I am looking for good insurance on a new car.?

I am 21 years old and getting my first new car. Where do you suggest I look for car insurance? I don't have the best driving record. I had an accident in Nov 2002 and a speeding ticket in July 2003. I want to get a lot of coverage, but I don't want to be paying anything outrageous. How much should I be expecting to pay for car insurance?

Public Comments

1. At your age, with your record a new car, especially if the finance company is demanding full coverage to protect their investment in you, lots. The way to make sure you are getting the best deal you can would be to see an independent agent, not tied to one company, give him your information and let him search his data base to find the best coverage for you. But don't be surprised if it's high.
2. Insurance is expensive for your age. However it is also based on your vehicle, location, and driving history. Insurance companies are very competitive and will fight for your business, so the best thing to do would be to get an online insurance quote at http://www.auto-insurance-knowledge.com/24-hour-insurance-quote-auto.html This will compare all companies in your area and show you which ones will offer you the lowest rates. Hope that helps!
3. Good is a relative term. The first thing you have to do is to determine your budget for the entire purchase. You need to check with several agency's to determine what types of cars have the lowest insurance rates and then compare that list with your list of desired vehicles. Once you have chosen a vehicle that you like and that has a low insurance factor you need to shop insurance companies just like you shopped for the vehicle. The best place to start is with the majors, State Farm, All State, Farmers and American Family. These companies are some of the best at customer service and claims handling because of their size. You will also get a personal agent and that means you will always (9-5) have an actual person available to call if you have a question or a problem. If you choose one of these companies make sure the agent has an office with several junior agents this makes getting a hold of someone much easier. The other benefit of going with one of these majors is that they will be able to help you with other types of insurance, health, life, personal articles and disability when you get to the point in life when you need those types of products. The majors also have very large legal departments and they can and will defend you vigorously should you ever have any legal issues involving your insurance coverage. State Farm also has a bank which offers very attractive finance rates for new and Prue-owned vehicles. In a nutshell the major insurance companies have a lot to offer. Of course there is a down side. They can be very selective about who they insure at great rates. Your driving record doesn't sound too bad and you shouldn't have a problem but know that if you have another accident they may penalize you for your record and you could be shopping for insurance again. That brings us to the on line insurance companies and brokers. The on line insurance companies are less selective. They are more likely to insure someone who has a poor driving record or credit score. Yes, I said credit score. The insurance companies are now using your credit score as one of the factors to determine what your insurance rates will be. They believe that a person with a better credit score makes better judgments and is less likely to make an insurance claim. The on line companies are very convenient when it comes to setting up your insurance coverage and getting quotes. Some of them will even give you quotes for their competitors. Of course all of this convenience will come at a cost. In most cases, not all, you may pay more for insurance at an on line company than you will pay at a major like State Farm. You will also ave to do all of your business on line and over the phone via an 800 number. Coverage after an accident may require a few extra steps as well although some of the companies have mobile claims adjustor's that make the claims process very smooth. The online companies can be a good way to go if your need more flexability and are not interested in having a long term relationship with your insurance agent. And that brings us to the brokers. The insurance brokers represent many different insurance companies. These are companies that do not have offices that you can walk into. They are large companies that sell all of their insurance through agents. When you work with an broker they attempt to find you coverage that fits your situation. They are also compensated by these companies so watch out for brokers who push certain companies more than others. The companies usually deal in riskier insurance types. People with a DUI, SR22 or multiple speeding tickets are more likely to use one of these companies. With all that said the most important thing you can do is gather as much information as possible before choosing a car or an insurance company. You record s not that bad and it should not be a major factor in your insurance rates. Buy a fair amount of coverage 200/500 (comp/collision) but not too much and expect to pay around $80 - $100 per month depending on where you live, what your credit is and what type of vehicle you choose.