Lady72nRob71

Okay, since I now have 4 cars of varying vintage, it is possible any of them can break at any time, any where, and I will need towing.
Ideally i would want the car towed back home, and being 100-200 miles away is very realistic. Also, Murphy's law states, that if it breaks, it will be far away...

So this year, before my big driving season begins, i want to get a good RA program that will cover any car I drive for towing at least 100 miles.

Haggerty offers a decent program that includes all 4 cars with up to 125 miles of paid flatbed towing for 89 a year. I would hope that they would understand the need for CAREFUL towing personel.
Not too much else was mentioned... Now their stupid website locked up.

AAA I am not to crazy about due to their love of junk mailing you to death. My popup blocker went crazy when I went to their site - not a good thing...
However, for 125 a year, they will cover any car I drive for up to 200 miles on the first tow, and 100 on the remaining. Also they will allow 1 day rental car and 1500 for trip interuption.
It sounds like a good deal, but IS it?

Anyone have good or bad experiences with these?

What other good RA programs are out there?

J-(Chicago)

I just add it onto my car insurance policy. It's something like
$4 per month.

Jamesbo

Rob,

My bride [who is known for locking her keys in her car and running out of gas] has AAA. I was kinda shocked when she locked her keys in a friends car [Actually she put her cat in my friends BMW while it was running and the cat locked him self in] in the mountains. She called AAA on a Sunday and they had her in the car and on the way home in 30 mins.

I understand that the poilcy goes with the person not the car so it covered her.

car_designer

Jamesbo is right, AAA covers you not the cars. So even if you are a passenger in a friends car, you could use AAA.

My family has CAA (Canadian part of AAA), and have used it for different things. The service is good. Even coming to unlock the Delta when I locked the keys in it at a car show.

501Paratrooper

I used to work for AAA in both emergency road service and insurance.
I know the travel and other junk mail stuff is bothersome, but it's a good deal.T
The lockout service is great they will also do minor ignition work for plus members up to 100.00.
Plus member get 100 miles of free towing after that it usually 2.50 per mile.
If you get stuck in sand/mud/snow they'll pull you out within a reasonable distance from the road.

There is usually 4 service calls per year per member and Jamesbo is right the membership follows the person not the car.
So if your married sign the Mrs. up too and you can get 8.

Trip interruption is good it covers some expenses incurred when traveling a certain distance from your home.
Most AAA Clubs will deliver a battery if needed or plug a tire.

Theres plenty more, maps, discounts on all kinds of stuff. (NAPA 10% for example).

Disclaimer...AAA benefits differ slightly depending on region.

1966_F85

We have the AAA RA and love it. It has saved us a few times and like what everyone else has said about it, it covers you not the car, so it doesn't matter what car you are in when the breakdown/lock out/flat occurs.

cutlassgal

We have AAA also. Haven't had to use it thankfully - just for motel discounts when traveling, and such. I like the "trip tic" things they have, like to map out your trips and booklets about where you're going. They come in handy! I think it's only $50 some a year for the 2 of us. We also have roadside assistance with our car insurance, and I have Hagerty for the Cutlass.

vette442

I've had AAA Plus for a decade and it's a lifesaver. With all my vintage cars and the fact that I drive them a lot, I typically have an average of two rollback adventures a year. Some have been as far as 120 miles from home while driving home new acquisitions. Everything is "as advertised". Great service.
Terry

joe_padavano

My roadside assistance program is my crewcab dually, a 10,000 lb flatbed trailer, a very large comealong, and a cell phone. Unfortunately, having this equipment makes it waaay too easy to drag home new projects...

hippy72

From what I understand on the car rental you have to rent the car for 2 days and you have to return it were you rented it.

dingusboy

AAA all the way. Always ends up paying for itself in discounts. Also, I covered both my kids when they started driving because it covers the person and not the car. If my daughter and her friends are out and their vehicle pooches out, she can always call AAA no matter whose vehicle they are in.

