They seem to be good in Virginia, too. Of course, I probably get a break by being a Government employee. GEICO was founded as the Government Employees’ Insurance COmpany.
Holy shit! I’d call that screwed royally.
I called GEICO when I bought my '99 Altima. They quoted me something like $1600 a year. I went with a local company which quoted me $600 a year. After that car got totalled in a collision judged to be my fault although I admit no liability, I bought an '02 Altima and went through the same company and got a bump of about $50 a year. My company didn’t even charge an accident surcharge or anything. I will be with them until I die.
Happy GEICO customer here. Cheapest insurance I’ve seen, and I’ve shopped around many times. Incredible claims service, which I’ve used several times… once my fault, others not. I’ve actually called another company and they didn’t even bother quoting me when I told them I was with GEICO. And I just called them two days ago (to add an extended warranty to my '02 Explorer- $78 a year) and said "BTW, I want a lower rate… she put me on hold and came back with $300 per year less than I was paying, with no changes.
And they do tend to target the “desirable” drivers at the detriment of the “undesirables”. As a “desirable” driver, fine by me.
GEICO customer here, in Texas. I have a spotless driving record, but my wife has two at-fault accidents, both of which our insurance had to pay out on. I pay about 1000 a year for full coverage(including collision, hail, PIP, and a good chunk of Uninsured/Underinsured motorist) with higher-than-minimum liability limits(expensive car and lots of passengers that might get hurt if something happens). It is a lot higher than the 700 a year I was paying when I was in college, carrying only liability, and driving a junker. I could drop my rate another 15% by taking a defensive driving course and another 5% by taking a DUI awareness course. Both of those credits are good for three years and would save me more money than they cost.
My wife had an accident while we had GEICO and they were extremely fast and no-hassle. I was very happy with their service. I did shop around for other rates, and I still do a comparison about once a year. I’m not ashamed to admit I’m out for lowest cost and I’ll go with local agents, national chains, whoever. As of now GEICO is a good deal for my situation and I’m happy.
Enjoy,
Steven
I have USAA, which I originally got through my dad. They are unbeatable if you have a good record. My mom, no tickets or accidents ever pays like $12.50 a year. My dad, nothing in 20 years pays like $70 a year. I, with certain incidents, pay out the ass $2500 for USAA, but I don’t want to switch, cause I can never switch back, and I figure that in the long run, with my stupidhead days behind me, will eventually save money, but for now I’m paying 30% over what every other company wants.
I’ve been with GEICO since I got my license 12 years ago, first on my parents’ policy, then on my own. They absolutely “target” those with clean records:
I had an unfortunate spat a few years ago (2 speeding tickets (one a speed trap in Bellvue ID–a good place to test a nuke!) and a one car accident within 12 months). They were quick to cover the accident ($3000 in damage), but I think I ended up paying most of it back over the next 3 years in increased premiums.
I’ve had a clean record since, and have recenty had my “unsafe/inexperienced driver” surcharge removed and am now paying ~$1000/yr. 1 driver, 29y.o. M, in MD, '03 Toyota Matrix, with discounts for antilock brakes, alarm system, my employer, and the fact that I usually take public transportation to work. I checked a few other places, and GEICO had the cheapest rates. I’m sure I could get a better rate if I checked everywhere, but it could (and was) worse.
Actually, Ginger was a bit misinformed. We’re paying just over $1000/year with Geico for 2 drivers, 2 cars, not $1800/year. Great claim service too, and our premium has not gone up since she had her accident in Feb.
Hmmm, USAA does have the best rates in the US, but $12.50 per year? snort That wouldn’t even cover their costs in producing the policy! For that matter, neither would $70! Surely those are typos!
And why wouldn’t you be able to switch back?
USAA kicks arse. We’re paying about $1400/year for two vehicles in Miami.
She must still be thinking in Canadian dollars.
Nope not typos. My parents have spotless driving records, unbelieveable credit history, and it’s also kind of a loss leader because they have serious money invested in USAAs funds and banks.
I couldn’t switch back becuase in order to get USAA insurance you have to be A current or former officer in the Military, or a dependant of one. And as I am not a depandant,for a long time now, if I left I would have no ablitly to rejoin.
