Compare 2002 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Car Insurance Quotes

Want better car insurance rates for your Mercedes-Benz SL-Class? Being forced to pay for overpriced car insurance premiums can empty your personal savings and force you to cut corners elsewhere. Price shopping at each renewal is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to ensure you are getting the best deal.

Multiple car insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every insurer to find the absolute best price available.

You should make it a habit to take a look at other company’s rates quite often because car insurance prices trend upward over time. If you had the lowest quotes for SL-Class insurance a year ago other companies may now be cheaper. You can find a lot of wrong information about car insurance online, but I’m going to show you some tested techniques to lower your car insurance bill.

Learn how to buy insurance at a discount

Many factors are used in the calculation when you quote your car insurance policy. Some of the criteria are obvious like a motor vehicle report, although others are more obscure such as your credit history or your commute time.It’s important that you understand a few of the rating criteria that help determine insurance rates. If you have a feel for what influences your rates, this enables informed choices that can earn you lower rates.

• Men tend to take more risk – Over time, data shows women tend to be less risk to insure than men. The data does not necessarily mean that males are worse at driving than females. Men and women have fender benders at about the same rate, but the males get into accidents with more damage. They also get cited for more serious violations such as DWI and reckless driving.
• Cut rates and deter theft – Owning a car with a theft deterrent system can help lower your premiums. Advanced theft deterrents such as OnStar found on GM vehicles, advanced tracking like LoJack, and vehicle immobilization systems help track and prevent auto theft and help lower rates.
• Always keep your insurance policy in place – Driving without insurance is illegal and you will pay a penalty because you let your insurance lapse. And not only will insurance be more expensive, not being able to provide proof of insurance can result in a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
• Save annual miles and save money – The more miles you rack up on your Mercedes-Benz every year the more you’ll pay to insure it. Most companies calculate rates based upon how much you drive. Cars not used for work or commuting get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. It’s always a good idea to double check that your vehicle rating reflects the proper vehicle usage. Improper usage on your SL-Class can cost quite a bit.
• Where you live – Living in smaller towns and rural areas of the country can save you money when buying insurance. People in densly populated areas have to deal with more road rage incidents and a longer drive to work. Less people living in that area means fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
• Accidents can increase costs – Your driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Getting just one ticket can increase the cost of insurance forty percent or more. Good drivers get better prices as compared to careless drivers. Drivers who have received careless violations like DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding may find they need to file a SR-22 with their state’s department of motor vehicles in order to legally drive a vehicle.

How to buy car insurance online

There are multiple methods you can shop for car insurance but one way is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can spend countless hours discussing policy coverages with local insurance agents in your area, or you could save time and use online quoting to quickly compare rates.

Many companies participate in a marketplace where prospective buyers send in one quote, and every company can give them a price based on the submitted data. This system prevents you from having to do quote forms for each company you want a rate for.

To find out how much you can save on car insurance click here (opens in new window).

One minor caviat to getting quotes like this is that consumers can’t choose which insurance companies to get quotes from. So if you want to choose from a list of companies to compare, we have assembled a list of companies who write car insurance in your area. Click to view list.

It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just make sure you use exactly the same deductibles and coverage limits on every price quote you get. If you have higher or lower deductibles it will be nearly impossible to make an equal comparison.

Slick advertising tricks that work

Consumers can’t escape the ads that promise big savings for switching by companies like Progressive, Allstate and Geico. They all seem to make the same claim that you’ll save big if you just switch your coverage to them.

It sounds good, but how can they all say the same thing? It’s all in how they say it.

Insurance providers look for specific characteristics for the type of driver that will not have excessive claims. For example, a profitable risk profile could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no tickets, and has excellent credit. Anybody who fits those characteristics will probably get the lowest prices and will most likely save some money.

Consumers who don’t measure up to the ideal profile must pay higher prices and ends up with the customer buying from someone else. The trick is to say “people that switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” save that much when switching. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently make claims that they all have the best auto insurance rates. This really illustrates why you need to compare free insurance quotes often. It is impossible to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.

These discounts can lower your insurance rates

Car insurance companies don’t always list the complete list of policy discounts very well, so the list below details both the well known as well as some of the hidden credits that may apply to you.

• Active Service Discounts – Being deployed with a military unit could qualify you for better premium rates.
• Federal Government Employee – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can earn a discount up to 10% for SL-Class insurance with certain companies.
• Data Collection Discounts – Drivers that enable their insurance company to study driving habits by using a telematics device such as Progressive’s Snapshot could see a rate decrease if their driving habits are good.
• ABS Braking Discount – Vehicles that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can avoid accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
• Pay Early and Save – If you can afford to pay the entire bill rather than paying in monthly installments you could save up to 5%.
• Membership in Organizations – Participating in a qualifying organization may earn a discount when shopping for insurance.

Don’t be shocked that some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it’s just not the way it works.

Auto insurance companies who may offer some of the discounts shown above include:

• Progressive
• SAFECO
• American Family
• MetLife
• Geico
• The Hartford

When quoting, ask all the companies which credits you are entitled to. A few discounts may not apply to policyholders in your area. To view insurers who offer free insurance quotes, follow this link.

Different people need different insurance coverage coverages

When buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s needs are different and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions can help discover if your situation could use an agent’s help.

• What exactly is covered by my policy?
• Do I need added coverage for expensive stereo equipment?
• Should I buy additional glass protection?
• How can I find cheaper teen driver insurance?
• Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
• If my 2002 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
• Do I need PIP coverage since I have good health insurance?
• Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
• How much liability do I need to cover my assets?

If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of insurance coverage companies in your area. It’s fast, free and can provide invaluable advice.

Car insurance specifics

Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy can help you determine appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are the usual coverages found on most car insurance policies.

Auto collision coverage

Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision insurance covers claims such as crashing into a ditch, sideswiping another vehicle and crashing into a building. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.

Liability coverages

Liability coverage provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people. This coverage protects you from claims by other people. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see policy limits of 100/300/100 that translate to $100,000 bodily injury coverage, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability can pay for things such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, emergency aid, pain and suffering, legal defense fees and court costs. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.

Comprehensive auto coverage

This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as hail damage, theft, falling objects, a broken windshield and hitting a bird. The most your car insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for bills for things like dental work, chiropractic care, EMT expenses, hospital visits and rehabilitation expenses. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. They cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

This protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Due to the fact that many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

Be a smart shopper

Cost effective 2002 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class insurance can be bought online as well as from independent agents, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance companies may not have the ability to get quotes online and usually these regional carriers only sell through independent agents.

You just learned many ideas to lower your 2002 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class insurance prices. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote insurance, the better likelihood of getting affordable insurance. You may even find the best price on insurance is with the smaller companies. Some small companies often have lower rates on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or Geico.

Other resources

• Top Signs Your Brakes are Giving Out (State Farm)
• Five Steps to Filing an Auto Insurance Claim (Insurance Information Insitute)
• What if I Can’t Find Coverage? (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Choosing an Insurance Company (Insurance Information Insitute)