Looking For Discounts

By Author: Norris Rios
Total Articles: 568
Comment this article

One of the basic rules of negotiation is never accept the first offered price as fixed. When the parties to a potential deal are evenly matched, there's always room for discussion on the terms. Now don't get your hopes up. As a consumer dealing with an insurance company, you're not evenly matched. Insurers are a tough bunch and they offer their terms on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. But, if you look carefully at exactly what's included in the offer, you can often find ways of bringing down the price. To understand this, we need to go back to the classroom and think about how insurance works. You are looking to join a group of drivers that shares the cost of loss when one has an accident. If this is a good group of drivers who rarely have accidents, the claims are small and the premium rates are highly affordable. Put another way, it's in everyone's interests if you're the safest person on four wheels this side of paradise. So everything is priced to encourage you to be a better driver.

Let's start with your choice of make and model. Some vehicles have poor design and are likely to roll over if you brake too sharply on ...
... a bend, or they are very expensive to repair even if only a small part is damaged. Insurers have access to every statistic on the planet and they know which makes and models are most often in accidents and what the average cost of loss is. So if you pick something with a bad track record, the premium rate is automatically higher. But if you pick something safe that few thieves ever drive away, you will be rewarded with lower rates. To make the price even lower, you should now look at the discounts for fitting additional safety features or anti-theft devices. You could be pleasantly surprised at the savings if you spend a few dollars on a recommended immobilizer. Then look at whether you are in an age range allowed a discount for going on an approved defensive driving course. Yes, your insurer really does pay you to learn how to be a better driver when you are inexperienced or growing older.

Then think about when and where you're going to do most of your driving. If you're out in the countryside with little or no traffic, your rates will automatically be lower than for those in a city with traffic at all times of the day and night. But note the discounts if you avoid driving at the peak times or late at night when many of the drivers may be under the influence of liquids or substances. In a way, all this is common sense. No one wants to have an accident and if you do everything in your power to prove yourself safe, your auto insurance quotes will come in lower. Sadly, this is never going to produce cheap auto insurance. That's a distant memory when economic times were better and people were more careful. Now the best you can hope for is finding affordable premium rates. So shop around, making as many searches on sites like this to work out which discounts apply to your situation. If in doubt, talk to a sales representative. It's surprising what you can find out when you talk with someone.