Howdy, I continue to see all of these ads about saving on car insurance, never been tempted to even consider it until now. We are 50+ year members of USAA, house, car, banking and other stuff. Been an OK ride, but lately things have begin to slide in my mind. Just got my 6 month car renewal for a 2019 GMC Denali and a 2021 Mercedes GLC 300. The total is $1200, does this seem anywhere near correct, they are even now recommending that I up my liability to my Net Worth, that seems odd and expensive. Is this due to the border crisis? It just seems that basically $100 per month per vehicle is way high.

Post Edit: Tried to use the AFS Farmers quote on line thing, but their, Farmers, web is messed up, no quote.

What say you?? And Thanks!

I would follow their recommendation. Insurance is going up and this is just the beginning. Property is more valuable and Property Claims are way up due to theft increases and general degradation of society(Plaintiffs Attorneys). I deal with Risk for a living and its not pretty out there. I am also a USAA member for my whole life. I still find their claims handling to be better than most and I handle claims for a living.

Mark Fairchild said:

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Howdy, I continue to see all of these ads about saving on car insurance, never been tempted to even consider it until now. We are 50+ year members of USAA, house, car, banking and other stuff. Been an OK ride, but lately things have begin to slide in my mind. Just got my 6 month car renewal for a 2019 GMC Denali and a 2021 Mercedes GLC 300. The total is $1200, does this seem anywhere near correct, they are even now recommending that I up my liability to my Net Worth, that seems odd and expensive. Is this due to the border crisis? It just seems that basically $100 per month per vehicle is way high.

Post Edit: Tried to use the AFS Farmers quote on line thing, but their, Farmers, web is messed up, no quote.

What say you?? And Thanks!

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There's been a few recent threads about this on the auto forum.

I also insure with USAA. 6 vehicles, 4 with full coverage $250 deductibles and max limits, runs ~$2500 a year. Newest of those is a 2007 so quite a bit less expensive than a new vehicle to repair/replace. I price shop every few years and most companies are $1-2k more a year for similar coverage.

I have a stated value policy with Hagerty for a "collector" car that runs $800 a year. USAA wanted $1800 for worse coverage.

One thing to consider, since you're a full USAA member (I presume), is your subscriber savings account. My dad, who's about your age, and has a similar product mix with USAA gets $1k-3k back from them yearly into subscriber savings. That definitely offsets any slightly higher rates and is significantly more than the $50-125 "dividend" I get back yearly.

Also a USAA life member but their rates are horrendous. Never had a wreck and they just kept going up. USAA had price increases before the price increases.

Not sure what comparison the previous poster did....as he may have different circumstances. Mine is based off 1 vehicle.

That said, their customer service is supposedly superior to all though never needed it in car insurance so...

I've gone through Farm Bureau, Liere Insurance, Goosehead etc and all have been much lower than USAA

www.bestinsurancetx.com

We've been in business 43 years. Family-owned. Auto insurance is my specialty. We'll try Progressive, Travelers, Allstate, etc... All I can do is try. Maybe you save money, maybe you realize your current policy isn't so bad.

rb@best-ins.com is the best way to contact.

Thanks all for the replies. in answer to some questions:
1. Yes, FULL USAA member, as stated 50+ years so it is correct that the Subscriber refunds help, just do not know if they offset the increased cost to make it a zero sum game.

2. Perfect driving record, both my wife and I.

3. We have Max limits, but $1000 deductible to make it any where near affordable.

4. My wife, the GLC, averages 3 miles per day, two year old car with less than 3K miles, would that lower the rates.

5. And yes, I was really afraid that our entire way of life is being impacted adversely by the situation around us.

Thanks for the help, sounds like I am about in the right place.

There have been multiple threads on differing forums about insurance cost increases. Business, Real Estate, Austin, here. There is a universal increase in rates in Texas. I shopped both home and auto the last six months with not doing so the last couple of years.

If you can keep it the same as last year you are way ahead of the market.

Had USAA for 16 years. My most recent 6 month auto rate was increasing 30%. No claims, no tickets. Finally had to change.

I'm no insurance expert but the one thing I've learned in 25+ years as a consumer is that shopping companies is key. I've never been with a company that seemed to spend much time retaining customers, always trying to get new customers.

Service levels I received were all about the same from All State, State Farm, to Progressive. I've never had USAA.

As service has all been about the same, I shop on price and get the best results from using a broker. And yes, specifically to answer your first question, we received a massive increase on auto in the ballpark of what you did, as well as home. I called my broker and slipped in a new deal for home and auto with a new company saving me about $2k over the proposed increases of the old policy. Make sure whoever the company you engage is reputable, A+ certified by the regulatory bodies or whatever that is, etc. Just shop around.

About every 3 years is the time frame that you need to change insurance companies. That seems to be the magic number when rates shoot up stupid amounts and you lose any of the new customer reel you in pricing and benefits.

