Liberal Use Classic Car Insurance ?

C

Chopchop

Member
In April I posted here regarding regular use car insurance for classic cars (in Ontario.)

An extremely exhaustive search for an insurance company that would insure hot rods / modified classics as regular or leisure-use vehicle was fruitless.

There is no insurance company in Ontario that will insure your hot rodded classic car as a regular, day-to-day, back and forth to work driver.

Except Facility insurance. They quoted me $4100 / year on a $17 000 appraised hot rod (and I haven't had a ticket, accident or claim in better than 25 years).


Since no one except Facility will allow me to use my cars as I want to, does anyone know of a classic car insurance program that allows liberal use of a classic / hot rod?

Hagerty, Silver Wheels and Zehr insurance (who writes through RSA) have severely restricted usage stipulations...you can't take the car shopping, you can't take the car on vacation (unless it's to a car show) and you're only supposed to go directly to and from the car show with the vehicle. You can also use the vehicle if it's for the purpose or repair, testing or demonstration for sale.


Does anyone know of a classic car insurance program that allows you more leeway with the usage?


Thank you in advance for any help you can give me with this.
 
No Damn way I'm letting any Liberals drive any of my cars no mattter how much insurance I have.....oh , that's not what you're talking about.....nevermind!
 
Makes you wonder what is up with insurance companies. You can insure a $60,000 new pickup to drive every day with no problem, but a $17,000 vintage vehicle costs over $4000 to insure to drive it every day? Am I missing something here? Does it cost less to replace a $60,000 vehicle than a $17,000 one? I don't understand their rationale.
 
Chopchop said:
Does anyone know of a classic car insurance program that allows you more leeway with the usage?
Thank you in advance for any help you can give me with this.
Click to expand...

In B.C., with our state run car insurance, you can insure as type 1, leisure use only, can’t remember all the regulations but things like; only to used to go to work two days a month etc etc.

WHO THE HELL IS GOING TO KNOW?

The only person who knows where you are going is you, ......so IF you are in an accident on your regular insurance, ........you are going for MILK !

:)
 
Old Ray said:
In B.C., with our state run car insurance, you can insure as type 1, leisure use only, can’t remember all the regulations but things like; only to used to go to work two days a month etc etc.

WHO THE HELL IS GOING TO KNOW?

The only person who knows where you are going is you, ......so IF you are in an accident on your regular insurance, ........you are going for MILK !

:)
Click to expand...

For the extra $200 a year I wouldn't chance it. If you did get into an accident at 6:45 in the morning going for milk 15 miles from your home I would think ICBC may investigate. Too many cameras, etc. to get away with anything these days, and ICBC would investigate if something looked suspicious.
 
We want you to have a classic car, we want you to insure it, we want to make money off you, but we don't want you to drive it in case we have to pay off a claim. Keep your classic car in the garage and sit in a lawn chair smoking a cuban, sipping 100 year old scotch and admire your classic as if it was a piece of art hanging on the wall.

Yours truly
The insurance company.
 
Chop,

This is from another site, the members are based in Ontario.
####### wrote:

Buckley Insurance.

Nobody tells me what to do and where to go and where not to park unattended and what parade to drive in, etc....

What rate are you paying? What coverage and did you have to get an appraisal?

Regular insurance, cost about $1300.00/year. I have collision and they will depreciate the value from the appraisal date just like driving a new car off the lot. So the agent says. Probably full of it and if something happens, I'll be repairing the truck on my own dime.

They won't do a guaranteed payment ( 19A? ) even with an appraisal.
Click to expand...
 
Maybe I'm in outer space but I don't see the problem?? Collector insurance is for collector cars period. Rates are 1/5th of the regular. If U want to drive it to/fro daily then just get regular insurance. I had to do that after jumping through hoops in AZ. Got a policy that I can switch to/fro from driving to storage on a phone call via State Farm. Average cost is about $300/yr.
 
al37ford said:
Maybe I'm in outer space but I don't see the problem?? Collector insurance is for collector cars period. Rates are 1/5th of the regular. If U want to drive it to/fro daily then just get regular insurance. I had to do that after jumping through hoops in AZ. Got a policy that I can switch to/fro from driving to storage on a phone call via State Farm. Average cost is about $300/yr.
Click to expand...


I would get regular insurance if someone would give it to me.
The problem is that no insurance company in Ontario (with the exception of the $4000 / yr Facility insurance) will insure a modified (ie "Hot Rod") classic car.
I called State Farm, they laughed at me when I asked for regular use insurance ;They don't do modified cars. If you have a bone-stock "old" car, they may be able to get you something but if you have a true hot rod, they won't touch you.
In fact, a lot of insurance companies will write an old car onto an existing policy IF the car has not been modified from original. If it's been lowered or has performance modifications or body mods or custom wheels, etc... you won't find a company that will touch it (other than Facility). If your regular-use car insurance company will write your car, they are doing it as a favour to you. They will NOT do it for new clients.

Here is the link detailing my search for regular use car insurance on classics:

http://www.canadianrodder.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18229&highlight=regular+insurance

KevinsRodShop, when I spoke with Hagerty, they told me to think of their car insurance program as "Museum Car Insurance". They told me to picture classic cars in a museum and every now and then the car could be started and driven down the road or brought to a show. So your post is not at all far off from what the classic car insurance companies want us to do!

