I'm curious to see what the R56 is going to look like on the insurance rates w/ DSC and the active/passive safety features included.

Thoughts?

Any insurance agents out there?

 

If you have your vin you should be able to get a quote from your insurance agent.

 

I'm not an agent. But I've been an Underwriting Manager for the past 5 years, now cross-training into the Claims Department for the world's largest Insurer. Close enough ?

You specifically mentioned DSC and passive safety systems (airbags/seatbelts). Let me address them separately for you.

1. DSC. Some companies might have discounts for DSC as part of their broad "safety discounts" category. Other companies don't offer a discount for DSC as part of their package, realizing that the increased safety provided by the DSC will reflect in statistics gathered and will hence reflect in that particular vehicles Insurance Rating Group (IRG).

2. Passive safety items, such as airbags or restraints. Almost all companies do include these items in their safety discounts packages. Just make sure your agent understands what features your MINI has so you get the discounts you are entitled to receive.

Other questions ?

 

I am an insurance agent, and own a 2005 MCS, and in my experience the Mini (S) is not expensive to insure. The cost associated with the vehicle model itself is proportional to the sticker price. There is no "sports-car" or "high performance" surcharge. It is "value rated" as equivalent to a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Mini is not expensive to insure, but YOU might be!

 

Dont have mine yet, but My Ins carrier told me 365.00/6 months. I have no tickets/points/accidents. Good driver discount.

 

I did get many quotes for the 07 I have on order. NO "incidents", tickets, etc. Costs have ranged from $823.00 to 360.00 for 6 months.
I'm not too far from NYC so the county code is high.
Leason learned = SHOP AROUND
I expect to use the money I'm saving by shopping around on mods -- lol.
One other thing -- take a driver safety course you will save $ for 3-5 yrs and also make sure you tell your insurance agent that you have daytime running lights (programmable by the dealer) Do give your agent your full list of safety features -- it's a new model and the VIN alone may not give them the full story.

 

Ouch :(


Was just quoted at $510 for six months as compared to $315 I'm currently paying on my 02 Saturn.

Over 30, no tickets/accidents that were my fault (hope I didn't just jinx myself).

 

John, Insurance rates are impacted by MANY factors. But... if nothing else has changed (you haven't moved, for instance), then the difference in your premium from your Saturn to your MINI is mostly attributable to the difference in age. Your Saturn, being an 02, is bound to be cheaper than a brand new car.

Otherwise, only a small portion of the increase is due to being a MINI versus a Saturn. I.E., if you were getting an 02 MINI, the rate increase would be negligable.

 

I think the most I ever paid a month (with two different insurance companies) with the Saturn was $73...and that was the first six months. hmm

Was expected a jump...but not a $400/year jump I guess

I have a great insurance agent who is a friend and I'm in a masters program with, so I have zero concerns about any markup through her.

 

John unless you are literally married to your insurance agent -- Shop around!
Just imagine insurance like you would an ftermarket product. I would hope you would not just take the first price some place would give you.

One other factor to consider -- add an additional policy with the same insurance company -- anything will do; apartment/home insurance, supplimental health (very cheap)
MUltiple lines reduce your auto insurance a fair amount. -- again don't throw your money away when few phone calls can make the difference.

 

We have two cars and our house through this agent...just switched to her last year...saved $320 on our homeowners and like $200 on auto (wife has a lead foot)

Decisions decisions... appreciate all the info/advice!

 

To all you posters...what kind of deductible? I found a huge difference between fifty dollars and five hundred deductible. One end was around 1100 dollars, the other around 750.

 

I didn't think there 50 deductibles were a choice anymore.
To me even a small low speed dent will be over/close to $1000 to fix.
I'm considering going to $1000 ded.
If I would consider not calling my insurance company for a small dent -- for fear of my rates increasing then why have a low ded. The $1000 is going to come out of my pocket (or the person who hits me) so why spend extra for insurance cover I would not take advantage of.

 

Speaking of deductibles, just an FYI for those who didn't already know it...

You can save a bunch of money with higher dedictible on your COLLISION coverage. However, the savings on larger deductibles on COMPREHENSIVE coverage are considerably smaller. That, along with the propensity for Comp claims because of the wide range of losses that fall under that coverage, I do not advocate carrying a large deductible on Comp.

Because of those reasons and the fact I have faith in my own driving ability (where Collision coverage comes into play), I carry a $1000 deductible on Collision and just a $100 for Comp.

Call your agent and have him/her run some quotes with varying deductibles and see how it affects your premium. Then you can decide what is best for you.

 

I asked why my insurance would increase by $80/year over my Prius. One answer given was the high resale value, thus replacement cost, of the Mini Cooper.

 

Yes, that would play a small part in the increased rate. If your car, God forbid, were ever to be a total loss through theft or accident, they would have to pay your ACV (actual cash value) at the time of the loss.

As I said, small part of the equation but your company is right.

 

over the pond in the uk iam am pay £367 fully comp for my new 07 mcs with the aero kit fitted iam 38 with 1 ticket & 8 years ncb i think its a good deal

 

I havent spoken with my agent yet but I would think the fact that it has a turbo now would also make a difference. I know when I had my Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX they killed me simply because it had a turbo. They said it was an increased likelihood of tickets/accidents.

 

I am getting raped here in jersey, $2000 a year on my the MCS well then again im 20 years old, better than my $3000 a year on the damn GTI. I am getting very fed up with Allstate.

 

2000 - wow! My quote was half that. But I'm twice your age. Shop around Geico and others have been barraging me with offers. See if they can do better. Take a driving class - it may lower your rate. AAA offers them all over.

 

Yes, definitely shop around for a competitive rate. Just don't forget that you also need to consider other factors when choosing your insurer. Their customer service and claim settlement record should also be major factors for your consideration.

Do your research. It's time well spent. For instance, Geico might have a good rate for youthful drivers (and their caveman commercials are great), but they are not known for being very good on the claims end of the business.

Also, is it important to you to have a human answer the phone when you need service ? Or is it fine with you that you get a computer messaging system ? Do you want the comfort of having an agent, or is a nationally-serviced main office an acceptable situation ?

Price is the only thing some folks consider when shopping their car insurance. It shouldn't be.

 

is this for fully comp insurance then do you get covered for hitting a deer as i have relations in upstate ny who have had to fix up ther own trucks after hitting deer

 

I live near DC and pay $617 for each 06 MINI. I have full coverage and 100 comp and 500 collision.

 

progressive was cheaper then geico which i found to be amazing...and now just checked with aig,esurance, and allstate. the where all crap... Esurance was $4000 A YEAR KISS MY REAREND!

 

Hitting an animal is ALWAYS a comp claim and not an at-fault accident, regardless of what you strike after you strike the animal. Comprehensive claims will have little/no impact on your future premiums.

On the other hand, you swerve to miss an animal, do not strike the animal and have an accident, that's a collision loss and it is an at-fault accident. Your premiums are likely to go up (unless you have a company who offers accident forgiveness and you've earned it).

Although it's usually better to hit an animal as far as your insurance goes, swerve to miss a LARGE animal if you can do so safely without losing control of your vehicle.

No time to think usually... your instincts will take over.