Top Rated Car Insurance

Frequently Asked Questions

1. QUESTION:
   Is there a list of rankings of top car insurance companies? What is a good car insurance company?
   I'm shopping for car insurance and want to look for reviews of all the major companies out there. I want competitive prices, but good customer service is top priority, such as not trying to find a way out of paying me if I have an accident and not raising my rates without my knowledge like some companies are rumored to do.

   • ANSWER:
     Look, very few companies try to "find a way out of paying you". All those stories you hear, are about people who tried to find a way to trick a lower rate out of the insurance company, and they got caught. It doesn't HAPPEN that way.

     Not all insurance companies write in all states. No one ranks them, by "good", as it's SO subjective. But you CAN check with your state insurance department website, to see which companies have the most COMPLAINTS. In general, State Farm writes the MOST auto insurance policies in the USA, and has the lowest PERCENTAGE of complaints. I also think that USAA does a bang up job, but you have to be active military or police, or retired military, or child of a retired military person, to qualify.

2. QUESTION:
   Will my car insurance rates go up, hit and run accident?
   I was parked out of my girlfriends house and apparently during my visit someone had hit my car that was parked on the side of the road. The other car just nicked my bumper (no damage to fender) but hit it hard enough to totally tear the bumper off the driver side and the front of the car and was left dangling on the passenger side. There were also scratches on the top of my driver side mirror, and the mirror itself popped out and was shattered.

   Basically my question is...if I claim it, will my rates go up? I believe I am insured under my parent's names and not my own.

   I had one accident that was my fault about 2 years ago.

   • ANSWER:
     It depends on the company.

     The insurance companies have done a real good job bribing politicians, so they have things pretty much their way. Better than 50% chance they will raise your rates.

3. QUESTION:
   My 16 year old son just got his drivers license so I'm adding him to our car insurance.?
   My spouse and I are top-rated drivers, so we've always been happy with our rates through one of the top 5 national insurance brokers for 20 years. We get discounts for using them for our house and life insurance, too. Adding our son has almost doubled our rate! Friends advise dropping the broker and going with one of the direct insurance companies to save money. My question is: is this a smart time to do it in light of the statistics that show many teenage boys get in accidents that first year? Will the new direct carrier drop us if that happens? We're in Calif, if that matters. Thanks for advice from anyone who's been in this situation.

   • ANSWER:
     Boys of that age are the highest risk there is. Why on earth do you not just get some quotes for insurance from some other companies and then you will know, rather than wasting time on here asking a lot of non experts what they think? Remember also, that the sooner your son starts to build up a good driving record with, hopefully, no claims, the quicker the cost of his insurance will drop.

4. QUESTION:
   Philippine Car Insurance information for asker named alrob.?
   shelcom
   0 Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

   Very few places will allow you to drive without insurance. Check with the agency that registers cars to be sure.

   Asker's Rating (alrob):
   Yes I realised now that insurance is now necessary in the philippines since 2004 prior to that it was not.

   Message for alrob:
   Hi alrob! I just want to correct your statement or impression that the Philippines just started imposing/requiring car insurance coverage to its motorists in 2004. It is not true my friend. The Philippine insurance industry also received a positive rating from Standard & Poor's (S&P). So for further information you may check the following sites: www.insurance.gov.ph www.aaphilippines.org and www.lto.gov.ph. I hope these sites help you find accurate information about the Philippine insurance industry particularly on its car insurance requirements. By the way, top players in the insurance industry were already 40 years in the car insurance business. Cheers!

   • ANSWER:
     No doubt the easiest way to get insurance quotes is on the web.
     Why would you waste your time on the phone calling around?
     the last time i needed quotes on insurance i used one of these comparison sites and it was great.
     this is the site i used and it was quick like less than 5 mins.
     The last thing I want to do is listen to elevator music while waiting for a salesman.
     Anyway I got good quotes and ended up saving money so I was happy.
     So shop around and compare quotes which is easy on the net.
     Good starting point is at this site.

     http://insurance.deal4-you.com

     Good luck.

5. QUESTION:
   Car Insurance Companies are Sexist and It's Seriously Wrong?
   If I was at Tesco's and saw a women buy a bag of frozen peas for £0.99 I'd expect to pay the same thing. The same logic applies with just about everything else in life which is why I truly don't understand how car insurance companies can get away with charging more based on sex.

   It has always boggled my mind because I am going to have to pay insanely high car insurance rates. However women close to my age spend a lot less on car insurance than me, up to a £3/4000 difference. I am having people tell me straight up that I can expect to have high insurance until I hit twenty-five no matter what my driving record looks like.

   If this kind of thing happened in just about any other aspect of life there would be so many people raising hell it would be unbelievable and there would probably be lawsuits flying around left and right so I'm just not seeing how these insurance companies are getting away with it. Its not like you can choose to go without insurance because if you drive you have to have it. On top of that lets say that it was reversed and female drivers had to pay more, do you think that one second female rights activists would let that slide? I think not.

   Essentially my rates will be high because of a bunch of idiots out there that street race and screw around until they get in a wreck. People I don't even know are affecting how much car insurance I pay when if it were based on just my actions the rate would be much lower because my record is spotless. If these car insurance companies are allowed to be sexist what exactly is keeping them from being racist? Whats keeping them from basing your rates on sexual orientation? Hair colour? Eye colour? I mean hey if they're going to profile why not go for the gold?

   I bet there is statistics out there that say different races of people cause more/less crashes. For example it might be true that black people cause more crashes than white people, or white people cause more crashes than Jews. BUT would it make it right for car insurance companies to charge more, I think not and and do you think people would let it go, I think not.

   More people should take notice of this because right now if your a male under the age of twenty-five your getting screwed out of money and the insurance companies are going to continue to take your money as long as they are allowed to get away with it.

   I just don't get how people can say oh "if only all males would drive like females, carefully at 30mph." This just completely baffles me, there is good and bad people from all walks of life and I know that there is women out there who are worse and more dangerous drivers than some men, thats just how it is. Not every male is a dangerous driver nor is every female.

   We do not have choices about driving sure we can take public transport etc... But most of the time it is not sustainable, again we do not have a choice about paying for car insurance even when we are driving. It's compulsory or you don't drive at all.
   Also I would like to point out that it is not politically correct for anyone who is female or has never been in the same situation as me to comment.

   • ANSWER:
     You said it, m'lad. It's because a few Neanderthal idiots drive like zombies, and the rest of us have to suffer (and pay for their repeated high claims).

6. QUESTION:
   Car insurance Companies are Sexist and It's Seriously Wrong?
   If I was at Tesco's and saw a women buy a bag of frozen peas for £0.99 I'd expect to pay the same thing. The same logic applies with just about everything else in life which is why I truly don't understand how car insurance companies can get away with charging more based on sex.

   It has always boggled my mind because I am going to have to pay insanely high car insurance rates. However women close to my age spend a lot less on car insurance than me, up to a £3/4000 difference. I am having people tell me straight up that I can expect to have high insurance until I hit twenty-five no matter what my driving record looks like.

   If this kind of thing happened in just about any other aspect of life there would be so many people raising hell it would be unbelievable and there would probably be lawsuits flying around left and right so I'm just not seeing how these insurance companies are getting away with it. Its not like you can choose to go without insurance because if you drive you have to have it. On top of that lets say that it was reversed and female drivers had to pay more, do you think that one second female rights activists would let that slide? I think not.

   Essentially my rates were high because of a bunch of idiots out there that street race and screw around until they get in a wreck. People I don't even know are affecting how much car insurance I pay when if it were based on just my actions the rate would be much lower because my record is spotless. If these car insurance companies are allowed to be sexist what exactly is keeping them from being racist? Whats keeping them from basing your rates on sexual orientation? Hair color? Eye color? I mean hey if they're going to profile why not go for the gold?

   More people should take notice of this because right now if your a male under the age of twenty-five your getting screwed out of money and the insurance companies are going to continue to take your money as long as they are allowed to get away with it.
   Ok as to the first answer I completely disagree with you, I bet there is statistics out there that say different races of people cause more/less crashes. For example it might be true that black people cause more crashes than white people, or white people cause more crashes than Jews. BUT would it make it right for car insurance companies to charge more, I think not and and do you think people would let it go, I think not.
   After reading the answer again I just don't get how can you say oh "if only all males would drive like females, carefully at 30mph." This just completely baffles me, there is good and bad people from all walks of life and I know that there is women out there who are worse and more dangerous drivers than some men, thats just how it is. Not every male is a dangerous driver nor is every female.
   As to the second answer how can you compare it by saying - "It would be like opening a mountaineering store on a flat, Pacific Island. Sure, the owners are nice people and the island folk may all love them but the chances of success are zero."

   It just doesn't doesn't make sense, it's not a legitimate comparison at all.
   People have a choice to open up mountaineering stores on a flat pacific island, we do not have choices about driving sure we can take public transport etc... but most of the time it is not sustainable, again we do not have a choice about paying for car insurance even when we are driving. It's compulsory or you don't drive at all.

   • ANSWER:
     Nothing sexist about it at all.

     All insurance is based on risk.
     It has been shown many many times that males between the ages of 17 & 25 are at the greatest risk of having an accident and consequently costing the insurance companies more money.
     SO..... they have to pay more.

     Just as older people or people who smoke etc. have to pay more for life insurance
     Just as it costs more for household insurance if you live in the middle of London rather than out in the sticks.

     You can mitigate some of the risk/expense by taking extra instruction and tests which are recognised by a lot of insurance companies.

     You DO have a choice whether to drive or not and insurance is compulsory, not to protect you but others on the road.

7. QUESTION:
   Whats the cheapest car insurance company in Michigan?
   I'm moving out of my parents house in a few months, and am at the point of looking at car insurance rates. I've always just paid my fees on their shared account, which was only about . Friends in Ohio that also live on their own pay about on their own plans per month, and they have accident histories. When I ask for quotes with a clean history, Progressive gave me a 0 quote!

   What's the best company to go through? Or at least top 3? I just want minimum coverage because that's all I can afford for now.

   • ANSWER:
     The best company is the one you find by calling around and getting figures from agents or company reps; the web sites are not always current and accurate. Your Ohio friends' premiums have no bearing at all on what you'll have to pay in Michigan.

     Ask around for opinions from coworkers, friends or neighbors. Your best bet to start with might be Progressive, since they know you there and you can get started , even if it is a bit higher to start with.
     Whatever you do , DO NOT settle for miminum coverage, because it's not nearly enough for decent protection; be sure to ask about increasing your limits to something more realistic; minimum are false economy.

8. QUESTION:
   Are licensed independent insurance agent required to have an physical agency location to sell for ins carriers
   I'm a Florida 220 General Lines Licensed Agent.

   I'm seeking to offer a simpler way of shopping for auto insurance by providing the cheapest auto insurance quotes from top 15 insurance companies to consumers via my website.

   The completion of the application will take less than five minutes. We will match the consumers application to all affiliated insurance companies. Then our system will show the lowest rates out of those fifteen for you. After you compare car insurance rates you will be given the option to purchase a low cost policy online.

   I would like to get set up with the following insurance companies: Progressive, GEICO, AIG, Arrowhead, Electric, Encompass, Esurance, The Hartford, Liberty Mutual, MetLife, Permanent General, Safeco, Travelers, and Unitrin.

   By comparing rates from a broad list of companies we'll improve the consumers chances of purchasing the cheapest insurance.

   • ANSWER:
     Sure you need an address, but most don't care if you're working out of your house or not.

     You sound like you need to write a business plan (try www.sba.gov and www.score.org as starting resources). There are other companies that already do this (not the least of which is Progressive that sells a different contracts online than through the brokerage system), so the section about competition and marketing will be critical. You should also either be realistic about the cost of the site creation, data management, CRM, and so on, or you need to have the skills to program and maintain the whole thing yourself.

     If there are package deals where you can just subscribe to a quoting system and pick a template to wrap around it with your company name, this is a clear indication that the bones of the business are not unique. If that's the case, can you do your own SEO, why would a shopper choose you instead of someone else? what's your unique selling proposition? how are you allocating your advertising budget?

     I'm not saying it can't be done, in fact you could be raking money in before too long, but a detailed and researched business plan is your opportunity to work out the wrinkles. Failing miserably because you couldn't track the conversion ratio of each marketing campaign would suck.

9. QUESTION:
   Is your car safe and have you ever had your car stolen...? Do you believe the following stats...?
   Top Car Theft Cities: Las Vegas Leads the Nation

   Insurance crime group reports that Western states
   still lead the nation in car theft.

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   By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNNMoney.com staff writer

   NEW YORK (April 24) -- Las Vegas has the highest rate of auto theft per capita of any metropolitan area in the country, according to data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

   Western states still lead the nation in auto theft rates, according to the NICB. All of the top ten metro areas by per capita auto theft rates are in western states. Half of the top ten metro areas are in California.

   Top ten metro areas by per capita auto theft rate:

   Top ten metro areas by per capita auto theft rate
   1.Las Vegas/Paradise, Nev.
   2.Stockton, Calif
   3.Visalia/Porterville, Calif.
   4.Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, Ariz.
   5.Modesto, Calif.
   6.Seattle/Tacoma/Bellevue, Wash.
   7.Sacramento/Arden-Arcade/Roseville, Calif.
   8.Fresno, Calif.
   9.Yakima, Wash.
   10. Tucson, Ariz.

   Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau
   (Link will open in a new window.)

   • ANSWER:
     I drive a Chrysler.
     Let's just say a 10 year old with a toothpick can steal a Chrysler..

10. QUESTION:
    Good car insurance companies in Boston?
    I will be insuring a vehichle soon and looking to get full coverage. I'm 24 but I've only had my liscense since october 07. Boston rates are ridiculously high and on top of that I am a new driver. Does anyone know of any national or Boston-based companies that have low monthly rates?

    • ANSWER:
      Each company will offer different rates depending upon factors such as your vehicle, geographic region and driving record. However, we can tell you that Amica Mutual, based in Lincoln, Rhode Island, receives the highest customer satisfaction rankings from consumers based on our firm's 2007 National Auto Insurance Study results. Amica Mutual receives 5 of 5 Power Circles for all five factors measured including pricing, policy offerings and the overall experience. Amica is licensed in 49 states and most of its business is concentrated in the Northeast.

      Other companies that rank among the best in terms of pricing include: GEICO. Others that rate better than most for pricing of insurance products include: 21st Century, American National Property and Casualty, Erie and The Hartford. Liberty Mutual, which is based in Boston, MA, is rated about average for pricing, policies and the overall experience. For more information about auto insurance, quality ratings and helpful articles, please visit JDPower.com.

11. QUESTION:
    Does reporting your car stolen hurt you tier rating with your insurance?
    I've never made a claim befor and I don't think its fair if this screws me out of top tier status?

    • ANSWER:
      I WORK FOR AN INSURANCE COMPANY, AND NO IT WILL NOT CHANGE YOUR MONTHLY PAYMENT.....IF YOU HAVE FULL COVERAGE ON YOUR VEHICLE, AND YOUR VEHICLE IS NOT FOUND, THEN YOU WOULD ONLY HAVE TO PAY THE DEDUCTABLE, SO THAT YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY CAN PAY OFF YOUR CAR AT THE KELLEY BLUE BOOK VALUE. BUT IF IT IS FOUND AND THERES DAMAGES TO YOUR VEHICLE(and if you have full cov.) YOUR INS. CO. SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE DAMAGES, AS LONG AS YOU PAY YOUR DEDUCTABLE.

12. QUESTION:
    Is car insurance in any way fair?
    I know there is not much that I can do about it on my own but I am thoroughly annoyed by paying for car insurance. You pay for it in the hopes that you don't get into an accident and it increases.

    Once you've gotten into an accident, depending on the company, they try to figure out a way not to pay for it. If your car is totally destroyed, you're stuck with the blue book value and the remainder of your car note in some cases (if your insurance is really bad). While all of this is going on, the car is depreciating at an almost exponential rate and the top it all off, it is a requirement by our government to pay for it. Now I do undestand its place but there needs to be some type of adjustment in the way that this system works.

    I mean, while they're collecting money on your insurance, they are reinvesting it and making money off of your money that you will never get back and ultimately never use....I'm annoyed. I feel like I am just throwing money away. What do you think?
    I understand that it is necessary, I would just like a reduction in my rates at a more frequent rate since they are making a percentage on my money that they reinvest. I think what would be fair is depending upon how much they make back they reduce your premium by a percentage. I know it is idealistic but if you are reinvesting my money and you are making a return of hypothetically speaking 5%, can a sista get 1%?

    • ANSWER:
      You make a valid point and it really is a rip off, but the altenative is really gloomier than the cost of the premiums.
      Almost any fender bender can go way way over a grand and that doesn't include any "whiplash" an occupant might have. Loads of bucks are paid out every year for fraudulent claims, but the line is so ill defined that most of the time the insurance company will pay off just to make it go away.

      If you don't have insurance and have a wreck, it can be disastrous both economically and mentally. Not to mention being without a vehicle.

      I hate it as much as you do, but what can we do? Just keep on keeping on and BE CAREFUL!

13. QUESTION:
    car insurance questions ?
    hi im about to get my license in 2 days. i already have a car, its an 89 mercedes benz 300. im 17 years old, i took 6 hours of driving lessons. i was wondering which car insurance is cheapest? my father said if he put me under his policy i would be 00 a year and told me to get a job, that hes not going to have his rates go up because of me. so i guess im going to have to get my own car insurance, but thats going to be kind of hard because i have me and my son to provide for, gas im going to have to pay, and top it off insurance. so anybody have insurance advice for me? and is it true i have to be 18 to get my own?
    i was planning on getting a job once i got my license, it will be easier that way, instead of taking a bus to work w| a baby and such. so once i get my license i will have a job. im paying for my son w| money i had saved and child support.
    i was planning on getting a job once i got my license, it will be easier that way, instead of taking a bus to work w| a baby and such. so once i get my license i will have a job. im paying for my son w| money i had saved and child support.
    the mercedes is already paid off and has very low mileage ; its my qreat qrandfathers who past away ; and i had my son at 16 not 17 ; and im perfectly capable and doing fine raising him ; i didnt ask for opinion on that fact that im a young mother ; i asks for insurance advice !
    and my driving record is good ; never been in an accident or anything ; i took driving lessons ; and im a very good driver

    • ANSWER:
      You cant get it at 17. But when you reach 18 expect to pay about 4 to 5 grand a year for liability

14. QUESTION:
    Can you put someone's car on your insurance so they don't have to pay a higher rate for their own coverage?
    I have this elderly friend whose kids and grandkids require her financial help. She feels she has to buy cars for them to drive because, according to them, they can't own cars without losing social service benefits. Then she adds these cars to her insurance policy and gives them to these people to drive. She's in a huge financial bind, and I'm worried she's going to get into legal trouble on top of her financial problems. She can't afford to insure the people driving the cars because of their driving records and credit history. Is this legal? Insuring the vehicles without insuring the drivers? I know when my kids became driving age, I was required to add them to the policy or exclude them as drivers. But these are adults in their 20s and 40s that are driving cars registered to her and insured for her.

    • ANSWER:
      It is called insurance fraud...can cause serious legal and financial issues. This unethical practice causes problems for the rest of us citizens, who pay their own way and are responsible for their own actions. There is also another name for this practice ..." enabling". An insurance company will investigate all claims and deny coverage if a situation as you described exists. If someone is injured or dead due to this enabling... a moral load is placed on the enabler... Grrr..!!!

15. QUESTION:
    Why does feminism still exist, what rights do women not have?
    I can understand some women In Saudi Arabia campaigning but why does feminism still exist in the west. Women have lower car insurance rates for simply being a women, imagine getting car insurance lower for simply being white, people would be outraged. Why does feminism still exist, they have just as many rights and some privileges on top that men don't get.

    • ANSWER:
      America's already free and has been it's own country for quite a while now, why do we still need the military? Protection and keeping what we've already got, right? Now apply that to feminism and any other civil rights groups out there

16. QUESTION:
    Why are people so excited about Universal Health Care?
    Do they do any research into it? Or are they excited because its going to be free?

    Universal Health Care is like having Universal Grocery Insurance:

    Suppose you had grocery insurance. With your Government paying 100% percent of the bill, you would fill the cart with lobster and filet mignon. Everything would cost more because supermarkets would stop running sales. Why should they, when their customers barely care about the price?

    Suppose everyone had transportation insurance. The roads would be crowded with Mercedes. Why buy a Chevy if the government pays?

    People have gotten so used to having "other" people pay for most of our health care that we routinely ask for insurance with low or no deductibles. This is another bad idea.

    Suppose car insurance worked that way. Every time you got a little dent or the paint faded, or every time you buy gas or change the oil, you'd fill out endless forms and wait for reimbursement from your insurance company. Gas prices would quickly rise because service stations would know that you no longer care about the price. You'd become more wasteful: jackrabbit starts, speeding, wasting gas. Who cares? You are not paying any of the bill.

    Now where do you think the Top Rated doctors in the world Practice? Imagine going to have a heart bypass (You have been on the waiting list for over 2 years now since its universal healthcare) and the surgeon performing the operation only took the MCAT test 8 times before he finally passed it, and barely passed his boards and internships, and best of all, since now its like DMV Service, your the 7th bypass he has done that day, and there are 2 more waiting behind you.

    Why are people so excited about this idea? Isnt this why most of the people who have the opportunity to come to the US for treatment come here? Instead of using their own Universal Insurance in their country?

    But, I guess *FREE* is the new slogan of today's America.
    Im going overboard?? And someone else says Its going to be more efficient?? Thats why THOUSANDS in England pull thier own teeth out because they cant take the pain and waiting 2 years to see a dentist... http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/10/15/england.dentists/index.html

    Or the people in Canada who have a LOTTERY DRAWING to see who gets to see the doctor this month http://www.statehousecall.org/canadian-doctors-hold-lotteries-to-decide-who-gets-access-to-care

    • ANSWER:
      a universal health care plan sounds great but no one has a clue how to make it work for 300 million people. Most cite examples of much smaller countries (Canada 33,224,000, France 64,473,140). Many of those that are having their own problems currently:

      - UK is now in favor of denying overweight people & smokers because of high costs (how would that go over in the land of the obese people?

      - Like every other nation, France is wrestling with runaway health-care inflation. That has led to some hefty tax hikes, and France is now considering U.S.-style health-maintenance organization tactics to rein in costs.

17. QUESTION:
    whats a more economical first vehicle: car or bike?
    im looking to getting my first car soon. what would be better to buy - a car or a bike? im sure bikes get really good mileage and replacement parts (ie tires, rims) are much cheaper to replace than a car, and i have a lot of experience riding both a mountain bikes (i race) and dirtbikes, so i know how to handle a bike well.

    if i buy a car, it will most likely be an older muscle car, like a mustang, camaro, or the like, with a v8. im sure that can get expensive with gas but i wont be driving that often. since its older, i'll pay slightly less for insurance.

    i think bikes have an extra premium to pay for insurance on top of regular auto insurance, so my question is, do the benefits of better gas mileage and cheaper maintenance offset the cost for the increased insurance rates?

    btw, if there is bad weather, i can always borrow my moms car. i would be willing to ride a bike in [light] rain anyway, once i get used to the handleing.
    im talking about a motorcycle people!

    im trying to keep my purchase to under 00.
    maybe 00, depending on how much money i have. i may sell my race bike at the end of the season. (about 00)

    • ANSWER:
      a bike? hello, they don't use gas or mileage! or do you mean those motor bike thingys?? idk, but i would use they normal "no gasoline" bikes if i were you, unless your going on long trips. anyway, you should get a hybrid, or a minivan, believe it or not they don't use as much gasoline as a convertible!!!!

18. QUESTION:
    Should i have insurance pay for this?
    I barely rear-ended someone. All the damage the was was an imprint of the top of my lisence plate fram on the back of his car. There are small marks where the screws sunk in and a stamp of the letters on my frame. He is getting work done from a body shop from damages from a different accident. All he told me was that the damage I caused would be about 0-0. Should I just pay him myself and not have my insurance rate go up?

    • ANSWER:
      I would just pay that out of pocket.

19. QUESTION:
    Why do auto insurance companies base there premiums on your credit rating and not your ability to drive...?
    if you have bad credit, they charge top rates you can be an accident ticket free driver for 25 years and youll still get a crappy rate. on the other hand if you have great credit but youve crashed vehicles got multiple speeding tickets your going to get a better rate. shouldnt it be based on your ability to drive and not your ability to pay bills? i base this on rates given by State Farm in Florida, im a car salesman and check muiltiple peoples credit and Insurance.

    • ANSWER:
      Pissed me off too, I got so angry when Insurance companies started this but as the years have passed I now see why.

      Seems that your credit report is a good indicator of how well you pay your bills and how responsible you are thus the insurance companies can get a pretty good Idea about the type of risk you will be and if the insurance company will get paid or not, someone with good credit is given the benefit of the doubt they will pay on time and keep there policy in good standing, which to the insurance company is money in the bank that helps them forecast profit and loss much more accurately (so I'm told, and from what I've seen now believe).

      I might add that CR reports are only one of the many tools the insurance companies use to set rates.

      It's all an actuaries game really. Good luck.

20. QUESTION:
    Complicated car insurance question. Car damaged mulitple times. How should we handle this?
    My husband and I bought a beautiful gold ford escape two years ago and, since we are still making payments on it, it is fully covered by Geico. Last winter, two separate events occured:

    1. While driving down the highway, our kayak partially fell off top of our SUV and caused several dents in side and top of body before we were able to stop.

    2. We had an ice storm in our area a few months after this accident and someone hit us and didn't leave a note. It is still a mystery what happened, but we found a big puncture hole in our bumper..and we think it may have been caused from the side of the bumper from a bus or something..as we were on a busline.

    So....the damage by both accidents is cosmetic and hasn't interfered with driving the car. It just doesn't look very good. We put off doing anything about this because we couldn't afford deductible AND didn't want our rate to go up. But we are really tired of looking at the damage. Our ded is 00 too, which is more than we can afford. So..my questions are:

    1. Is it too late to file a claim?
    2. Will our rates go up...esp given so much that happened to this car in a short period of time. Doesn't look good!
    3. Is there an affordable way to handle the high deduct? Will body shops work with you on that?

    Thank you in advance!

    • ANSWER:
      It isn't too late to claim, but these are separate incidents, it would be 2 claims, and 2 deductibles, sorry.

21. QUESTION:
    Caused accident, got citation in a state not my own. How this affects insurance/points?
    I have a New Mexico Driver's License, but I was living with my dad in TX for the summer, and he got me insurance under him in Texas.

    I did an unsafe lane change the other day, and caused a T-bone accident, where my car suffered and the other car (the SUV) really didn't. Yet, I only had liability on mine, so I can't fix my car. Insurance took over and took care of that person. On top of that, since it was my fault, I got a citation for an unsafe lane change from the police (who just randomly showed up on scene).

    Now, when I went to pay that citation in court they said I couldn't take Defensive Driving course to get my driving record "clear" because I wasn't a Texas resident with a Texas License. So, instead of paying 0 + for Defensive Driving and getting everything off my record, I have to pay 0 and I'm not sure if it'll be off my record or not.

    Now, my question is, how does this affect my insurance? I know that because I caused an accident, my rates are going to go up, but are they going to contact New Mexico and get points added to my license? Cuz the court here in Texas said they don't report anything or add anything to my license/send anything to New Mexico as long as I pay the fine. They said that they'll just store it in Austin until someone asks for it. The lady also said that it's insurance that has all the records and stuff.

    So...am I going to get points added to my license? The municipal court in Texas said they won't add any, but can insurance report that to New Mexico and then will they add the points? But I called New Mexico, and they said that they won't add points if I do everything in my power to remove the points in Texas. So should I take DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE here? Would that help my (and my dad's) insurance rates in the future? But what's the benefit of that, if Texas isn't going to report it to New Mexico anyway?

    By the way, my insurance is State Farm, under my dad's in TX, and I'm 18 years old, and this is my "second" claim. Please help! I'm so confused as to what to do. I don't want to have to pay high insurance forever..

    AND OH, when people/applications ask if i've ever been fined/arrested, if I pay the fine and not the defensive driving course, do I have to report this???? THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • ANSWER:
      Now, when I went to pay that citation in court they said I couldn't take Defensive Driving course to get my driving record "clear" because I wasn't a Texas resident with a Texas License.So should I take DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE here?

      I really am not understanding this but heres my answer.IF Texas CAN take that citation off of your record for the course you take,absolutely go for it,BUT,you said it was your 2nd claim,are you refferring to the "same" incident,in N.M.?

      ?????

22. QUESTION:
    Insurance related question to a 1987 5.7L IROCZ?
    Hello I am 17 years old and have saved up enough money to buy a 1987 IROC-Z with 350TPI, 140K. Now when I purchased the vehicle a year ago I could afford to insure it but was to young to drive. I was supposed to get my G2 permit in August. I've already prepared it for the road for the but I am in Ontario and the driving strike is still going on. And to top that off, insurance companies raised their prices! I can no long afford to insure the car when spring rolls around.

    My mom made a good good...why not insure the car under HER name at a DIFFERENT insurance company, and put me as a secondary driver? That way I can enjoy the great prices and hell I bet she can have some fun driving this car. The car would not be insured itself, it will only be insured incase I hit someone and damage them. Would this affect her insurance rate at her other main company( 2 cars,house,boat)?

    Thanks!

    • ANSWER:
      It's called "fronting", and the insurance companies are wise to it. If you try it, chances are you (and mom) will be found out, and the company would probably cancel the policy, which would put you in a worse position than you're in now--young driver, hot car, canceled coverage, meaning even higher premiums than you're looking at now.

      http://www.buzzle.com/articles/car-insurance-companies-guard-against-fronting.html

      You'd be a lot wiser to skip the babe magnet for a few years and get a beater that you can pay cash for; then, when you've established (we hope!) a good driving record, go for it. If you try for the IROC now, the premiums (if you can even get coverage) will eat you alive.

