HowToDoThings.com Recent Auto Financing & Insurance Articles

How To Find the Most Cost-Effective Car Insurance

jarnold — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:48:46 -0500

Many people do not check their car insurance rates on a regular basis, but like with almost any other aspect related to financial expenditures, it is worth your time to shop around annually to see if you are still getting the best rates possible. There are many factors that come into play when a car insurance company determines your rates, and most of those aspects change over time.

As an example, many people believe that they will get the best rates by shopping for car insurance online. This is a myth. While it is true that you MAY find the best rates online, much depends on your specific and individual criteria, which is why it is important to shop around and not limit your search for a low car insurance rate to online searching.

How To Get Car Insurance for a Classic Car

Kathleen556 — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:03:00 -0600

So, you have found your classic dream car and are ready to hit the road with it? Well, the next step is to find yourself some classic car insurance. This article will tell you how to locate classic car insurance, how to make sure you get the best deal, and how to figure out if you meet the qualifications to purchase it.

How To Finance a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle

Ashtyn198 — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 11:16:00 -0600

For people in wheelchairs, attaining a wheelchair accessible vehicle can be much harder than it is to attain a non-accessible vehicle. People in wheelchairs need special seating options. Even people with partial mobility will have to have modifications done to their vehicles in order to comfortably drive or ride in their cars or vans.

One of the hardest parts of securing a wheelchair accessible vehicle deals with financing. Due to the high cost of wheelchair accessible vehicles and the struggles that many disabled people face concerning employment and living on government disability or social security, for many, a wheelchair accessible vehicle is something they want but are just not able to afford without help.

How To Get Car Insurance on a Budget

Joshua281 — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 14:00:00 -0500

Car insurance isn't cheap, but it's a necessary protection for you and your family. You can get a better deal on your insurance by following these simple guidelines.

Some things are hard to change: The price of your insurance is mostly controlled by a few uncontrollable variables. Your age, sex, and marital status all affect the rate you pay because insurance companies statistically justify charging different amounts to drivers based on these personal criteria. You can't really do much to change these--and I don't recommend proposing to your girlfriend just to get a better rate.

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How To Get an Online Car Insurance Quote

Brad276 — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 15:01:00 -0500

Getting a car insurance quote is becoming easier. Many insurance carriers now offer quotes online for automobile insurance.

Before getting an online quote, you should prepare yourself with some information that is likely going to be needed to complete the quote process. Gather the following information.

Your vitals. Be prepared to give your name, date of birth, social security number, address, phone number, drivers license number and place of employment.
Vitals of others who will be driving the vehicle. If you have other members of your household who will be driving the insured vehicle, you will need to provide a drivers license and date of birth for those individuals as well.
Key information on the vehicle you wish to insure. Plan to have the year, make and model of the car as well as the license plate, annual mileage and VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) handy.

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How To Compare Auto Insurance Rates

Brad276 — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 14:01:00 -0500

Insurance can be confusing. When shopping for automobile insurance, you may receive quotes that vary by hundreds of dollars. So what do you need to review in each quote to make sure you are comparing apples to apples, rather than apples to oranges?

Coverages being offered. There are a number of coverages available on most automobile insurance policies. They include:

Comprehensive Coverage - Comprehensive coverage protects you in the event of a loss to your insured vehicle not caused by collision. The most common losses include flood and weather damage, vandalism and theft. Most policies are also written to include animal collision as a comprehensive coverage.

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How To Get Full Coverage Auto Insurance

Brad276 — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 20:09:00 -0500

The first thing that needs to be mentioned is that there is no such thing as full coverage auto insurance. Every insurance policy has limitations and exclusions for items such as wear and tear, maintenance and negligent actions by the insured. The term full coverage insurance is usually referring to a policy with the following coverages:

First party coverages.

Comprehensive-- This coverage is for damage caused to the insured vehicle by a loss due to something other than collision. Typically, this will be fire, theft, vandalism and weather damage.
Collision-- Collision coverage is for damage to the insured vehicle by a loss due to collision with another object.
Towing and Roadside Assistance-- This is usually a 24 hour coverage in the event of a mechanical or other problem with your vehicle.

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How To Get Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Brad276 — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 08:54:00 -0500

The first question that will be asked regarding underinsured motorist coverage is simply, "What is underinsured motorist coverage and why do I need it?" Underinsured motorist coverage differs from uninsured motorist coverage as it requires that the responsible party actually have insurance.

