Collector car insurers

[Normspeed]

I couldn't find the past thread on this. My P24 and teardrop are currently insured along with all my other more modern vehicles through Metlife. I'm getting ready to travel and I want a more specific agreed value policy especially on the Plymouth. I'm looking for coverage without mileage restrictions or use restrictions.

Any pros or cons on the companies that offer it? Looks like Hagerty would run me around $220 annually and Grundy around $170.

Have I missed any major insurers for our cars? Suggestions? Metlife is nice to deal with but their seeming lack of knowledge about what a 1953 Plymouth is leaves me feeling out on a limb if something should happen.

[austinsailor]

I have Hagerty on 3 cars. Although they don't require me to report mileage, they have told me it is only to go for maintainance and car shows, no traveling. I once asked if I could drive mu '40 dodge to work once a month or so to show it off. They said once a year, maybe.

Also, I learned that if you connect a trailer to your car, you have no insurance. It's not in the policy, it's in the application. If you have an accident and had a trailer on the car, you have no insurance. Actually, if they found you ever had a trailer behind your car, it would be void from the time you took it out.

[Dennis Hemingway]

I have J.C. Taylor Insurance on my cars. I do not have to report mileage.

When that EZ-UP landed on my roof a few years ago, I called them on a Thursday, they called the owner of the EZ-UP that same day and I had the insurance check on the next Friday.

Dennis:D

http://www.jctaylor.com/

[Furylee2]

I use Condon and Skelly out of NJ, have for years. I think they are owned by MetLife now, so you could keep it in the family.

http://www.condonskelly.com/

They used to ask you for your mileage yearly (limited to 2500/yr), but they stopped that a couple of years ago. I drove my 68 Fury III to the POC nationals in Calgary in 1990. I just requested to go over the mileage for that year, and since it was for a show, no problem. Lee

[greg g]

I don't believe Grundy has a mileage limitation. I do believe they have a clause about your having to have a regular car also. With all the street rodders pulling trailers, I can't see what the problem with trailers is, although they can make the rules as they see fit. You might want to check to see if they write Street Rod insurance with fewer restrictiona the Antique or collector cars.

Here in NY I believe for regular purposes, trailers are covered when attached to the car. If and when you have an accidet, anything that come off or out of the trailer is not covered.

[Norm's Coupe]

Norm,

I have JC Taylor Insurance too. There is no mileage limitation on it. As pointed out though, you must have another modern car that you supposedly drive daily. I think you'll find that clause in any of the antique/classic car policies. Also if you have modified the engine, they will put you in a different class along with the street rodders. Those have higher premiums.

I'm not sure about pulling a trailer. Was never concerned about it since I don't have one anyway. But.........I don't remember seeing anything in my policy about it.

The policy says you may drive the car for shows and pleasure. In my view, "Pleasure" would define a trip someplace. So would pulling a teardrop if I did have one.

However, since like everyone else who has answered this thread, I'm not an expert on the subject, nor the agent should you need to file a claim. So........I would suggest calling them on the phone and discussing your situation. Then you will get the right answers, not what we think are right or wrong.

The reason I say call is because a web site doesn't cover all questions an individual has. And, of course the information on a web site is left to one's own interpretation, which may be incorrect. Most have a toll free number to call for information, etc. JC Taylor's toll free number is 800-345-8290.

[jimainnj]

I have Grundy on 79 ElCamino and 47 ply at $215 cars are registered as Historic in NJ Grundy has no millage they just don't allow you to use it like your every day car, shopping etc. NJ is the highest insurance state there is on Cars.

[Captain Neon]

I have American Collector's Insurance. They have a mileage clause, but when it is time to renew I just don't answer that question.

The thing that I like about ACI is that they allow me to insure my '89 Wagoneer and '92 LeBaron along w/ my P15. Most antique auto insurers require the vehicle to be at least 25 years old.

The thing I don't like: no more than one speeding ticket per year and no reckless driving convictions, i.e. anything else that would result in "points." I've not been convicted of a moving violation since 1993, but one ignorant super-cop can cause one a lot of trouble if one isn't willing or able to hire a lawyer and take the case to court. Any one familiar with Matt Roloff (TLC's Little People, Big World) and his DUI charge a year or so ago knows what I am talking about.

Any good cop (i.e. one that wants to make LE his career) knows better than to write frivolous or grey area tickets. As told to me by a retired cop, a police officer that is discredited in court (i.e. has a ticket overturned) has to look for a new job. Most of the time, a shrewd cop will do one a "favour" and write a speeding ticket for less than the actual speed, or write a seatbelt ticket. Cops prefer to stay out of court as much as the rest of us.

Any retired or current LE care to elaborate? I am not dissing the LE profession just the guys that give the rest a bad reputation.

[Norm's Coupe]

I have American Collector's Insurance. They have a mileage clause, but when it is time to renew I just don't answer that question.

The thing that I like about ACI is that they allow me to insure my '89 Wagoneer and '92 LeBaron along w/ my P15. Most antique auto insurers require the vehicle to be at least 25 years old.

The thing I don't like: no more than one speeding ticket per year and no reckless driving convictions, i.e. anything else that would result in "points." I've not been convicted of a moving violation since 1993, but one ignorant super-cop can cause one a lot of trouble if one isn't willing or able to hire a lawyer and take the case to court. Any one familiar with Matt Roloff (TLC's Little People, Big World) and his DUI charge a year or so ago knows what I am talking about.

