Re: Insurance Cost

["Robert Rooney" <dmcvegas@xxxx>]

No matter what type of vehicle you try to insure, you can always have 
problems. Recently there have been postings by both Steve Bunnell in 
Colorado who is attempting to insure the car he already owns, and by 
John S. who is looking to insure a car, but doesn't own one yet. I 
understand to a degree where John is at because I'm the same age. But 
remember, your rates & results may vary depending upon both your 
insurance agent, city, and mostly your driving record. For John 
specificly, look for a D that is for sale, and use it's VIN to get 
your quote. Below is the response that I sent to Steve, but I'll also 
add the following revisions; 1. Never, EVER plead guilty to ANY 
trafic voilation! If you get a speeding ticket, or even if you're 
involved in a traffic accident which is clearly your fault, and you 
know it! ALWAYS pleade "Nolo Contendre." 2. I realized that there is 
a small snag when using the technique to avoid the "Sports Car 
labeling." The insurance letter from DMC Houston states "DeLorean 
Sports Car." If your agent catches this, the strategy may be defeated 
(unless of course a new letter could be provided with new wording). 
If you have any questions about anything here, just email me, & I'll 
see what I can do to help out!

-Robert
vin 6585
__________________________________
I don't know if Progressive insurance company is availible in your 
area or not, but I have been told that they are able to provide 
insurace for the DeLorean. Although, we did have some difficulty with 
them insuring vehicles in the past. Nothing classic or exotic, just 
average cars that they gave us trouble with. And we have never filed 
any type of claim. Currently our DeLorean is insured by Farmers 
Insurance (not to be confused w/State Farm). Rates for our car are 
$1,500 every six months w/a $500 deducable. This also includes 
$100/300K coverage, and the vehicle is valued @ $28,000 replacement 
value. Little things that you might ask about are windshield buy-back 
option. If the windshield on our D needs replacement because it's 
cracked, broken, or anything like that. It'll only cost us $150 out 
of pocket to get it replaced, because the insurance co. buys the 
glass back. And of course ask about anti-theft devices, good driver, 
and/or defensive driver discounts. Getting your vehicle insured will 
also depend alot on your insurance agent. A good agent should go out 
of their way to help you. We had a somewhat simular issue w/Farmers. 
When the VIN was entered into the system to add the DeLorean onto our 
policy, the computer rejected it. The make of the car (not the 
individual car itself) shows that it was 1. A "gray market" vehicle; 
2. A high performace car not elegeble for daily driving, or my age 
(under 25); 3. Parts availability. From previous talks, my insurance 
agent already knew the basic points of my car, and why it didn't fall 
into any of these categories. She contacted Farmers via email & phone 
calls, and got them to insure the car as a regular 1981 vehicle. Not 
insuring the car just because of the stainless panels doesn't make 
too much sense. It sounds more like the company just wants out of the 
deal. Remember, State Farm can still insure your car, it's just that 
they've chosen not to. Go to DMC Houston's website, and download the 
insurance letter there. This will help you greatly if an agent 
attempts to cower out of a deal by making a "parts & reapair 
availability" excuse. With the letter, you can call their bluff 2 
ways: 1. you have the letter; 2. the letter has a contact phone # so 
that the agent can talk w/DMC directly! Like I said before, a great 
deal will depend upon the agent themselves. Before you walk into the 
insurance office, bring with you the proper documents, and be 
prepared to to give a "crash-course" education to the person behind 
the desk! To also help you out, do this: When registering the car @ 
the DMV, alot of people have no clue about the car, use this to your 
advantage! If they ask you about what type of car it is, say "2-door 
coupe", rather than anything that might point to "sports car". While 
this may not live up to the image of the car, it can lower your 
insurance rates! When in insuring the car, the agent may wish to get 
a higher rate from you by lableing the car as either "GT", "High 
Performace", or "Sports Car." Cure all of this by doing the 
following: The model of the car is "DMC-12." Nowhere in this title 
does it say "GT." Bring documents with you such as articles, or even 
the owners manual. With these you can prove that your car is not 
a "High Performance" machine by showing that you only have a 130 
horsepower engine! "Sports Car" is always the hardest to get by. But, 
if when you registered the car you had it registered as a "2-door 
coupe", you now have official documentation proving that the car is 
in fact NOT a sports car, it's a coupe! Although somethings may 
differ for you, none the less, give them all a shot. My insurance 
rates are VERY high because of the area I live in: 21 y/o male, no 
accidents or traffic violations, non-smoker, non drinker, but: Las 
Vegas, NV. 24/7 avalibilty of free alcohol, high tourist flow (40 
million + a year people drive though here a year, or jay-walk across 
the street. And NONE of them are familiar w/the roads here), 5th 
highest city in the US plagued w/road rage, 3rd worst roads in the 
nation, and 5,000+ people moving here a MONTH congesting roads worse 
every day. On my 22nd birth day, my rates should go down considerably 
(high rate of DUI convictions here, especialy @ the leagal drinking 
age). My insurance company's attitude is it's not me, it's everyone 
else out on the road. But remember, if you do get a speeding ticket, 
ALWAYS opt for traffic school, and plead "Nolo Contendre." When 
seeking insurance, start the conversation out like, "I'm looking for 
insurance, I've got a clean record, any discounts you can offer me, 
and what can YOU do for me, etc..." If unsure about the agent, trying 
keeping the DeLorean hidden untill last. If you have another car or 
motorcycle to insure, ask about taking out a policy in it first. 
After this has been done, then move onto the DeLorean, hit them with 
it so they don't see it coming. By this point, they can tell that you 
are a serious customer, and you've already got them baited w/a 
policy, but you can still walk out. Remember, this person is there to 
work for you, NOT the other way around! Still no luck, bypass the 
agent and contact the Insurance Company directly. If you have any 
questions, feel free to let me know, and good luck!