Drivers can learn how to make their vehicles run better, cheaper and cleaner Saturday at a free car care checkup at the Tucson Convention Center.
The event, sponsored by the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality and the Automotive Services Association, will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at TCC Parking Lot C.
Something as simple as underinflated tires can decrease gas mileage and accelerate tire wear, said Jacqui Harry, president of ASA and owner of JayBees Auto Service.
"If your tires are 4 pounds low, it can cost you one to two miles per gallon." [read more]
Showing posts with label savings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label savings. Show all posts
by: Jeff Slokum
Cars are like electric lights. We often
don’t appreciate them until they go
on the blink. Regular maintenance
checks and simple service can greatly
reduce the cost of car ownership
and keep you a much happier traveler!
Don’t let the thought of car maintenance
intimidate you. There are actually
several car maintenance tips you can
do – even if you’re totally mechanically-
challenged! [read more]
The upkeep of your vehicle can be
quite an expense - from initial
purchase to insurance to maintenance.
And sometimes we get the sinking
feeling that every time we need a car
repair, we’re going to get taken for
a ride. (pardon the pun!) Actually
there are some ways to make sure
you don’t get a raw deal when
dealing with a local body shop. [...]
The upkeep of your vehicle can be
quite an expense - from initial
purchase to insurance to maintenance.
And sometimes we get the sinking
feeling that every time we need a
car repair, we’re going to get taken
for a ride. (pardon the pun!)
Actually there are some ways to
make sure you don’t get a raw deal
when dealing with a local body shop. [...]
quite an expense - from initial
purchase to insurance to maintenance.
And sometimes we get the sinking
feeling that every time we need a
car repair, we’re going to get taken
for a ride. (pardon the pun!)
Actually there are some ways to
make sure you don’t get a raw deal
when dealing with a local body shop. [...]
For auto insurers, 2008 is shaping up to be another tough year.
Insurance prices are being driven down by tough competition even as accident costs are edging up after years of steady declines. The price of competition is rising, too, with the top insurers spending around $500 million a year to keep their names in front of potential customers.
Allstate Corp., the nation's largest publicly traded auto insurer by market share, says it is poised to outperform its rivals in the toughest auto-insurance market in years. It won't be easy.
Allstate is locked in a fierce battle for U.S. drivers with State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., Progressive Corp. and Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s Geico unit. In 2007, Allstate's overall premiums dropped a bit, with decreases in its homeowners business outweighing a 2.1% increase in auto premiums. [...]
Insurance prices are being driven down by tough competition even as accident costs are edging up after years of steady declines. The price of competition is rising, too, with the top insurers spending around $500 million a year to keep their names in front of potential customers.
Allstate Corp., the nation's largest publicly traded auto insurer by market share, says it is poised to outperform its rivals in the toughest auto-insurance market in years. It won't be easy.
Allstate is locked in a fierce battle for U.S. drivers with State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., Progressive Corp. and Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s Geico unit. In 2007, Allstate's overall premiums dropped a bit, with decreases in its homeowners business outweighing a 2.1% increase in auto premiums. [...]
Ever wondered about these?
- Car colour affects your premium?
- Two-door vehicles cost more to insure than four-door models?
- Parking tickets will affect your insurance rate? [read more]
COMPARISON SHOPPING COMES TO MASS DRIVERS
The state Division of Insurance's new auto insurance Web site apparently has been popular with consumers, generating an average of about 19,500 hits a day since its launch a month ago.
But the InsureMASS site, which is designed to be a roadmap to help navigate the competitive insurance market that begins here next month, isn't winning any popularity contests in insurance industry circles.
The Web site does offer a useful database of insurance agents. But drivers who log on to the site will most likely focus on its insurance premium comparison tool.
That rate comparison system has created plenty of buzz among insurance agents, although it's probably not the kind of buzz that Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes would have wanted. [...]
Consumers have been researching and comparing auto insurance quotes online for a few years now, but lately the process of getting quotes and purchasing policies been on the rise.
In 2007, just over 32 million consumers requested auto insurance quotes online, compared to 28 million the year before. That’s a rise of around 15%. The percentage rise in the number of policies purchased was greater – rising 37% from 1.5 million in 2006 to 2 million last year. [...]
In 2007, just over 32 million consumers requested auto insurance quotes online, compared to 28 million the year before. That’s a rise of around 15%. The percentage rise in the number of policies purchased was greater – rising 37% from 1.5 million in 2006 to 2 million last year. [...]
We wanted to find out from an insider exactly what goes into those prices and what we can do to keep our car insurance costs down. We talked to Patrick Lawson, a 25-year veteran auto insurance agent.
Have you ever wondered how they come up with these numbers? Lawson mentioned the common factors like age, sex, car type and driving record but also noted a new, little known factor. "Companies are now, of all things, checking credit because people with poor credit, statistically, can be susceptible to more claims," he said. [...]
Have you ever wondered how they come up with these numbers? Lawson mentioned the common factors like age, sex, car type and driving record but also noted a new, little known factor. "Companies are now, of all things, checking credit because people with poor credit, statistically, can be susceptible to more claims," he said. [...]
