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15 Things You Need To Know About Buying Auto Insurance

This is the first in a multipart “How To Not Suck…” series on insurance. Upcoming installments will cover, homeowner’s life, long-term care, and disability insurance.

Whether you just drove off the dealer’s lot in a shiny new vehicle or you’re puttering down the highway in an old clunker, you must protect yourself, others (and your two/three/four/eighteen-wheeled investment) with auto insurance.

Cheap rates are important, but cheap means nothing if your policy won’t cover you if you’re in an accident, or the victim of a wayward grocery cart, or the target of a penny attack.

Here are 15 things you may not know — or that you need to know — about insurance for your wheels.

1. Minimums? What minimums?

Sure, buying the minimum amount of coverage allowed by law (or by your lender) will save you money, but it won’t save you anything in the long run if you ever have a claim. For example, if you choose a high deductible policy, you’ll have cheaper premiums. But that also means you’ll have to fork out more cash before you can make a claim. If you have a huge emergency fund, maybe that works for you, but you could spend more in the long-term. (Take a look at your state’s minimums but seriously consider taking more than the absolute mininum.)

2. Yes, larger deductibles mean a lower premium, but think about what an accident would cost you.

Let’s say you have $5,000 in repairs. A $1,000 deductible means you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket for 20 percent of the costs. If you have a $250 deductible, you’ll only be paying one-twentieth of the costs. You’ll have to weigh that with the difference in premiums for high-deductible policies.

3. There are discounts for everything out there, and that includes your auto insurance.

Many vehicles come with safety features and alarm systems that will lower your premiums (so don’t buy without talking to your insurance agent, and also read more about which cars are the most and least expensive to insure).

You may also save by having a good driving record, taking a defensive driving course and being a customer for a certain number of years. Ask you agent about the discounts for which you might be eligible.

4. In many states, where rates are set by law, cheaper insurance simply means less coverage.

If you live in a state where the rates are pre-set, think twice before taking a less expensive policy because it may not give you what you need. Check the state-by-state requirements, and you can visit your state’s insurance department for more information. And if it’s your thing, learn more about trends in state regulation and insurance rates.

5. Combining policies can save you money…

It’s not just ad-speak; some insurers will knock off up to 15% from both your auto and home policies if you bundle them together. Just make sure both policies provide the right amount of coverage.

6. But it still pays to shop around.

While you can get healthy discounts for being a long-time customer and for having more than one policy with the same insurance company, it still pays to shop around once a year. A study by InsWeb.com found drivers saved more than $300 on policies when they switch. That shows you have to shop around — regularly.

7. Check to see if your insurance will get you a loaner car.

If you have an accident and you need a rental car, you’ll find that having some kind of coverage that gives you an allowance for a rental will long-term be cheaper than paying out the full price for a rental.

8. Don’t lie.

You might save a few bucks by saying you park in a garage instead of on a street, but chances are the savings are very small compared to what could happen in you get caught. If you get found out, you could face higher rates or you may be dropped altogether. Also be honest about listing the drivers who may operate your car.

9. File claims judiciously.

Your insurance is there to protect you, but you could be in for higher rates if you file a claim every time a grocery cart rams your side panel.

10. Do the math on installment payments.

Installment payments for insurance policies are a cash cow for the insurer, and it takes as much as $10 a month out of your pocket. Yes, that’s $120 a year for the luxury of paying for your policy over time. If you can afford it, or if you can plan ahead and save, pay for your policy in one shot, or twice a year, rather than monthly.

11. Some employers cut deals with insurance companies to give their employees discounts.

Ask your boss if your company has any side deals for car insurance. Also call your college and any industry groups to which you belong to see if they offer group discounts to members.

12. If you use your vehicle for work, you may not have the coverage you expect.

You probably purchased a personal policy, but if you’re constantly driving as a salesperson or a pizza delivery person, make sure your policy covers your work use of your vehicle.

13. Red means nothing.

That’s right — having a red car doesn’t mean you’re a bad driver or that you’ll drive irresponsibly — and, contrary to a popular myth, it therefore has nothing to do with the price of your insurance.

14. Thieves don’t care about the price tag.

You might think your wheels are the hottest, but those stolen most often are nabbed because their parts earn a lot for the thief. How often your make and model is stolen can have an impact on your premiums, too. Take a look at the most commonly stolen cars of 2012, the most recently available year.

15. Review, review, review.

As your vehicle gets older, you may not have the same needs as you did when it was bright and shiny off the lot. Consider lowering some of your coverages if your vehicle already has a few dings that you’ve decided you’re willing to live with. If you car is worth $1,000, do you really need collision and comprehensive coverage?

In closing, dear readers, remember why insurance is so important:

We never did find out about Cameron’s dad’s coverage, did we?

Next week, we’ll look at homeowner’s insurance!

