Thought I'd pass on my experience regarding car insurance for my Alfa 156. I received my policy renewal from AAMI and despite the insured value dropping from $25K to $20K in the 12 months and maintaingin my existing rating 1, my policy actually went up $114 to $918. That's almost a 33% increase based on the sum insured.
I spoke to AAMI and they gave me a story about the 156 being an old car now so there aren't as many places that repair them....go figure! They could not do any better than the quoted amount.
Anyway, I'd seen a few ads for YOUI car insurance and thought I'd get an online quote. Admittedly I am waiting to hear back from them about who their repairers are, and the sum insured was $19K for the 156, but their quote came to........$692!
Motto of the story is to shop around and that a lifetime rating 1 is something you still pay more for.
Is there anyone else I should try? GIO wanted $1100 and CGU wanted $1600....ridiculous!
Hi Anth73,
Friends in the panel beating industry have explained that with car insurance, like many other things in life, you get what you pay for. They the differences become important when your car is actually in need of accident repair.
Some companies insist you use their 'approved' repairers. For auto enthusiasts, this represents a potential source of frustration and/or disappointment.
They may also ask a repairer to achieve the lowest repair cost possible by compromising on their approach to a repair, with the associated impact on quality.
I have both my 105 and 159 insured with Shannons. I have found them to be outstanding in understanding the needs of the enthusiast, whilst offering a competitive premium. The option to pay your premium by the month, without financial penalty, is great.
Just ensure you cover you car for a sufficient level of agreed value.
Cheers,
Marco
I also had the same problem with my car insurance. I contacted Shannons after my insurance company could give no reason for the increase. Which was very similar to your figures. Shannons ended up being about $530.00 at least $400.00 less than the other mob and they covered the same things. Shannons are truly for the car enthusiast. They also know you take better care of your car than Mr. beatup falcon that's couldn't pass a roadworthy if he tried.
Like other enthusiasts I opted for Shannons as the best option for insuring my Super and very glad I did so. Shannons service and premiums for 'older' cars leaves the others for dead.
Barry
I did give Shannons a call yesterday and they were somewhat cheaper than all other insurers I've tried other than YOUI. I'm still waiting to hear back from them...which leaves me thinking they will be a pain to deal with in the event of a claim.
Definitely Shannons and they will insure all your vehicles, even the non exotic ones like our Astra and from experience they do honour their cover.
If a car club member you will get a discount AND a further discount if you are hold a CAMS license - comp or official.
I've been with Shannons now for about ten years and currently have both cars with them. I've had 2 claims that were handled by them without any problems. They provided a lot of assistance in having the repair rectified when the car was returned with a sub standard paint job. They also provide multicar discounts.
Interesting thread as I was going to ask for some ideas from members as to their insurance experiences for expansion of Club benefits.
Most importantly, I say that Shannons is a specialist insurer of older cars and a club sponsor. Accordingly their product is very much suitable for many members of the club and we recommend their product accordingly. I have previously owned a 164 and used Shannons. The point here was that the insurance was for limited use, I think less than 8k for the year and was about $450 a year.
However Shannons are not that price competive with modern cars insurance and they have stated that as a fact - as they specialize in classic cars.
With my 156 I have current RACV insurance at a cost of approx $1, 200 and now have a quote from Youi at approx $450. Now Youi advertise car insurannce for those who do not use their car everyday, That is good for me as I drive my 156 mostly on the weekend. However I have not looked into limitations in the policy or the strenght of their underwriter.
Are their any other members who have had competitive responses from companies whose product may suite club members with newer moden era Alfas? Limited use etc?
Regards.
hi all,
give dawes a ring, i had all my cars with shannons for several years, when it came time to revalue them all i got was a headache, i rang dawes and they upped the value on all of them, and pay by the month, their service is much better,
cheers michael ;D
Shannons are the best. They are so good with their valuations and help that I even have my house and content insured with them now.
