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Mon Feb 23, 2004 9:29 pm

So, we all know that you can't buy a new Karmann Ghia at your local VW dealer.

So, for how much and with whom do you insure a 1970 Ghia vert. Any tips on which insurance companies are good for old VWs. My other cars (not as old) are insured through Geico. Is it worth insuring the KG with someone else or should I just add it to the current policy?
Thanks

Tue Feb 24, 2004 5:11 am

Always cheaper to add to your current policy. If you've got homeowners insurance you should have that with the same company as your vehicles, as well. I keep my '73 insured from May through October, then garage it for the colder months and keep only fire and theft for coverage. Everybody thinks Geico is the cheapest, and they may be for you, but it's worth making a couple of phone calls for other quotes. I use Metropolitan and they beat Geico by a mile... but everyone's situation is different.

Tue Feb 24, 2004 7:34 am

For an old car I disagree with adding it to your current policy. A regular insurance policy will pay you book value as if it were a regular vehicle, not one that's historic or collectible. That means on your 70 KG they might pay $1,000, but your annual premiums might approach or exceed that depending on where you live.

For a collectible or historic car you should look into places like Hagerty's or others that offer that kind of insurance. You and they agree on what the car is worth to an enthusiast or collector, and then if anything happens to the car that amount is paid when you file a claim.

The cost of this insurance is as low as $125 a year (that's about what I pay in New Jersey, of all places). The catch is usually that it can't be your daily driver. My company requires that there be a daily driver for each licensed driver in the family. Some companies also require that you keep annual mileage under a few thousand a year.

I suggest looking up Hagerty's on the web, and also look in Hemmings for ads from other special interest car insurers.

Tue Feb 24, 2004 5:42 pm

79SuperVert

Your right about the "regular" insurance companies, all your get is book value which for these cars is nothing compared to the time and attention most people apply to them. But if the car is your daily driver finding apropreate insurance is hard. I know Grundy does not limit you on milage but I still think you have to have a daily driver

Thu Feb 26, 2004 6:36 pm

i've been looking at hagerty's.com for ins. on my '73 ghia . i think i can get full coverage for less than i'm paying for liability only right now. true, it must not be your daily driver and it must be kept in a locked garage or storage. also, there is no deductible to pay if you file a claim and you get 3 free tow truck calls [$50 max]. -- my quote -- $146 clams a year.

Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:32 pm

I found GRUNDY Insurance in Horshime PA to be the most reasonable on vintage vehicles..... I have been using the for over 10 years and currently have 3 cars insured by them.......

Rich King
NJ

Sat Aug 16, 2008 5:12 am

I am also from NJ and I use Condon and Skelly from Maple Shade, NJ. Condon and Skelly is an agent for Met Life. The insurance for my 1972 coupe is $117.90 per year with $500,000 liability and the insured value of my car is $9,000. I also have no deductable, however the car can't be driven more than 2,500 miles per year. I would never insure my car under a regular policy.

Zack

Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:03 am

at the time i called i was living at home as i was 16 and geico pemco aig all of them quoted me around 3k a year just for liability. they said that since the car was too old to be in their computers they had to go off of the body and since it was a 2 door coupe sports car looking car they went off of that. that was adding on to my parents plan. since then i havent called since the car still isnt running 3 years later :cry:

Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:19 pm

shegel wrote: at the time i called i was living at home as i was 16 and geico pemco aig all of them quoted me around 3k a year just for liability. they said that since the car was too old to be in their computers they had to go off of the body and since it was a 2 door coupe sports car looking car they went off of that. that was adding on to my parents plan. since then i havent called since the car still isnt running 3 years later :cry:

Something there is not right, "sports car looking car"? Sounds like a bunch of BS to me.

Zack

Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:37 pm

I'd recommend getting collector's car insurance. Depending upon the coverage type you may have limits on annual mileage, but the cost is low.

I have a '64 Ghia and a '63 Single Cab insured through American Collectors Insurance (an AIG company) and pay $176/year.
:wink:

Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:50 pm

We have three cars with Grundy. Easy to deal with, fair pricing for cars that are not daily drivers.

Sun Aug 24, 2008 8:43 pm

sit down... long post. i use hagerty. i have a 71 ghia as well as a 1970 ford maverick. ghia is insured to 15,000, the maverick at 10,000. i also opted for their premium towing package which is 3 tows per year for free. 125 mile limit each tow. unlimited mileage. not a daily driver. have to have at least one daily driver for each licensed driver in my household. cars have to be garaged. never left unattended (like a trip to the grocery store for examplle.) best of all my under 25 year old son can drive the cars. he has ultimate respect for the classics (not to mention the ablity to father children at some point in his life if you catch my drift) so as it was, he was driving his maverick home from a car show. seems as though he didn't double check to see if his hood was all the way down and latched. sure enough, it flew open at 50 mph smacking the top of his car. the hood was bent back beyond repair as well as the damage it caused to his roof and windshield. tore out the hinges too. living here in new jersey, where insurance is a nightmare of getting dropped for no reason caused me a lot of fear as i called hagertys' to report the accident. they just said send pictures of the damage along with an estimate from a body shop of MY choice, which i did. with out a flinch, the sent a check! no b.s. no hassle. cool or what?????

Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:10 am

79SuperVert wrote:

Quote: A regular insurance policy will pay you book value as if it were a regular vehicle, not one that's historic or collectible.

Not true. I have my Ghia insured with State Farm. The mainstream insurers figured out in the last few years that they were ignoring a very profitable market segment - typically there are very few claims on collector cars. State Farm will insure a collectable car with a stated value policy (at least in VA). I have all my other cars, homeowner's, umbrella, etc. with them as well. It works well. There are no mileage or other driving restrictions.

I have used Hagerty's in the past. IIRC they require the vehicle to be garaged and it cannot be left "unattended". Technically this means that if you drive somewhere, you must be with the car at all times or they could deny a claim if it gets damaged or stolen.

I pay $147 per year on my '71 Ghia with a $13K Stated Value. I have $500K Liability, $100K Property. $100 Comprehensive and $250 Collision Deductible. I also have Emergency Road/Tow Service.

As with Hagerty's I just had to provide photos of the vehicle to obtain the insurance.

Wed Aug 27, 2008 3:34 pm

hey nova.... is there any limit on mileage? or if you leave your car alone somewhere? there ARE times where i really want to take the ghia somewhere locally.... not planning on leaving it for long. thanks

Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:34 pm

state farm
113 a month
19yr old guy

just had an engine fire, they covered everything, my rates wont rise, and it was easy and simple.

Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:34 pm

State Farm has been great for me too. I pay $13.61 a month for a 15k stated value, w/ 500 collision 250 comp deductibles. I like the idea of someone local to deal with face to face.

Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:36 pm

oldguysrule wrote: State Farm has been great for me too. I pay $13.61 a month for a 15k stated value, w/ 500 collision 250 comp deductibles. I like the idea of someone local to deal with face to face.
yup. love the face-to-face, there so very nice to me.

also, my ghia is my DD, and i have FULL insurance, 500 deductables, comp and coll

Thu Aug 28, 2008 6:53 am

todmeg wrote:

Quote: hey nova.... is there any limit on mileage? or if you leave your car alone somewhere?

No mileage restrictions and you can leave the vehicle unattended. Its a State Farm agent local to me. Good to deal with. The best service I have ever had with an insurance company.

The only driving restrictions I have on the car deal with its antique registration. Although they tightened them up a bit here in Virginia in the last couple of years, its still pretty liberal - IMO.

Thu Aug 28, 2008 4:56 pm

i am so there.....THANKS!!! (well next year. just ante'd up for this year )