AAA, AARP or other for roadside assistance

Here's my bottom line, if you drive cars like our POS fleet (piece of ...) that are vintages 1976, 1984, 1996, & 1997, then AAA makes a tremendous amount of sense for the money. If you drive late model cars that are unlikely to break down, or you don't travel out of town much, then it might not be cost effective.

For us, and the "fleet", it makes a huge difference to know that we can get a tow back to the house (we live out in the country) for free, where DH can do the repairs needed.
 
Sarah in SC said:
Here's my bottom line, if you drive cars like our POS fleet (piece of ...) that are vintages 1976, 1984, 1996, & 1997, then AAA makes a tremendous amount of sense for the money. If you drive late model cars that are unlikely to break down, or you don't travel out of town much, then it might not be cost effective.

For us, and the "fleet", it makes a huge difference to know that we can get a tow back to the house (we live out in the country) for free, where DH can do the repairs needed.
Click to expand...

Appreciate all of the comments. My car isn't exactly a "POS" :), but is approaching 100,000 miles. I can see the peace of mind a little extra insurance might offer.

I'm a little surprized no one mentions having this through AARP. Their rates are half of what AAA offeres and looks to be basically the same.
 
Put me down on the plus side for AAA also. I don't consider it insurance just a safety net. The fact that it covers anything we drive or ride in is a big plus. We started with them when my son went off to school 200+ miles away, bought it for him and us at the same time. Figured with the plus service there was only a few miles that he wasn't within 100 miles of home or school to be towed. I also like driving my vintage cars, again just a safety net, not every garage can repair a 50+ year old car.

We have only had to use them a few times and my son has used them a few times, always with reasonable response time. One trip in Maine we broke down on a Sunday, the tow truck driver said nothing was open that could do repairs till Monday. I asked if he could tow us somewhere close to an open auto parts store, motel and restaurant. He knew just the spot. After an hour or so of trying to fix the problem myself we walked a block to a motel, then another block to eat. Next morning I started calling dealers till I found one willing to get us right in. Called the tow service back and he arrived shortly after we walked back to the car. He towed us to the next town to a dealer and the dealer pushed us right in. Turns out I had diagnosed the problem correctly and I could have probably fixed it in another 20 minutes but had decided I was on the wrong path. We were on our way in another hour. Total cost to us for two tows, supper, motel and repair, zero. If we would have had to stay over another day they would have given us a car to use or come home in. Could I have done all this on my own, sure, but I didn't need to. The tow truck driver initially offered to tow us to a closed dealer, then drop us at a motel as another option.

We also make heavy use of their travel books and maps when we take trips and their online mapping software is the best, not as easy as Google maps but better for long trips. We always pickup a new set of maps for the areas we travel in all the time just to have the latest in the car.

Jeb
 
Jeb, I forgot to mention the online Trip-Tik--I really like it, too. Very handy for those turn by turn directions when you are driving the land yacht and can't back up too easily!
 
We have AAA. Have called it approximately 10 times over the years. They have always responded in a reasonable amount of time.
 
ERD50 said:
Google to the rescue. Try this, it really works well:

dial 800-GOOG-411 on your cell phone (add it to your contacts so you have when you need it). A voice prompt will ask for the name of the town and state you are in, or zip code. Yes, it will understand you. The voice recognition is fantastic.

Then say 'tow truck' (or any other search term, pizza, etc) and it will start listing off tow truck service in the area. Choose one and it dials the number for you.

hhttp://www.google.com/goog411/ttp://www.google.com/goog411/

Those Google people are geniuses.

-ERD50
Click to expand...

Good tip. I tried it for the heck of it and sure enough, it worked. Added to my cell. :)
 
Dawg52 said:
Good tip. I tried it for the heck of it and sure enough, it worked. Added to my cell. :)
Click to expand...

Yea, I tried it, too. Really funny sound effects - guy pretending he is a computer.
 
I paid for AAA Plus coverage for at least 5 years without ever using the service. Then one day had a flat tire and called - they said assistance would be dispatched immediately. I turned down several kind offers for assistance expecting the truck to arrive. Finally after an hour I called back - they still said assistance was on the way. I continued to wait and then took the assistance a kind gentleman and was on my way in 15 minutes - I cancelled my membership that day! Thankfully, it was during the day as I had my young daughter and her best friend in the car with me. I now have roadside assistance on my USAA policy.
 
I get free towing with my 21st century auto insurance. Once when I was in the middle of nowhere two tow trucks showed up in about a half hour. When I was in the middle of a big city it took 5 hours to get service.

The tow truck driver told me the way it works is that when I call dispatch, the dispatch service send out faxes or emails to all the tow truck companies in the area offering them the opportunity to take the call and specifying how much they would be compensated. Whichever towing company gets to the customer first gets the payment. That's why two different towing companies showed up for me.

This system seems non-optimal, because towing companies know that if they are beat by another towing company they won't get any compensation. Also there doesn't seem to be anyone who checks up to see if all the towing companies decided not to go out. It seems the only way dispatch learns of that situation is when the customer calls back several hours later saying nobody showed up.