Quote from: grpa9x on February 24, 2009, 04:37:00 PM
i had all my cars with shannons for several years, when it came time to revalue them all i got was a headache ;D
I just doubled the insured value of my 105 with Shannons. I only had to provide a list of the recently completed works, plus some recent photos.
Hi all
I am a newbie just about to finalise a purchase of a 2004 JTS wagon (manual) very excited
I have been checking out car insurance and have found that Alliance comes in around the $850, less than RACV and AAMI. Has anyone had any experience with them?
Thanks
Andrew
This might sound crazy but my 105 is insured with GIO as they offer a classic car insurance, works out to $190 a year full comp. I literally discovered this by accident calling around for qoutes one day, no idea it even existed. They confirmed that if I do work on the car as part of the restoration, they can re value from receipts photos etc.
Seems to work for now will re evaluate when the cars finished
Be really careful with smaller unknown insurance companies, read your PDS carefully there are some out there who at claim time will do anything not to pay out. If unsure stick to well known or recommended companies even if it costs more unfortunately ive seen this numerous times.
Thanks for that feed back. You comments cover a range of experiences.
A bit of a summary in terms of the different situations
- No problem with classic car insurance as a few companies offer this - market competition.
- Shannons is a Club sponsor and have offered to give good value to club members
In looking at our more modern cars, there are a different sort of needs.
There are many companies in the market and you can get differing range of insurance products, pricing, value - plus discounts when you have housing insurance etc. Modern car insurance would be for a daily driver and as far as I can see that is standard stuff. It's price vs benefits.
In looking at a limited use policy (not a daily driver) to match my requirements, I will follow up Youi and also a few others mentioned above to see how they compare.
The lessons learnt are that you get what you pay for; but the 'best' policy is useless if they do not pay out !
Cheers.
Quote from: alfagtv100 on February 24, 2009, 08:47:48 PM
Quote from: grpa9x on February 24, 2009, 04:37:00 PM
i had all my cars with shannons for several years, when it came time to revalue them all i got was a headache ;D
I just doubled the insured value of my 105 with Shannons. I only had to provide a list of the recently completed works, plus some recent photos.
when i went to up the value on my a9x i was told i had to drive down to the city for them to look at it, this was after a rep of theirs viewed it at a show , the idiots that answer the phones couldnt give a sh#t, thats why i cancelled my policy and went with dawes, they are the largest insurers of ferraris in australia, and they also covered my ducati.
cheers michael ;D
I had an in-depth discussion with a representative from YOUI and also reviewed their PDS. The key differences are:
- they do not use a "rating" system but rather assess the risk based on each individual driver and determine a premium from that
- they cannot guarantee you will get your preferred repairer, however if your preferred repairer came back with a competitive quote then they would consider this....a bit fluffy in my books but perhaps not a huge consideration for a modern Alfa. Repairs are guaranteed for life whilst you are the owner of the car.
Their quote was about $250 cheaper than Shannons...good value in my books.
Hi.
I found that Shannons was the best price for my 77 Lancia Beta Coupe, but Allianz came in the best for the 2004 156... (Market Val - $29,500).
So I have a policy with each...!
Shop around...a funny thing I found is if you actually call them rather than use the Online Quotes they mostly quote cheaper over the phone...
One thing that always worries me about insurance is that we all concentrate on the premium price and fair enough, if you can save $200 a year you will. But an insurer’s performance has another aspect when it comes to the crunch, literally: your beloved (cursed) Alfa has gotten bent and you have to make a claim. I’m happy with Shannon’s price for my GTV6, but I haven’t had to make a claim (even when all the brake fluid ended up on the road). As John Hanslow said: “The ‘best’ policy i useless if they do not pay out.” I haven’t noticed anyone saying “I’m with so-and-so and they fixed my car after the bingle, no problems…”
AL "Keep you heap away from my ALFA" Campbell.
