Dieterich: (217) 925-5331Buying car insurance isn’t something someone does every day and it can be very confusing for anyone who is looking to buy insurance or if you just want to know what other options there are.
· Buy locally! First and foremost check with your local agents. Your local agents can get you just as good of prices as any internet based company. More importantly they will give you better advice as to what you’re buying instead of just selling insurance. Also when you do have a problem they will be there to help you.
· Ask what you’re buying! Every policy has different coverage for different things. Find out what’s actually covered in the policy. Always look at the best case and the worst case scenario. Many times you can get a lot of extra coverage for only a few more dollars a month. The bigger question is what kind of risk are you willing to take?
· Extra’s! What I mean by this is glass coverage, emergency road service, rental car insurance, etc. Based on my experience the majority of people don’t know what their policy even covers. Most of the extras are only a few extra dollars a month. The big question is can you afford a new windshield, a tow or a rental car or would you rather pay a few extra dollars a month to be covered for these things?
· Research the insurance company! This is the time to get online and do some research. See what kind of ratings and reviews they have. Look for the majority of reviews. Every company will have negative reviews but more importantly look to see if there is more positive than negative.
· Review your policy every year! This is probably one of the most important things you can do. If your agent doesn’t call you once a year for this, you should call him. Many times situations change or prices change. If nothing else it’s a good idea as a reminder as to what is covered in your policy. (I actually had one case where a guy had a truck that was less than a year old and the truck had never been added to his policy.)
