1997 Oldsmobile Achieva Insurance Rates – 8 Tips for Best Quotes

Looking for lower insurance rates for your Oldsmobile Achieva? Did budget coverage turn out to be high-priced insurance? Trust us, there are lots of residents who feel the same. Numerous insurers battle for your hard-earned dollar, so it can be very hard to choose a provider to find the lowest rate possible.

The best way to compare car insurance rates utilizes the fact most of the bigger providers pay for the opportunity to quote your coverage. All consumers are required to do is provide information including whether your vehicle is owned or leased, if you went to college, what you do for a living, and an estimate of your credit level. Your details is automatically sent to multiple insurance coverage providers and they return rate quotes within a short period of time.

Is there deception in advertising?

Consumers can’t get away from all the ads that claim the lowest rates by companies like Geico, State Farm and Progressive. All the companies try to convey promises about how much you will save if you move your policy.

It sounds good, but how can they all make the same claim? Here is how they do it.

Most companies give the cheapest rates for the type of insured that will most likely be profitable. A good example of this type of driver might be a married male, is a homeowner, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile may get the lowest prices and will also save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential insureds who are not a match for this ideal profile will have to pay higher rates which usually ends up with the prospect going elsewhere. The trick is to say “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” can save as much as they claim. This is how companies can make it sound like they have such great rates.

Because of the profiling, you really should compare quotes as often as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.

Car insurance discounts help slash rates

Auto insurance companies do not list all their discounts very well, so we took the time to find some of the best known as well as the least known ways to save on car insurance.

  • Drive Less and Save – Low mileage vehicles could qualify for better premium rates on cars that stay parked.
  • Telematics Devices – Drivers that enable their company to spy on driving habits by using a telematics device such as In-Drive from State Farm or Allstate’s Drivewise system could possibly reduce rates if they are good drivers.
  • Driver Safety – Successfully completing a course teaching safe driver skills could save 5% or more depending on where you live.
  • Federal Employees – Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off on Achieva coverage with select insurance companies.
  • Early Payment Discounts – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying in monthly installments you could save 5% or more.
  • Student Discounts – Performing well in school can save 20 to 25%. Many companies even apply the discount to college students up to age 25.
  • Sign Early and Save – Select car insurance companies give a discount for switching companies early. It can save you around 10%.
  • Include Life Insurance and Save – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a discount if you purchase some life insurance too.

It’s important to note that most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Most only cut individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.

A list of companies and some of the discounts are detailed below.

  • State Farm may include discounts for anti-theft, Drive Safe & Save, safe vehicle, good driver, multiple autos, and driver’s education.
  • Esurance discounts include good driver, claim free, Pac-12 alumni, good student, anti-lock brakes, safety device, and Switch & Save.
  • Progressive has discounts for continuous coverage, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, online signing, good student, homeowner, and multi-policy.
  • Liberty Mutual may offer discounts for hybrid vehicle, newly retired, good student, multi-policy, teen driver discount, new graduate, and newly married.
  • Auto-Owners Insurance has savings for good student, anti-lock brakes, company car, safe driver, teen driver, and mature driver.
  • Geico offers discounts for five-year accident-free, federal employee, defensive driver, good student, seat belt use, emergency military deployment, and air bags.

When quoting, ask all the companies how you can save money. A few discounts might not be offered in your area. To see a list of insurance companies with significant discounts, click here.

Which is the best insurance?

When it comes to buying the best insurance coverage, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s needs are different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For instance, these questions might help in determining whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.

  • What is no-fault insurance?
  • Can my babysitter drive my car?
  • Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?
  • How many claims can I have before being cancelled?
  • Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
  • Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
  • Should I bundle my homeowners policy with my auto?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and may give you better protection.

Insurance coverage basics

Knowing the specifics of a insurance policy aids in choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. Below you’ll find typical coverages found on most insurance policies.

Medical costs insurance

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for bills for rehabilitation expenses, EMT expenses, dental work, nursing services and chiropractic care. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as a broken windshield, damage from a tornado or hurricane, damage from getting keyed and hail damage. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Collision coverage

Collision insurance pays for damage to your Achieva resulting from a collision with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision insurance covers claims like scraping a guard rail, sideswiping another vehicle, backing into a parked car and colliding with another moving vehicle. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

UM/UIM Coverage

This coverage protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your 1997 Oldsmobile Achieva.

Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea. Usually these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Auto liability

This will cover damage that occurs to a person or their property in an accident. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have values of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability insurance covers things such as medical services, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and bail bonds. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford.

Save your cold hard cash

Some insurance coverage companies may not offer rates over the internet and many times these small, regional companies work with independent insurance agencies. The cheapest 1997 Oldsmobile Achieva insurance can be sourced from both online companies and from local insurance agents, so compare prices from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from.

As you shop your coverage around, it’s not a good idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many situations where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage and learned later they didn’t have enough coverage. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.

Additional information is available at these links: