Save on 2003 Buick Century Insurance Rates

Trying to find lower insurance coverage rates for your Buick Century? Do you think you bought an underperforming, overpriced insurance coverage policy? Trust us when we tell you you’re not alone. Big companies like Geico, Farmers Insurance and State Farm constantly bombard you with advertising and it is difficult to not get sucked in by the cute commercials and find the best price available.

Smart consumers take time to get comparison quotes occasionally due to the fact that insurance rates go up and down regularly. Despite the fact that you may have had the best deal on Century insurance last year the chances are good that you can find a lower price today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about insurance coverage because you’re about to learn the fastest way to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.

If you have a current auto insurance policy or are shopping for new coverage, you can use these techniques to cut your premiums while maintaining coverages. Finding affordable coverage is easy if you know what you’re doing. Drivers just need to know the proper way to compare rates on the web.

How to buy car insurance

There are a lot of ways you can shop for car insurance but there is one way that is less time-consuming than others. You could waste a few hours driving to agents in your area, or you could save time and use online quotes to maximize your effort.

Most car insurance companies participate in an industry program that enables customers to send in one quote, and each participating company can give them a price determined by their information. This system prevents you from having to do quotation requests to each company.

To participate in this free quote system, click here to open in new window.

The one disadvantage to using this type of system is you are unable to specify which carriers you will receive quotes from. If you would rather choose specific insurance companies to compare prices, we have a page of the cheapest car insurance companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.

It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just do your best to enter apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles for each quote you get. If you have higher or lower deductibles you can’t possibly truly determine the lowest rate.

Take policy discounts and save

Not many people think insurance is cheap, but you may find discounts that you may not even know about. Some discounts will apply at the time of purchase, but some need to be inquired about before they will apply.

• Senior Citizens – Drivers over the age of 55 may be able to get a slight reduction on a car insurance quote on Century insurance.
• Theft Deterent – Vehicles equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems are stolen with less frequency and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Distant College Student Discount – Kids who are attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle may qualify for this discount.
• Low Miles Discount – Keeping the miles down on your Buick could qualify for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
• Bundled Policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one company they may give you a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
• Telematics Data – Policyholders that allow their company to look at vehicle usage through the use of a telematics system such as State Farm’s In-Drive could see a rate decrease if they exhibit good driving behavior.
• Accident Forgiveness Coverage – This one isn’t a discount, but certain companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven’t had any claims for a certain period of time.
• Anti-lock Brake Discount – Vehicles that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can stop better under adverse conditions so companies give up to a 10% discount.

Drivers should understand that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. If you do the math and it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

A partial list of companies that possibly offer these benefits include:

• State Farm
• Farmers Insurance
• Progressive
• Geico
• Auto-Owners Insurance
• The Hartford
• Farm Bureau
• USAA

If you want the cheapest car insurance quotes, ask every company to apply every possible discount. Depending on the company, some discounts may not apply in your area.

Decisions you make can impact your insurance costs

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that go into determining your policy premiums. When consumers understand what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this helps enable you to make changes that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.

• Rates are affected by your address – Choosing to live in small towns and rural areas may provide you with better prices when shopping for auto insurance. Less people means fewer accidents and lower theft and vandalism rates. People in densly populated areas regularly have congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Longer commute distances means more chances of being involved in an auto accident.
• Rates also based on gender – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, this does not mean women are better drivers. Women and men are responsible for fender benders at a similar rate, but the males cause more damage. Men also get ticketed for serious violations such as reckless driving.
• Premiums are high for teenagers – Young drivers have a tendency to be less responsible in a vehicle so they pay higher insurance rates. Older people are more responsible, file fewer claims and receive fewer citations.
• Car and home together may be cheaper – Most larger companies allow discounts to people who carry more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. This can amount to 10 percent or more. If you currently are using one company, you may still want to check prices from other companies to make sure you are getting the best deal.
• Policy add-ons could be costing you – Insurance policies have a lot of extra bells and whistles that may not really be needed if you aren’t careful. Coverages for personal injury protection, towing, and membership fees are examples of these. You may think they are a good idea when deciding what coverages you need, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so get rid of them and save.
• Alarms and GPS tracking lowers prices – Buying a car with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your insurance. Theft deterrent systems like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all aid in stopping your vehicle from being stolen.
• High credit means lower costs – Credit score is a big factor in determining your rates. Insureds with very good credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers who have poor credit scores. So if your credit is lower than you’d like, you could pay less to insure your 2003 Buick Century by repairing your credit.

Which policy gives me the best coverage?

When it comes to buying coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no one size fits all plan. Every situation is different so your insurance needs to address that. For example, these questions might help in determining if you could use an agent’s help.

• Am I covered if I break a side mirror?
• Am I better off with higher deductibles on my 2003 Buick Century?
• Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
• Will filing a claim cost me more?
• Does my policy cover me when driving someone else’s vehicle?
• Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?

If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.

Is there truth in advertising?

Consumers can’t escape the ads that claim the lowest premium rates from companies such as Progressive, Allstate and Geico. They all seem to convey the message that you’ll save big after switching to them.

That’s great but how can every company give you a better price? It’s all in the words they use.

Most companies quote the lowest rates for a prospective insured that will generate a profit. For instance, a desirable risk may be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no tickets, and has great credit. A customer that fits those parameters receive the lowest rate quotes as well as save if they switch.

Insureds who may not quite match this ideal profile will have to pay higher premium rates and this can result in the customer not buying. The trick is to say “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” can get the lowest rates when switching. That’s the way companies can truthfully make those claims.

Different companies use different criteria so it is so important to compare many company’s prices. You cannot predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest premium rates.

Auto insurance coverage information

Knowing the specifics of your policy aids in choosing the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are typical coverage types found on the average insurance policy.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision – This pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as rock chips in glass, damage from getting keyed and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

UM/UIM Coverage – This provides protection when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your Buick Century.

Due to the fact that many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Collision coverages – This will pay to fix damage to your Century resulting from colliding with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision can pay for things like rolling your car, driving through your garage door, colliding with a tree and crashing into a ditch. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. Another option is to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Medical costs insurance – Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for expenses for nursing services, X-ray expenses and funeral costs. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover all vehicle occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states and may carry a deductible

Liability car insurance – This coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property. It protects YOU against other people’s claims, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability can pay for claims like repair costs for stationary objects, legal defense fees, court costs and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.

Shop Smart and Save

Some companies do not offer the ability to get quotes online and these regional insurance providers only sell coverage through independent agents. The cheapest 2003 Buick Century insurance is attainable on the web as well as from insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture.

As you quote car insurance, it’s not a good idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In many cases, an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at the lowest possible cost but still have enough coverage for asset protection.

More information can be read at the links below

• State Laws for Cellphones and Texting (iihs.org)
• Vehicle Safety Ratings (iihs.org)
• What Does No-Fault Insurance Cover? (Allstate)
• Teen Driving Statistics (Geico)
• Where can I buy Insurance? (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Car Insurance for Teen Drivers with Divorced Parents (Allstate)