I had to call on the services of Shannon's 3 times over the years for my 164Q, (once for someone walking on the bonnet, another time for a runaway ute reversing into it, and most recently , keys down both sides). It has been hassle free, repairer of choice, and I've been very happy.
Quote from: al_cam on February 27, 2009, 09:08:10 AM
I haven't noticed anyone saying "I'm with so-and-so and they fixed my car after the bingle, no problems..."
It's a good point you make. He didn't say it in so many words, but I believe Marco (AlfaGTV100) was alluding to this point in one of the first posts. And if you'd seen his car before and after the shunt, I think it would be fair to say his insurer did a great job of restoring it to an excellent finish. Right Marco?
Bingo Sheldon.
A few of you have seen my car. Its not concourse but its in pretty good nic and I do my best to look after it. Yes, its my pride and joy.
Each time my beloved 105 was hit, it was a great cause of anguish for me. I had concerns over an insurance company not placing the same level of value on a 1972 car as I do. Would the quote be contested? Would my preferred repairers be given the job? These and other questions were all that I could think about.
Shannons took away the stress and ensured the car was returned to a condition, equal or better than before the accidents.
Insurance only matters when you actually have an accident. Until then, its simply an undesirable expense.
I have also insured my 159 with them, even though they were not the cheapest.
Even the process of obtaining a quote was impressive. Give them your mobile number and try it yourself.
I cannot fault the level of service Shannons has provided to date. I don't even shop around anymore as they have proven their value.
Some may say I am biased. Its true.
Yes i too must agree with all that has been said here re Shannons, I have all of my Alfas 105s, and 156 as well as Fiat 124 Sport, my wifeys modern Beemer and my 2 houses all insured with Shannons. Have never had an issue and always got the agreed value I was seeking. Cant say that to be true with insurers I was with in the past. Dont get them, since if Shannons can do it why not others. I too dont bother shopping around anymore
Dave
I have had a good experience insuring all my cars (and home) with Shannon's for over 10 years and whilst I have never made a claim, highly value the choice of repairer option as would not trust my vehicles with a non choice of repairer.
My 105 and Lotus Esprit Turbo are covered under the one policy and I pay almost $900 for comprehensive cover combined valued at over $60K (limited mileage of 5K per year).
I have just received the renewal and noticed they have dropped the Lotus value by $1.5K so need to enquire why as have an agreed values on both cars.
A friend with a number of cars swears by Virgil who offer similar cover to Shannon's (ie older historic vehicles) and would be worth a call.
Regards
Paul
Ditto here I have been insuring with Shannons for some years and have tried AAMI, RACV, GIO etc. for my classic, but could not find more competative quotations from anyone. In addition there is not a problem with a/ choice of repairer and b/ my children (including a learner driver) driving my classic alfa. Great insurer and really helpful in premium choices, I am on their limited drive comprehensive insurance which saves me even more money. The program is very flexible, you just have to drive your vehicle no more that "2-3" times a week and I can drive it in unlimited club events. With other insurers they have classic insurance but so many requirements like "club event only" use or kilometer limits etc.
Another insurer that I have found reasonable especially for modified cars is "Just Cars", they offer your choice of repairer and specialise in insuring classic or modified cars and have no problem with cars that have been super modified, but also insurer normal vehicles. The funny thing is that they are a subsidiary of gues who? AAMMI and are there to insuer the cars that AAMI wont, for example I cant insuer my Alfa with AAMI because they dont insure cars over 30 years old.
I agree with the many comments about checking the policy details and limits and not base the decision on price alone. A mate of mine got a cheap quote from RACV for his classic Fiat but learnt the hard way after an accident that he didn't meet the policy use requirements, not a happy outcome.
Happy hunting
1750GT
Hi All, just another option aside from Shannon's (My 105 is $190 for 9K and the 55 Oval VW is $210 for 15K!!!) is Lumley Special Vehicles LSV. They seem to be very switched on for newer cars; I have my 08 Golf GTI ($660 for a 2.0 turbo ;D) and the wife's late model Nissan XTrail family wagon ($520 ;)).