I would guess that AAA works similarly.
 
Been years, but an uncle use to run a garage that was affiliated with AAA and he said he was required to respond if he got a call or he would loose his affiliation. Since it was not a 24 hour station he often had to get out of bed in the middle of the night to respond. Not sure what the rules are now.

Jeb
 
roger r said:
I'm a little surprized no one mentions having this through AARP. Their rates are half of what AAA offeres and looks to be basically the same.
Click to expand...

I have the AARP and have used it 4 times. 3 times were fine, no problems, but once on a Sunday night at 11PM they said they could not get anyone until the morning. They also said AAA would do the same thing. I rate them as OK for the price.
 
Just got this: AARP 24 hr. towing for $37 first year goes up to $42 thereafter. Seems to have same benefits as AAA EXCEPT no free maps, mapping or travel guide books; which I use and love, personally.
The other EXCEPT is that AARP lets you put on a second household member on the card for FREE, which is ideal if you live in the same State as your other household member (better if the same city or house, I assume).
I just paid AAA, so I know the yearly fee is $50. AARP is cheaper then.
For me, tho, the free mapping and other services are really worth the extra $8 once you get rolling; but thought I would pass this along, anyway.

AARP will: flat tire change; lockout service; gas delivery but you pay for the gas; jump start dead battery; tow for 5 miles.
 
We have AAA and have been pleased with the service. DH has a 72 Corvette and believes in driving it. It broke down at night in the middle of nowhere and he told them he had to have a flatbed tow truck. They sent the flatbed tow truck. Last week DS-in-law locked his keys in car and they responded very quickly. We had our passport pictures taken there, get traveler's checks and the Trip-tiks. I have used the AAA discount before at motels. I guess they are peace of mind for me also.
 
No, that was 5 miles (FIVE). I typed that information with it right in front of me and rechecked. 5 big ones.
Between the two evils, I am staying with AAA. A single, older woman with rudimentary knowledge of car fixing really needs something, and, even tho there are some complaints from others, what else it out there?
 
After all of the good info, I'm just about to sign up for the AARP plan. Thanks. If the 5 mile towing is a show stopper, they have an more comprehensive policy that is similar to AAA's, but still much cheaper (think it's $70). My State Farm has a towing clause that is about 10 bucks a year, but think I'll still go for the AARP road side assistance for $37 to cover anything else and have some peace of mind while travelling.
 
I've been with AAA in Illinois 4 years now. I just paid last month $50 for the year. FYI.
 
Just did a check of USAA's roadside assistance cost for me since I will need to get it when I come off of the 4 years Automakers Roadside Assistance later this year. Cost to add it to my policy will be $6.72 per 6 month period (about $1.12 per month). MUCH lower than AAA and AARP AND they would be liable for any damages incurred while being towed, on or off loaded, seems cheap and simple to me.
 
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If you are looking for a program to save you money on towing, then 5 miles is a pretty short distance unless you spend most all your time in a city. OTOH, if you are mostly willing to pay for tows but just want a service that will respond to your call, then the low limit may work in your favor. A tow operator with a 5 mile limit will charge extra for any extra distance, so it can be more worthwhile to respond to those calls first. YMMV.
 
AAA is worth the money. It pays for itself, besides like men, women don't like to change tires. I travel a lot of long scenic trips across country and it gives me peace of mine to know that I can call a dispatcher and they have the number of a tow truck in Nowhere, USA and hopefully, they won't rip me off.

We are always using the travel tiks (though now we have GPS so that will change), but we will still get the maps (GPS is not infallible). Also the travel books have valuable information. Though the AARP rate is generally as cheap as the AAA rate at hotels. There are some museums that only take the AAA.
 
Re: USAA
Has anyone had any problems at all with USAA? I have one of their credit cards, and am thinking of checking into them for insurance needs next time, and then will check into the roadside assistance. Any problems at all?
 
Has anyone had any problems at all with USAA?
Click to expand...

I used USAA Roadside Assist a few years ago for a tow of about 15 miles or so. Took about an hour for the towing truck to arrive. They hauled me and my car to the nearest dealer (about 15 miles) all for no cost. DW picked me up at the dealer about 30 minutes later. I picked up the car the next day. This is about what I expected for $2 each six months in premium.
 
FYI, the Good Sam club is having a 1/2 price Memorial Day sale for its towing service in case you car breaks down - $50 a year. That's the price for cars. Adding your RV is also 1/2 price for this sale. And they will tow your car however miles it takes to get you to a service center. No mileage limit. My previous AAA membership had a 5 mile limit. West of the Mississippi River, 5 miles is not enough.
 
I am a AAA member and have been for maybe 10 years. I think I was a member in my earlier years too for a while, but interrupted it at some point. Now, soon-to-be-60, I don't mind paying the yearly fee. I get it back in hotel discounts most years, I'm sure.

Oh, and I don't think I've ever had to call AAA. I just view it as another insurance policy for "just in case".
 
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