Supple Cow

My parents just fixed up my old 1990 Honda CRX in California and I'm getting ready to ship it out here to DC soon. It was in an accident years ago and because of the low blue-book value it was salvaged. The parents are working on getting it back on the road, but I've been researching insurance and it's pretty pricey because of the salvaged title. I'm also paranoid it will be stolen because the bastards around here will steal anything, even if it's tied down. I worry every night that somebody is going to steal the pedals off of my bike that chained up outside.

I read about VIN etching noticed that Geico lists it as one of those factors that probably lowers the insurance rate, but then I've also thought about getting LoJack because I think it's a good, fool-proof idea. I'd only buy a VIN-etching kit because I don't think it makes that big a difference and I won't pay those ridiculous garage fees for this, but obviously I'd have to shell out for LoJack.

I found these two VIN etching kits and I'm not sure which to go with:

VinGuard

VinEtcher

Anyone have any experience with either of these? VinEtcher is a little cheaper and comes with free registration in NVIP, which is some database I've never heard of, but sounds useful. But then VinGuard is only marginally more expensive and comes with VinPrint, which alters the paint on the body of your car so that the police can shine a UV light on it to reveal the VIN imprint.

On the other hand, is this really necessary if I get LoJack? I mean, I would feel better just to go with one of these systems in addition to LoJack anyway, but is that completely pointless?

Re: LoJack, I can't seem to get pricing on it without talking directly with a dealer. I'll do that soon, but does anyone know the price range for installing the Vehicle Recovery System in a vehicle I already own (I don't know if I can afford the Early Warning System)? I saw something like $600 on carmax.com to put it on new vehicles. Is it more or less than that if you already own the vehicle?

Lastly, any other advice on measures I can take to lower my insurance premiums? The quote I got is a lot higher than I expected and I can only really attribute that to the fact that it's a salvaged vehicle. But it's my high school car and I love it and I don't really want to spend the money on somebody else's used car! Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

My parents believed car maintenance was not for girls, so I'm still trying to grow up a little when it comes to this and learn about how to maintain the damn thing before I bring it out here. All I know how to do is drive it and check the oil. Lord help me!

jorgelito

I was going to get Lo Jack too but it turns out it doesn't save you all that much on insurance.

The_Jazz

Supple, I'm not sure about LoJack, but I do know that VIN etching will generally save you 10-15%. Every car I've ever had LoJack in came with it, so I can't give you an installation price.

What I can tell you is to do a few things that you may or may not already be doing. First, if you're shopping online, you may want to call some independent agents. You can find a bunch here:

http://www.iiaba.net/na/default?Cont...&ActiveState=0

You can't deal directly with most insurance companies, so getting an agent involved should increase the number of quotes you're getting. You should also contact the "captive" agents, like State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, etc.

One thing that you can use to bring down your auto premium is to insure other things like your home/apartment. If you're renting, there's something called Renters Coverage, which is really good to have if you're living in a place with shared walls. You know you'll be responsible, but you don't know if the folks next door have ever cleaned the grease off their stove or not.

You can also play with deductibles.

I think that the most effective way to lower the price, though, is to play with the coverages. If this is a salvaged car, you probably don't want or need to insure the physical damage. There are two parts of physical damage, comprehensive and collission. Collision covers your car if you hit something (or someone), and comprehensive covers everything else (like theft, floods, trees falling, etc.). If you decide you need to insure the physical damage, maybe you should only cover the comp, since that's what you seem most concerned about.

One last thing - you should buy the highest liability limits you can afford.

Let me know if you need advice or interpretation of any terms or anything like that. I do commercial liability insurance for a living, so I'm fairly well versed in most of it. If there's something I don't know, I can find someone who does pretty easily.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

Supple Cow

Thanks for the insurance tips! I was thinking about renter's insurance and didn't know if I wanted to spring for it, but it sounds like I do. I may be back with more questions about that.

One other thing I should add is that I'm interested in LoJack and VIN etching because if my car gets lifted... I want to get it back. And I mean, I really really really want to get it back. I have sort of an emotional attachment to this car and they don't make them anymore. I realize it's already a little crazy that I've had it fixed up and am getting ready to ship it across the country and all, but that's just sort of illustrative of how I want to have it until it sputters it's last *sput* and fix it up as many times as necessary (at least until I'm a grown up and have a nice expensive car - then it can live in my garage for old times sake).

With that in mind, will springing for both VIN etching and LoJack be downright silly? Seems like it's reasonable enough to me, but then I don't really know a whole lot about LoJack yet except that it tends to get stolen cars recovered a lot more than not having it. The VIN etching, on the other hand, seems like a good deterrent and another way to recover the parts of my dear car, should she be taken apart and sold in an unfortunate incident. Am I over-thinking this? The better question is, am I over-thinking this for someone who really wants to keep this specific car?

The_Jazz

OK, this make things much easier. You want LoJack, not VIN etching. VIN etching is for getting the PARTS of your car back, not the whole thing. It's a way to defeat chopshops. LoJack is for recovering the entire car quickly.

Springing for both would indeed be downright silly unless this is a collectible car that's in bad shape. If it's an old Corvette or MG, that changes the playing field, but if it's 1980 Ford Escort....

I think the most likely theft scenario here is kids out joyriding or a neighborhood person that needs to go from point A to B and doesn't want to take the bus. Those are the cases that LoJack was designed for.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

Supple Cow

I guess I thought Honda CRX parts were kind of desirable, but I may just be thinking about the fact that it's a popular car to mod.