Unfortunately insurance, phone, satellite/cable/internet all follow the same pricing structure - new customers get great deals, long time loyal customers get absolutely screwed over. There is nothing to be gained by being loyal to any service company, especially one that you are required to purchase by law.

schmellba99 said:

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About every 3 years is the time frame that you need to change insurance companies. That seems to be the magic number when rates shoot up stupid amounts and you lose any of the new customer rell you in pricing and benefits.

Unfortunately insurance, phone, satellite/cable/internet all follow the same pricing structure - new customers get great deals, long time loyal customers get absolutely screwed over. There is nothing to be gained by being loyal to any service company, especially one that you are required to purchase by law.

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Yep, this seems to just about the right timeframe.

had USAA, took everyones advice and called Lierre.
Ended up switching to Travelers through Lierre and saved over $1000 in total for home and auto.

combustion artist said:

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had USAA, took everyones advice and called Lierre.
Ended up switching to Travelers through Lierre and saved over $1000 in total for home and auto.

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I'd like to also add that is likely not a one-time savings. If Travelers goes up next year, then more than likely USAA is going up too. From my experience the $1,000 gap (or whatever the original savings was) is always gonna be there.

Left USAA property insurance a couple of years ago. About to do the same with auto. Insurance companies all suck. Their model is to do all they can to not pay claims so I have no more loyalty. Will be shopping everything soon.

Sucks when you picked a family friend as your agent

I pay about $960 for a 6 month policy from USAA. I know I could probably shop elsewhere for cheaper rates, but their customer service has just been too good for me to risk it.

Truck broke down an hour from my house a couple of weekends ago. USAA covered towing all the way back to a shop right by my house and covered the cost of a Lyft ride to get me home. Tow truck driver only took 20 mins max to get there.

I'm willing to pay premium price for the service.

AAA will do that as well. I removed towing from my insurance policy and pay $54/year for AAA.

We have been with USAA for many years. Before them we had Liberty and State Farm.
Farm B.
We just did a complete evaluation on all our insurances. Shopped everybody. Comparing true apples to apples USAA still by far the best for what your true coverage is.
We had a house Fire two years ago. USAA was 100% replacement coverage.
We were not out a dime and could not have asked for anything better on handling.

USAA posted a $1.3B loss in 2022. It's the first losing year in the company's history. Seems reasonable that they're adjusting rates to compensate.

Also, everyone's rates are increasing in large part due to COVID. During lockdowns, no one drove their cars and claims plummeted. Many companies reduced rates or issued refunds. Once things opened up, people started driving and data shows claims have increased over pre-pandemic levels. Rates rebounded to pre-2020 figures once folks got back on the road (so it feels like a rate hike) then claims increased, supply chain issues caused replacement parts and vehicle costs to skyrocket, and inflation took off.

Now, in 2023, we feel the crunch.

Howdy Dammit said:

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Sucks when you picked a family friend as your agent

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Not really, this is business

Farmers tried to raise my auto insurance by 50%, and the old rates were already 50% higher than what I switched to.

I contacted Liere and they set me up with Progressive. I'm paying 47% of what Farmers wanted for the same coverage (I have everything maxed).

Some of you switching to Liere are getting the new customer bump (down) in rates. Watch that closely over the next couple of years as those start to wear off and don't be afraid to ask them - and other companies/agencies - to shop around.

I've been with Liere for a few years. They do a pretty decent job of reviewing my policy and shopping around as necessary.

AJ02 said:

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I pay about $960 for a 6 month policy from USAA. I know I could probably shop elsewhere for cheaper rates, but their customer service has just been too good for me to risk it.

Truck broke down an hour from my house a couple of weekends ago. USAA covered towing all the way back to a shop right by my house and covered the cost of a Lyft ride to get me home. Tow truck driver only took 20 mins max to get there.

I'm willing to pay premium price for the service.

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Pretty much all insurance companies will do this if you have the coverage on your policy, and a whole lot of them will do it even if you don't.

Auto insurance is the worst - you have to have it by law, and they know it. And every single year rates magically go up, no matter what.

When I switched last time, it was because my auto rates shot up almost 2x over what they were.

Me: Why are my rates increasing so much? I have zero tickets and zero claims on my record. Oh, and my vehicle is a year older and replacement value is less.
Insurance: It's a nationwide rate increase, we can't help it.
Me: But last time you increased rates it was because there was a claim and you told me that was the justification.
Insurance: That was different, you had a claim.
Me: So if I have a claim, you look at only my specific record and increase my rates?
Insurance: Yes
Me: But if I don't have any claims, you claim nationwide increase as the justification to increase my rates?
Insurance: Also yes.
Me: So you get to pick and choose depending on your mood, and no matter what my rates increase?
Insurance: Well, also yes. But also no.
Me: Explain to me how it is a no.
Insurance:
Me:
Insurance:
Me: Alright, time to find a new carrier

New company had higher rates than my old ones were, but only by about 10% and not nearly double. Next year I'm sure I'll be shopping again, it will be about time.