23. QUESTION:
    What is the best way to legally get my car back from my ex girlfriend in another state?
    OK so this is the story. sad but true.

    About a year and a half ago my girlfriend (at the time) named Amber, and I purchased a 2005 dodge stratus from a car dealership. The car was purchased through an auto loan. On this loan I am the primary signer, and Amber is the co-signer.

    6 months later give or take, Amber and I decided to go our separate ways, ie breakup. At this time we were both living in Connecticut. Amber wanted the car, and since I didn't want two cars, we agreed that she would take the dodge stratus back to her hometown in New York. As part of this verbal agreement Amber was going to remove the loan from my name, and get the car registered and insured in New York.

    Almost a year later now. Amber has not been able to remove my name from the auto loan, and the car still remains registered and insured under my name. Payments have been repeatably late (albeit still up to date). Although I was growing increasingly more and more frustrated about this situation, I was repeatedly made the promise that soon the car would be removed from my name.

    The tipping point in this situation came two weeks ago. I received an email saying that the car's insurance had been canceled due to non-payment. So now the car is in a lapse of insurance. I tried to renew the insurance only to find out that Amber has a suspended license and they couldn't! To top off everything the very next day I found out that 0 dollars in back property taxes were due on the Dodge stratus and was forced to pay it in order to renew my own car registration.

    Needless to say, I became very frustrated with this seemingly bad situation in which I was losing three things. My credit was being hurt, I was paying out of pocket for taxes that Amber would not pay, and also fines from the DMV for being in lapse of insurance, and also possibly hurting my own insurance rating for being in lapse of insurance thus making it possibly more difficult for my car to be insured.

    I called Amber and said, "this is it, you have had more than enough time to remedy this situation you have a week to find another signer for the loan and get this car out from under me."

    Still nothing has happened, and the car is in her hometown, uninsured in my name and registered in connecticut. I have told her that I will come get the car and forget about the 0 hundred dollars out of pocket for taxes and fines that she has caused but she says that she refuses to give me the keys. If I make the 20 hour round trip to get the car I want to make damn sure that I will return with it.

    Basically my question is how do i proceed to legally obtain the keys from Amber and take the car back to Connecticut where it seemingly belongs. Who do I need to contact to get help?! Also, am i being unreasonable or is this girl being ridiculous?!

    • ANSWER:
      If you have the VIN number (should be on insurance paperwork) go to the dealer, they should be able to make a key for you, you might also need the registration to show that the car is yours....and quick trip/ to the east coast, and you have your car back.....

      I would highly suggest you remove any of her CDs/personal items from the car, and run them over on the way out.

      Also in case she calls the police or you get pulled over on the way home, make sure you have ALL of your paperwork with you.

      Once you have the car back, you may want to park it somewhere other than your house, or maybe even in storage, till you get the paperwork situation worked out

24. QUESTION:
    Are New York, Chicago, and DC the best places for a young adult to live?
    excellent public transportation- great because you dont need a designated driver and also great because you dont have to pay over the top expensive insurance rates or have to worry about the fact that stupid rental car companies dont rent to anyone under 25
    thriving nightlife- hop from one bar to the next and many times they are on the same street
    plenty of chances to flirt with some beautiful girls wherever that may be- bars, restaurants, on the street, cooking class, etc
    LA, Miami,and Atlanta do have some really beautiful girls who walk around in bikinis but seriously..you need to drive everywhere which sucks if you wanna go out and party

    • ANSWER:
      You forgot some other good cities for young people:

      L.A., Atlanta, & Miami.

25. QUESTION:
    How much is this car worth?
    Okay im interested in this 2000 BMW Z3 CONVERTIBLE yet i need to know more about it, i dont know wheter or not i can drive it in the winter, or even if its a hard top, also i dont kow how high the insurance rates will be, and how much it is actually worth?....can somebody please help me out...
    http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk290/Valenzuela0Bartee/

    here are the pictures of the one im interested in...

    • ANSWER:
      kellybluebook.com aka kbb.com but in the specs and it will give you the best price

26. QUESTION:
    Question about "insurance risks?"?
    Watching a Top Gear episode, the guys bought old Italian supercars for cheap and wanted to find out how much the insurance was... one of the quotes from James was "Journalists and Broadcasters have some of the highest rated insurance risks on the book". What does this mean exactly?? Because they are ...famous they can get their car stolen easier? I don't understand...Thanks in advance!

    • ANSWER:
      Risk factors have an effect on rates. It goes up if you're inexperienced, regardless of age, under 25, where you park at night, driving record, and many other things. One of those things is your occupation.

      A pilot flying experimental planes is a bigger risk than a bookkeeper. Also a journalist, who is going to speed to get to the story, is a higher risk.

27. QUESTION:
    Need apartment advice for Baltimore, MD area?
    My fiance and I are going apartment hunting. He needs a place by the end of April. Since we have a lot of hand-me-down furniture, we need one that has a large living room and a decent sized dining room. We also need one that doesn't cost more than maybe 0-745 tops, in a safe neighborhood in the Baltimore (preferably County) area, that wouldn't have high car insurance rates. We have looked at Owings Manor in Owings Mills. Any other suggestions? Apartment Guide book for March is already outdated for a lot. I've checked their site, but I want some noncommercial help. Thanks.

    • ANSWER:
      Cockeysville / Padonia area - lots of apartments and many of them within your price range (give or take 0).

28. QUESTION:
    Cheapest Motorcycle insurance?
    I have a job & have paid my car insurance fully each month since I was 16 it was expected of me. I also tend to pay for my motorcycle insurance I have 2 jobs & go to College. I have had 3 speeding tickets 2 in 2008 & one in 2009 2 were around 10MPH over & the 3rd was around 15ish. I have my reasons for speeding regardless drive down the interstate & find more then 3 people that don't speed..SERIOUSLY I HAD PLACES TO BE cops are prejudice. Anyway I want a 02 or newer Motorcycle & state farm is my current provider although I know that are Top Of The Line & I just want the cheapest insurance for motorcycles. I understand my rates will be higher then average but I turn 21 in a year and it can only drop. I just need some Input here. Thank you!
    Max cruise! I am simply asking for the cheapest rates although I know they will be above average. You sound so dense to me. Just give me a company with low rates or STFU
    I want the Best+Cheapest Rates &best premium. That is it. Nothing else. IDC how old you are or if you still haven't had your license revoked. I barely sped 3 times & gave that information out for informational purposes only I abide by the speed limit. Please keep your crude comments to yourself & do everybody on yahoo answers a big deal of help & answer the question then MOVE ON!

    • ANSWER:
      Get an old non sport model bike. Sport models are much higher insurance, especially with a bad driving record. Buy it outright so you do not have to get full coverage. Take a safety course for the discount it gives you on insurance. If you can, find a way to garage the bike since that is normally a discount as well.

      Then call an agent or hit the websites to get a quote. You are going to need to give them some information on the bike so you need to have an idea of what you are going to buy.

      From my experience in Colorado most of my buddies carry Geico since they came in with the lowest premium. Multi-vehicle discount or having a history with an insurance company can sometimes beat them, so make sure to call you current insurance company.

      Warning, under 21 with multiple speeding tickets means you are going to pay through the nose. You will see a small drop at 21, a bigger drop at 25, and some major drops if you slow down and let those tickets drop off your record.

29. QUESTION:
    Need advice on getting a car.?
    I am wanting to purchase a 2002 pontiac firebird T top, automatic v6 3.8 motor. Its ,990 and this will be my first car. Im 19 years old and after tax day, plan on having around ,000 for a down payment. Is that enough? Also is it possible for me to get it financed and what would the interest rate be. There is 1 vehicle on my name but its my moms car and do have car insurance.

    • ANSWER:

30. QUESTION:
    what used car should i get, needs top safety, fairly good looks, at least 5 years old, for around 5K?
    I am 16 years old and am looking for my first car. My mom very concerned about safety so i need a safe car to please her. So this means not only driver and passenger airbags, but also side air bags and a good crash test rating, BUT I do not, whatsoever, want a Volvo. And when i asked them about a civic or corolla, they think of them as being like tin cans and unsafe, but if i can show them a good safety rating then its a possibility. Now my dad is more concerned about money so it needs to be around 5K, and have a fairly good fuel economy. And he doesn't want it to bring up the insurance very much. Also, the mileage doesn't have to be perfect if its a reliable car, so under 100K would be great, and under 120-130K is acceptable. Now, for me, i want it to be a good looking car, and that's pretty much it. I was thinking more on the line of getting like a 10-15 year old Lexus, such as an es300 or a sc300. They can be pretty cheap but i wasn't able to find safety ratings, but i think in general Lexus makes a pretty safe and reliable car. So if you have any ideas of possible cars to live up to all these standards (or just most of them), which might be impossible, then thank you very much.

    • ANSWER:
      http://tcp3.com/rq27
      - here's a good website to look for real cheap quality car from government auctions!

      I bought my Honda Civic for just 50 with a milage of 5,270!
      And it's been already a year I'm riding my car and it's still doing well!

31. QUESTION:
    Buying a first car, with a family crisis.?
    I'm a college student graduating in 10 months and I was offered by my uncle a new car. I just got my license due to family issues and am ok driving, but I need more time out there so I make less mistakes. As my father is getting ill I will be responsible for doing errands now, thus me being forced into a license, thus me being 22 and having 60 hours tops driving time. For example, I turn really slowly on streets that are cramped with cars on both sides. I'm still not used to highways, I'm ok on a boulevard doing 45-60mph. All things People keep telling me I'll get used to.

    My uncle is willing to purchase a car for me that will last me a long time. he insists I get a warranty that lasts a while and something with less than 40k miles and around 2004-2006 range used. He found out the prices of Toyota and Honda models in this range and now suggests I just get a new model. He wants me to get something that's dependable and will withstand my constant need to drive long distances due to my career options in the future.

