1997 Ford Contour Insurance Quotes – 5 Tips for Cheaper Rates

Trying to find cheaper auto insurance rates for your Ford Contour? If you are new to getting insurance quotes online, it’s easy to get confused thanks to the huge assortment of insurance providers that all promise the best rates.

You should take the time to check auto insurance prices occasionally due to the fact that insurance rates change quite often. Just because you had the best rate on Contour insurance last year there may be better deals available now. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you’re about to learn one of the quickest ways to get good coverage at a lower rate.

If you are paying for car insurance now, you will be able to save some money using these techniques. Shopping for cheaper insurance coverage is simple if you know the tricks. But vehicle owners benefit from understanding how companies sell online and use this information to your advantage.

How to buy insurance coverage online

Performing a rate comparison can take hours if you don’t utilize the fastest way to get free quotes. You can waste a lot of time talking about coverages with insurance companies in your area, or you can stay home and use online quoting to accomplish the same thing much quicker.

Most of the larger companies enroll in a system where prospective buyers enter their policy data once, and each participating company then gives them pricing based on that data. This prevents consumers from doing quote requests for each company you want a rate for.

To compare rates using this form now click here (opens in new window).

One minor caviat to using this type of system is you can’t choose the insurers you will receive quotes from. If you prefer to choose individual companies to compare, we have assembled a list of low cost insurance coverage companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.

Take whichever approach you prefer, but compare nearly identical coverage information with each company. If the quotes have mixed coverages you can’t possibly decipher which rate is best. Just a small difference in insurance coverages or limits may result in large price differences. And when quoting insurance coverage, remember that comparing more rates from different companies increases your odds of finding more affordable rates.

The ad said I’d save $485 a year!

Well-known auto insurance companies like Allstate and Progressive regularly use television and radio advertisements. They all seem to make the promise about how much you will save just by moving your coverage to them. How does every company charge lower premium rates? Here is how they do it.

Most companies provide the lowest rates for the type of driver that will not have excessive claims. A good example of a desirable risk might be over the age of 35, owns a home, and has great credit. Anyone that fits those parameters will most likely get cheap premium rates and will save a lot of money.

Potential insureds who may not quite match those standards will be quoted a higher premium and ends up with the customer buying from someone else. If you listen to the ad wording, they say “drivers that switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” can save as much as they claim. That is how insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings. Because of these techniques, you really should compare many company’s car insurance rates. It’s just not possible to know which insurance companies will be your best fit.

Five discounts for lower-cost insurance rates

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you may find discounts that could help you make your next renewal payment. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time you complete a quote, but some may not be applied and must be inquired about prior to receiving the credit. If you do not double check each discount possible, you could be getting lower rates.

  • Defensive Driving Course – Passing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more and make you a better driver.
  • Multiple Vehicles – Drivers who insure several vehicles on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
  • Discount for Life Insurance – Some insurance carriers give a discount if you purchase some life insurance too.
  • Auto/Home Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles and place coverage with the same company you will save at least 10% off all policies.
  • Telematics Devices – Drivers who agree to allow their insurance company to spy on driving habits through the use of a telematics system such as State Farm’s In-Drive might get better premium rates as long as the data is positive.

Please keep in mind that most credits do not apply the the whole policy. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates it’s possible to get free car insurance, insurance companies aren’t that generous.

Larger insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are detailed below.

  • Progressive offers discounts for continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, online signing, good student, and multi-policy.
  • Farmers Insurance may include discounts for switch companies, early shopping, pay in full, homeowner, and distant student.
  • Farm Bureau has savings for good student, multi-vehicle, driver training, multi-policy, renewal discount, and 55 and retired.
  • State Farm includes discounts for accident-free, multiple policy, student away at school, good student, and good driver.
  • GEICO discounts include membership and employees, emergency military deployment, multi-vehicle, anti-lock brakes, air bags, five-year accident-free, and driver training.
  • SAFECO may have discounts that include teen safety rewards, anti-theft, teen safe driver, bundle discounts, drive less, and homeowner.
  • Liberty Mutual policyholders can earn discounts including new graduate, teen driver discount, good student, new vehicle discount, exclusive group savings, new move discount, and multi-car.

When getting a coverage quote, ask each company which discounts can lower your rates. Some credits might not be available to policyholders everywhere. To choose insurers who offer online insurance quotes, click here.

You may need specialized auto insurance coverage

When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage, there is no “best” method to buy coverage. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.

Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining whether or not you might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Why do I need rental car insurance?
  • What happens if I owe more than my 1997 Ford Contour is worth?
  • Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my 1997 Ford Contour is totaled?
  • Do I have coverage when pulling a U-Haul trailer?
  • Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in my state?
  • Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
  • Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form.

Educate yourself about auto insurance coverages

Understanding the coverages of your auto insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Coverage for liability

This coverage provides protection from damage or injury you incur to people or other property in an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show values of 50/100/50 that translate to $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability coverage protects against things such as loss of income, attorney fees, structural damage, repair costs for stationary objects and funeral expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Comprehensive auto coverage

This coverage pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things like falling objects, fire damage, damage from a tornado or hurricane and hitting a bird. The maximum amount your auto insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

This coverage protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Ford Contour.

Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for things like doctor visits, surgery, ambulance fees and pain medications. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Collision coverage protection

Collision coverage covers damage to your Contour caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as crashing into a building, scraping a guard rail and hitting a parking meter. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Shop smart and save

Throughout this article, we presented many ways to shop for 1997 Ford Contour insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even discover the most savings is with a small local company.

Cheap 1997 Ford Contour insurance can be purchased online in addition to many insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who may not have internet price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers only sell coverage through independent insurance agents.

When getting insurance quotes online, it’s very important that you do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are too many instances where consumers will sacrifice full coverage and discovered at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best cost, but do not skimp to save money.

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