Pray you are never in an accident with a USAA insured driver and it's their fault.

AJ02 said:

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I pay about $960 for a 6 month policy from USAA. I know I could probably shop elsewhere for cheaper rates, but their customer service has just been too good for me to risk it.

Truck broke down an hour from my house a couple of weekends ago. USAA covered towing all the way back to a shop right by my house and covered the cost of a Lyft ride to get me home. Tow truck driver only took 20 mins max to get there.

I'm willing to pay premium price for the service.

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You got lucky. I've had completely opposite experiences using USAA roadside. Also, if you use roadside through your insurance, it goes on your CLUE report. USAA raised my rates ~15yrs ago due to using roadside several times in a billing cycle. I switched to AAA after that.

Some insurance companies say roadside doesn't count as a claim, but it's best to review your CLUE report yourself. If you haven't ever see it, it's worth a view. Most of us check our credit reports regularly but few review the CLUE reports

Request it through LexisNexis: https://consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/

Gunny456 and All Respondents: Thank You! It just seems that it is a quagmire out there. No real way to compare apples and organs. Always the negative way to find out about your insurance carrier is by having a claim. As they say, Insurance is Great, until you Need It!

Mark Fairchild said:

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Gunny456 and All Respondents: Thank You! It just seems that it is a quagmire out there. No real way to compare apples and organs. Always the negative way to find out about your insurance carrier is by having a claim. As they say, Insurance is Great, until you Need It!

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I've always heard the opposite....

Everyone hates insurance...until they need it.

Howdy Dammit said:

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Sucks when you picked a family friend as your agent

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I have been in the insurance world for 20 years, most of that on the commercial agency side. I always make it a point to tell my friends and family that their relationship with me will never be determined by whether not they are a client. All I ask of them is just don't be shady and man up if you need to change or took a policy with another carrier. Just let me know what's going on and I might even be able to help or even review the new policy to be certain they did it right.

Your family friend will likely understand if you talk with them. And if they don't. well then they just need to grow up.

Replacement cost is not a unique feature I'd USAA. It universally offered but sometimes you have to specify your coverage.

NEVER buy without it. My neighbor found out the hard way last year when a tornado hit us.

Call Bryan Massy at Liere.

My homeowners insurance increased $200 a month with Farm Bureau. Still looking around when I do find someone better their auto is so much higher it's a wash. Still in the process……

As an independent agent I have clients insured through 10-15 different carriers. What I find interesting is people often base their opinion of a carrier on their experience with a claim. Good experience=good carrier. Bad experience=bad carrier.

I bet if I asked 100 people who've submitted a claim to the same carrier, half would say the carrier is excellent, and the other half would describe the carrier as poor.

Unfortunately, our experience is heavily influenced by the behaviors/opinions of the random claims specialist assigned to the case. My point is, don't pay more just because of the one experience, as your next with the same company could, and is likely, going to be the exact opposite.

The best way to protect yourself is to have an agent who is willing to fight for you in the event of a claim.

I'll give you an example. Last year, I had a client total a 2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT (similar to a Chevy Avalanche) as the result of an at-fault accident. If you will, it turns out this vehicle is a highly sought niche vehicle. We're talking worth double the MSRP, especially if it's in great condition and low mileage, which was my client's situation. His truck only had 25k miles.

Back to the situation. The carrier offered 13k for the loss. I found the same vehicle, similar miles, etc. listed for 65k! I collected the vehicle info from the car dealership along with two other sales, and sent them to the claims adjuster to show the true replacement cost of the vehicle. The carrier didn't use the info I submitted, but it was enough to prompt them to agree to an independent evaluation.

The adjuster admitted this was the first time she's ever requested an independent evaluation for a vehicle. (It wouldn't of happened if I didn't continue to press.)

Long story short, my client walked away with a check for 69k! It took a a few months and lots of phone calls, but knowing I helped the client save $53,000.00 was intrinsically rewarding.

My point, a good agent can make a world of difference.

Received another email from USAA suggesting that I increase my liability limit to my Total Net Worth! This seems very excessive, are people being sued for huge amounts of car accidents?? Are we going to have to insure ourselves into the Poor House over insurance on the chance we are sued into the Poor House? What kind of accidents result in that kind of settlement? I did not think they could take your homesteaded house.

All the guys at Texags use Rollo Insurance for a reason. You ought to figure out which Rollo agent is nearby and find out for yourself why that is the case.

My car insurance is due in at the end of the month - with Farmers.

6 month premium went up $600.

I made a phone call to the person my BIL uses and she quoted me a apples to apples policy with progressive for the same price - FOR A YEAR LONG POLICY!

I like my agent - Aggie, all around good guy. I'm not sure that I like him double as much as the next guy though....gonna half to have a conversation about this next week.