Cheers,
LSV told me that a 156 was to new for them to insure.
Did you get a quote over teh phone, web or broker?
That's interesting news Nick. I was interested in a quote from LSV.
At the end of the day, we have the older classic cars and the newer modern era Alfa's clearly defined by the withdrawal from the market in the eary 90's and re-entry in the late 90's.
Shannons (a club sponsor) was great & cheap with my previous 164 and it was a limited use policy. Now with my 156, they I will probably go to Shannons as they do have benefits like choice or repairer, windscreen replacement etc. So actually pretty good value as its not only price with insurance but what they cover.
Cheers.
Hi guys,
Thanks for the helpful feedback on this forum.
I have a 2001 GTV V6. I have had rating 1 for life, no tickets or licence problems and no at fault accidents for 25 years. 4 years ago, someone crashed into my Subaru at a red light (idiots) so I have one not-at-fault claim.
2 years ago, Shannons wanted about $800 pa for a limited use policy (exact km are not specified). I changed to GIO last year which was about $750 for no km limit, rating 1 for life, and no requirement to garage the car overnight. This also included a 20% premium reduction for 2 named drivers.
This year, GIO reduced the named driver discount to 5% and the premium increased to $930. After ringing them, they agreed to drop it to $840.
Youi were around $890 (crappy online form - let me warn you), and there is a "pay as you go" company out there called Payasyoudrive.com.au, who offer 5,000km limited use policies. They were $950 - they took into account the not-at-fault claim so despite me having no fault in it, it may count against me
I will try Shannons again, but based on what I read above, I tried Dawes who are at $661 - a garaging requirement. I didn't see Rating 1 for life there, although you can protect your rating, which I guess is the same thing, just you pay extra for it. Dawes also give you a rental car for free for 17 days, which is extra with GIO and also Shannons from memory.
I will also try Lumleys and let you know the outcome.
Great to hear everyone giving Shannons a good rap (I thought they were good to deal with), but FYI they are also owned by AAMI. I had only a good experience with AAMI when the Subaru was being repaired, but they have come in for a bit of fire somewhere - Choice or RACV surveys of customer feedback, I think it was.
FOUND SHANNONS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN GIO,ESPECIALLY ON CLASSICS,GIO BEAT SHANNONS BY $100,AND U CAN HARDLY CALL GIO A SMALL INEXPERIENCED INSURANCE CO.,I ALWAYS DO GET QUOTES FROM SHANNONS,THEY ALWAYS WANT MORE, I RECOMMEND DAWES AS WELL AND WITH BEEMAS U CAN GO PAST BMW INSURANCE,COVER AND PRICE IS FAR BETTER[THAT IS IF U HAVE A BEEMA AS WELL-WIFES CAR]
I work for BMW and drive a 1996 318is and found their insurance to be the more expensive than AAMI despite employee discounts
I think one of the important factors with car insurance is postcode,can make a substantial difference where u live.CIAO
i recently changed my insurance to Shannons, from Just Car, after recommendations from here and other Alfisti.
i am happy with the premiums, and their level of service is reassuring.
of note, my GT is under a 'Limited Use' policy, which is fine, as the car is driven ~5K km a year. i set the agreed value higher than with Just Car, and the premium is cheaper overall. the 155 policy is more expensive, but i did increase the agreed value, and it is my daily driver.
my cars may be more modified than others.
my only issue with them is that they would not offer me Rating 1 Protection (ROP) straight up! this is despite 20+ years of claim-free driving. i am eligible in 3 years if i don't make a claim. ::)
they told me they could only transfer ROP if i have held it for 3 years with my previous insurer. that it was necessary to pay a small premium to have ROP with Just Car did not qualify! that is, the only way anyone can have ROP with Just Car is to pay an extra small fee for it; but because of this, Shannons do not recognise you as having had it at all!!!
not sure if anyone has been in a similar situation, and talked their way around it? before Just Car, i was with AAMI and had ROP; would that help? not sure.
anyway, i'm with Shannons now, regardless.