Many states only require that a very low amount of coverage be carried for third party damages, sometimes as low at $5,000. With the current cost of automotive repairs and medical bills, it does not take a very significant accident to exceed $5,000. Underinsured motorist coverage provides coverage if the driver who was responsible for damage or injury does have insurance, but

Their limits are below the state minimums; or
Their limits are not sufficient to coverage all of the damage to your vehicle caused in the accident; and
- You or your passengers are injured in the accident; or
  
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How To Buy Uninsured Motorist Insurance

Brad276 — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 08:28:00 -0500

Uninsured motorist coverage is one of the most important aspects of an automobile insurance policy. Uninsured motorist coverage protects you in the event that you are involved in an accident with an uninsured driver. The coverage will extend to cover you and your passengers for bodily injury as well as your vehicle against damage if the accident was the fault of the uninsured driver.

Some states go so far as to require uninsured motorist coverage. They include:

Connecticut
Washington D.C.
Illinois
Kansas
Maine
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
North Dakota
Oregon
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin

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How To Get Auto Insurance Quotes

Brad276 — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 14:14:00 -0500

Auto insurance is a fact of life; many states require vehicle owners to carry a minimal amount of liability insurance in order to protect the other drivers on the road.

When looking for auto insurance, one of the first things you will need to do is shop around for a quote. There are three common ways in which to obtain an auto insurance quote.

Visit a local agency. Agents work as representatives for larger insurance carriers. An agent is the face of the company and usually can be located through the Yellow Pages or local advertisements. To get a quote through a local agency, contact the agency by phone and set up an appointment for a time in which you can sit down with the agency staff and review your auto insurance needs.

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How To Get a Free Auto Insurance Quote

Joshua281 — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 17:48:00 -0500

Free auto insurance quotes are commonplace nowadays. Any insurance quote that you receive should be free. To get an insurance quote, you have several options to choose from.

Contact an agent that already insures your house. Many insurers offer discounts when a homeowner insures both her home and vehicles with the same company. These discounts can be as high as 10 to 15%, so it may be worthwhile to ask your insurance agent.
Find an agent in the yellow pages. This is the tried and true method that has worked for years, and many individuals still prefer to use an insurance agent from the yellow pages. Since the arrival of the internet, this may not be the cheapest method, but if you insist on talking to a person it may be the best option for you.

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How To Get Auto Gap Coverage

Joshua281 — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 17:10:00 -0500

Gap insurance. Ever heard of it? I hadn't until I needed it. After being involved in a car accident that totaled my two-year-old car, I discovered that I was missing the most important type of insurance I could have purchased--Gap insurance.

Gap insurance covers the difference between what the insurance company says your car is worth versus what's left on your loan. When you're buying a new car or even a newer used car, this type of insurance is essential. Otherwise, you may find that you have several thousand dollars to pay off from your other car loan.

When you drive your new car off the lot, it will likely depreciate between 20% and 30%. If your $20,000 car depreciates just 20%, you may be out $4,000 if you have an accident as you pull out of the lot. Without Gap insurance, you'll have no protection nor any way to get back the money you will lose when the insurance company pays you.

How To Get Motorcycle Insurance Quotes

Joshua281 — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 19:27:00 -0500

Many companies that insure automobiles also have divisions to insure motorcycles. As a general rule, all insurance quotes should be free of charge. Never pay for a insurance quote. Liability coverage for motorcycles usually costs much less than liability coverage on cars. Plan on getting at least three or four different quotes before you commit to a particular company. Many insurance companies also give discounts to members of certain groups and associations; association members, such as members of AARP and AMA may receive discounts as high as 10% from certain insurance companies.

Where to look? You have several options to aid you in your search for motorcycle insurance.

How To Renew Your Car Insurance

Brad276 — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 21:08:00 -0500

We have come to accept that car insurance is a fact of life. While necessary, the process of renewing your car insurance can sometimes be confusing.

The standard for all major insurance carriers is to write automobile insurance policies with six month policy periods. This is done to allow the company to reassess risk on a regular basis and to keep insurance affordable. At the end of every six month policy period, you will need to renew your policy. You may occasionally run into a carrier that will write an auto policy with a twelve month policy period. The procedures you will go through to renew the policy do not change with the increased policy period. Follow these steps to renew your policy.

How To Report an Auto Insurance Claim

Brad276 — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 19:47:00 -0500

There are two common types of car insurance claims that can be reported for damage to the vehicle that you own.

Collision Claim - A collision claim is a claim for damage to the vehicle that you insure caused by a collision. The collision may have been with any object and is not limited to multiple car accidents. Collision claims include solo car accidents in which the driver may have hit a building, light post or any other object.
Comprehensive Claim - A comprehensive claim is for any damage to your vehicle not caused by a collision. Frequently, comprehensive claims are made for theft or vandalism damage. Other Comprehensive Claims include fire damage and flood. Damage caused by impact with an animal is usually also considered a Comprehensive claim.

How To Compare Auto Insurance Quotes

Danielle31 — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 18:22:00 -0600

When comparing auto insurance quotes you need to keep these things in mind: