Lower Your 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport Car Insurance Rates

Want the cheapest auto insurance rates for your Pontiac Trans Sport? Are you irritated from robbing Peter to pay Paul to pay high auto insurance rates every month? Your situation is no different than many other drivers.

People have multiple insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and even though it’s nice to have a choice, too many choices makes it more difficult to locate the cheapest rates.

How to compare car insurance quotes

There are a lot of ways to shop for car insurance, but one way is more efficient than others. You can spend countless hours driving to agents in your area, or you can stay home and use online quoting to get pricing more quickly.

Many insurance companies participate in an industry program that allows shoppers to submit their information once, and each participating company provides a quote determined by their information. This prevents consumers from doing repetitive form submissions to every company.

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The one downside to using this type of system is buyers cannot specifically choose which providers you want pricing from. If you wish to select specific providers to compare rates, we have a listing of companies who write car insurance in your area. View list of insurance companies.

The approach you take is up to you, just be sure to compare apples-to-apples quote data for every company. If you have different limits and deductibles on each one you will not be able to truly determine the lowest rate. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages could skew the results. And when comparison shopping, making a lot of price comparisons increases your odds of finding a lower rate. Some insurance companies are not set up to provide price estimates online, so you also need to get quotes from them as well.

Are you earning every discount?

Some providers don’t always publicize every discount they offer in an easy-to-find place, so the list below details both the well known and also the lesser-known discounts that you can inquire about if you buy car insurance online. If you are not receiving all the discounts you qualify for, you could be getting lower rates.

• Anti-lock Brake System – Vehicles that have steering control and anti-lock brakes are much safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Claim-Free Discount – Drivers who stay claim-free can save substantially as compared to accident-prone drivers.
• Seat Belt Usage – Requiring all passengers to fasten their seat belts could cut 10% or more on medical payment and PIP coverage.
• E-sign – A handful of insurance coverage companies may give you up to $50 just for signing your application on the web.
• Telematics Discount – Drivers who elect to allow their insurance coverage company to spy on driving patterns by using a telematic data system such as Snapshot from Progressive or Drivewise from Allstate could see a rate decrease if they exhibit good driving behavior.
• Early Switch Discount – Some companies give discounts for renewing your policy before your current expiration date. This discount can save up to 10%.

One thing to note about discounts is that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think adding up those discounts means a free policy, nobody gets a free ride. Any amount of discount will positively reduce the cost of coverage.

A few of the larger companies and their offered discounts are outlined below.

• State Farm has savings for Steer Clear safe driver discount, anti-theft, safe vehicle, good student, driver’s education, and multiple autos.
• Farmers Insurance has discounts for youthful driver, mature driver, bundle discounts, switch companies, and alternative fuel.
• Geico may offer discounts for seat belt use, anti-theft, membership and employees, good student, driver training, military active duty, and daytime running lights.
• American Family discounts include good driver, early bird, good student, accident-free, TimeAway discount, bundled insurance, and mySafetyValet.
• Nationwide policyholders can earn discounts including Farm Bureau membership, business or organization, easy pay, defensive driving, and good student.
• Progressive offers premium reductions for online signing, multi-vehicle, good student, continuous coverage, multi-policy, online quote discount, and homeowner.

If you need lower rates, check with every company the best way to save money. A few discounts might not apply in your area. To see a list of insurance coverage companies that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts, click this link.

When in doubt talk to an agent

When buying coverage, there really is not a best way to insure your cars. Every situation is different so your insurance needs to address that. For instance, these questions could help you determine whether your personal situation might need an agent’s assistance.

• If I drive on a suspended license am I covered?
• Should I file a claim if it’s only slightly more than my deductible?
• Is my ex-spouse still covered by my policy?
• Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
• Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
• Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
• Is a fancy paint job covered?
• Am I better off with higher deductibles on my 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport?

If you can’t answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area.

Auto insurance coverages explained

Understanding the coverages of your policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Listed below are the normal coverages available from auto insurance companies.

Liability – This protects you from damage that occurs to other people or property that is your fault. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Another option is one limit called combined single limit (CSL) that pays claims from the same limit without having the split limit caps.

Liability coverage protects against things such as attorney fees, funeral expenses, medical expenses, emergency aid and pain and suffering. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision – Comprehensive insurance covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like theft, damage from flooding, damage from a tornado or hurricane, falling objects and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

UM/UIM Coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Usually your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Collision – Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision insurance covers claims like hitting a parking meter, crashing into a ditch, sideswiping another vehicle, sustaining damage from a pot hole and backing into a parked car. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Medical costs insurance – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for short-term medical expenses such as rehabilitation expenses, surgery, hospital visits and funeral costs. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers you and your occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available and may carry a deductible