Have a topic you’d like to see covered in How To Not Suck? Or maybe you’re an expert who would like to share your insight with Consumerist readers? Send us a note at notsuck@consumerist.com.

You can read Karin Price Mueller’s stories for The Star-Ledger at NJ.com, follow her on Facebook, and on Twitter @kpmueller.

DISCLAIMER: Any websites, services, retailers, or brands mentioned in the story above are only intended as some of many options available to consumers, and do not constitute an endorsement by Consumerist, Consumerist Media LLC (CML) or its staff. Per Consumerist’s No Commercial Use Policy, such information may not be used by others in advertising or to promote a company’s product or service. In addition, this policy precludes any commercial use of any of CML’s published information in any form, or of the names of Consumers Union®, Consumer Media, Consumer Reports®, The Consumerist, consumerist.com or any other of CU or CML’s publications or services without CU or CML’s express written permission.

by Karin Price Mueller via Consumerist

Colorado’s Marijuana Retailers Are Now On The Edge Of A Consumer Privacy Frontier

(Brett Levin Photography)

The right to privacy where you shop is something consumers hold dear, but at the same time, when your favorite stores track your purchases using loyalty rewards programs, they can better market you promotional offers or other discounts. But how’s that going to work in Colorado’s new legal marijuana industry, where privacy at the store is especially cherished?

The constitutional amendment that legalized pot for recreational use in Colorado doesn’t include a requirement for shops selling marijuana keep any records on customers, only that they show a government-issued ID to prove they’re old enough to buy, notes the Denver Post.

But what if a shop owner wants to have a rewards program, to better market say, a customer’s favorite strain of Purple Moose Stampede (totally fictitious name, feel free to use that, growers)? It’s up to retailers to try to convince customers wary of their privacy to add their cellphone number or email to a promotional list.

That might be a tough sell for customers, with some saying they’d rather not have that information tied to their pot purchases.

“We have so many violations of privacy in our lives already,” he said. “We don’t have a Fourth Amendment anymore. So anytime you have a chance to exercise that right, it’s a good feeling.”

So far it sounds like store owners are fine with that, and would rather make customers feel their privacy is protected, even though they’d of course like to get to know their shopping habits at the same time.

“You have to find a healthy balance,” the co-owner of one store as well as a chain of recreational and medical marijuana outlets told the Denver Post. “How do we capture information that is pertinent to the success of our new retail business, versus the privacy of adults who now have this right and are able to shop at our stores?”

For his stores, all that means is an open invitation for customers to add themselves to a list at the checkout.

Pot retailers as a whole are treated much like liquor stores in the state, but they’re still a long way from having the same feel as walking into your corner store to buy a bottle of wine or a sandwich.

“It’s heading in a way of more traditional commerce, but there is real hesitancy on the part of consumers and businesses to get too involved in the collection of consumer data,” said a co-author of Amendment 64. “It’s really the dawn of a new industry, figuring out how far you can push without consumers being wary.”

Pot shops wary of privacy concerns in handling customer information [Denver Post]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Postal Carrier Accused Of Trashing 1K Pieces Of Mail Because He Didn’t Feel Like Delivering Them

(Gillian Gutenberg)

For someone who doesn’t work for the United States Postal Service, it would be annoying to stop every few feet and drop something off. But when you’re a mailman, that’s your job, annoying or not. One postal carrier is accused of dumping over a thousand letters and packages — just because it was a bother to actually deliver them.

Federal agents started watching a 24-year-old Long Island postal carrier this month when residents along his route started complaining that they were missing mail they’d been expecting, reports the New York Post.

An agent tracked the postal carrier during his workday and was shocked when the worker allegedly dumped a stack of mail into a park’s trash bin. Officials say he later admitted to trashing mail about 15 times between December and March.

He’d just started working in June, but that newbie status doesn’t fly far with the feds, who found about 1,018 pieces of mail at four of the carrier’s dumping sites.

The defendant “further stated, in sum and substance, that he knew it was wrong to throw away mail,” the complaint states.

He’s now facing a charge of mail destruction, a felony that could come with up to five years in jail if he’s convicted.

While he’s still working for the USPS until the criminal charges are resolved, he’s not in charge of delivering anyone’s mail, an agency spokeswoman said. Smart move, considering he didn’t like doing that in the first place.

You can follow MBQ on Twitter because tweets usually don’t get trashed without provocation: @marybethquirk

Long Island mailman threw out a thousand pieces of mail [New York Post]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

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Walmart Fancy Feast Pricing Is Off Because Cats Can’t Do Math

Can cats do math? Maybe they can do math, and simply choose not to. Whatever the case, reader LukeBaby noticed some pricing shenanigans in the pet food department at Walmart.

