My Inner Action

Having a teenage driver in your household might keep you up all night worried about their safety. It might also keep you up all night worried about your budget. There are a few things to remember when you search for cheap auto insurance quotes, that might help you save your budget.

If your teenager earns good grades in school, this can help earn you a discount on your family’s car insurance policy. Obviously this is not something you can change overnight, but if your child has poor grades encourage him or her to do better during the next reporting period. Submit the next report card to your insurance agency and you can get the good student discount.

Taking and passing a driver’s education course in school can also earn an additional discount on your insurance premium. If your child’s high school offers this course, make sure he or she signs up for it for the next quarter or semester. If the course is not offered by your local high school, check with community colleges nearby, or call your Department of Motor Vehicles and ask if there is such a course available to to public.

The type of car your teenager drives most often will also influence your rates. While that cute sports car may be tempting, it can make a significant difference in your monthly premium amount. A different vehicle with a lower risk rating might be a more appropriate choice, both for safety and your budget.

Finally, there is nothing wrong with requiring your child to work and pay for his or her own car insurance. This is particularly true if he or she did not earn the good student discount or has already gotten speeding tickets which increased the rate. A part time job is a great way to to teach responsibility and the value of money, anyway. It will also teach the lesson that privileges such as having one’s own car must be earned.

One way you can save some money is buy shopping around for car insurance. It can definitely be expensive if you go with wrong insurance company!

If you’re planning a long-distance move, or just buying a car that you need to have shipped to you, you may be wondering how auto transport works. Moving your car can actually be quite easy and convenient.

First, you will have the option of having your car picked up at your house, or dropping it off at a terminal. Obviously the first option is much more convenient. If you drop your car at a terminal, you will have to have a ride back home. Also, terminals are usually located only in large metropolitan areas, so if you live in a very rural area this might require a long trip for you. Having your car picked up at your house is probably much more convenient and will be worth any extra charges.

Before your car can be loaded, you need to make sure you didn’t leave personal items in your car. Your auto transport company is not allowed to move extra items inside your car, both for safety reasons and due to insurance regulations. You also need to prepare your car by making sure there is no more than one quarter of a tank of gas in it. Hauling cars with full tanks of gas poses a safety hazard, and is against company regulations. You will also need to make sure any external parts of your car that could break off are removed. This includes things like CB radio antennas, bed liners in pickup trucks, and anything else that could blow off or be broken.

Schedule your shipment as soon as you know you will be moving a vehicle. This will give you plenty of time to prepare, and helps to ensure that your car will be delivered at a time that is most convenient for you. If your car is being delivered to your home, all you have to do is be there on the scheduled date and time to sign for delivery. If you need your vehicle to be delivered faster, you may wish to pick it up at a terminal in a nearby large city.

You have decided to buy a new vehicle and want to get the best deal possible. You have done your research on the vehicle you want and now it’s time to go to the dealership and do the dreaded negotiation. I’m going to give you a good strategy on getting the most for your dollar.

First, let’s go over some terminology with which you may not be familiar.

Hold back: After a dealership sells a new vehicle, the maker will send them a predetermined amount. Most new vehicles have a hold back of between $500-2500. In short, this is the dealership’s commission for selling a vehicle.

Mini: A mini is short for the “minimum commission” a salesperson will make for selling a vehicle. Every dealership has a different amount set for their sales staff, but on average it is between $50-200. Even if the dealership loses money on the deal, the salesperson will still make money.

Sales Bonuses: Most dealerships have set up a bonus program for their sales staff. A lot of the time it will go by the number of units he or she sells. For example, if a salesperson sells between 10 and 14 units in a month, they will receive a bonus of X amount of dollars. If they sell 15 to19 units, they will receive an even higher bonus. Knowing about the existence of these bonus programs will help you when we put all of this together.

Incentives: Every month the maker of the vehicle puts out special incentives to the customer in order to generate sales. Sometimes these incentives are in the form of special financing programs, and other times it is cash back that you can put toward the purchase (or get a check if you choose).

Invoice: This is the price that the dealership pays the maker for the vehicle, before they put in their markup and fees. This is not including the hold back they will get after the sale.

Now let’s put all of this together into something useful for you.

Let’s start out by talking about timing. Yes, there is a certain time of the month that you are more likely to get a good deal. That time is the last two days of the month. This is when the salespeople are scrambling around trying to sell one or two more units in order to move to the next level of their bonus plan. They don’t care if they get a mini from the sale or not, because it the gap will be filled in, plus more, with their bonus. Not to mention, the dealership is wanting to sell the last few units they can so they can get certain things from their boss (the maker).