Double check your information. My father-in-law is ex-Air Force. When my wife was his dependant, she became a USAA member. When we got married, I became a USAA member (i.e. we called up and I got my own USAA number). When our daughter was born, I called up and got her a USAA number. I believe that you will always be a USAA member, have your USAA number, and get USAA benefits.
I might be wrong on this but this is the way I understood it. You are always a member of USAA. ButThere are several different insurance companies within USAA. And if you are a member you can get standard USAA Auto insurance, or USAA general indemnity company car insurance. But you can’t start with USAA casualty(the one that gets super cheap) auto insurance unless you are a Military officer, spouse, or a dependant.
I’ll second the agreement that Geico screws you over in Oregon.
When Mr Wolf and I got our car, I had just moved up here, and we were still dating and splitting our time between two residences and one job each. We went with Geico for six months, at which they wanted like 250.00/mo for full coverage - neither of us, at the time, had time to shop around. Yeah, it was dumb, but I figured it was because of the mileage on the car, and the fact that I didn’t start driving until I was 20.
At the end of the six month period, I checked with Progressive, and they want only 120.00 for the same full coverage and then some. Of course, that may go up with Mr Wolf’s speeding ticket.
The dork.
USAA rocks! I’ve had them for over 25 years now. They’ve bent over backwards being friendly and helpful. Some years back I was out of the country and then-teenager whiterabbit was hit by an uninsured motorist who ran a stop sign to run into her. To say they took care of her well is the understatement of the year. They’re also one of the few companies that will still write good hurricane coverage in South Florida – a friend who went through Andrew with USAA had the adjuster show up at her (trashed) townhouse the next morning with a check in hand for $47,000 to “get you started getting back on your feet.”
And once a USAA member, always a USAA member. When I moved out of the US and had to drop my USAA coverage (they don’t cover in Japan at all), I was able to pick it up again immediately as soon as I moved back to the US. We now in our family have three cars insured by them, two houses, and they hold one of our two mortgages. Great rates, unbeatable service!
I’ll second the Geico screwing in Washington. I don’t have a great record, and I’m in an unfortunate demographic, but Geico wanted to charge almost twice as much as I’m paying MetLife (which is already more than THREE THOUSAND FUCKING DOLLARS a year).
So, wolfman, you stand by your assertion that USAA sells auto policies ranging from $12.50 to $70.00 per year.. Okay, whatever.
And I wonder how my son managed to get USAA insurance since he is not military nor a dependent.
Hey, for that matter, neither am I!
Note to self: Ignore wolfman’s posts in the future - he has no credibility.
IN all fairness to Geico, they have excellent customer service when it comes to claims. I had them for four years, and had to claim twice for minor damages…my car was fixed within seven days of the accident both times. Everyone else I’ve known who used Geico also swears by them.
I switched to Progressive for a 30 percent saving over Geico.
Progressive is pretty good but not outstanding. Example: Last year, my car got totaled by an asshole who swerved into traffic and then got out his car and ran. When the claims process started, the people at Progressive were EXTREMELY efficient and hardworking…considering I had a wrecked car, I was pleased at the quick pace of the entire process.
That was until they found out that the car had been stolen, and they were unlikely to recoup from the other insurance company.
Realizing they were going to eat 15 grand with no compensation, they promptly dug their heels in the dirt and ground the process to a halt. I couldn’t get anyone on the phone, couldn’t find anyone to answer questions. When I did, they were evasive.
Total time elapsed from day of accident til the day I got my check for a new car:
21 working days.
If you didn’t read that right, I’ll repeat: 21 working days. In other words, slightly less than a month.
I had a friend who used Geico and had his car wrecked under similar circumstances…10 working days for him.
So, you get what you pay for.
Well, when I crashed my car with Gieco I had a check in three days, and my rates didn’t go up. I haven’t price-checked for a while, but they were competitive when we signed up (living in CA).
BTW, you’ve all missed the beauty of their ads, I believe that their actual claim goes something like this: “The average person who switches to Geico saves $150 on their insurance bill”
Of course they do. Why the fuck would you switch if Geico wasn’t offering a significant savings?
-lv
Yep I’m just a lying bastard. Only me and the company itself agree.
https://ww3.usaa.com/lcs_corp/Logon
It also used to be officers only, but apparently they have changed since around 1997.
http://www.flrealestate.com/military/news/usaa/home.html
So maybe they do have other less strigent requirments since I last spoke with an agent. I need to do more research if leaving and coming back will work.