Lower Your 1997 BMW 3 Series Car Insurance Quotes

Having to pay for high-priced auto insurance can overdraw your savings, especially in this economy. Getting a rate comparison is recommended to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.

Since drivers have many companies to choose from, it can be impossible to locate the right auto insurance company.

How to buy auto insurance online

Effectively comparing auto insurance prices can take hours if you don’t understand the easiest way. You can waste a lot of time driving to insurance agencies in your area, or you could use the internet to get pricing more quickly.

Most of the best insurance companies participate in a marketplace that allows shoppers to submit their information once, and at least one company returns a rated price based on that data. This system prevents you from having to do quotation requests for every auto insurance company.

To fill out one form to compare multiple rates now click to open in new window.

The only downside to getting quotes like this is you don’t know exactly the companies to get pricing from. If you prefer to choose specific providers to compare rates, we put together a list of auto insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.

It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just make sure you use the exact same quote data on every price quote you get. If you compare mixed coverages it’s not possible to determine which rate is truly the best. Having just a slight variation in coverage limits can make a big difference in price. It’s important to know that comparing more rates from different companies will increase your chances of finding the best offered rates. Not every company allows you to get prices over the internet, so it’s necessary to compare rates from the smaller companies as well.

Take policy discounts and save

Insurance is expensive, but you may qualify for discounts that can help lower your rates. Certain discounts will be applied when you get a quote, but some discounts are required to be asked for before they will apply. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount available, you are just wasting money.

  • Discount for Good Grades – Getting good grades may save as much as 25% on a insurance coverage quote. You can use this discount normally up until you turn 25.
  • Multi-line Discount – If the company offers life insurance, you could get better prices if you take out a life policy as well.
  • Theft Prevention System – Cars equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and earn discounts up to 10% off your insurance coverage quote.
  • Buy New and Save – Insuring a new car can save up to 30% since new vehicles are generally safer.
  • Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for primary and secondary vehicles with the same company can reduce the rates for all insured vehicles.
  • Safe Driver Discount – Insureds who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more on 3 Series insurance than drivers with accident claims.
  • Senior Citizen Discount – Drivers that qualify as senior citizens can get a small decrease in premiums on 3 Series insurance.
  • Accident Forgiveness – This one isn’t a discount, but a few companies such as State Farm and Allstate permit an accident before your rates go up as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
  • Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Vehicles with factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems could see savings of 25 to 30%.

Discounts lower rates, but most credits do not apply the the whole policy. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. So even though it sounds like you could get a free insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.

If you would like to see a list of insurers that have a full spectrum of discounts, click here.

Which policy gives me the best coverage?

When it comes to buying adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s needs are different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions may help highlight if your situation might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
  • Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
  • Do I need medical payments coverage since I have good health insurance?
  • Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
  • Can I get a multi-policy discount?
  • Is my custom paint covered by insurance?
  • Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
  • Do I have coverage when making deliveries for my home business?
  • Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
  • Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

What insurance coverages do you need?

Learning about specific coverages of your insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Below you’ll find typical coverages available from insurance companies.

Medical expense insurance – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for bills like hospital visits, prosthetic devices, surgery and dental work. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Liability coverage – This coverage protects you from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property. It protects YOU from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see limits of 100/300/100 that means you have a limit of $100,000 per injured person, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount without having the split limit caps.

Liability can pay for things such as medical services, medical expenses and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but you should buy as much as you can afford.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for things like a broken windshield, damage from flooding, theft, rock chips in glass and hail damage. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Collision – Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your 3 Series resulting from colliding with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision can pay for claims like crashing into a building, sideswiping another vehicle, hitting a parking meter and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your 1997 BMW 3 Series.

Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family. Frequently your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Make an honest buck

As you prepare to switch companies, make sure you don’t buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to regret at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your objective should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price and still be able to protect your assets.

Low-cost 1997 BMW 3 Series insurance is definitely available both online as well as from insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not offer online rate quotes and these small insurance companies only sell through independent agencies.

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