When you find your perfect salesperson and your perfect vehicle, you will want to sit down and tell the salesperson this: “I will take home this vehicle today if you will give it to me at the invoice price, plus the incentives. It will mean you take a mini but you will gain a valuable unit!” They will probably be excited about it because you just handed them an easy sale. They will talk to their sales manager, who is the final say in the matter. Because of your timing and your willingness to buy now, you are very likely to drive home in your new vehicle that day.

Considering the high cost of gas lately, most people are looking for ways to cut down on this expense. There are many ways to accomplish that, like car-pooling, walking or biking. You can plan your trips better so that you drive less, and plan your routes to include less stops or left turns which increase your fuel usage. Cutting back on the amount of driving you do is the best way to reduce your gas expenses, but there will be times you just have to drive. There are a few ways you can increase the mileage you get per gallon of gas, and they’re better for your car overall as well.

Check your tire pressure. Properly inflated tires can save you up to 3 percent of your fuel consumption. Over-inflated tires, on the other hand, can be a danger. Always check to see what the recommended pressure is for your tires, and maintain that pressure by checking them every week or so.  This can also save wear and tear on your tires, so it helps you stretch the life of your tires and saves you even more money. When it is time to replace your tires, choosing the narrowest tires that are considered safe for your vehicle will reduce drag and increase efficiency.

Tune up your engine, since this makes your engine more efficient. Also remember to check your oil filter regularly, and replace it as recommended. Also get your oil changed regularly, and use synthetic oil if you can. Synthetic oil may save you up to 5 percent on your fuel costs.

Drive the smallest car that will suit your needs, and lighten your load any way possible. Less weight in the car means better gas mileage, so if you’ve been planning to get those boxes of Christmas decorations out of your trunk and into your storage unit, go ahead and do it now. When refilling your tank, only fill it to halfway, since carrying around a full tank of gas will only add weight to the vehicle.

Changing the way you drive can be very helpful. Above 60 miles per hour, the faster you go the harder your engine has to work. This can greatly impact your fuel efficiency, so keep your speed around 50 to 60 miles per hour when you can. Also, avoid excessive braking. Anticipate stops and slow down by coasting, rather than braking. Slowing down or stopping more than necessary only means you have to accelerate again, meaning you once again use more fuel. Avoid excessive idling any way you can.

Using the air conditioner in stop-and-go city traffic will increase your fuel use, and you should turn it off and roll down windows instead, if possible. On the other hand, running the air conditioning as you are driving down the highway will not use any more gas than the extra drag caused by open windows.

Taking care of your vehicle and changing a few driving habits can help you save a little money at the gas pump. More importantly, as we all reduce our dependency on gas everyone could benefit from lower prices, and it’s better for the environment, too.

Today’s economy has people looking to save money wherever they can. When looking at their budgets, many people fail to consider how they can save money on their home and auto insurance policies. According to the Insurance Information Institute, there are several ways that consumers can save on insurance. Follow these simple steps and you could be saving money on your premiums this afternoon.

Combine Policies
Insurance policies offer discounts for those holders that have more than one policy with their company. Consider covering your home and autos with the same company. Use the same company for anything else you insure: boats, RVs, motorcycles, life and even renter’s insurance.

Increase Deductibles
The average deductible on an auto insurance policy is $500. If you raise your deductible to $750, you can save over $100 a year. If you raise your deductible to $1000, you can save even more. Look over your home insurance policy and see if you can do the same. If you’ve never had an accident or cause to make a claim, chances are you can safely increase your deductibles.

3 Get a New Quote
Many consumers sign an insurance policy and never review it. You don’t have to wait for your current policy to expire to sign a new one. If your life circumstances have changed, contact your insurance agent for a new quote or look to another company to see if you can save money. Marriage, children, divorce, education level and membership to professional organizations are all things that can change your insurance needs and may provide discounts as well.

Discounts
Speaking of discounts, contact your insurance agent and ask for any discounts that you may qualify for. Insurance agents don’t always offer every discount that is available so you won’t know what you qualify for unless you ask. If you’ve received good grades, graduated recently or made security upgrades to your home or car, you may qualify for new discounts.

Maintain Proper Coverage
With the drop in housing values, you may have more insurance than you need. Go over your policy with a fine tooth comb and make sure that you aren’t paying for unnecessary coverage. For instance, if you don’t live in an area that floods, you can safely live without flood insurance. If your home is only worth $100,000, you don’t need $200,000 worth of coverage.

Drop Add-Ons
Auto insurance policies are famous for their add-ons. Roadside assistance and rental reimbursement are the big two. Look through your auto insurance policy and see if you’re paying for things that you don’t need. If you’ve not used rental reimbursement or roadside assistance in the current lifetime of your policy, drop them.