Saturday, February 05, 2011

Expensive Disparities

There's an old expression that I've used a time or two -sometimes with Maya when she whines about things we tell her she has to do -about there being only two things in life one really HAS to do and that's pay taxes and die.

I do think that's a pretty accurate assessment of stuff -much of the time, anyway.

However, there's something else we have to do -at least in most states, it's a requirement-and that's purchase car insurance if you own a vehicle. Some states do not require this but Pennsylvania does.

I can accept this as a necessary fact of life and truthfully, I wouldn't want to NOT have car insurance on my vehicle, on other little things it covers too. It's something that has definitely come in handy on a few occasions for me, that's for sure! (Like on the old Subaru Justy I had back in the mid-to-late 90s and I had the misfortune of hitting a deer not just on one occasion but three different times! At one point, the only area of that poor car that wasn't damaged from hitting some relative of Bambi's was the roof!)

What does annoy me about car insurance though is the disparity that often exists from one insurance company to another. I realize sometimes the reasons for this are based on differences between various drivers - young drivers get nailed for their youth is one example -or someone who has had lots of tickets and accidents or other issues may have to pay a higher rate then too.

We've all seen those advertisements on television about this company or that company offering the best coverage and having the cheapest car insurance available, but sometimes I wonder how true those ads really are, don't you?

A very good friend of ours has insurance on his vehicle with a different company than Mandy and I use and for his vehicle, he pays more per month than I do and I have full coverage on mine whereas he only carries liability on his.

Now, I don't know about you and your insurance rates, much less how each company actually operates, but I think if it were me paying more for straight liability than someone paying less and having both liability AND comprehensive coverage, I'd sure as heck be out shopping around for a better deal!

Wouldn't you?

2 comments:

Dianne said...

after close to 30 years with the same insurer I dropped them
the research to find a new co. was a killer job to do but it was worth it

I always end up saying the same thing about insurance cos. - they are liars and thieves and part of the greedy corporate mentality of this country
de-regulation caused all this and we know who to blame for that but I'll be good and not get any more political ;)

Hope sends hugs

Maggie May said...

In UK, car insurance is the requirement of the law. You can choose whether to have third party insurance or be fully covered against all possibilities. It does pay to search around for the best deal though, as prices do vary. The best insurances go to people who are getting on in age and who have a clean licence & no accidents. If you are young and have a sports car..... well..... you need to be rich!
There are hefty fines for people who get caught with no insurance and points on your license.
Maggie X

Nuts in May