Tag Archives: Leasing Company

Auto Gap Insurance – How to Get the Best Rate

  By John | February 12, 2010 - 12:56 pm | Auto Insurance
4 Comments

Auto gap insurance is a must-have if you’re leasing a car or if you’re “upside-down” in your car, meaning you owe more than it’s worth. Read on to learn what gap insurance is and how you can find a low-cost policy.

What is Gap Insurance?

Everyone knows that if you buy a new car, its value plummets as soon as you drive it off the lot. Suddenly, the car you financed for $25,000 may be worth only $20,000.

So imagine that this same car is totaled within the first year or two of owning it. “That’s OK,” you think. “I have collision coverage, which will pay me enough to pay off my car loan and get a new car.”

But then you find out the insurance company sets the value of your car at considerably less than what you still owe on the car. Now you are not only without a car, but you still have to finish paying off the finance company.

This is where gap insurance comes in to save you. A gap policy covers the difference between the value of your car and what you owe the finance company. Gap policies are often required when you lease a car and are a good idea for the first couple of years after you buy a new car.

Where Can I Get a Gap Policy?

You can probably purchase a gap policy through your auto dealership or leasing company. However, this is the most expensive option for what is usually a pretty inexpensive policy.

A better option is to check with your current insurance company to see if they can add gap insurance to your existing policy, or go to an insurance comparison website where you can get quotes from a number of different companies, compare them, then choose the cheapest rate (see link below).

Where Can I Get a Cheap Rate?

Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com or click on the following link to get auto gap insurance rate quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more tips and advice in their Articles section, and get answers to your questions from an insurance expert by using their online chat service.

ryan@thesatellitetvguide.com
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/auto-gap-insurance-how-to-get-the-best-rate-399781.html

What You Need to Know About Auto Insurance and Leasing

  By John | November 15, 2009 - 4:32 pm | Auto Insurance
3 Comments

In the excitement that comes with leasing a vehicle, you may not be considering how your current auto insurance requirements may change. However, an auto lease will often carry some important insurance requirements that are part of the lease agreement. You can avoid unpleasant surprises if you plan for the change in your auto insurance situation before you finalize your lease.

When you are driving a leased vehicle, it still belongs to the leasing company. They will want to make sure that their vehicle is covered for physical damage in case of an accident. In addition, they will also want to make sure they will be covered in case of any liability if you are found to be at fault in the accident. You will be required to carry comprehensive and collision coverage on the vehicle, which will cover it for physical damage, usually with no more than a $500 deductible. If you are carrying a higher deductible on your current policy, be prepared to possibly pay more on your auto insurance for the lower deductible.

Your liability limits will usually need to be $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident. This means your insurance company will pay up to the total amount per person injured if you are at fault, and a total amount for the whole accident, regardless of how many people are injured.

Auto insurance liability is an area where you many need to make an adjustment to your current policy. Many people only carry what their state requires for liability auto insurance. However, you should probably always have this higher liability coverage in place, whether you are leasing or not, as you want to sufficiently protect yourself from accidents and lawsuits. If your insurance policy doesn’t have enough to cover the damages, the money will, in many cases, come out of your pocket.

Getting an auto lease is a good time to start shopping around and comparing auto insurance quotes. The financing company may offer insurance, but you can usually get a better deal by looking elsewhere. Of course, you should get a new quote from your current insurance company, but because you will have a different vehicle, you will probably get the most savings by insurance comparison shopping. The Internet is a good place to start, and there are a variety of Insurance quote comparison sites that offer rates from many different insurance companies.

Your auto insurance needs change when you have to insure a leased vehicle. By considering this part of the leasing process, you will save money, time, and aggravation. If you start auto insurance shopping when you are in the leasing process, you will get a head start.

Amy Wells
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-auto-insurance-and-leasing-122960.html

Auto Financing, Leasing and Insurance

  By John | October 16, 2009 - 5:46 pm | Auto Insurance
9 Comments

Car Financing

Securing financing before you go to the lots allows you to have the bargaining power of pre-approved finance when searching for your vehicle. Remember that the longer you borrow the money, the more it will cost you. Try not to borrow too much and make sure you don’t borrow an unreasonable amount that you can’t pay back. Try to pay as much as you can up front – in cash or as a trade-in – and pay less interest. Several ways to get financing is via the internet (see resources), your local bank or credit union.

* How low is the interest rate?

* What are the annual fees?

* Can you make extra repayments without being penalized.

* Are you covered with the payments if you get sick or injured?

* Do you have a good credit rating?

Thoroughly investigate your loan and always make sure you look at the total cost of the loan as a higher interest rate can sometimes be better than a loan with a low rate but with a lot of hidden fees!

Leasing

Leasing enables you to lease a more expensive car than you could afford to purchase. The lessor (usually a bank or leasing company) buys the vehicle from the dealer or manufacturer and then leases it to you. You, in turn, pay the lessor for the right to drive the vehicle during the term of your lease. When you buy a car you pay for the entire price of the car. When you lease, you pay for the depreciation, acquisition fees, negative equity on a trade-in and after-market products (such as extended warranties) over the lease term.

A vehicle with a 20,000 price tag can be leased for three years with nothing down and a monthly payment of $385.00 or bought over the same period for $2,500 down and a monthly payment of $595. Sounds like a good deal but we got to remember the buyer owns the car and can claim the equity in it.

Car Insurance

There are several ways to get insurance: by phone, the internet or you can go to a insurance agent. Every policy is different and each insurer uses a different set of criteria in determining insurance premiums. Criteria for how much your premium will be is determined by where you live, age or sex and sometimes even your credit rating. Remember, the higher the risk, the higher the premium.

* Some other things they look at:

* Make, model and age of your car.

* Whether your car is driven for business or privately.

* The age of the drivers.

* Your driving record.

* Whether or not the car is financed.

* If there are any theft deterrents on the car.

* The number of miles that you drive per year.

Bodily Injury Liability:

Covers other people’s bodily injuries or death for which you are responsible. It also provides for a legal defense if another party in the accident files a lawsuit against you. Claims for bodily injury may be for such things as medical bills, loss of income or pain and suffering. Bodily injury liability covers injury to people, not your vehicle, not you or other people on your policy. Remember to review the terms and conditions contained in the policy. It is mandatory in most states.

Property Damage Liability:

Covers you if your car damages someone else’s property. Usually it is their car, but it could be a other property damaged in an accident such as a house or a fence. It also provides you with legal defense if another party files a lawsuit against you.

Comprehensive Coverage:

Covers your vehicle from incidents other than collision such as if it was stolen, fire, flood, or animals. A higher deductible can substantially lower the cost of insurance premiums but it means you pay more out of pocket if an incident happens. This is not required by most states, but if you have a loan or a lease they will require it.

Collision Coverage:

Covers damage to your car when your car hits, or is hit by, another vehicle or object other than a car. This coverage pays to fix your vehicle after you pay the deductible. This is not typically required by a state, but if you have a loan or a lease they will require it. .

Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage:

Covers when property damage is sustained by an driver with no insurance or is insured, but the limits of liability carried by the driver are not sufficient to cover the damages.

GAP Insurance:

This is insurance that pays the difference after you car has been totaled. For example your car is worth $3000.00 but you still owe $3500.00 to a lender. The Gap insurance pays for the difference.

Robert Gering
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/auto-financing-leasing-and-insurance-90846.html