Just re-read some of these postings and I guess to an extent that some of us have some differing experiences. I went to Shannons in the first place since up until a couple of years ago all I had and drove were Italian Classics (Alfas and Fiats). In the past I had used RACT (Tassies version of RACV), AMMI, GIO etc. All of these insurers in the past had caused me some level of grief, eg, continually downvaluing my cars, difficulties with claims, jacking significantly the annual premium price upwards after a claim etc. Now I can't say I have ever heard of Dawes, Just Cars or some of the other small insurers mentioned here (Vigil yes as they used to be an AROCA sponsor), but given the competitive price (yes in my favour over other insurers), plus the multiple discounts available over multi-car ownership, limited/layed up cover, I couldnt go past Shannons. Moreover, with my Classics I have never had any quibbles as to the agreed value.
From my recent experience with them in now insuring my modern Alfa (03 JTS 156 Sportwagon) plus the wifey's modern BMW ('97 318is sedan), let alone my two houses, all I can say is that they remain competitive. There was a definite bonus in the wifeys car given that they valued it higher than her previous large insurer and the premium was around $150 cheaper.
So despite what others may have found I will remain with Shannons as I believe they offer good value and service. Our local office/Shannons rep is active in the car club scene here in Tassie, is one of our sponsors, and will go out of his way to inspect your vehicle at your own home if needed and is a nice bloke. A no brainer to me ! :) Dave
For what its worth, I insured a 74 GTV 2000 with GIO. Comprehensive insurance with agreed value and option of retaining salvaged vehicle for $328 p.a. Because of the car's age it is under "Veteran and vintage" but doesn't have any km limitations etc. None of the others were even close - most about 3-5 times as much. Not sure what they are like for newer models.
my mates porky 930 self combusted a few weeks ago, he is with shannons, and car is insured for 80k, apart from a couple of questions such as "were u trying to sell the car, and do you owe any money on it" that was all, they aproved the 18k repair bill. the only thing that is a worry, what would have happened if he was advertising the car for sale? I wonder
Just to close out on my car insurance exploits (see first post about 8 posts ago)
-For Dawes to include Rating 1 protection brought their quote up to $700
-LSV has changed its underwriting policy - they won't quote on non-classics (their website is out of date, as is the intro on the Alfa Club website here, they are presenting at the next club night and will presumably confirm their change)
-I went back to Shannons and with Alfa Club and CAMS licence discounts (thanks for the tip Fast Eddie), they are down to $649, with all the goodies.
So we have a winner.
Interestingly, they won't insure my Subaru family car as it lives on the road - I used to have it insured with Shannons to pick up the multi-car discount - but it seems they have also changed their underwriting approach now.
Good luck with your own insurance exploits, long may you not need cover!
Torben
Hi Guys,
As this is always a hot topic I thought I might revive this thread.
I received my renewal from Shannon's and my premium had increased substantially ??? So I called LSV who I have 2 other modern cars with.
The premium was 50% lower with basically the same options (choice of repairer, free windscreen, and salvage rights)
I even opted to insure my 105 under their modified policy which still only cost me $187 P/A including taxes with a value of 12K!!! ;D
Regarding their policy on modern cars, providing you have you classic cars with them they will consider it on a case by case basis. The reason for their change of policy is that it was un-economic to continue with these "high risk" policies for the sake customer retention.
Shards
Thanks for the update.
Shannons have been an industry supporter and Club spomsor for many years. Most memberrs with older cars including me and my 164 (not that old) have used their service.
Last year LSV presented an insurance info session and offered all members a discount (about 15%). As my car is mostly a weekend car, the insurance quote for my 156 is very much cheaper and I will switch from RACV to them soon.