    My problem is, as a new driver I am scared to drive a new model and damage it in some way. I've called a few dealers and right now got a price on a ,700 for a 2010 Corolla LE. I also was offered a Corolla S 2005 for ,500, with 80,000 miles. 2005-2006 Corollas I keep finding for ,000-,000 with 45-32,000 miles. Because I'm a new driver the lowest insurance rate I can find is 0, applies to both the old and new Corolla. I've been looking at Honda as well, but am finding for the requirements he's asking for they're pricier with less features. He's giving me 00 and 0 a month to spend on insurance and car payments. The logic on a new car is that negotiating a price is "easier" and I can have a greater certainty that my car will be reliable and on an included warranty I don't have to pay 600-1000 for.

    Right now, I'm leaning towards an older model due to depreciation and much greater wiggle room in monthly payments. I also probably will feel less afraid of damage and theft in the used car. Right now I'm very indecisive from the amount of cars and dealerships I've looked at and visited for price quotes. The entire situation is giving me a headache and any advice anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated.

    • ANSWER:
      You present quite a dilemma!

      1) First of all, I am not sure you should let your uncle buy you a car since he is attaching so many stipulations. You also don't want it to be something he holds against you over your head for the rest of your life.

      2) I never recommend buying a new car because of depreciation and the additional cost in finance interest. Get yourself a good used Toyota. Hondas are good too but tend to cost more on the used market. Nissans can even be good. There are plenty of parts availabe out there for those brands and you can learn to do simple maintenance on your own. More importantly, these cars can go for many miles with minimal maintenance. Changing plugs, oil changes, battery servicing are all things you can do. All you need is a set of simple tools (screwdrivers, pliers, etc.), a Haynes or Chilton repair manual and time. Although I buy a lot of things at Autozone (plugs, oil), I try to use factory parts when I can. Just be sure to go online and find a place to buy parts because online dealers are usually cheaper than paying retail at your local dealter. I go to Autozone because they tend to be very informative and I really like their rewards program.

      3) Try to find a remote area, like a business office area and use it to practice your skills on weekends, holidays and evenings after rush hour. The more you practice, the better you'll get. If you can afford it, take a defensive driver course as well.

      4) For used car values, vehix.com is a good place to start.

      Good luck. You are wise to consider all these things. I think you have a good head on your shoulders and should do fine.

32. QUESTION:
    What Car should i get when I turn 16?
    Ok im turning 16 in february ( about 9-10 months) and im looking at cars to get. Here's what i picked out:
    1- MazdaSpeed3 ( or just 5-door 3 if insurance is too high)
    2- Mitsubishi Eclipse Gt ( or SE if insurance is too high)
    3- VW GTI

    These are my top 3, however I want to see others. What are some good 1st cars, with somewhat low or average insurance rates. But I don't want a snail like the honda fit.
    I was also looking at some old Chargers, and Chevelles etc. Haven't found one yet though.
    And Pontiac GTOs ( 2006) I like but those are a stretch.
    and any cars you mention have them be under 25K.
    I'm not that spoiled so im not getting any bmw 3 series or volvo s40

    • ANSWER:
      I would get an old Chevy Camaro! You would have the coolest car! Maybe put a little work into it! Thats what I would do. Hope this helps

33. QUESTION:
    Best way to get out of this car loan?
    I have a loan on a 95 BMW M3 w/170k miles on it. It is a beautiful car in very good condition ( although the mileage is high.), but the monthly payment just doesn't make sense for me. I took out .5k for the car 1.5 years ago (actually k for the car and .5k for other bills, but the car is collateral). I owe right around k. My monthly payment is 0/mo. The interest rate is 8.8%. The car is worth around -9k tops. I just had to put 00 into it for a sticker, on top of my payment. Basically, as cool as the car is, I can't afford to pay 0/mo on a 14 year old car with no warranty that I don't even drive in the winter yet have to keep full coverage on because of the lein. I can't make up the -3k difference to pay it off if I sell it privately, so that's out. I've been behind in my payments now and dealing with collections at my credit union for the past 2-3 months. I have another car that is paid for now to use now thanks to my dad. I don't want to hurt my credit any more than I have, but I just know in my job situation that I can't afford this 0/mo payment anymore, not to mention the 0/mo in insurance as opposed to the /mo my other car will be.

    I've thought of trading it in on another car, and rolling the difference into the new loan, but I just can't see that making sense,either. If I lease a new car, registration and insurance will be more expensive and the payments probably will be just as high or higher, although I will have a warranty. If I try for a cheaper used car, like -6k, I'm still without a warranty probably, and with the roll-over probably looking at owing a similar amount all over again, and not having as nice a car anyways and a higher interest rate I bet. Any ideas? (please, no sales pitches for online companies, just real advice,thanks)

    Replay to Arold-the two cars you picked are both automatics. Almost nobody wants an automatic M3. They are like automatic Miatas, worth much less than the manual version. Not to mention those two are in rough shape with rust showing in places, and terrible,tacky mods in the second one.My car is rust-free,dent-free,up to date with history,and a genuine clean car.Why would you guess my car is worth less than those two piles? Please.

    • ANSWER:
      Your credit may be in the gutter at this point. You won't qualify for a lease. Leasing requires excellent credit to be cost effective. Since you are behind on payments, your car will more than likely get repo'ed. Which means you will lose out on all the equity you. What you should have done is to keep up with the payments and sell the car privately. Take the k hit. That's not a lot of money compared to what you've done to your credit and the problems that come along with bad credit.
      Now, the best course of action right now is to contact the bank and try to pay what you owe in back-payments and sell the car privately. Ask your folks to lend you the k you will probably owe after the sale of the M3 and pay them back slowly. Continue borrowing the car your dad has given you until you can get yourself back in shape financially.
      Unfortunately, bad decision have great consequences. Bankruptcy will ruin you for years to come if you resort to that.

34. QUESTION:
    need fast help any good maths people out ther??
    Real Ace Cars requires an online system to give estimates to customers of the cost of hiring their vehicles.

    1. Vehicle types

    Grup Model, MinAge, DayRate (£), WeekRate (£),MilegRate
    1
    Fiat Seicento, 21, 10, 50, 1
    2
    Vauxhall Corsa,21,17, 100, 1
    3
    Renault Megane, 21, 20,125, 2
    4
    Vauxhall Vectra,21,26,150,2
    5
    Opel Omega,25,31,200,3
    6
    Renault Espace,25,40,250,3

    Min age is the minimum permitted age of the renter for that group of vehicle
    Rental charges are calculated on a full week + day rate. eg 10 days is charged as 1 week + 3 days

    2. Mileage Rate (£ per mile)

    Rate Code,1000 or less, 1001 - 5000, 5001 or more
    1 ,0.30 ,0.25 ,0.20
    2 , 0.40, 0.30 ,0.20
    3 , 0.45, 0.40, 0.30

    3. Insurance Rates (Top up insurance)
    Insurance cover is optional, the renter may decline to take this extra insurance

    AgeRate per day
    under 25, £1.50
    25 or over, £1.00

    4 VAT =17.5

    how is the milage rate worked out???
    how do i calculate the total price??

    • ANSWER:
      I am assuming you don't understand the mileage rate part.
      take for example Renault Meganne. Figures are 21,20,125,2
      This means
      Min age 21
      Day Rate £20
      Weekly Rate £125
      Mileage Rate 2

      Mileage rate 2 is 0.40, 0.30, 0.20
      This means
      0 to 1000 miles £0.40 (ie 40p) per mile
      1001 to 5000 miles 30p per mile
      more than 5001 miles 20p per mile.

      So for total price
      Pick car (in this case Meganne), for 1 week 5 days, 4000 miles covered, assuming you are under 25

      1 Week £125
      5 Days 5*£20=£100
      4000 miles, 1000 miles @ 40p = £400, 3000 miles @ 30p = £300
      Insurance (under 25) 9 days @ £1.50 = £13.50

      So far total 125 +100 + 400 + 300 +13.5= £938.50
      Vat @17.5% = 0.175 * 938.5 = £164.24

      Total Rental = £1102.74 (To expensive try Hertz)

      Hope this helps

35. QUESTION:
    calling all mathematics geniuses 2?
    how is the milage rate worked out and how do i calculate the total ??
    Real Ace Cars requires an online system to give estimates to customers of the cost of hiring their vehicles.

    1. Vehicle types

    Grup Model, MinAge, DayRate (£), WeekRate (£),MilegRate
    1
    Fiat Seicento, 21, 10, 50, 1
    2
    Vauxhall Corsa,21,17, 100, 1
    3
    Renault Megane, 21, 20,125, 2
    4
    Vauxhall Vectra,21,26,150,2
    5
    Opel Omega,25,31,200,3
    6
    Renault Espace,25,40,250,3

    Min age is the minimum permitted age of the renter for that group of vehicle
    Rental charges are calculated on a full week + day rate. eg 10 days is charged as 1 week + 3 days

    2. Mileage Rate (£ per mile)

    Rate Code,1000 or less, 1001 - 5000, 5001 or more
    1 ,0.30 ,0.25 ,0.20
    2 , 0.40, 0.30 ,0.20
    3 , 0.45, 0.40, 0.30

    3. Insurance Rates (Top up insurance)
    Insurance cover is optional, the renter may decline to take this extra insurance

    AgeRate per day
    under 25, £1.50
    25 or over, £1.00

    4 VAT =17.5

    • ANSWER:
      Drive thirty miles. Divide that by how many gallons of gas you used.

36. QUESTION:
    what do you think about the new 2010 ford car features?
    What do you think about the new features,
    Do you think its better, worse, ??????

    DETROIT - So you think junior is a little too lead-footed when he drives the family car? Starting next year, Ford Motor Co. will give you the power to do something about it.

    The company will roll out a new feature on many 2010 models that can limit teen drivers to 80 mph, using a computer chip in the key.

    Parents also have the option of programming the teen's key to limit the audio system's volume, and to sound continuous alerts if the driver doesn't wear a seat belt.

    "Our message to parents is, hey, we are providing you some conditions to give your new drivers that may allow you to feel a little more comfortable in giving them the car more often," said Jim Buczkowski, Ford's director of electronic and electrical systems engineering.

    The feature, called "MyKey," will be standard on an unspecified number of Ford models when the 2010 cars and trucks come out late next summer. The feature will spread to the entire Ford, Lincoln and Mercury lineup as models are updated, spokesman Wes Sherwood said.

