A Well-Deserved Time-Off

A little over a month ago, I went on a stress-free and pleasurable vacation in the Philippines. Days before my vacation, I called my auto insurance provider and asked if I can put my auto insurance coverage on hold, since I will be out of the country for a month and will not be using my car. Here’s what Kristy, Allstate’s representative, told me “it’s possible to put your insurance on hold but you have to keep your Comprehensive coverage (in case something happens to my car, other than collision, while I am away). You also have to inform your lien-holder of your plan and get them in agreement as well.” 

In short, it’s at my lien-holder's discretion if my idea is doable (that’s a savings of $50 if I can persuade my lien-holder to agree). 

Unfortunately, I got so thrilled by my upcoming vacation that I forgot to call my lien-holder (I guess I will never know the end result of that idea). Nevertheless, I do have some wonderfully taken photos to reminisce the blissful moments of my vacation. Check it out: 

SM Mall of Asia's GlobAmaze

The Manor Hotel at Camp John Hay

The Mansion House

A breathtaking view of Mines View Park

Burnham Park in Baguio

Ateneo de Manila University's Eliazo  Hall

 

a presentation of Traditional Korean clothing

outside view from Incheon International Airport

My little accident...

A couple of days ago, I had a minor accident. On my way to work on a Thursday morning, while driving 60 mph on I-10, a small rock flew straight into my windshield (it happened so fast I didn't even see where the rock came from) and left a tiny crack (worried and agitated I kept driving until I got to my destination). The moment I got to work I told my co-worker what had happened to me and she told me something that just made my day. :) 

If you live in Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, or South Carolina, you live in what's called a "Zero Deductible State." That means that your insurance company is required by law to allow you to purchase a windshield replacement using insurance with no deductible—as long as you have comprehensive insurance on your vehicle. If you live in one of these states, and have comprehensive insurance, it makes sense to use your insurance to pay for your auto glass replacement. Florida and Massachusetts only fully cover windshields, but Kentucky and South Carolina cover all glass replacement.

via Glass.net

With this new knowledge, I immediately called Lee & Cates Glass and told them what happened. Dale, Lee & Cates' representative, was very helpful and even called my insurance to set-up the claim. I even had the option to have my windshield replace if I am not pleased with the simple repair (hmmm, tempting) but since it’s just a tiny chip I was okay with the repair. 

Lucky for me I live in the state of Florida, I guess auto insurance do come in handy especially at times when you least expect it. Funny thing is, I got worried for nothing (I actually thought I'll have to pay for the repair since my deductible is $500). Thanks to my auto insurance, my little accident did not even cost me a penny, just a few minutes of my time.

The Conclusion of My Quest for an Auto Insurance

Yes, you’re right I did sign-up for Allstate. Finally, after two days of online searching and talking to my family about auto insurance, I have decided to get Allstate as my auto insurance for the next six months. I picked their Silver Protection package and just customized it a bit. I did avail of their Early Signing option (my insurance was not effective until a week after sign-up though), and it saves me $17.97 but I was not able to use my car for a week (I didn’t want to risk using my car without insurance).

my insurance premium and coverage

I paid my premium in full $307.93 (using my Discover credit card that has 0% interest rate until May 2011). If I pay in installments it will cost me $319.31 (a difference of $11.38) and an additional $1.00 installment fee for each payment (hey that’s $17.38 total! good as gas money...half a tank at least).

BP

Texaco

Compare that to what my brother-in-law pays for his auto insurance on his 2004 Acura. He also has the Silver Protection package but with more coverage and higher limits so it’s more expensive (twice as much as what I pay for mine).

my brother-in-law's insurance premium and coverage

In terms of discount, my brother-in-law did have more discount savings $167.49 (almost twice compare to mine $96.69 only) but I still think that I did a better job in customizing my auto insurance because six months later, I will have an extra $350 (difference between my brother-in-law's premium and mine).

my brother-in-law's discount savings (per Allstate)

my discount savings (per Allstate)

I just always have to be extra careful and alert when I am on the road (but I know that there's no way telling what's gonna happen in the future so I just leave it all in God's hands).

My New Car

I have recently bought a used car, a 2007 Honda Accord, about five months ago, July 31, 2010 to be exact (okay, I guess it’s not that recent...hahaha). The mileage on my new car is not bad considering it’s a 2007 car, it has only 21,000 miles plus it was still under the manufacturer’s warranty (the warranty was only good for 2 months though).

my new 2007 Honda Accord

This is actually the third used car I bought but this is the first time I had the title to the car be under my name only (the past two cars I bought was under me and my Dad’s name). I really wanted the title to my new car to be just like my past two cars, however, according to the dealer, this is not possible because the loan I took to pay for the car was only under my name (I had to get a loan this time in order to build my credit history since the past two cars I bought was fully paid in cash). At the time I didn’t realized the hassles it would bring me if the car title is only under my name. :( 

First, I had to get a new registration (tag) number and renew it every year before my birthday. I actually think I got cheated because I have paid twice for my tag, one in July when I bought the car and again in November before my birthday which is only three months apart (I personally think that what I have paid in July 2010 should have been good until November 2011 but that’s just my opinion. LOL).

Second and the major thing I had to do was shop for auto insurance — GEICO, State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, AAA, Liberty Mutual, MetLife, Nationwide. Yes, I have checked them all! Since the vehicle title was just under my name, I realized that I cannot insure my new car under my Dad’s auto insurance, which at the time was GEICO, so I had to search different insurance companies and get quotes online (and believe me it was tiresome).

While comparing insurance quotes online I thought to myself “Wow! I didn’t think that car insurance would be that expensive.” After some time of searching and comparing, I still couldn’t decide which insurance should I get so I called my sister and asked what her current insurance is and she told me that she has Allstate. Then I suddenly remember, one day while having lunch at work, one of my lunch buddies mentioned that her automobile insurance is Allstate and she had been an Allstate client for 15 years now and is happy with their service. Hmmm, should I sign-up with Allstate too?