im ready to insure my 68 olds 442 convertible i am at the tail end of a frame off restoration, this is my first classic car project and i would like to get input on classic car insurance i have talked to hagerty but after reading their reviews i was turned off can anyone tell me a good car insurance company that wont give you a headache incase of a claim i have heard of jc taylor and grundy i just don't know if they are good companies thank you for your input

 

We use Haggarty, been twenty years, very fair price and free towing.

 

Just be wary of any place trying to upsell you. Go in with your value in mind and stick to it. Make it a number you can sleep well at night with, but also one that you know you could justify.

 

I don't think you will get hurt by any of the major insurers. I had American Collectors and switched to Hagerty, as the premium was lower. I also actually had a claim with Hagerty and was very, very satisfied in how it was handled.

 

What was the turn off of Hagerty? I've used them for a while & have been pleased. You have to jeep it garaged & document that it's not a daily driver but I think that is the same for all the providers. I had a claim for a windshield and it went fine.

 

I use Grundy and have had a large claim, no problems.... Tedd

 

I've switched around a bit. I had Hagerty, they were decent, but the rates kept going up.

Switched to American Collectors, they were great, I had a small claim through them and it was easy. They had a rate increase too, and told me it wasn't because of my claim. They allow you to take it to work too.

Switched to Grundy. They were the cheapest, but the most restrictive. They don't want you to drive your car to work. Not sure if that applies if you're bringing it to a show, or if you take it to a garage on your way into work or not...

 

You should NEVER let the insurance lapse...EVER.


Hagerty has policies for cars in restoration.


Not worth taking a risk.

 

I have had my car all over the western US and Grundy has always OKed my trips even though I went well over my projected mileage, never a problem.I'm retired so work never came into the conversion but I do know like most others they don't want your car used as a daily driver....Tedd

 

I have had J C Taylor for at least 30 years... Happy with the rates, but I have never had to make a claim, which, I guess, you could say is a good thing... I insure six vehicles and one excellent point of insuring multiple vehicles with them is that there is no charge for the liability portion of the policy after the third vehicle...

 

There are many threads on this website and others pertaining to insurance. Read and then make an educated decision that meets your needs.

 

I've been with Hagerty for a number of years now (can't even remember when I started) and always been satisfied with the service and rates, etc. I had a fairly small claim 2 years ago and last year's premium never changed. I just got my renewal and it's $100 higher than last year. They gave me some BS reason about Connecticut rates increasing state-wide due to uninsured motorists...sounds like BS to me as my driver policy didn't change. A 25% increase is ridiculous. Has anybody else seen anything like this? I'm shopping around for quotes now.

 

Two words: AGREED VALUE

Never have your collector car insured any other way...EVER

I have used Hagerty and Grundy for years - both are excellent.

 

Insurance works by managing risk. Your state has a high number of folks who drive illegally. When you get into an accident with someone who has no insurance, your company has to pay. Connecticut is now facing the outcome of years of liberal government.

 

I have Hagerty (Michigan) and did not have a rate increase, just paid it last month.

 

The only way I was covered with American Collectors taking my car to work was when I was leaving for a car show that weekend, and work was on the way. I STILL did not like leaving it in the parking lot, and went and checked on it a couple times.

 

So I've gotten some quotes from J.C. Taylor and Grundy's. J.C. Taylor was slightly less than I'm currently paying with Hagerty (before the 25% increase) for the same coverage and Grundy's is less than that for quite a bit higher coverage. Grundy's has agreed value and no mileage restriction. So far, they are winning the quote battle.


I actually asked about driving the car to work and they said you CAN on occasion, but not as your primary driver of course. If you're going to a show after work or just taking the car on an occasional nice day, it's fine. They seemed to be very accommodating.


Does anybody have any good or bad experiences with Grundy's ? I'm close to switching from Hagerty but would like some feedback if at all possible.

 

Classic cars are stolen often. At shows even. I recommend doing all you can to make them safe. A hidden kill switch. One to the ignition and a fuel cut off both work nicely. A club on the steering wheel and they make one from the pedals to the steering wheel. The harder it is to take one the less likely it will be yours taken.

I use J.C. Taylor and have not had claims so can't rate the actual experience other than paying premiums.

 

I just renewed my ins with American Collectors, $281.40 for the year. $42,000 agreed value. This is for my 65 Covette. Seems like a good deal to me, is there better?
Cant wait to insure my Olds, that means i would be driving it soon!

 

As there has been some good things happening to mine lately, I'm thinking of upping it to what the salesperson originally told me to insure it for. It won't change the premium that much, less than $7 a month if I remember right.

 

Hey, I would NOT wait to insure your Olds just because you're not driving it. Accidents happen all the time, even parked in a garage. You never know if a natural disaster or fire will destroy your car and everything you've worked on. I have always kept my cars insured, even when I had the body off the frame and knew I wouldn't be driving her for years. The risk of losing it all is not worth the small premiums. Your homeowner's insurance will not cover your car.


I think your Vette premium is a pretty good deal.

 

Scroll down to the bottom of this thread and you'll see lots of information on this subject. All good input.

 

And as you read those, more will appear at the bottom.

 

When i renewed my Vette ins. today, I did ask about ins. for my Olds in its current state. She said something about being 75% finished restoration? Also asked me to send pics of my progress and my approximate investment so far, then they would decide if they can insure it now.

 

Steve, I bought my 442 for 4k in 06, see picture, and insured it with American Collectors for 5k. It's incremented automatically to 8k now, which is about right for its condition, maybe a little high. I think the trick is to call it a driver, not mid restoration.

