Auto Insurance recommendation

[Cricket]

Mine is up for renewal with Southern Owners at a much higher premium. Haven't had an accident or violation in 5 years and still they are jacking up the rate. So I am doing some shopping. Only interested in the full year policy. Got an offer from Liberty Mutual and Amica. Curious as to which insurers are most popular here in Jacksonville. How do you feel about your insurer, would you recommend them?

[Bativac]

I'm with USAA (wife's dad was in the Navy so we're eligible). If you're eligible, I'd recommend them highly. Customer service is stellar, rates are low, no need to visit some agent's office to conduct business, etc.

[ChriswUfGator]

USAA is top notch, but for us non-military folk I have found the best rates with Progressive.

Customer service ranges from stellar to abysmal, with no in-between. I find the "hang up and call back till you get someone who knows WTF they're doing" to be useful with them. That or escalate the call. They're usually alright though.

[blizz01]

When I joined COSTCO, they offered deep enough discounts through Ameriprise that it offset the membership.

[Cricket]

Actually, USAA is rated at the top by J D Power based on consumer feedback.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings/auto-insurance-provider-ratings/

Hope that is useful to anyone who is also shopping. Being non-military I would have to look at their 2nd best which is Amica. I shy away from 6-month policies though for the obvious reason that they can up the rate after half a year. And the fact that Progressive and Geico hog the air waves with dumb commercials makes me think they depend on slick advertising rather than service to sell their product.

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.

[Bativac]

One more thing: Geico is cheap but I don't know how they handle claims. I had nothing but bad experiences with Allstate when my wife was with them and got hit a couple times, so I'd avoid them too. And State Farm is way too expensive and kind of old-fashioned (I mean -- I guess I see the benefits of going to somebody's office to buy insurance, but who has time for that?).

[duvaldude08]

Well Progressive has done me well. Been with them two years now and my rate for a farily new car (2007) and I am 29 yrs old btw,and my rate is only $146.00 a month, and that will drop once I have a ticket fall off in 2011. The I would probaly be paying around $120.00. Havent had to use their claim service yet, but I know it is OUSTANDING. I have had serveral friends that has had a check for damages cut right there on the spot. So if you have a clean driving records, Progressive is top of the line.

FYI-my rates went up once in the past two years, but it only was an extra ten dollars a month. So it was nothing to have a stroke over.

[Springfielder]

I've had Geico for many, many years and have never had a problem with them. Plus many of my family members and friends have it, and whenever they've needed to file a claim, they sailed right through it, got their rentals and their vehicles repaired.

[Cricket]

I have no doubt that Geico and Progressive have low rates. My problem is they will NOT insure for a full year. The longer a consumer can lock up a contract the better.

[Cricket]

Well Progressive has done me well. Been with them two years now and my rate for a farily new car (2007) and I am 29 yrs old btw,and my rate is only $146.00 a month, and that will drop once I have a ticket fall off in 2011. The I would probaly be paying around $120.00.

Check your numbers again. That sounds kinda high.

[ChriswUfGator]

Well Progressive has done me well. Been with them two years now and my rate for a farily new car (2007) and I am 29 yrs old btw,and my rate is only $146.00 a month, and that will drop once I have a ticket fall off in 2011. The I would probaly be paying around $120.00.

Check your numbers again. That sounds kinda high.

Speaking as someone the same age, that's not bad at all. They really penalize you for being male under 30.

[Cricket]

Well Progressive has done me well. Been with them two years now and my rate for a farily new car (2007) and I am 29 yrs old btw,and my rate is only $146.00 a month, and that will drop once I have a ticket fall off in 2011. The I would probaly be paying around $120.00.

Check your numbers again. That sounds kinda high.

Speaking as someone the same age, that's not bad at all. They really penalize you for being male under 30.

Chris, you may have a point there. I am looking at a 2007 Camry for a 48-year-old at $57.82 a month full coverage. I guess they do whack you at 30. In that case, I will retract my prevous comments.

[Dog Walker]

I shudder to think about the rates Chris has to pay for his twelve cylinder, 150 mph rocket.  LOL!  And he thinks it's because he's under thirty!

[ChriswUfGator]

Well that too. When I had the thing tuned they supposedly removed the 155 limiter but I haven't exactly tried it to test it out. There's a theoretical top speed calculator on dragtimes.com and that online calculator is as close to that as I'll ever get on our crappy roads. And my driving record isn't exactly stellar, although my last ticket is about to drop off after the next renewal cycle so we'll see what that does to the rates. Traffic citations have turned into such a big business. Laser interceptor plus a Bel STi certainly solved that problem. I have to question the statistical link between minor traffic infractions and higher rates allegedly adjusted to account for accident risk.

I've never had an at-fault accident (been smashed into by uninsured idiots in JAX a few times though...my car was parked). I have had my share of speeding tickets ranging from 5-20 over the limit on interstate highways, and the insurance rates went nuts. Meanwhile, if I look through my friend network the worst drivers (by which I mean most likely to get into an accident) I know are the ones who follow every single traffic rule but are just awful drivers.

I swear, following every law sometimes makes things more dangerous. Like the people who insist on going under the speed limit in the left lane of 95, creating pockets of traffic behind them, or the ones who hesitate at entrance ramps so badly that they wind up causing a pileup. The safest drivers I personally know are the ones who routinely go a few over the limit so that their car is moving with the general traffic flow, or who dodge unsafe situations on the road even if that means crossing more than 1 lane at a time or some other minor infraction.

It's kind of contrarian, but these are just my personal observations. I think the insurance companies look for excuses.

[Dog Walker]

Chris, just make sure you have Z rated tires on your rocket before you try out the top end!

The only time I go over the speed limit is to keep up with the flow of traffic, but I'm an old, retired guy with no time pressures.

As a frequent pedestrian (one of the joys of living in Riverside) my most annoying driver's behavior are the people turning right on red or on stop signs who shoot to the corner and roll through the  "stop" without checking for pedestrians about to cross on their green.  I have to jump back more than once to keep from getting hit.

It did make for a funny incident once though.  My Florida Brown Dog loves to ride in the car.  We were crossing Park street one day when a woman pulled across the crosswalk as we were crossing, blocking our way.  My dog thought she was stopping so he could get in so jumped up and pushed his head through her open window.  Her scream could be heard a block away.  Most satisfactory!