w00t! A notice came from The Hartford’s auto insurance side announcing that next year’s premiums will…wait for it!…DROP BY $26!
Hallelujah, brothers and sisters! It’s the first time I can recall a significant drop in quite some time.
O’course, what they’re trying to say is the 12-year-old Dog Chariot is no longer worth the current annual premium of $1125. But what the heck! It’s still running, despite its $106,000+++ miles. What more can a person ask (other than decent mileage)?
Can you imagine? I’ve never owned a car that ran a hundred thousand miles. What a vehicle!
And it’s not alone. The other day I saw another just like it, parked in the blasting sun. Its formerly black bumpers were bleached, like the Chariot’s, to a powdery slate gray. But like the Chariot, somehow it has escaped serious dents. With any luck, its owner was enjoying the same automotive longevity and insurance-company largesse.
The Hartford is not giving to dispensing good news to its customers, except on the occasions that it kindly and generously covers natural disasters. I will say that the company’s coverage after the late, great hailstorm could not be beat. My house has a new roof and a new air conditoner, neither of which I could have afforded out of my own pocket—not on a bet. Handyman Jack’s painstaking and excellent paint job (fee commensurate to the quality of the job) was also covered without complaint. So were several other blandishments, not a one of which I could’ve afforded on my own.
Now…you’ll notice that the company has NOT sent me a joyous little flyer announcing a cut in my homeowner’s insurance. Dollah to donut, that will be going up, not down. But frankly, they’d have to bill an awful lot more to recover the thousands of dollars they put into this house; at least, to recover it during my lifetime. So I’m not complaining.
If the homeowner’s rate doesn’t rise more than $26, I’ll be happy.
Speaking of insurance, it’s still open enrollment for Medicare. From what I can tell, the Medigap policy won’t go up a lot. I have nothing to complain about there, either, so probably there’s no point in putting myself through the hassle of changing. Apparently there are some significant changes in Part D (prescription drug coverage), but figuring it out will take several hours, none of which I happen to have. And I’m still not taking any drugs on a chronic basis, and so there’s no way to compare. My inclination is just to stay put with what I’ve got.
It’s the lazy individual’s way, of course.
But really: does anyone have several hours to plow through this stuff and figure it out? It’s 10 after 10 p.m. as I write this. I’ve been working since 6 a.m. (got a lot done!), and my eyes are so glazed over I can barely see what I’m typing. For several weeks I’ve been telling myself to pick up the voluminous paperwork and try to figure it out. Besides the fact that the task is inherently aversive, I truly have not. had. time to do that.
Speaking of the which, it’s past time to drag off to bed!
Whoa! Car insurance is high in AZ. I have the same vehicle (99k miles)and pay about $260 per year. So shop around for insurance. I got this rate from Progressive. You can get an online quote. 100k miles is only about 1/2 used up. So with proper maintenance it should last to 200-250K miles. Even though you won’t want it that long. They are good vans. Keep it until the wheels fall off. Hubby has put at least triple the money I have into a Grand Caravan for repairs and it’s an 05 with less miles.
I too hate hate hate reading through policies not to mention shopping around for insurance and comparing benefits rates etc. so I know how you feel!!
@ Barb: Around here, it depends on the zip code. Mine is one of the most expensive zips in the area, even though, what with the middle class having moved to the suburbs, traffic on surface streets is relatively light most of the time. When SDXB moved to Sun City, his homeowner’s and auto insurance dropped in half. There’s no way I could afford insurance on a newer car, so I sure hope you’re right that the Dog Chariot will run another 100,000 miles! 😀
@ Ash: Medicare paperwork is far worse than regular insurance, which is bad enough.