 

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We have used State Farm for lots of years for cars, home owners, a couple of UTVs but had always used the specialty insurers for my project cars. On a hunch I called my SF rep. Surprise! They insured my car as a lower rate than the specialty companies. It was a high end 36 Chevy street rod. They did require an appraisal and do limit your mileage and no DD with the specialty car just like the specialty insurers. Whoda thought old plain vanilla State Farm insuring specialty cars and at a lower price?

The caveat is that SF or any other main line insurer might not insure your specialty car if you don't have your other insurance with them.
Jerry

 

This is the most important, what is the amount you will get if the car is totaled. The other coverages are similar between companies and it boils down to preference and cost.

 

Agreed! I've confirmed with Grundy that the value is Agreed Value, not book value, etc. I can set the values wherever I feel fit and then their underwriters have to review detailed pictures of the cars to see if they feel the values are appropriate. I'm submitting my paperwork today and will send them pictures in the next few days. I'm hoping this is a smooth transition and they approve the values.


I was a bit disappointed with the conversation I had with Hagerty. They made NO attempt to keep me as a customer. I've been with them for 14 years with them and only had one, small claim. I've been very happy with the service all this time but this huge rate increase was enough to make me change.

 

I'm very happy to say that I am now a Grundy customer. I sent them detailed photos of both of my cars, including the garage and they approved my policy the same day I submitted the pics. My new policy is for quite a bit higher agreed value on both 98's and I'm paying less now that I was with Hagerty BEFORE they raised my premium. So my new premium is now about $130 less than I would have been paying had I stuck with Hagerty.

 

Same here,,i live in Texas and my renewal quote is 35% higher...no claims,,nothing has changed,,just the rate increase.
When i called ,,they gave me the same sort of BS about rates up across the board in Texas because ,,and i quote " 80's cars have more risk "...

My car is a 25K mile, 83 Hurst/Olds,, all original survivor.....
So i searched and found this thread....My online quote from American collector and Grundy is way , way less...And i even upped the value 4k than what Haggerty was insuring me for....
So,,i'll be going with someone besides Haggerty

 

I just completed quote requests from Hagerty and Grundy...

$300,000/$60,000 limits similar to my DD insurance limits

Usage - 2 days per week

Hagerty - $421 per year

Grundy - $169 per year

For me, this is gonna be a simple choice when the time comes.

 

What is the agreed value? The limits you describe are liability.

 

Agreed value $22k

I listed the limitations to define the policy. I used the same agreed value for both quotes or the comparison would be moot.

 

Agreed value 20k on my H/O (was insuring for 16K)..Using all the same liability numbers 100/300/100 and uninsured motorist..30/60/25
Hagerty-467...that's what my renewal notice says (agreed value 16K )

American Classic--$329 20k agreed value

Grundy- $283 20k agreed value

jc Taylor-- $240 20k agreed value

The JC and Grundy #'s are less than what i pd Hagerty last year

These last 3 are just the "get a quote " online function...I'm sure they could go up a little still ,,but not in the range Hagerty is trying to get me for

 

A little insight about who you choose. A good dealer friend has multiple cars, all insured with the same company. He buys and sells almost monthly. He had just acquired a 70 Chevelle LS6. A potential customer wanted to drive the car before making a choice to buy. They were test driving the car (owner driving) and the customer wanted to drive. Stupidity on the owners part, but he got out to go around to get in the other side, customer slid over and hauled *** in the car. After the owner got back to his shop he called his agent, told him the story and what he paid for the car. The agent told him no problem, since he insures all of his cars with him, he was covered under the thirty day rule. Ever since this happened, there is only one company I will insure with, Grundy.

 

Actually this is the law with all car purchases. They are automatically covered under your current insurance policy at the same coverage as your other vehicles.

 

I have the Olds and my 50 GMC with American Collectors, both are agreed value policies. I have been very happy with their policy. My agent is a long time friend, he recommended them over the others due to the them being a bit more flexible with usage.
CJ

 

Just a note of possible interest. American Collectors sent a message the other day about Storm Hermine coming and reminded customers to consider the safety of their cars. They also said they would cover up to $250 in towing expense to move cars to a safer place.

Self preservation I realize but also indicates a company that is paying attention & cares some.

FWIW - Blue car costs $210/yr but I don't remember how much value. Red car is kid's everyday driver so it is insured under regular policy with the rest of the family cars.

 

That's exactly why I left Hagerty too!

 

This old car insurance is a bit complicated for me. We use State Farm for home owners, farm vehicles and my 'hot rods' --once they are running. SF beats the specialty companies at the same agreed price. A couple of hundred bucks a year at about a $35k value and less than 5k miles/yr. Our auto policy part of the coverage is the minimal allowed by Washington law but we have a million dollar umbrella policy with SF that covers all we own including vehicles. Maybe SF beats others because we do all of our insuring with them. The one caveat is that if I don't insure my hot rod with SF once its running I don't get the benefit of the million dollar umbrella coverage which kicks in once the base policy limits are exceeded. In my opinion even a higher limit liability like 100-300 is not enough if someone is seriously injured or incapacitated for life. That's why we have the milliion dollar umbrella. Its actually less expensive to carry minimum liability plus the umbrella than it is high limit liability policy alone.

However SF will not insure my non-running project cars as I'm building them. They insure my shop and all the tools and other contents but not the project stage vehicle sitting in the shop. I find that very odd but, hey, its their company. So to get coverage for a non-running non-licensed project I go to one of the specialty companys when the build is far enough along that it has some real value but is not streetable. Cost is very reasonable as long as its not licensed and on the street. Once licensed and streetable I drop the specialty company coverage.
Jerry