Re: Teenage insurance?
 

I think you should drive the car you want if that is the agreement in your family. Research your rates, looking for things like GPA advantages, etc. Do comparisons, the car you want and the older car models -you'll probably see price variations.

When you get your car, enjoy it and drive smart. Congratulations on this upcoming milestone.
Jane

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

Two types of insurance, comprehensive and collision, insure your car against things not involving other drivers: if you wreck your own car, if your car is stolen, if you set it on fire while messing with a 1000 W amp in the trunk... then C&C insurance gives you the blue book value of the car when its totaled.

If you dont have "C&C" coverage and someone else damages your car, then they have to pay for the damages (covered by their liability insurance).

If you dont have C&C and you wreck your own car, or you leave your keys in it and it is stolen, or you screw up repair work and the engine catches fire... then you have to pay for your own mistakes.

I think this is the better path for new drivers, older (less expensive car) and no C&C - it puts the responsibility on your own shoulders, and for most people it means if you do something stupid and wreck your own car, you will be using public transportation for the next year or so. When you know that if you wreck your car nobody is going to buy you another one, you tend to be a little more carefull.

If you buy a car with a loan, then the bank will require you to have C&C insurance, so the loan will be paid if the car is destroyed.

If you work out the rates, the amount you pay for C&C on your car will usually pay for a brand new car every 10 or 12 years, which means if you saved that money or invested it, instead of giving it to your insurance company, then every 12 years or so you will have enough cash to buy a new car (if you do total one eventually).

Statistically only one in four people will have a serious car accident during their lifetime. If the other 75% have C&C coverage they are handing the insurance companies a ton of money.

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

No, really... Vespas are great, and they cost next to nothing to insure each year :D

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

Ken,

I missed the "don't have collision on you car" in the first post. In my head I made it "don't have a collision". Whoops. :o
That is about what I did with my first few cars. I had collision, which covered my liability if I hit someone, but not comprehensive, which would have covered damage I did to my own car. I did work out the rates, and 6 months of comprehensive premiums was greater than the cost of the car. :rolleyes:

Wetzel

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

Why not get a Segway? :D You can certainly take them into a lot more places (I've ridden mine through supermarkets and Home Depot) and people just love them. I've lost track of how many employees have told me "That's a great idea! We should get some of those!" at Home Depot.

Average people in these stores seem to love it too. (When the inevitible "How much does it cost?" question comes up, more and more people are thinking that $5,000 "isn't that bad of a price", expecially with gas being the price it is.)

I brought mine to my job (Department of Public Utilities) last week, and after letting almost everyone there ride it, my boss' boss was convinced to buy the Golf one when he retires in two months, the Electric Division employees wanted to buy several for their electric meter-reader employees, the Water and Sewer Division employees wanted to purchase one for zipping around the water treatment plants, and several employees who work within a few miles of the Water/Sewer/Electric Division offices were seriously considering buying one for commuting to and from work. Talk about viral growth! :yikes:

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

Maybe your insurance company calls the coverage by different names than mine. At Travelers:

Liability: Required by law. Covers any damage you do to other peoples property, and personal injury to yourself, occupants in your car, and anyone else in an accident you cause.

Comprehensive: Covers fire, theft, vanalism, broken windows... but not damage resulting from an accident that you cause.

Collision: Covers damage to your car in an accident that you caused.

Some companies wont give you comprehensive coverage unless you also have collision coverage. Over the years they have learned that people will wreck their own cars, then report them as stolen - so most require you to have both, unless maybe the car is off the road (a collectors item stored in a garage).

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

I pay $300.38 a month and drive a 2001 focus zx3.

I know mine is high, from two accidents and a speeding ticket.

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

Thanks for the help everybody.

I talked to a boss of mine whos owned 7 Audis over the past 8-9 years (long story) but he said the average insurance for a mid 90s A4 is $150-$250, right around where I expected.

I've worked on computers on/off since I was 14, washed dishes (20 hours a week) under the table coming up 9 months now and just got back from a job interview at Staples (I got it!) for another 15-20 hours a week. I'm the person that when you go out with your friends, goes to the matinee cinema (unless its snakes on a plane, tonight!) to save money. I've wanted a nice car since I was like 8 and now that I have the money, I want to buy something nice.

It'll also be paid off in full the day I buy it, but I'm still debating C&C coverage. I'll have to see how much extra it would cost me.

Vespas are a good idea, I'm actually planning on getting a sport bike if I move somewhere with a nicer climate for college. The problem is the New England winters, if you don't have 4 wheel drive (or quattro awd :D) don't expect to go anywhere.

I was also considering a cheaper car, like the VW Jetta or GTI. However the awd, leather seats, moonroof and overall luxury of Audi switched me over. They also aren't tooo expensive. A '98 A4 Quattro with a V6 2.8l (174hp) and about 100k miles on it can be had for around the $8,000 mark.


Thanks again for your help
-mike

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

Mike,

I got my license in the fall of 1999 and was very careful about driving. Winter of '99 was a whole different story, at the time I was driving a 1991 Dodge Spirit and I had a heck of a time in the winter from my lack of experience.
It's nice your going and buying a nice Audi, but even with AWD your not invincible in the snow (as much as Audi claims to be). So just be careful, and think about your choice of car at this point in time, maybe like previously posted, a beater to get used to driving for ~ a year or so and continue saving your money up for an even better car (or newer A4).

Just my $.02

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

Thanks, I am getting my license in November but am not totally sure when I'm getting the car. A part of me says "now!" but another is telling me to wait until February, when the snow gets lighter. I also think waiting will help me get a lower price, since it is now seen as another year older (2007 instead of 2006).

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

I want to add something that I forgot to mention and no one else did either.

If you increase your deductible it will lower your rates.

If you can afford it (if you ever need to make a claim) go for a $500 or $1000 deductible instead of $100 or no deductible at all.

How's this work? If you have a $100 deductible and then you have $750 in damages then you pay the first $100 and then the insurance covers the rest, $650. If you can afford to pay more out of your pocket in case of incident, the less your carrier has to pay, the less you will pay for coverage.

Body style of the vehicle will also affect the rates. You pay less for 4 drs and wagons than you do for 2 drs.

Some insurance companys also ask about the registration type. Here in CT some companies charge more for a "Combination" registration/plates than a regular one. You don't have to worry about this with an Audi but here in CT it has to be taken into account with most pick-ups and some full size vans that CT won't allow to be registered without 'stepping' up the registration to "Combination" even though the vehicle will NEVER be used for work purposes.

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

Maybe, maybe not. Some places have embraced gender equity in law, and insurance companies cannot charge different rates for males and females. I also suspect that the accident rates between teen girls and guys has converged.

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

why do you think that now, after people have been driving for approximately 100 years, that teenage boys no longer like to hot-rod and show off once they get behind the wheel?

or is there some other reason behind your suspicions?

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

LOL! I think the shrinking difference between teen girl and guy rates may be because the girls have finally realized how cool it is to "hot-rod and show off once they get behind the wheel." :cool:
I was basing this on the disparity between my son's initial rates for driving one of the family cars, vs my daughter's rate two years later. His rate was about 30% higher.

Re: Teenage insurance?
 

My sister just got her insurance yesterday. I think she might be a guy because she now pays more than I do with the same plan. She drives a '97 Hyundai Elantra. 4 door whatnot. $750 every 6 months. Mine's only about $500 every 6 months. I would check my bill but I just threw it out.