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Arizona Auto Insurance
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A Good Mesa Charity

I wanted to tell you about a Mesa charity that helps recovering substance abusers rebuild their lives.

It's Transitional Living Communities. The 501c3 charity began in 1992 and serves a population of 900 in two states. They provide housing, meals and a 12 step recovery program.

Their website can be found at Transitional Living.

They operate several businesses, which are manned by those who live in the community and are rebuilding their lives.

One such business, TLC Towing - a VALLEY-WIDE TOWING SERVICE offers vehicle towing virtually anywhere in the valley.

All profits from TLC Towing benefit Transitional Living Community.

So, if you ever need a tow, visit Mesa Towing Company and give them a call.

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Phoenix Towing Service

STOLEN VEHICLE LIST

Statistics are often years behind and this list is from 2005. According the National Insurance Crime Bureau, here are the most popular vehicles for thieves:

Honda Civic (1995)
Toyota Camry (1989)
Honda Accord (1991)
Dodge Caravan (1994)
Chevrolet C/K 1500 (1994)
Ford F-150 (1997)
Dodge Ram Pickup (2003)
Acura Integra (1990)
Toyota Pickup (1988)
Nissan Sentra (1991)


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Bodily Injury Coverage - SAY YES!

When buying car insurance most people tend to focus on the bottom line premium. It's ok because we all do that.

But do not be foolish to disregard something very important on your policy.

One item in particular - Bodily Injury (B.I.), can really do wonders for you in a bad situation.

Bodily Injury pays out to the other party for injuries you cause with your vehicle.

If you hit another vehicle and cause injury to the other party - or if you hit a pedestrian, child on a bike or motorcycle rider and cause injury, the bodily injury coverage is the item on your policy that will pay out to cover their injury claims.

What if you carry too little BI?

You will get sued - personally.

And the opposing attorney? He will legally go after your assets and future income.

So get the best insurance price you can. Just don't do it at the expense of carrying low bodily injury coverage.

Remember, your agent will give you the coverage you want and request. It's YOUR policy. You have a right to be under-insured if you choose. It's just not wise to do so.

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My Last Car Purchase

Writing about my experience of tagging along with my brother as he shopped for a Ford Mustang reminded me of my last car purchase.

I had sat through the painful car-buying experience too many times in the past. One experience, in particular, still sticks in my mind. I was younger and married only a few years. It was the middle of another hot Arizona summer and our vehicle's air conditioner had quit. The car was very old and we needed new transportation. My wife was deperate for a replacement vehicle.

We met a sales person and went HALFWAY through the process. Just when we thought we had agreed to agree to purchase the vehicle he brought in a closer. We found out later it is the standard process this dealership uses. The CLOSER did his job but we felt pushed through and into the purchase. Never have I stepped foot onto this dealership again and never will. It's a bad way to sell cars.

It's easy to say we could have backed out, waited and been more patient. I wish we had, in retrospect. But we were young and alot less wiser. And the thought of hopping into an air-conditionLESS vehicle was less than thrilling after spending several hours at the dealership already.

Now, years later, it was time once again to buy a new car. My new game plan?

I decided to communicate with car dealerships via the internet. And I did, with several over a few months. Finally I let one rep know that I agreed to his price - via email.

In the end, I purchased a brand new economy vehicle for a terrific price - maybe the best deal I ever made. I am sure the dealership still made decent money and I am ok with that. But I did my research, got competitive bids and agreed to a price after a lengthy process. Also, I did not suffer through the 2-4 hour car buying process of yesteryear and do the typical negotiation process. I walked in on a sunny afternoon day and in a fairly short period of time drove away in my new car.

What a change of experience.

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The Process of Buying a Car

I accompanied my oldest brother recently as he shopped for a Ford Mustang. Yeah, I know. With gas prices climbing he wants a sports car. But he works hard (always has), saves his money and lives close to work, so what the heck.