“55 cents each,” writes LB, “or 10 for $5.80 (58 cents each.)”

fancyfeast

580

Meanwhile, reader Mazter Jedi, switching fantasy universes for a moment, noticed something kind of strange while shopping for LEGO sets at Walmart. Normally, the red part of a Walmart price tag contains the original price for a clearance item, and the larger part has the current price. The markdown price. Which is supposed to be, you know, lower.

lego_sale

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

FYI, A Phone Protecter Made From Bulletproof Glass Doesn’t Make Your Phone Bulletproof

Much like stainless steel is really just rust-resistant steel that may indeed fall victim to oxidization, bulletproof glass isn’t some magic material that causes slugs to bounce off its surface. But if you have access to an iPhone screen protector made from bulletproof glass and access to firearms, it has to be tempting to see just how bulletproof the material is.

That was the carrot dangled before Ars Technica’s Lee Hutchinson when he received a PR pitch from a company announcing “the first reusable screen protectors for iPhones and iPads made of bulletproof glass.”

Granted, while the pitch from the manufacturer never claimed that the screen protector would make a phone bulletproof — only that the protector is made from “tempered bulletproof glass” — the very use of the term seduces the curious into seeing what would happen if an iPhone ended up on the wrong end of a firing range while sporting one of these card-thin protectors.

After getting surprisingly good results when subjecting the protector to tests like stabbing it with a screwdriver and running it over with a car, Hutchinson took an old iPhone 4 and one of these screen protectors out to a firing range in League City, TX, where the owner let him in before regular business hours to take aim at the smartphone.

His first shot didn’t just go through the screen protector, it went clear through the iPhone.

“So in case anyone was wondering if iPhones are bulletproof, we’ve also managed to answer that question at the same time,” writes Hutchinson. “They are not.”

Since he was there and had the time and ammo, he fired off another six shots, transforming the device into something that looked like it had been run through the pulse cycle on a Blendtec.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Toyota Expected To Pay $1.2 Billion To Settle Unintended Acceleration Criminal Probe

(cleighud)

An end to the four-year federal criminal investigation into claims of sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles may be coming to an end with news that the world’s largest carmaker has reached a deal with the Justice Dept. to pay $1.2 billion to close the case.

Technically, reports the Wall Street Journal, the deal would result in a deferred prosecution for Toyota. If the company meets certain conditions set by the court and monitored by a third-party overseer, the prosecution would never come to fruition.

The acceleration issues began coming to light in 2009 following the tragic death of an off-duty California Highway Patrolman and his family in a Lexus. The vehicle went off the road at around 120 mph, but not before someone in the car called 9-1-1 urgently seeking help because they could not get the car to slow down.

This incident and other reports led to the recall of millions of Toyota vehicles, along with hundreds of civil lawsuits, some of which have been settled and some that continue to linger in the legal system.

NHTSA has tied sudden acceleration problems to five deaths. However, the root cause of the problem has been a much-disputed topic. Some have claimed it was a problem with the vehicles’ electrical systems, while Toyota blamed it on unsecured floor mats that became trapped under the accelerator or brake pedals, making it difficult or impossible to control the speed of the cars.

The DOJ investigation, led by FBI investigators in Manhattan, focused on Toyota’s disclosure of unintended acceleration concerns in its vehicles in the years before the recall.

According to the Journal, federal prosecutors found evidence that Toyota made misleading statements about safety problems that were revealed by its own internal audits, and that the company made misleading statements to the government and to the public about those safety issues.

In addition to the millions Toyota has already paid out in customer lawsuits, it has paid a total of $66.2 million to NHTSA for four recent claims that the carmaker failed to report safety defects to the government.

Toyota says it is trying to put this stain on its record behind it.

“Toyota has cooperated with the U.S. attorney’s office in this matter for more than four years,” a rep for the carmaker tells the Journal. “During that time, we have made fundamental changes to become a more responsive and customer-focused organization, and we are committed to continued improvements.”

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

After Being Denied McFlurry, Woman Sets Car On Fire In McDonald’s Parking Lot

While I personally think the McFlurry is nothing special (probably because I spent the better part of my adolescence making top-notch Blizzards at Dairy Queen), even the world’s most ardent fan of the McDonald’s dessert would probably agree that it isn’t anything worth setting someone else’s car on fire over.

But don’t tell that to the woman in Jacksonville, FL, who wasn’t too thrilled when her male dining companion refused to by her a McFlurry on Sunday night.

WFTV in Orlando reports that the woman grabbed the man’s keys, went to his car in the parking lot and splashed it with alcohol and gasoline before lighting it on fire. She then ran off through a nearby parking lot.

People on the scene reportedly attempted to help the man extinguish the fire. Of course, at least one of them took the time to shoot the above footage of the fire.

Firefighters arrived on the scene at some point and put the fire out. Most surprisingly, WFTV reports that the car’s owner was able to drive it away after it was no longer ablaze.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist