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Insuring the Westy "Motorhome", saving serious cas
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LandSailor
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 2:58 pm    Post subject: Insuring the Westy "Motorhome", saving serious cas Reply with quote

Howdy,

After going around and around with the Collector's Insurance "We insure Campmobiles, but not if you take them camping" racket, I finally talked to the right person who said "We don't insure anything with beds and a stove because that is a motorhome." Hmmm, a few searches later and a great quote from Progressive, I called my Allstate agent and explained what I found. He had to call their underwriters and they agreed that the sleeping bunks, stove, and sink meant that it qualifies as a "motorhome".

My full coverage insurance (in Nevada) went from around $700 per six months to $397 for the entire year with slightly better coverage.

Here's what changed for me:
    A few coverages increased (per person, per accident coverages doubled) for a few bucks more per year.
    Deductibles increased from $100 to $250 (the lowest they offer for motorhomes).
    They put me down for 45 days of operation per year (there's no log requirement, btw). If you were living in a motorhome, obviously, you'd have to pay more.

Compared to Collector's Car Insurance
    No "garage kept" requirement.
    No mileage restriction.
    No camping restriction.
    Cost is about the same.
    No Stated or Agreed Value coverage. It's the Actual Cash Value of replacing it with a comparable vehicle (of course, that's what I already had with them.) He told me to be sure to save any receipts for work that I do to it, etc.
    This is with my current insurance company and literally the only one that I've ever used. From past experience, I know that claims filed back home were handled more easily for customers with a history.

My agent didn't know that they could call it a motorhome. Originally, I was going to have to bring it in for an inspection, but she called back and said that wasn't necessary since the Camper package was a factory option.

In the end, I'm saving over a thousand dollars per year. While this may not work with your situation if you're using your Westy as a daily driver, this is more than adequate for us. (Obviously, check with your local agent to see how your company's rules and state's laws apply to you.)


Last edited by LandSailor on Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
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bluefirefly
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 3:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks a lot for the info and taking time to post about it! Applause

It might not work for us right now, but that might change.
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mtnphan
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 8:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just to clarify... this is with Progressive???
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LandSailor
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, it's Allstate. The first quote was online from Progressive.
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DeadSetMonkey
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:24 pm    Post subject: Re: Insuring the Westy "Motorhome", saving serious Reply with quote

LandSailor wrote:
It's the Actual Cash Value of replacing it with a comparable vehicle (of course, that's what I already had with them.) He told me to be sure to save any receipts for work that I do to it, etc.


Was just reviewing thus stiff with my agent (American family).
He said they pull the actual cash value from a database of vehicles.
And, he looked up my VIN - the actual cash value for my Syncro Westy was $11k. Rolling Eyes
So he suggested I get it appraised, and insure it for the appraised value.
I haven't called any other companies yet.

Anyone in Colorado (policies are state specific, right) found a good deal on good coverage?
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nevadaesh
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 10:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

LandSailor, Great post. We live in Nevada and have Allstate. Will be on the phone with them Monday morning.

Gary

We're out in the great town of Pahrump. Rolling Eyes
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Royb
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 1:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great tip! I'm going to look into this! Our Westy really is largely our motorhome, after all.

Btw, State Farm raised my rates because I got speeding tickets in my WRX, even though I explained it was physically impossible in the Westy. Doh!
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Hammy1
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

CAA/AAA also classifies the Westy as an RV so you will require the RV coverage if you need your Westy towed.

Jon
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LandSailor
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 9:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

nevadaesh wrote:
We're out in the great town of Pahrump. Rolling Eyes


Gary, that's about what...a five hour drive in a waterboxer Westy over the hump! Smile

Glad to help out! I wanted to get a little snarky with my agent, but he said they'd never had anyone ask about it and literally did not know it was even possible. Of course, I've already paid more than a year's worth of motorhome insurance at the regular monthly rates, but better to discover it sooner than later!


Also, I seriously typed "cash" in the subject line. Grrrr. Didn't think it maxxed the character limit.


As for the value, I discussed it with my agent and explained that I wanted Stated Value because replacing it would be about $12K and KBB said $6-10K, but couldn't find anyone that offered that package. He assured me that with receipts and comparable sales that they would pay to replace it with a similar vehicle. The receipts for my upgrades and replacements could be used to verify what was actually in "new" condition at the time of loss.

Obviously, that's not as easy as a Stated Value, but I will be following up with him (and possibly, one of their appraisers), plus start keeping copies of For Sale ads. The more history you have, the better. As I mentioned, I have literally been paying them money to cover their bets that I am a good risk for almost thirty years. My entire family has Allstate, so I'm not too worried about getting screwed. (Still would prefer a stated value, though.)
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plaidseats
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 2:43 pm    Post subject: "Load Capacity" for RV Insurance Reply with quote

LandSailor - thanks for the info. Was just going through the online quote process and it asks for Load Capacity in excess of 1500lbs - were you asked this? Does anyone know what the load capacity of a van is? Am I being naive do I just say "yes"...

Thanks for any guidance.
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chazz79
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 6:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I went agreed value this way. They didn't have a clue what I had at all so I had to describe it as a vintage motor home, like an airstream. The lady lit up because she knew what one of those was. E-mailed pics and they came back with 15k as agreed. I can live with that, I couldn't pay someone to build me another for that cash but I could do it myself. It's hard to get a policy that allows you to drive something old without fear of some bonehead hitting you and buying your ride for a grand. The rv policy gets you away from the weird limitations collector insurance like hagerty puts on you. You can pay a little more and insure contents just like homeowners too. It really is the way to go.
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 9:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A good recent thread on insurance: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=593233
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We use Amerprise, through Costco. If you are an executive member they include Roadside assistance for free. The RV roadside coverage is nothing to write home about but that's not why we use them. The rates are great $127 per 6 months for the 83 Westy with $100 Comp/Coll ded and highest liability levels they carry. I asked about the value they use and they said it was over 14K. Nice that's plenty for now. They consider it an RV. YMMV
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morymob
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I went thru the routines when i insured my westy. Stove & sink dont make it a rv unless it has a bath room, solar shower & Porta potty dont count either. I still ger reasonable ins 4 just being a westy-camper van.
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PostPosted: Thu May 07, 2015 9:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I mentioned on another thread that my insurance rip-off may be near an end. I raised the RV insurance option repeatedly with State Farm and after taking pictures of the stove, sink, the poptop, and the insurance card of my other car, swearing the Westy wasn't my daily driver, and estimating its value, they said they could insure it as an RV for $132/ year!!

Granted, they made me jump thru some hoops, but it will be worth it. I guesstimated it was worth about $10k based on similar ones for sale.
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rockfish
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2015 1:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another possible avenue is buying Progressive RV insurance. You can insure for "stated" value.

For grins - 1989 Westy (Class B) and I said "pleasure use" for 250 days/year

For $500 ded. and $500K/$500K coverage the estimate came in at $655/yr for a stated value of $50K. (Includes "RV" roadside assistance).

Since my USAA coverage (replacement/Blue Book value, not stated value) is just under $600/yr this looks like a viable option...
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