It was fun watching him leave the lot for a test drive in a 2006 Mustang.

It was the subsequent pitch by the sales person that was not so fun. It was actually quite painful. And this is considering the sales person was a pretty nice guy. It's just a job that not everyone could do well.

My brother opted out of making a decision that day and it was a good thing. The next morning's paper listed brand new Mustang's for less than the used ones he saw the day before.

Maybe the "used" vehicles were a better model, bigger engine, had more extra's. Doesn't matter. He could still buy a brand new model that had zero miles and a longer warranty for less money.

The moral? I guess it is good to take your time and be patient when making a big purchase of any kind.

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Arizona Auto Insurance

STOLEN LICENSE PLATES

It's been reported a greater number of crimes are occurring where someone pumps gas and drives off without paying. That's happened as long as there have been gas stations. But what is happening more frequently is gas clerks reporting the license tag only to find out it's a stolen tag.

If you have a license plate stolen, report it immediately to the Motor Vehicle Department.

If your vehicle tag is reported to police to have been involved as part of a crime, you will have some explaining to do.

The best solution is to report the stolen tag immediately and avoid the hassle later.

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Califonia Minimum Requirements

I read an article that stated California only requires $5,000 on property damage.

Property Damage pays to fix the "other" vehicle that you hit.

If true - is the California legislature crazy?

This is a ridiculous amount of coverage. I was rear-ended in early 2008 and the cost to fix was over $8000. And I don't even have a very expensive vehicle.

My transportation is a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, hardly the top end of SUV's.

What this means is - if someone from California hits you and causes damage to your vehicle they might only cover up to $5000 in damages. Now, as long as you have FULL coverage on your vehicle your insurance will ensure your vehicle is fixed (minus your deductible), and then they will pursue the other party.

But consider the aggravation.

You could be OUT your deductible. If you carry a $500 or $1000 deductible this could be a real inconvenience. Plus, if you only have liability on this particular vehicle you could simply be out a vehicle, minus the five grand the other insurer will pay out.

California always seems to be ahead of the curve in protecting citizens. Where are they on this issue?

The cost to increase Property Damage coverage from $5000 to $25,000 is very, very minimal, for the vast majority of policyholders. Yet, it provides the level of coverage needed, at a minimum.

One word of advice: if you ever shop around for insurance and the agent proposes "minimum" insurance coverage on your home or vehicle - RUN AWAY. This agent only sells insurance based on price.

While price is always important, protecting you, your loved ones, and your property is the first consideration!!

I've seen agents UNDER-quote home insurance before just to get the business. That's a real disservice to the consumer. If you have a house fire what is more important - having the right coverage or saving $50 a year because you insured your home for less than what was necessary?



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The State Farm claim

In a prior post I had detailed getting rear ended by a State Farm insured.

Their initial customer service was less than enjoyable, leaving me to wonder if the claim would ever get underway.

However, I did receive a phone call that they accepted full responsibility. My car went to a highly respected body shop for inspection (my choice). The damage, particularly underneath the vehicle, was tremendous. State Farm could not decide whether to fix or total the vehicle. It was a very close call.

After a couple weeks, they elected to fix it. Then the process of ordering parts, waiting and fixing began. Immediately, State Farm gave the clearance for a rental car through Enterprise - a Dodge Charger. A fun vehicle to drive but that gas mileage was not great.

My car was in the body shop for over 50 days. YES - over fifty days! That was not the fault of State Farm though, except for the initial time period as they debated to fix or not.

I went to a holistic Chiropractor and he helped my neck and back immensely. My daughter also received treatments. We paid out of pocket and State Farm reimbursed us. The claims adjuster, though hard to reach at times, did a fine job.

If you ever have a claim, understand those adjusters are juggling multiple claims simultaneously and probably not hard to reach on purpose. It's a job that takes the right person to do well.

We are back on track, the Jeep is fixed and running fine, and everyone is getting their health back.

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