Lower Your 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Insurance Cost

Paying for high-priced Oldsmobile Cutlass insurance can bottom out your budget and put the squeeze on your family’s finances.

Drivers have multiple auto insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and though it is a good thing to have a choice, too many choices makes it more difficult to get the best deal.

The purpose of this post is to introduce you to how to get online quotes and some tricks to saving. If you are paying for car insurance now, you will be able to cut costs considerably using these techniques. But drivers must understand the methods companies use to sell insurance online and apply this information to your search.

How much is insurance?

There are a variety of methods to compare insurance prices but there is one way that is more efficient than others. You could spend the better part of a day discussing policy coverages with insurance companies in your area, or you can utilize online quotes to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

All the larger companies take part in a program that allows shoppers to enter their coverage request one time, and each participating company returns a competitive quote based on the submitted data. This saves time by eliminating form submissions for every insurance company.

To use this form to compare rates click to open in new window.

The only drawback to using this type of system is buyers cannot specifically choose which carriers to get quotes from. So if you want to select from a list of companies to compare rates, we have a listing of low cost insurance companies in your area. Click here to view list.

The approach you take is up to you, just make sure you use the same quote data for each price quote. If your comparisons have different values for each quote it’s impossible to determine the lowest rate for your Oldsmobile Cutlass. Just a small difference in insurance coverages can make a big difference in price. Keep in mind that comparing more company’s prices helps you find a lower rate. Not every company allows you to get quotes online, so you need to compare price quotes from the smaller companies as well.

Are you getting every discount?

Car insurance is not cheap nor is it fun to buy but you may be missing some discounts to help offset the cost. Some trigger automatically at quote time, but a few must be requested specifically before you will receive the discount. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you could be saving more on your car insurance.

  • New Vehicle Savings – Buying a new car instead of a used car can cost up to 25% less compared to insuring an older model.
  • Seat Belt Discounts – Drivers who require all occupants to use a seat belt can save up to 10 percent (depending on the company) on the premium charged for medical payments and/or PIP.
  • Drive Less and Save – Driving less can qualify you for cheaper car insurancerates.
  • One Accident Forgiven – Not necessarily a discount, but companies like Liberty Mutual, Allstate and State Farm permit an accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven’t had any claims for a set time period.
  • ABS Brakes – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are much safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Accident-Free Discounts – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims can save substantially in comparison with bad drivers.

Keep in mind that some credits don’t apply the the whole policy. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way.

Car insurance companies who might offer some of the above discounts are:

If you are trying to find inexpensive insurance coverage quotes, ask each insurance company what discounts are available to you. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts might not apply in your area. To find insurance companies with the best car insurance discounts, click this link.

When in doubt talk to an agent

When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions may help highlight whether your personal situation could use an agent’s help.

  • Am I covered if hit by an uninsured driver?
  • Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
  • Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
  • Why am I required to buy liability insurance?
  • Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
  • How do I insure my teen driver?
  • What can I do if my company won’t pay a claim?

If you can’t answer these questions, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Car insurance coverages and their meanings

Having a good grasp of your policy helps when choosing which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are the usual coverages found on the average car insurance policy.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for short-term medical expenses for surgery, ambulance fees and chiropractic care. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Coverage for liability – This coverage can cover injuries or damage you cause to other people or property. This coverage protects you from claims by other people. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Alternatively, you may have a combined single limit or CSL which provides one coverage limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage pays for things like funeral expenses, attorney fees, pain and suffering and legal defense fees. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.

Comprehensive insurance – This pays for 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 insurance covers things like a tree branch falling on your vehicle, vandalism, damage from a tornado or hurricane, hitting a bird and a broken windshield. The most your car insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your Oldsmobile Cutlass.

Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important. Frequently your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Collision coverage – Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your Cutlass resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision can pay for claims such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, rolling your car, colliding with a tree 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 raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.