be dead long before this ever settles. 20K later, I have a new roof, 100% out of pocket.

I don't know the details, but one possibility is that you had a very limited "named peril" policy (commonly referred to as an HO-1 or an HO-2 policy). A named peril policy only covers damage caused by one of the listed perils.

The companies I worked for only sold "all risk" homeowners policies. All risk policies cover all perils unless a peril is specifically excluded (HO-3 or HO-5).

Another possibility is that you had your home insured for "actual cash value" which means that they deduct for depreciation on a claim. If your roof was 20 years old (normal life expectancy of a roof), there would be no claim as it's depreciated 100%.

HO-3 and HO-5 policies are "replacement cost" policies, so the roof would have been covered in full (less deductible).

I'm just guessing at possibilities, trying to come up with why you received nothing from "Motorist Insurance". FWIW - I've never heard of them. That could be because they are a regional insurance carrier that operates only in your area.

[mgarblik]

I don't want to drive this collector car insurance thread off the rails so I will just say whatever policy you end up with for your collector car, force yourself to read and really understand everything in the policy. Don't assume anything and if it isn't in writing, it doesn't exist. In my 60 years of life, insurance is only thing I can think of that you pay for year after year with ever increasing premiums. Then in the unlikely event you have a claim, it is the primary goal of the insurer to find any loop hole or way to weasel out of paying a claim. It's like a crazy crooked card game and the insurance company has all the aces.

Champ: you may be right about my homeowners policy. I was so ignorant about insurance at that point in my life, it's entirely possible. I am a much better informed consumer now. Buying a new roof for 20K forces you to learn quickly!