Auto Comp/Collision--$2,500 Deductible?

[ExFlyBoy5]

They asked year, make, and model and then about the rain-sensing. Trading it in soon anyway.

I never really understood the rain sensing thing. If you can't tell it's raining and turn on your OWN wipers, then perhaps you need to let someone else drive!

I had to have the windshield replaced in our '12 Highlander and I think it was in the neighborhood of $250. It was quite a bit cheaper than I thought it would be.

 

[mpeirce]

I never really understood the rain sensing thing. If you can't tell it's raining and turn on your OWN wipers, then perhaps you need to let someone else drive!

It's just nice. Certainly not necessary but I like that I don't have to get out my keys to unlock and start my cars and I never turn on/off my lights and never mess with wipers.

 

[athena53]

I never really understood the rain sensing thing. If you can't tell it's raining and turn on your OWN wipers, then perhaps you need to let someone else drive!

I had to have the windshield replaced in our '12 Highlander and I think it was in the neighborhood of $250. It was quite a bit cheaper than I thought it would be.

I agree; all these fancy things just mean more can go wrong and replacements are expensive. I love the keyless entry on our older Nissan but replacing that darn fob is a lot more complicated and expensive than having someone at Home Depot copy your key.

We have a crack in our windshield and, according to the Autolite site, replacement will be under $300. I'm going to take them up on it.

 

[scrabbler1]

What's more perplexing to me is that I pay more for liability coverage with two cars on the policy instead of one. I guess they figure we'll drive more with 2 cars than with one car? It's not a lot ($480/yr with 2 cars vs $410/yr with 1 car).

You are paying $240 per year per car for the two cars versus $410 per year per car for a single car. That's actually a bigger multi-car discount (41%) than I usually see (around 20%). Two cars at the same address cost less than 2 single cars at separate addresses because of the frequent occurrence of having everyone in one car driving around while the other one is safely at home.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I never really understood the rain sensing thing. If you can't tell it's raining and turn on your OWN wipers, then perhaps you need to let someone else drive!

I had to have the windshield replaced in our '12 Highlander and I think it was in the neighborhood of $250. It was quite a bit cheaper than I thought it would be.

Yeah, and those wimps who enjoy using power steering and power brakes and automatic transmissions! Take their licenses away!

Rain-sensing windshield came with the car, like the auto on/off headlights--both of which auto options I usually override anyway, but I'm not going to get rid of them.

 

[TromboneAl]

Deductible / Six-month Cost:

$1000 $410
$1500 $372
$2500 $332

I split the difference and went with the $1500.

 

[Walt34]

Rain-sensing windshield came with the car, like the auto on/off headlights--both of which auto options I usually override anyway, but I'm not going to get rid of them.

Oh, I leave 'em turned on to make for a longer period of time between when I "lose it" and before anyone notices. And driving around in the dark w/o headlights on is one giveaway that can thus be avoided.

 

[rodi]

$500 for new car. But no comprehension on an old car. It's not worth to go higher than $1000 on a new car.

My car is generally old and dumb... no comprehension. Perhaps I should get one of those little smart cars.

....Oh, you meant comprehensive coverage. LOL.

 

[FUEGO]

You are paying $240 per year per car for the two cars versus $410 per year per car for a single car. That's actually a bigger multi-car discount (41%) than I usually see (around 20%). Two cars at the same address cost less than 2 single cars at separate addresses because of the frequent occurrence of having everyone in one car driving around while the other one is safely at home.

Yeah, I figured that was the case. They assume we have and routinely use 2 cars at the same time. In the past 1.5 years we have never driven both cars at the same time, which is my it seems strange based on my own driving habits. We are weird.

Though I understand that most 2 driver insured households with two cars would tend to drive more than those same households owning only 1 car.

 

[gauss]

Unless I have proprietary information that I am higher risk than the Insurance company assumes, I tend to apply my "Warren Buffet" method.

If Geico is willing to sell me a policy at rate 'X', then WB is usually making money on the deal. Therefore, if I can sustain the loss, I would be good to emulate WB's strategy in how I approach it (ie not pay to shift the risk to someone else and if it were to be legal, consider accepting money to have the risk shifted to me).

I say this as one who is FIRE and would limit any risk that I would assume to anything that would not change my FIRE status (ie the cost of a vehicle).

Another lens that I view insurance through is that it is basically prepaying legal fees.

-gauss

Disclaimer: I do hold a small position in Berkshire-Hathaway