    Ford arrived at the 80 mph limit even though freeway speed limits are lower in most states because it wanted to leave a margin in case an unusual situation arises, Buczkowski said. In some states, freeway speed limits are above 70 mph, Sherwood said.

    "Just lopping it off at exactly 70 mph was felt to be too limiting," Buczkowski said.

    The company already uses computer chips in its keys to prevent thefts. The car won't start unless it recognizes the chip in the key.

    "It's making use of existing technology, and through the magic of software, we're able to build features on top of the features we already have," Buczkowski said.

    In addition to speed limits, MyKey also will limit the volume of the audio system, and it will sound a six-second chime every minute if seat belts are not fastened. The chime sounds for adult drivers, too, but ends after five minutes to avoid annoying adults who adamantly don't want to wear seat belts, Buczkowski said.

    Parents also have the option of having the car sound a chime if the teen exceeds 45, 55 or 65 mph.

    The feature will debut on the 2010 Focus compact car and quickly move to other company models as a standard feature, the company said.

    Ford said its market research shows 75 percent of parents like the speed and audio limits, but as you might expect, 67 percent of teens don't like them.

    Danisha Williams, a 16-year-old senior at Southfield-Lathrup High School in suburban Detroit, said she's against the idea.

    "I wouldn't want my parents to have that much control over how I'm driving," she said. "If your parents are holding your hand, you're never going to learn."

    Brittany Hawthorne, 17, another Southfield-Lathrup senior, said there may be emergency situations where she'd have to drive more than 80, possibly to accelerate to avoid a crash.

    Ford's research shows that parents would be more likely to let teens use their vehicles with the system, Sherwood said, and if it gets them the car more often, the number of teens objecting drops by nearly half.

    A top official from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group funded by the auto insurance industry that is pushing to raise the minimum driving age to 17 or 18, found the key intriguing and said she was not aware of any other manufacturer offering such a feature. IIHS says car crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers.

    "Research we've done has shown that speeding is a major factor in teen crashes, especially novice teen drivers," said Anne McCartt, the institute's senior vice president for research. "So I think a system that tries to correct the speeding behavior has the potential to improve safety."

    More than 5,000 U.S. teens die each year in car crashes. The rate of crashes, fatal and nonfatal, per mile driven for 16-year-old drivers is almost 10 times the rate for drivers ages 30 to 59, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

    Several U.S. auto insurers have begun offering in-car cameras or global positioning equipment to help parents monitor their teens' driving behavior, in the hope of reducing the number of crashes.

    • ANSWER:
      I belive what Fords doing is great. And the features are very cool with a tunable speed limiter and audio limiter. thats a parents dream which might boost sales. All this besides the rest of the new AWSOME features like the aluminum ball shifter and new engines.o man the new stang will be great. But besides te new stang. Ford is starting to finally realize what will sell and improving safty is a GREAT start.

37. QUESTION:
    Should I report my accident to the police?
    I was going to make a left turn on a 3-way stop when the driver on the right lane just goes into mine and he dents my car near the top right of the hood. He just pulled away and went in front of me to make the left turn. When the light turned green we both made the turn, then he turned right into one street, and I kept going straight. I don't know if he stopped, but I was too scared to do so, because it was around 11 at night on the 4th of July. Should I report it? My brother keeps telling me not to because nothing really happened to the car and my insurance rates will go up. I just don't want the other driver to have written down my license plate number and report it as a hit and run. What should I do?

    • ANSWER:
      You should report it. If this occurred in California, you committed a hit-and-run by not stopping and exchaning the information following the collision. If you were scared to contact the other driver, then you could have called the police and asked them to take a report or facilitate the information exchange. If the other party reports the collision to his insurance, he'll probably say you hit his car and your insurance will go after you. It's best for you to come forward, even though the damage was minor, and make a collision report with the jurisdiction where the collision occurred. Your voluntariness to come forward will mitigate any hit-and-run charge pending against you.

38. QUESTION:
    Road Tax 2009 is to double in price?????
    Just seen on the news that next year, 2009, Road Tax will increase from £215 to £430, not only have the Government ignored requests to scrap it because of increasing congestion charges, but now it seems they are spitting in the faces of all road users by doubling the cost.
    All this on top of the rises in Fuel will cripple most road users in the country who already have to deal with increases in:
    Gas
    Electricity
    Water
    Food
    Council Tax
    Income Tax
    National Insurance
    Car Insurance
    Interest Rates

    Something has got to give soon, as average wages are far too low to cope with all these increases, and as usual the poor get poorer.
    It sickens me to read about MP's getting all their expenses paid for everything from paper clips to second Homes on TAX PAYERS MONEY.
    I say SACK THEM ALL, after all we pay their wages.
    Minty, it may well lead to that before long, we need to make a stand.
    Nicola is correct, Britain is a Rip Off to its own people.
    Pedro - not just them, but everyone who works in politics and government.
    Kui Jai - what are your ideas? it's not against the law to 'think'

    • ANSWER:
      i think everyone should have a HUGE strike and protest .

      the goverment have gone over the top these days i think they should all f**K off

39. QUESTION:
    If you own or owned a Acura RSX Type S....?
    So im thinking about buying an RSX Type S (year 2002. maybe 2003 if im lucky) Im trying to buy one for about 00-00 with less or around 100,000 miles and i have some questions for owners or people that owned an RSX TYPE S...
    1) Rate the car from 1-10
    2) Was the fuel economy good?
    3) Insurance rates?
    4) Was this car better or worse than other cars you've owned?
    5) Where the Bose speakers good quality and did you change the head unit?
    6) Was the 6 Speed good for the car like acceleration wise and top speed wise?
    7) Was it convertible in the front seats (i dont care about the back)?
    Did you keep it stock or did you mod it?
    Convertible = Comfortable

    • ANSWER:
      1) Rate the car from 1-10
      10 hands down the K20A motor will forever be a staple in honda motor history, easy to mod naturally aspirated or forced induction. Great ECU management. Great compression.

      2) Was the fuel economy good?
      8 of 10 depending on what you want to do with it, and what your comparing it to, like a Prius or something.

      3) Insurance rates?
      uhhg. That'ss the downfall, they seem to cost a little money in the insurance area.

      4) Was this car better or worse than other cars you've owned?
      Best car I have ever owned. Bought it new in 2002 still have it. Currently have 5 cars 1 truck.

      5) Where the Bose speakers good quality and did you change the head unit?
      The Bose head unit is a joke. You will have to change it. I changed mine. I was and still am a huge Bose fan, but theyembarrassedd themselves when they made the RSX system.

      6) Was the 6 Speed good for the car like acceleration wise and top speed wise?
      Wouldn't have it any other way. Gives you a very wide range choice of downshift options when racing from a roll, or accelerating through country curves. And the engine redlines at rediculous rpms. Try Hondata ECU, valve springs and retainers. You can take the rpm all the way up to 9 grand.

      7) Was it convertible in the front seats (i dont care about the back)?
      The RSX leather stock racing seats are again, one of the most desired honda parts by other honda owners. They are very comfortable, and can still accept harness style belts if you plan to race it in or under the 13 second time frame.

      Did you keep it stock or did you mod it?
      Heavy modded from day one. Showed 4 Hot Import Nights shows. One Nopi. Won Nopi best JDM-OEM conversion.

40. QUESTION:
    Fix Or Buy?
    I have a question about contiuing fixing a car or buying another car. I currently have a 1989 Pontiac Firebird V6 2.8L 5-Spd Manual T-Tops and Trans Am Ground Effects. The car needs a new rear end. Weld sheet metal in the floor theres a spot that has rotted through. New paint and new tires . It has 166,239 miles on it. My friend might buy a 1988 Trans Am and i would pay him 200 dollars and could take a new rear from that car plus a couple more parts and his uncle would help me install it for extremly cheap.We replaced a battery, water pump on it already. It dosen't have an good inspection sticker on it. Or i could sell that car and buy a 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT SL 5-Spd 141,000 miles for 5,995. I would have to finace it after putting a down payment on it. What would be better in the long run. I have school coming uo and make about 234 a week with only car insurance to pay for. What would insurance rates be like on this kinda of car. I'm 19 been driving for 1 year, with no accidents.

    • ANSWER:
      Insurance will probably be the same. The Mitsu will be a little better on gas. However, you already know what's wrong with the Firebird, The 3000GT is just a whole new set of questions. Plus, parts are cheaper for the Firebird and it's paid for. I would prefer to have a 3000GT but in your case you may be better staying with what you've got for now.

41. QUESTION:
    Dental Assistance?
    I need help finding the funding to pay for my husband's dental work. We took him for his very first ever dental visit. He is twenty three and his mother never took him to the dentist. Even with dental insurance, they will only cover up to 0 worth of work, we were quoted for ,000 worth of work. I am only twenty one and work at walmart. He works part time at the theatre. We have a new car and with insurance rates at our age a very expensive policy. Top that off with our other bills....well you get the point. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how we can get some assistance paying for this work. I can't afford a loan for it and we have been denied through several credit lenders. PLEASE HELP!!

    • ANSWER:
      Find out if you have a dental college around your area. They go off your income and you may be able to get most of the work for free. The work will take longer because they are students,, but all perfectly capable and they have certified dentist with them at all times so nothing will go wrong.

      Good luck.