Cheers.
Well......you are right .......it is a good topic.
And there is no doubt that which city/town you live in & what postcode makes all the difference. (NRMA wouldn't even give me a quote on a 6 year old Alfa in Sydney !!)
For my 2003 156 2.5L, when purchased last year, partly due to a bunch of non-interested insurance companies, I stuck my neck out & signed up with Real Insurance - which amazingly turns out to be a REAL insurance company !!! They had been heavily promoting themselves at the time as a viable car insurance alternative.........
They valued my car at just over $20,000 for about $900 a year. 12 months later, according to their 'valuer', my car is now worth $13,600 - a drop of over $6550 in a year or 31 % !! And, like the very first post said way back in Feb 09, the premium actually goes up as well for the privelege !!
So, thanks to all your input fellow Alfisti - I have now some ideas on who to turn to :) and a renewed enthusiasm to find a better deal !!
My Alfa 159 2.2 JTS late 06 model is insured for $36,100.00 and I
pay $526.00 per year with my own choice of repairer. "Pay as you drive" Insurance.
Shannons wanted $900 odd dollars after 10 year of loyality. Go figure!
Regards,
Paul
NOW
Alfa Romeo 159 2.2 JTS
PAST...
Alfa Romeo 75 twin spark
Alfa Romeo 164
Alfa Romeo GTV 74'
Alfa Romeo GTV 79'
Alfetta red 79'
Alfetta ivory 80'
Alfa Gulietta 78'
Alfa Spider (The Graduate model)
FIAT Spider
FIAT 130 Coupe'Silver
FIAT 130 Coupe'Gunmetal Grey
Fiat 124 1.8 CC
Lancia Beta HPE Bronze
Lancia Beta HPE Blue
Lancia Beta HPE Light Blue
Lancia Beta HPE Red
Subaru WRX 99
Subaru Liberty RX
Subaru Outback 05
Mazda MX6
Mazda 323 Astina 2.0 V6
VW Golf 2.0 TDI
I have to agree with venice - Real "pay as you drive" is great if you drive a limited amount and can estimate your annual total - quoted me $542 with windscreen coverage.
And for the record remember the movie "Independance Day" months of hype, billboards, TV ads and at least for me a very big let down. Its mistake was it wasn't based on a basic marketing truism "Promise low, deliver high" in fact the opposite. Youi is making the same mistake...nothing in their ad translates to the figure quoted. I must be the lowest risk category - no room for assumptions, yet these YOUI CROOKS quoted $880 for the same car, same deal!!! $2 more than my current insurer that increased 15% from last year.
Youi is a fraud.
PS Loyalty haha...that was thrown out many years ago by banks and insurance companies.
great stuff guys! I'm now shopping around for insurance providers for my 2000 156; and so far only came up with RACV.
I'll probably use her pretty often; off to uni & work pretty much. Any recommendations at all?
I suggest you shop around. I myself will try Shannons & now LSV who give a discount for car club members. RACV for me was about $1200 while I did get a limited use quote from LSV about 30% of that.
Insurance based on limited use/kms seems an option. Make sure you are satisfied with the agreed value and can choose your insurer.
Good luck.
Thanks! I've got an RACV quote around $1200, and AAMI around $1100. Will be thinking about it over the next few days.
Just thought id revive an old topic with some updated information.
Received my car insurance renewal for the 105, its with GIO under a classic policy as stated previously. When I opened it I was suprised to find a leaflet for Shannons. The cover letter then stated that GIO were no longer offering this type of insurance and it will now be covered by Shannons, which seems reasonable, the policy is $ 211 full comp for a value of $4400 therefore unchanged from before, however will need to get the car re valued due to the restoration which going by whats been posted shouldnt be an issue.
Come to the club night on Wednesday at Bell,s Hotel, LSV will be presenting their new products and they also support the club....they will have comparative products to Shannons and you can package your daily driver s with your classics.