Lower Your 2002 Saturn S-Series Car Insurance Cost

Searching for cheaper car insurance rates for your Saturn S-Series? Nobody that owns a car is fond of buying car insurance, especially knowing they could find better prices if they shop around.

Big-name insurance companies like Allstate, Progressive and Geico continually bombard you with ad campaigns and it can be hard to see through the cute green geckos and mayhem and take the time to shop coverage around.

If you have car insurance now, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. Finding affordable coverage is easy if you know what you’re doing. Although consumers should learn the way companies sell insurance online because it can help you find the best coverage.

Smart buyers can lower their insurance prices

Part of the insurance coverage buying process is learning some of the things that come into play when calculating the price you pay for insurance coverage. If you know what determines base rates, this enables informed choices that can earn you lower insurance coverage prices. Many factors are used in the calculation when quoting car insurance. Most are fairly basic like an MVR report, but other criteria are more obscure like your vehicle usage or your vehicle rating.

The factors shown below are just a few of the factors used by insurance companies to determine your rate level.

  • Minor frequent claims are not good – Insurance companies generally give lower rates to people who are not frequent claim filers. If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee much higher rates or policy non-renewal. Your car insurance is intended for the large, substantial claims.
  • Do thieves like your car? – Owning a car with an alarm system can help lower your premiums. Anti-theft features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar help track and prevent your car from being stolen.
  • Vehicles with better crash test results means better rates – Cars with high safety ratings cost less to insure. Safe vehicles help reduce the chance of injuries in an accident and fewer serious injuries means less claims paid and lower rates for you.
  • Raise comp and collision deductibles and save – Physical damage insurance, also called ‘full coverage’, protects your Saturn from damage. Some examples of covered claims would be a dented fender, damage from fire, or theft. Comprehensive and collision coverage deductibles are how much you are required to spend out-of-pocket if a covered claim is submitted. The more of the claim you have to pay, the lower your rates will be on S-Series insurance.
  • Avoid tickets and save – Your driving citation history has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Only having one moving violation may cause rates to rise by as much as thirty percent. Attentive drivers get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers unfortunate enough to have license-revoking citations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to prevent their license from being revoked.
  • lapses raise insurance coverage rates – Having a lapse in insurance coverage will be a guaranteed way to increase your insurance coverage rates. And not only will your rates increase, the inability to provide proof of insurance might get you fines and jail time. Then you may be required to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with your state department of motor vehicles.
  • Avoid unnecessary add-on coverages – There are quite a few additional coverages that you can buy on your insurance coverage policy. Add-on coverages like vanishing deductibles, towing, and Farm Bureau memberships may be costing you every month. They may seem like a good idea when you first buy your policy, but your needs may have changed so consider taking them off your policy.

Car insurance policy discounts

Some providers don’t necessarily list all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the list below details both the well known and the more hidden discounts that you can inquire about if you buy insurance online. If you don’t get every credit you deserve, you may be paying too high a price.

  • Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military can result in better car insurance rates.
  • Discount for Life Insurance – Larger companies have a small discount if you purchase auto and life insurance together.
  • Air Bag Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may get savings up to 30%.
  • Paperless Signup – A few larger online companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy on the internet.
  • Discounts for Seat Belt Usage – Forcing all vehicle occupants to buckle up before driving can save up to 15% on medical payment and PIP coverage.
  • Multi-car Discount – Buying a policy with primary and secondary vehicles with the same company can get a discount on all vehicles.
  • Policy Bundle Discount – If you can bundle your auto and homeowners insurance and insure them both with the same insurance company you could save as much as 10 to 15 percent.
  • Payment Discounts – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.

Keep in mind that some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy. But all discounts will definitely reduce your premiums.

Companies and some of the discounts are included below.

  • State Farm discounts include good student, driver’s education, multiple policy, student away at school, good driver, and defensive driving training.
  • Liberty Mutual may have discounts that include exclusive group savings, newly retired, multi-car, teen driver discount, new move discount, hybrid vehicle, and newly married.
  • American Family has savings for mySafetyValet, early bird, air bags, good student, bundled insurance, and defensive driver.
  • Progressive may offer discounts for good student, multi-policy, homeowner, online quote discount, and continuous coverage.
  • Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for bundle discounts, youthful driver, electronic funds transfer, business and professional, pay in full, and teen driver.
  • Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts including air bags, mature driver, multi-policy, safe vehicle, group or association, multiple vehicles, and student away at school.
  • SAFECO offers discounts for anti-lock brakes, accident prevention training, anti-theft, teen safe driver, homeowner, safe driver, and teen safety rewards.

When getting free insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to each insurance company which discounts you qualify for. Some credits may not be available in your area. To see providers who offer online car insurance quotes, follow this link.

Insurance coverage myths debunked

Insurance coverage companies such as Geico, State Farm and Progressive constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. All the companies make the point that drivers can save some big amount if you get a free insurance quote and switch your insurance coverage coverage to their company. How does every company save you money? It’s all in how they say it.

Insurance coverage companies quote their cheapest rates for the right customer that earns them the most money. A good example of a profitable insured may be between the ages of 40 and 55, insures multiple vehicles, and drives less than 5,000 miles a year. Anyone that meets those criteria will probably get the lowest prices and will probably cut their rates if they switch.

Drivers who don’t qualify for the requirements will probably be forced to pay a higher rate which results in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say “drivers that switch” not “everyone who quotes” save that much when switching. That’s the way companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.

This really emphasizes why you need to compare as many free insurance quotes as you can. It is just not possible to predict the company that will have the lowest rates for your situation.

How do I know if I need professional advice?

When it comes to buying adequate coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is unique so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions could help you determine if your insurance needs would benefit from professional advice.

  • Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
  • Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
  • Does insurance cover damages from a DUI accident?
  • How high should deductibles be on a 2002 Saturn S-Series?
  • What is PIP insurance?
  • If I drive on a suspended license am I covered?
  • Does my liability insurance cover pulling a trailer or camper?
  • I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
  • Is rental equipment covered for theft or damage?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

Parts of your auto insurance policy

Learning about specific coverages of a auto insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are typical coverage types available from auto insurance companies.

Liability coverage

Liability insurance will cover injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people. It protects you from legal claims by others, and does not provide coverage for damage to your own property or vehicle.

Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see limits of 50/100/50 which stand for a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $50,000. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which combines the three limits into one amount without having the split limit caps.

Liability can pay for claims such as court costs, loss of income, attorney fees and structural damage. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

This coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your 2002 Saturn S-Series.

Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family. Usually your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Comprehensive protection

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like hitting a bird, damage from a tornado or hurricane, hitting a deer and theft. The maximum amount your auto insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Medical expense coverage

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for immediate expenses such as rehabilitation expenses, funeral costs, X-ray expenses and chiropractic care. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Collision protection

This coverage pays for damage to your S-Series caused by collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision insurance covers things such as damaging your car on a curb, hitting a parking meter and colliding with a tree. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.

Feed the piggy bank

When searching for inexpensive insurance quotes, don’t be tempted to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped collision coverage only to find out they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The aim is to buy enough coverage at the best cost.

Budget-friendly auto insurance can be bought online and from local agencies, so get free insurance quotes from both of them in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some auto insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these smaller providers provide coverage only through independent agencies.

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