Destructor

My fuel pump broke right off the block on my 70 Cutlass about 5 years ago, while walking towards an off ramp a lovely lady picked me up and let me use her cell phone. I called my father who had AAA and he drove to my car and had AAA tow it to his house where I fixed it. You can request a flat bed which I did. The drivers, they sent two, were very careful about where they placed the cables etc. I now have AAA, a cell phone and a lovely lady, though not the one who picked me up.

Aceshigh

I have it on my GEICO insurance policy for all 3 daily driver cars.

Costs next to nothing.
http://www.geico.com/getaquote/auto/...-road-service/

Downside is not everyone will accept EVERY insurance carriers policy to bill them directly.
When they don't accept it, you just pay , and submit for reimbursement.

stevengerard

I have AAA, discounts, pulled my Marauder out of a snow bank, towed my 442 a mile on a flat bed, towed my Marader 80 miles.

bil

I have AAA,the California version.Really great so far! A friend had a problem with them last weekend,very minor,their battery replacement service ends at 9PM in some places,but they got her going anyway.I like the part about it covering me in whatever I am in,last year a friend was taking me to LAX,and his car broke down.Another friend gave me a ride to catch my flight,I called them the next day from New Hampshire,explained it,the car was still along the roadside,they came and towed it! You can't beat that! They also towed my truck when I got it stuck in a field getting firewood.The driver said that off-road towing wasn't covered,but with my chain he could reach me from the road,so he did. I can also add my kids to the policy for cheap. ---bil

toro68

AAA from the Maine/Portland office SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had two of my '68s Toronado damaged by one of their contactors.
To top it off, the AAA customer service rep, was tring to talk me out of making a claim!

442much

Join the CAA. It's $74 CAD (currently about $75 USD) and it is good for Canada/USA. It's $111 for 160 kms (100 miles) towing and the website doesn't have pop-ups. But I suppose they'd probably want a Canadian address.

http://www.caa.ca/index_caa.cfm

Olds64

My wife and I pay a bit extra for towing on both our cars. We use USAA. I had the Oldsmobile towed from my home to an exhaust shop after I installed the new engine (about 12 miles). I also had the VW towed once as well (I think that was about 65 miles). They have treated us right, I have no complaints.

Lady72nRob71

Well so far, AAA is looking pretty good. If I am in Maine, I will have a rental car, so the Maine AAA wrecking crew will not be needed!
I guess all the new paper junk mail they will induce will be good for heating the house in winter.......
Let's keep the comments coming!

442much

When I bought my Vette, I drove it to Montreal (2300 miles) to see how it would run. Since 255 R60 x 15 wouldn't fit in the wheel holder I bought a CAA membership (fits in the wallet and good for 100 miles of towing), bought a cell phone and drove through the US (more population means more towns/cities within 100 miles). Never had an issue. CAA or AAA is a good choice I think. Deals on motels, movie tickets and other things are a benefit too.

RAMBOW

I've had AAA for about 7 years, and have used it many times with my classics.

Except for one occurance of an ******* contractor(flat bed operator) who tried to strong arm me into paying extra during a 2am tow- AAA handled it beautifully the next day when i called to complain.

I've used the other AAA services besides towing quite a few times as well, and each time they have been great.

I've used their lockout service a few times for little old ladies int he grocery store parking lot (you just have to hang around to sign off on the page) and I've used the towing for my friend's vehicles too (again you just have to be present to sign) its really nice to know you are covered no matter what you are riding in, even if its not your car.

Highly recommend.

kbgood

We have American Family for our vehicles which includes towing that costs about. We had to have our 66 Dynamic towed the day we bought it as it died 25 miles form home and had to be flat bedded but since we had called our agent to ask if we were insured driving it home it was covered and we received a check the next day. Our agent suggests to save money that we call them just before a trip to get the car rental insurance which costs about $5-$15 then we do not have to carry it all the time. Our policy covers rental if we are in a accident but we add it if are going to rent a car on a trip.