Any good cop (i.e. one that wants to make LE his career) knows better than to write frivolous or grey area tickets. As told to me by a retired cop, a police officer that is discredited in court (i.e. has a ticket overturned) has to look for a new job. Most of the time, a shrewd cop will do one a "favour" and write a speeding ticket for less than the actual speed, or write a seatbelt ticket. Cops prefer to stay out of court as much as the rest of us.

Any retired or current LE care to elaborate? I am not dissing the LE profession just the guys that give the rest a bad reputation.

I try to be a good boy and not get speeding tickets or reckless driving tickets. Don't have to worry about DUI tickets because I don't drink, except for one glass of wine at dinner for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

That said, any cop that wants to give me a ticket for not wearing a seat belt can expect to have to show up in court. I will not pay that one unless I have my day in court. I consider that law against my civil rights.

[Captain Neon]

Norm,

Some of us are good boys and follow the law to the letter. The problems arise when police officers become a law unto themselves. I could go into details about what I have experienced in just my few months of living in rural Missouri. I could also tell you stories from growing up in rural Minnesota that make Boss Hogg and Roscoe P. Coltrane appear reasonable.

[Normspeed]

I posted the insurance question on this forum and one other. The responses on both were terrific. I was apparently wrong about Grundy not insuring trailers. Monday I'll be talking to them. For my use I think they will give me the most freedom as far as mileage and activities.

Thanks again for all the info.

[n1gzd_plymouth]

I have Grundy. Mostly because we have a local very helpful agent who happens to sell Grundy. However, that they insured me that I can drive my car anywhere, as far as I want, any time that I want, as often as I want, as long as I am not using it for "transportation". In otherwords, it cannot replace the reason why I own my regular car. In other words, I can drive the old cars as much as I want as long as the reason for driving it is recreational. Once in a while I drive an old car to work but ONLY if there is a reason why I had to because I was on the way to cruise night which was nearby after work (this is probably stretching it but I did disclose this to my agent).

Rebecca

[Don Coatney]

The other side of the driving limitations coin is the type of lisence plates you have on your car. The state of Tennessee and many other states issue an "antique" automobile lisence plate to any vehicle 25 years old. This plate has a very low one time fee. But use of this plate comes with restrictions. Car functions only, limited mileage, etc. The state of Tennessee also allows use of year of manufacture lisence plates using a double registration at a much higher annual fee. You must buy a current modern vehicle lisence plate and pay all the road use, county tax, and other drummed up fees every year. Then the state will give you a letter stating you have double registered the vehicle and allow you to use the YOM plates as long as you carry the current plate in the vehicle out of view. Using the YOM plate does not have the restrictions associated with the antique plate.

Of interest I am using YOM tags on my P-15. However I do not think the agency in charge of selling registrations checked my tag number to see if it was in use elseware. If they did so it was done in less than 30 seconds as that is about how much time it took for the clerk to walk in and ask her supervisor what to do before issuing my YOM letter. Now I wonder if a rookie cop runs my number will he find any connection to me in the state system?

Guess if they have and use google in there squad car they could find me:D

Geez, Why are they called a squad car, or a prowler, or fuzzmobile, or a ...........

[Norm's Coupe]

The other side of the driving limitations coin is the type of lisence plates you have on your car. The state of Tennessee and many other states issue an "antique" automobile lisence plate to any vehicle 25 years old. This plate has a very low one time fee.

Don,

I don't know what you call very low registration fee, but it ain't cheap to get a collector or antique plate here in Wisconsin. Regular plates are $75 per year. However, collector and antique plates will run ya $180 to get the car registered. The only thing that makes it cheap to get the antique or collector plate is the fact it never needs to be renewed each year. It's a lifetime registration as long as you own the car. So.........it's only cheap if you plan on keeping the car several years.

[Young Ed]

Mn plates aren't too bad. It costs $90 to transfer a car with collector plates. However if you don't already have them they were $35 to buy the last time I switched a car over. At that same time I switched my truck from a reg collector plate to a YOM plate. That was $10. I saved the $10 on my coupe by doing it at the same time as the switch to collector plates. They did however only issue them temporarily at first. A photo copy of each YOM plate was sent into the state and I had to wait for a letter stating that no one else had my plate and I was clear to use them. Also as far as I know in MN you can't run YOM plates without the restrictions that are on the collector plates. Of course the cops don't seem to care. When I crashed he made no mention of it.

[Captain Neon]

When I lived in Colorado, collector licence plates actually cost more than regular plates. Had more restrictions. They were the cost of (one year's regular registration + extra fees) * 5, and they had to be renewed again in 5 years. Guys in Denver used the collector car designation to limit emissions testing from annually to every 5 years. Those of us out of the AIR district had no benefits to getting collector tags.

Essentially, every state is different, and collector plates may not be a good deal.

[Don Coatney]

Don' date='

I don't know what you call very low registration fee, [/quote']

If my failing memory serves me incorrectly antique tags are a one time fee of something less than one hundred bucks here in Tennessee. It costs me about one hundred thirty bucks every year to use my YOM tags.

[Normspeed]

The YOM tag in NM was $20 extra the first time, I don't think there is an additional fee on renewals.

Don, are these the cops you are talking about?

[Don Coatney]

Looks like Barney and his brother Barney:D

[greg g]

States are funny how they collect car fees. In NY our regular registrations are for 2 years, and are based on vehicle weight. Commercial vehicles are based on weight they can carry. Historic are 17 bucks per year paind annually no aditional fee for YOM. Registration sticker says Historic. Insurance card must also say historic. M/C's trailers etc are paid annually also.

I have had America Collectors since 2000 nver have been questioned about mileage, sometime less than 2000, last year we ran about 3500 with trips to Va, and detroit.