In that case, if I just get LoJack, will my insurance rate still go down at least a little bit? Jorgelito makes it sound like it doesn't help at all, but it must be at least equal to the break I'd get for VIN etching, right? I mean, it's a way more comprehensive system.

ubertuber

They'll go down - I just got a new car and had lojack installed. My dealership paid for it (package with the car), but I think it might have been several hundred bucks. Incidentally, you have to have it checked out and pay more money after a few years. So, while you'll save money on insurance, you won't save more than the system costs.

But it would probably help you get your car back in the unlikely event it was to get stolen.

__________________
Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam

The_Jazz

Insurance companies don't have to give you a discount for it, so ask them before you buy. However, I do agree that the LoJack should give you the same rate break as the etching.

With all of this in mind, I recommend buying the LoJack system and not insuring the Comprehensive portion of the Physical Damage coverage, since you seem most concerned about theft. That would mean that you wouldn't be covered if, say, a tree falls on your car. That's probably the issue with the salvaged title anyway, so it might help with you other issues as well.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

ubertuber

Also FYI, I just talked to my company about the renter's insurance thing too. It'll save me about $15 a month for my car insurance. So basically, all these things amount to tweaks. They're worth doing, but they won't significantly change the picture.

The_Jazz is right in in terms of making sure that you are buying the insurance that you actually want/need. That WILL make a big difference.

__________________
Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam

QuasiMondo

Hondas aren't stolen for joyrides, and should that CRX disappear, it's going to the chopshop.

I'd get both. Lojack will help recover it more quickly, the VIN etching will ensure the chopshop doesn't profit from your loss.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

Supple Cow

Okay, that's what I was thinking. I feel better knowing I didn't just make that up.

I just spoke to my parents about getting it over here, and they're just going to insure it for a month for me because of the way I'm going to transport it. At least I have a little more time to make sure I can actually afford the LoJack, and also to figure out my insurance situation.

The_Jazz

Old Hondas are. Hondas are the most stolen brand (if I remember correctly), but it's almost always the new ones, not the old ones.

I doubt a chopshop would waste their time on an old CRX when they could spend it on a new Mercedes or Lexus.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

Supple Cow

Well, in my old neighborhood (where the car is now), small game like that is THE game. My brother's had 2 Hondas stolen from in front of our house. I'm not sure what this area I live in now is like... it seems like it's just the luck of the draw. I could easily see some of the folks in neighboring areas having a little old Honda chop shop.

Plus, I like to think my old little CRX is looking pretty good these days!

filtherton

I don't know about getting it back, but i would be wary about trying to get your insurance company to repair it if you do get it back after being stolen. My '99 civic got stolen last winter, and when we got it back the insurance company just totaled it out. So that was lame.

QuasiMondo

Parts for 88-91, 92-95, and 96-00 Civics still carry some value to them. If it's a clean body, they'll take it to replace the beater parts on their car. If they even think you did something like swap an engine (thanks to companies like HASport, Hondas/Acuras are like legos when it comes to engine and transmission interchangeability), they'll take it. It won't even be a professional chop shop that'll do it, either. It's the shady kids down the street who have a garage, some tools, and nothing but time on their hands.

Any other car I would agree with you, but with the cult following Civics have, plus the previously mentioned lego-like interchangeability with other Civic/Integra parts, and the fact that these cars are ridiculously easy to get into still make them attractive targets for joyriders and chop shops alike. It's the only reason why I would never want a Honda.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

Supple Cow

And this is why I'm so interested in LoJack and VIN etching.

I remember all through high school, I had 3-5 friends constantly pestering me to sell them my car for more than bluebook. I always said no because I love the way she drives and no other car ever really compared for me. They all wanted to take it home and play legos with the insides; apparently, you can teach yourself that stuff pretty easily with the internet and everything. Now I feel like this old lady peering around looking for youngsters with grease monkey tendencies who want to swipe my sweet ride.

jorgelito

Wait, if you're in DC, do you even need a car? Also, I think it also depends on where you live too. The rates will go up and down accordingly. My insurance dropped by half when I move from LA to Orange County. I'm assuming you love in a good neighborhood? DuPont, Georgetown maybe? Your insurance will be a heck of a lot cheaper then and you won't need Lo Jack.

If you buy renter's insurance and car insurance at the same time, then you can get a break for both.

I was going to buy Lo Jack but it just wasn't worth the cost. No way I would have made it back.

Supple Cow

Yes, I need the car. Or, I guess I could continue to waste lots of extra time trying to take the metro to places that are a 10-min drive. Or, filling my backpack with as many groceries as I can (not many) and huffing it 3 miles on a busy street. Thing is, I'm not actually IN the District and I'm really not that near anything terribly convenient.

My neighborhood can be expensive because of the housing crunch, but I'm not sure it qualifies as good either. I'm in a huge apartment structure in a college town with some sketchy neighboring areas and some nicer ones. A friend of mine who just moved from this same complex into a way sketchier area (in the District) has his insurance go down $20 a month and we think it's because he lives in a house now, instead of an apartment complex. It was actually safer here because we have a parking garage and he has to park on the street now, but I guess that's how the insurance company sees it: if you're in a house, you don't have as many people around as a liability compared to a huge apartment complex.

Anyway, I don't think I'll get any breaks 'cause of where I live.

On one hand, yes I'm trying to save money. But this car is kinda special to me, and I will probably get LoJack as soon as I can afford it, even if it isn't right away (and even if I don't make it all back in insurance savings). Good thing I can afford the VIN etching right away.