42. QUESTION:
    Need Help.I just bought a used car that I am not happy with. Got overcharged and bad interest rate. ?
    I just bought a used car that I am not happy with. Got overcharged and bad interest rate. I jumped the gun and did it too quck. I had a car that the power steering neeed fixed, cracked windshield, trunk held down by bungee cords, and was a gas guzzler. Driving that car made me depressed. So i went to look at cars and the very first one that i test drove, i bought. A 2002 nissan sentra with 84,500 miles for ,300. Bad choice. For the moment i felt good. The following week I scraped my 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis. Now I look back and ask myself everyday why did i buy a new used car. Bought it on August 8th. All I had to do was fix the stuff on my other car. Runs through my mind every day. Can not even sleep through the night. Affecting my relationhip with my two kids who I have shared parenting of. A daughter who is 8 and a son who is 5. Also affecting my job, fallen behind on stuff. I keep thinking that if i would of just fxed one thing at a time on my other car i would of been ok. Now i have to pay 250 a month for 4 years for a car i dont even like. I know now that the only reason i bought it was because it had power steering and no cracked windshield. I know i can not turn back time. The mercury had 111,000 miles on it so im thinking stuff is gonna go wrong with it. Always started for me. Thats why people get a new car because of stuff going wrong the engine. I knew my car. This one i dont and it has 84,500 miles on it. So all i keep thinking is what is going to go wrong with this one. I cant live with myself each day because of this very bad decision i made. I have fallen into a very bad depression. I keep thinking each day i am going to lose my job and then my kids. Then they will repo the car i dont even like driving. I need help. If i knew I was going to feel this way i would of never bought the car. I dont know what to do in this situation. I cant return my car or get my old car back. I keep thinking of how much better i would feel if i would of kept my Mercury and fixed the stuff on it. To top it all off this Nissan isnt even getting good gas mileage. I was so gullable when i went looking at cars that day. First car I drove and bought it 4 hours later. Got suckered by the salesman and finance guy. Didnt tell me 3 places turned me down. Then i had to take this insurance on the car called gap for 500.00. Sucker. Now i know why the other three places turned me down is because the dealership wanted too much money for this 2002 used car. It was a Cheverlot dealer I can not even think straight during the day. At night i will sleep for 3 hours, then toss and turn for 4 and just keep thinking about what i did. I need help. Please call me at 330-881-2473 to help or direct me to the right organization. I made the biggest mistake of my life. There is is much more that started this, but somebody please help. I dont know what else to do. I have fallen behind at work . This is not like me at all. I can just see my job flushing down the toilet. I need help. I am at the end of my rope. Yes, i do need some financial assistance. I do want to lose my kids. Will somebody out there please call me. I just need another chance to do it the right way. I have worked hard my whole life of 39 years and have never needed help from anyone. I need some now, please. I used to be a people person at work, now i shy away from them. I was not in no position in my life to buy a used car. After it is all said and done this car with 85,000 miles on it will cost me 10,500, unreal. I am so mad at myself. I need a miracle. I have even thought of losing job and losing everything. I have fallen into a major depression and dont know what else to do. I have withdrawn myself from society.

    • ANSWER:
      Ok... hold on... breathe. Relax. This is not the end of the world. You are not going to lose your job or your kids over this car. It's a car. Nothing more.

      First, about the car. According to KBB.com the value of your Sentra (if you have the base version) is about 00. So, you actually got a good price on the car. If you got a higher trim model , like the GXE, you're even in better shape.

      Second, gap insurance protects YOU. Basically, it's insurance that covers the difference in value of the car, and the loan. If your loan is for 00, and your car is worth 00, if you get into an accident, the gap insurance will cover the 00 difference. You NEED that.

      Third. Look at this realistically. Yes, your mercury was a good car. But you've sold it. The sentra is also a good car, and it should be getting good mileage. If it isn't, then it might just need a minor tune up.

      I've been in your exact same situation. I've thought to myself "Why don't I just total the car and then the insurance will pay off the loan and I can be rid of this thing." But that's not the answer. Sit down with a pen and paper and do a budget, comparing what it would have cost to keep your mercury vs the new sentra. Include cost of gas for the mercury vs the sentra, the cost of repairs to the mercury. I think if you do that you'll see that they will work out to be almost identical in cost. Besides, that mercury, though it was good now, was probably going to need major repairs soon because 111000 miles is a lot on a Ford product. I think once you see it down on paper it will sink in that the decision to get the Sentra was infact a good one. You won't be financially behind... and you may just be ahead on this. Consider this, with the credit crisis, it will be very hard to get car loans in the future, even harder than now. So, when that mercury finally tanked, you might never be able to get a loan and then you'd have been truely screwed. You may have gotten in before the door closed entirely.

      Good luck.

43. QUESTION:
    Auto Insurance Comprehensible Claim?
    I recently washed my car and noticed 2 dents in the side of it, top part of my fender and the other is in on the rear passenger door. If I file a comprehensible claim with my insurance provider ( Direct ) will they raise my rates?

    • ANSWER:
      I believe they do go up a little, and it might not be worth it for you if you have a deductable. If the cost to fix the dents is 500 and you have a 500 or 1000 dollar deductable your going to pay for the entire thing anyways. If it costs you 700 to fix and you have a 500 deductable, sure it will save you the 200 bucks but after your rates increase it wont be worth it.

      There are places that you can get dents removed from a car without having to paint or replace the body part. That might be a cheaper option for you.

44. QUESTION:
    Do you tip food delivery drivers? How much?
    I visited a website: www.tipthepizzaguy.com who says that drivers pay their own gas, car repair and have to purchase special car insurance, too. On top of that, they say that AAA says it costs 49 cents per mile to legally operate most vehicles (gas, minimum insurance, devaluation for mileage/age, and wear/tear repair costs) and that delivery drivers are the #3 on the lost of employees most likely to be murdered on the job, #8 of jobs with the highest fatality rates.... how do you really correctly tip for that? Not to mention speed, politeness, etc?

    • ANSWER:
      I know it is not an easy job and I always tip them well. I would say at least 15%.

      What you say is not necessarily true...some drivers do get some compensation for gas. I have never known one to have other than normal insurance. The biggest cost is the wear and tear on the cars...a driver can go through a car or two a year as they typically are buying cheaper cars and running them into the ground.

      I worked in the restaurant business for a few years and I have done a delivery or two myself. It is amazing how cheap some people are...a bill will be 19.95...the person will hand you a and have their hand out looking for their nickel.

45. QUESTION:
    Is anyone who wants to receive an education a socialist?
    It seems like conservatives are downplaying the importance of education (and have been over the past 50 years as they've shown with their willingness to cut funding for more important things like war). Anyone who goes to college is just being brainwashed by communists (again, according to conservatives) and that you learn about real life by going out and doing it, not by going to some fancy elitist school.

    To the people who say this, have you been to college? It's no picnic by any means. It requires going through hell (especially for those who work full-time, go to school full-time, and do research), not making any money at all while being more stressed out than anyone who hasn't gone to college (and actually applied themselves) could imagine, and being charged more for things just because of our age (car insurance and interest rates a prime example).

    Until you've been through it (without having your parents make sure you were satisfied and taken care of every step of the way) I suggest you stop putting down those who are working hard for their education in hopes to make this country a better place. The fact we have devalued education so much over the past 50 years should really show you all that we're not headed in the right direction.

    Our founding fathers knew how important education was and made sure to make it a top priority. How is wanting to have an intelligent citizenry 'elitist' and 'socialist'?
    Hope and Change, I have two younger cousins who went to what was considered one of the best private schools in Orlando, FL. In third grade, when my uncle looked into switching them to public school, it was found they were two years behind (again, by the third grade). They had to take Sylvan Learning Center courses to catch up to those 'liberal' public education system students.

    • ANSWER:
      Yes, they also think you're a socialist if you have all of your teeth.

46. QUESTION:
    The price for my first car doesn't seem right, is it?
    Alright so I have always likes camaros, mainly because of the thought that it is possible to get a fast car for cheap.

    You may say "yeah right" but I have been looking into the 2000 Camaro Z28 and thought that was a great pick. I rescently was researching with quotes and if there wasn't an error the SS had similar insurance costs. My mom called Allstate, and when I am added as a driver the Z28 would only cost 5 per month to cover everything but my car's repairs in a wreck.

    To break it down, a 2000 Camaro SS T-top is my choice for a first car, and I know that's pretty picky. I am aware that they are expensive to repair, and around k to buy, which is a ton for a first car, or maybe you have some serious patience. But I have found a few reliable ones in great condition that were just being sold because sellers were having a kid, and the car was around or k.

    When I turn 18, I will have at least 7.5k, with the help of a summers work of 00 for part time when I was 15, and a full time minimum wage for two more summers, and yes I did the math with taxes taken out, but i may get a full time job that is more than minimum wage.

    So let's say I get k. I would find a k car, and since I live somewhere that nobody has heard of and is under rated, I will set aside 1k for shipping, which should be enough because my moms jeep was shipped from Florida to Oregon for a little over 0. So as you can tell this is a big priority and I have been (in my opinion realistically) planning and researching for a long time, price vs year, engine, submodels, features, reliability, ect. And it seems possible, but just doesn't seem right. It looks like it should be super expensive, and I rarely see an SS I've seen two this whole year. I am NOT a debt person, I will always wait unless in emergencies, so 5 per month is livable for me because I don't spend much money. But it just doesn't seem right, but I may have just planned more thorough and longer than others for the car.

    • ANSWER:
      Trev I always wanted an SS Z-28 myself. When I finally got to the point where I could afford one, I had troubles. Usually they fell into two categories. The first was a high miles completely beaten into the ground type with a nice body. Found a few of these that were cheap, fast, but needed tires and engine repairs. The second was the completly mint condition, original owner, babied from day one type. These required no work but costed about 5k more. I was hoping to find a happy medium around 10k, but never could. Typically owners of these cars take great care of them or beat them into the ground showing off. As your very first car, Id say get a Monte Carlo or a V-6 Camaro. They are much cheaper, and a Z-28 is entirely too much engine for 18yo noobs. You dont ever want to go all in on a car. In a year or 2, youll have more cash. Thats when you should take a look back to the faster version. I still have my eye out for the Anniversary Edition white and orange stripes one. Those cars are so fun. Make sure you get a 6 speed when you do take the plunge. Peace.

47. QUESTION:
    Me and my wife are having problems?
    She is mad at me because I didn't let our son borrow my 2009 Mercedes-Benz CL550 4MATIC. It's a luxury grand tourer/luxury sports car and it's a very expensive and a pretty fast (429 horsepower, 0-60 in 4.8 seconds) car. She wanted me to let him borrow it because he was going out with this girl and he thinks she is the one and so does my wife. He is only 15, any girl will seem like she is the one. I thought my first girlfriend was the one...that relationship lasted for only three months. They only have been dating for two months. Plus if she is the one she shouldn't care what kind of car he drives.