IS GEICO INSURANCE REALLY NUMBER ONE?
Auto insurance rates at State Farm have dropped four consecutive years and while Tennessee's has decreased as well, it's near the bottom in terms of savings.Tennessee's State Farm auto insurance rates declined 7.1 percent from Jan. 1, 2004 to Dec. 31, 2007, the 45th best among U.S. states and territories. [...]
In some insurance companies, underwriters have long used credit records in cases where additional information was needed.
Keep a good credit ratingMany insurance companies use your credit rating to determine whether to insure you and how much to charge.
Whether we like it or not, society equates the ability to manage credit responsibly with responsible behavior, even if individuals have a bad credit record through no fault of their own.
The use of credit-related information in underwriting and rating for many insurers has become routine. Insurers use insurance scores to different extents and in different ways. Most use them to screen new applicants for insurance and price new business.
If you think you have to buy from a friend or relative, get some advice from a neutral, credentialed professional.
Seek out good advice.Your brother-in-law may be a great guy, but do you really want to take his advice on auto insurance? For a few hundred dollars, you can hire a pro to look at your specific family and financial situation and recommend an insurance plan.
If you're shopping for an agent, ask about experience. In many places, agents need only a week of training before they can sell insurance, says Hungelmann. His recommendation: Seek out a pro who has gone back to school to earn industry credentials. Designations to look for include: CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters), which requires about 1,000 hours of extra classes; CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor), which requires about 100 extra hours; and the AAI (Accredited Adviser in Insurance), which also requires about 100 hours of study. [...]
“Low wintertime demand for gasoline has helped push the price of fuel in Rhode Island down for the second straight week,” according to AAA Southern Rhode Island.
AAA’s Jan. 21 survey of local stations found the average self-serve price for regular unleaded was $3.079 per gallon, 4 cents less than in the Jan. 14 survey and 6 cents less than on Jan. 7, though still 72 cents above the year-ago average of $2.359.Nationwide this week, the average self-service price for unleaded regular plunged 10 cents to $3.019, or 6 cents below the average price in the Ocean State. [...]
Consider buying an umbrella policy.
If you have considerable assets or are likely to have them in the future, consider an umbrella policy that would cover both your home and auto. Umbrella policies usually start at $200 to $300 a year for up to $1 million worth of coverage.[...]
"Nobody should carry less than $500,000 per person" says Jack Hungelmann
Spend your insurance dollars wisely.
"Shift the money around to the things that could wipe you out," says Jack Hungelmann, an agent/consultant with Corporate 4 Insurance Agency of Edina, Minn., and author of Insurance for Dummies
.While most people could cover a $500 deductible, a $500,000 lawsuit would be a different matter. So why do so many consumers pay extra for low deductibles and carry close to the minimum on liability coverage?[...]
A full list of these
savings is available here.
Before making any changes, however, check with your auto insurer.
Look at ways to lower your auto insurance. Increase the deductibles, if possible, to lower premiums. If you're a AAA Auto Club member, for instance, remove the towing charge on your auto policy. Why have towing when it's already covered by AAA?If you're adequately covered by health insurance (such as an employer-sponsored health plan), remove the medical payments line item charge from your auto policy, which can reduce premium costs. Before making any changes, however, check with your auto insurer.[...]
One way to save on auto and homeowner's insurance is to increase your deductible. Raising your deductible on your homeowner's insurance from $500 to $1,000, for instance, could save you up to 25% on your annual premium, according to the Insurance Information Institute.[...]
The Texas Tomorrow Fund II
A scaled-back version of the Texas Tomorrow Fund – the state's prepaid college tuition program that has been closed to newcomers for four years – would be created in the fall of 2008 under legislation approved Thursday by the Senate.The new program, called Texas Tomorrow Fund II, would again allow parents to purchase a future college education for their children at today's prices – though the costs would be considerably higher and the state would no longer guarantee the tuition contracts.
The 80th Texas Legislature recently passed House Bill 3900 that authorizes a new prepaid tuition plan, the Tomorrow Fund II. The Tomorrow Fund II will offer prepaid tuition contracts starting September 1, 2008 and will be a separate program from the existing Texas Guaranteed Tuition Program. If you want to start saving for college expenses sooner, you should consider Texas College Savings Plan, which is a qualified 529 savings plan offered through the state.
Auto insurance is supposed to provide peace of mind. But the wrong policy can provide a false sense of security - and leave consumers in jeopardy of serious financial losses.
You have to know what you're buying, especially if you apply for a policy by phone, by mail or on the Internet. Some consumers assume they'll have adequate coverage as long as they buy state-mandated minimums. However, most states only require motorists to carry liability insurance, which pays for injuries you cause to another person or property damage you cause to someone's car.
If you want to protect your own car, you need to buy extra coverage. Collision pays for damage to your car when it hits another vehicle, rolls over or collides with an object, like a tree. Comprehensive protects you when such things as fire, theft, storms, floods or vandalism result in damage to your car.
Some lenders and leasing companies require collision and comprehensive as a condition for financing a car, so make sure you comply with the terms of your contract. [...]
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