    It's a very dangerous car for a teenager. Even I get tempted to speed when I'm driving it. I try hard to keep myself from speeding and I had the car for two years. He drives while texting right in front of me. If he is not texting, he checks out the girls instead of paying attention to the road. There is a 99% chance that he will crash it. And than we will have to deal with him being in the hospital, the legal issues that come with injuring the passenger, and I will be very pissed because my son is in the hospital and my insurance rate will sky rocket.

    So what I did is I left the car with my dad. He has 2 Mercedes-Benz, I figured mine would be safe there and it was. I left the car with my dad and a friend of mine gave me a ride home. I told my wife and son that the car broke down so I took it to the shop. Which is a believable lie, Benzs do break down a lot. They are like a high maintenance girlfriend, my wife has a BMW she knows how German cars are.

    Everything was fine until my mom called and my wife answered. She asked why my Benz was in their garage. My wife has been mad at me ever since (this happened on Friday). I talked to her about how this was a bad idea but she did not listen. I had to save our son and my car. Top 3 things in my life are family, cars and sports. I'm trying to buy a yacht, I don't need bunch of hospital bills, lawyer bills and higher insurance bill.

    I don't know what the big deal is. My dad had a Benz when I was 15 but he never let me borrow it. The only time he let me drive it was when he was sick and he needed to go to the hospital. My car was broken and I was the only one who was with it, so he let me take him to the hospital in his Benz. It was a emergency. At least he got to borrow his mom's 2010 BMW 328 xDrive Sport Wagon. I know station wagons are lame but it's better than what my mom had when I was 15. She had a lame Chevrolet station wagon and that was the only one I was allowed to borrow. I went to college, graduated and got my own Mercedes-Benz.

    • ANSWER:

48. QUESTION:
    im PCSing from overseas to the US. how is my BAH figured out?
    I just about finished serving 3 years overseas and am PCSing back to the US. I got married while i wwas stationed over here but we decided to keep on rocking with the long distance relationship. My wife stayed in college and we could finally afford to start saving a little to afford her apartment in Orlando, FL. Its a big pain in the ass but with the money from BAH, it helped out a lot.

    Now i hear when I go to the US we will get BAH for the rate of my next duty station, which is much lower than what we are currently getting. With losing COLA on top of a lot of BAH, I also heard if the barracks fills up, they can kick out all the married people and make them use their BAH to get housing quarters off base. So, on top of buying a car, insurance and a cell phone, I have this huge pay cut and I still gotta pay for my wife's college? I will either have to get a 2nd job or pull my wife out of college because I'm not stationed overseas anymore. Can someone explain hhow this makes sense, because im in the military for money, not to get s hard on serving my country.
    Contrary to anyones thoughts of how much i know about the military, I am PCSing for the 1st time. I had no clue that BAH changed when you went back to the US, and im aware the militsry isnt mmade of money, but I guess i have to mention the fact that I havent been in for 20 years. This wouldn't be a question on yahoo answers if i knew about it years ago. I would prefer, in the future, to get advice from someone in similar situations. I don't go in the car section and blow people up for not knowing as much as me. I guess, maybe people post questions on yahoo answers to try to grt answers to their questions and concerns. But I dont know for sure.

    • ANSWER:
      First of all, its your second PCS since you didn't go tto AIT/Tech School or whatever overseas. You PCS'd there. Second, if you joined the military for money, you were pretty shortsighted. There is no "advice" to be given other than to adjust your spending to continue to survive.

      For example, you mentioned getting a second job. Its not unheard of. I had TWO second jobs at the same time to pay for some things back when I was an E-5. That was a sacrifice I chose to make to have what I wanted. It is not the military's business to support your lifestyle. It is your business to live within your means and know what those are AT ALL TIMES. You should be reading your LES every 2 weeks and know exactly what your pay and allowances are and why you are getting them. The pay you get is extremely fair. As others have pointed out, you are not getting a pay cut. You are getting a cut in allowances.

      BTW, the barracks are for SINGLE folks. It was never designed to support a situation like yours. It also prevents people from having "shadow spouses"...people who get married on paper just to receive the allowances. I know this isn't the case with you, but it happens. Generally, you can get away with it for about 3 years and then the fertilizer will hit the fan. You are assuming that they will let you live in the barracks in the first place...probably not. They expect your wife to join you.

      I have a good friend that this happened to some years back...forced to return to the US after 5 years overseas and wife never joined him. This was because she has a very high paying solid job and didn't want to give that up. That was fortunate as they had to pay for two households on both coasts. What I am saying is, the military did not force your situation. By your own statements, you decided your current arrangement.

      Why can't your wife get student loans, Pell Grants, or other financial help with college. Why are you footing the entire bill? After all, its HER education. Additionally, on some installations, there are programs to help with spouse education. Also, your wife could transfer to another college at your duty station or take classes online, depending on what her field is. There are always alternatives.

      Final bit of advice (or question), what does your wife intend to do with her degree? Once she is done will she be starting a career? Where? The military expects you to be a couple and she will pretty much have to go where you go. Do you intend to get out so she can follow her dream? Have you thought about that?

49. QUESTION:
    Car Finance - Complicated Problem - Please Help!?
    I'm a named driver on my fiances insurance and a couple of weeks ago I crashed the car (diesel & oil on road) and we've just been told car is a write off. We will probably only get £2k if that off ins co and have outstanding finance which I doubt that will even cover.

    I think we HAVE to give finance company whatever we get from ins co and then pay off rest of debt (finance company is First Response).

    This will leave us with no money and no car and paying a debt for something we haven't got!

    My partner and I both work odd hours in awkward locations and have two small children so a car is a necessity.

    On top of all this we have a very bad credit rating - what can we do about getting another car?
    Insurance is fully comprehensive. Unfortunately huge gap between what ins co will pay out and what's outstanding on finance - guess that's why they tell you to buy GAP insurance but we didn't this time.
    We have a secured loan with Welcome Finance and they said they'd love to help but there's a limit to how much you can borrow on their combined products so no luck there.

    • ANSWER:
      I'm so sorry you had your car written off. insurance companies never pay the full price of a vehicle when its a rite off. if you cant afford the finance phone them and see if they can lower your payments next time go fully comp x

50. QUESTION:
    Would you find healthcare reform like this acceptable?
    The major problem with healthcare insurance is people cannot afford it.If you are a low wage earner, it can take 1/2 your weekly check ( take home) or even more. I support healthcare reform of some kind. I am not a huge fan of Obama's healthcare but it is at least something.

    However, i think it needs a different approach. Well i was thinking about when you buy car insurance and its required in your state. Each insurance company has a basic policy that meets the state minimum. So first lets set up three tiers of insurance ( for this):
    1) low tier: very basic coverage, higher copay, low max limits and cheap. This insurance will take care of most basic healthcare need in a year. Minor hospital visits that are one time visits such as sprains, most non serious infections, etc. as well as normal doctor visits.

    2 ) middle tier: better coverage . slightly lower copay, slightly higher limits, slightly more expensive. This insurance will cover more than just the basics. Allowing for treatment of more severe ailments to be covered but still nothing major can be done on this plan without going over the max.

    3) Top tier:best coverage, slightly lower copay, higher limits, more expensive but still cheaper than commercial insurance. Not as good as private( commercial coverage).

    So borrowing from Obama's plan and creating insurance pools but they have to meet the above requirements( like required car insurance) here is how this works:

    *The govt sets the rates on the insurance tiers. This is the max allowed to be charged. The insurance companies supply basic insurance at lower rates and get a bunch of new customers.

    * People who sign up for healthcare and keep a policy in effect for the full year get a 50% tax deduction for the first 2 years. 25% for the next 2. This is limited to the first 4 years after the program takes effect.

    * Insurance companies get a 10%-25%( somewhere in that range) tax break on insurance policies that are through the govt program. This helps lower their cost and give them an incentive to run the govt programs.

    * Medicaid/Medicare taxes are increased slightly to offset the govt burden for the program.

    * A commission is setup to make sure hospitals and doctors are not price gouging or overcharging. Healthcare professionals should make money but charging 0,000 for a surgery that only cost 0,000 is price gouging. Insurance companies, as it is now, pay about 1/2- 3/4 what a cash payer pays for services.

    The effect this will have:

    * A lot more people will be able to get healthcare insurance and no one will be "forced" to have it.

    * People on plans they really cant afford now but would like or need at least basic coverage could drop down to the govt program.

    * More people would have at least basic coverage. This would cover the cost on a lot of minor hospital visits most of them not necessary. Freeing up ERs and reducing cost for hospitals. While increasing doctor visits. People would be in better health, Hospitals would have less cost and better treatment for patients who need it, and Doctors would have more patients.

    *Medicare tax would go up on all incomes but more healthcare cost should go down. The tax burden on the public for this should become less over time. Thus the higher medicare tax rate could be adjusted( lowered) later.

    Granted its just a rough draft but this is basic idea. It may also need an income cap on it.

    So would you find an insurance program like this acceptable?

    • ANSWER:
      The problem comes when someone who can't afford anything beyond the low tier gets cancer and exhausts his coverage. He then goes to the emergency room and gets treated (badly). These costs are then passed to those with insurance, or to the taxpayer.

      We need to get every American into the health insurance pool. The money you pay in when you are in your 20's and 30's pay for the care you will need after age 50. In the event you get cancer at age 20, you are covered. Right now, people in their 20's can chance going without insurance, and pick it up when they are older and more likely to get sick. That is the worst possible scenario.

      The current system of employer provided insurance is terrible. No one knows how much their insurance is worth. There is no incentive to save money, other than co-payments. There is no incentive for doctors, hospitals, or drug companies to be competitive on price. Then you lose your job and your insurance is gone, and any preexisting condition means you can forget buying an individual policy.

      We might be better off giving people medical savings accounts to pay for routine care like checkups or visits for the flu. These could be subsidized for the poor. The money you didn't spend in one year would carry over into the next. Think of it as car insurance. You don't put in an insurance claim to get an oil change in your car. You also would probably go to the oil change shop that had a lower advertised price. You would have the same incentive to shop for doctor's costs, treatment costs, etc., as you do for your car. Everyone would then pay into a separate plan that would kick in if you get a major illness or chronic condition, or if your spending went above a set percentage of your income.