OldRay, I've been told by brokers that in the event of a major claim, insurance adjusters will check with neighbours to find out if your car is used on a regular basis. If you never have a claim, no one will ever know if you drive the thing back and forth across Canada 20 times a year but if you have an accident, there's a good chance somebody'll check up on you. (That's from the brokers I've spoken to.)


58Chev, thank you. I know I talked with them before but I'll call them again and see if they can help out. Thank you very much!
 
Intact , my ins guy says can drive any where , any time , have to notify if going to states ahead a time . . Lady in the office called their old car ins people and they told her I can tow my drag car , not on a regular basis , but a few times to track , or shows is ok ..77.
 
Fordnutz said:
Makes you wonder what is up with insurance companies. You can insure a $60,000 new pickup to drive every day with no problem, but a $17,000 vintage vehicle costs over $4000 to insure to drive it every day? Am I missing something here? Does it cost less to replace a $60,000 vehicle than a $17,000 one? I don't understand their rationale.
Click to expand...

New cars depreciate, appraised/agreed values cars don't.

As well, a larger pool of "payees" to spread the risk around.

Very small pool of hot rods/collector vehicles in Canada compared to the US.
One of the reasons the Hagerty Insurance is different in Canada vs. the US, and why there are more underwriters there too.
 
..77. said:
Intact , my ins guy says can drive any where , any time , have to notify if going to states ahead a time . . Lady in the office called their old car ins people and they told her I can tow my drag car , not on a regular basis , but a few times to track , or shows is ok ..77.
Click to expand...


Intact won't do modified cars - only original, stock old cars. That was the first company I called as my neighbour is with them and told me about them. He has a '60's Mustang and drives it semi-regularly. Thanks very much for the tip though!

58Chev, I called Buckley, all they have is Hagerty so whatever that guy wrote on the other forum is wrong. Thank you though.

Edit:

Intact also wants an up to date "safety approval"

http://www.intergroupe.ca/201-insur...e-Coverage-for-Classic-and-Antique-Autos.html

That page says, "

....Our classic coverage is for vehicles that are between 15 and 30 years old, are considered collectors’ items and haven’t been modified in any way from the manufacturer’s original specifications. They must also:

Not be driven for regular transportation
Have been appraised within the last five years
Have been granted up-to-date safety approval and photo
Be valued at less than $50,000
Antique automobiles follow the same specifications as above, but they’re more than 30 years old and considered collectors' items. They are also:

Only driven in parades or exhibitions
Have been issued special Historic Value licence plates
Coverage and Discounts
For either your classic or antique vehicle, collision coverage while it’s being towed is not charged extra. If you purchase comprehensive coverage, your policy includes collision coverage while it is being towed to a restoration site."
 
Last edited:
well my regular car ins co is Intact , they told me Intact had a policy that would suit my truck . I have to go see them next week . If I remember I,ll get more info on the policy , my truck is under my group policy but has a different package on it . due it being a 1950 , different motor and front and rear ends ..77.
 
In regards to "risk" with collector cars............my '35 Chevy Streetrod was insured with Whetter-oaklin when I lost the car in a garage fire, caused by a lightning strike.


I met my agent at the waterdown car show after Whetter-oaklin ceased operations and he told me that my claim was the ONLY TOTAL LOSS CLAIM he had ever paid out. Not much risk, IMHO!!!
Mike
 
there musty be 1000,s of hotrods on the roads in ont. what are they doing:confused:
 
Last edited:
30sx said:
there musty be 1000,s of hotrods on the roads in ont. what are they doing:confused:
Click to expand...


What 99% of the guys are doing is getting classic car insurance for a couple hundred dollars a year and driving their cars however and whenever they want regardless of the restrictions their insurance companies are putting on the policies.

(EDIT:
And almost everybody I've spoken to drives their car to the A&W and back and that's it. Only a few guys I've spoken to drive their cars on a semi-regular basis. Most of them have garage queens that don't see 200 miles of use a year.)

What my friends say is, "I'm insured, I got my pink slip, I'm going to drive my car and f**k what the insurance company tells me I can or can't do."

The problem with that attitude is in the even of an accident, the insurance company can very easily deny your claim under what they call, "misrepresentation."
They made it clear that you cannot use your car to go to the store or work yet you did (and got into an accident) and they can deny the claim because you misrepresented your usage of the vehicle.


Some guys I know have the plan that they'll drive the car however / whenever they want and if there's an accident, they'll just say they were going for a pleasure ride.

Some guys drive their cars to work with the plan that if they get into an accident, they'll just say they were driving the car that day because some guy is interested in buying it and the guy was going to come look at the car right after work (as the car can be driven for the purpose of sale).

Or they say they were going to their mechanic to ask about _________ (fill in the blank) and therefore they were following the guidelines of their policy when the accident occurred enroute to the mechanic.

In the event of an accident those guys' plans very well may work - I don't know - it depends on whether the insurance company wants to pay out their claim or not.

I'm the dummy who's honest and is more than willing to pay a reasonable rate to insure my car for the usage I want and in turn, not worry about having my claim denied in the event of an accident (and in turn losing my house and livelihood when I get sued by the other guy's insurance company because my insurance company's denied my claim!)
But no insurance company (except $4000 / year Facility) will insure a modified
classic car (ie "Hot Rod").


@ Oldman -

I was with Whetter-Oakland until they sold my business to Silver Wheels. Silver Wheels / Lant had cancelled my policy 15+ years ago because I refused to use my cars under their restrictions. Also, (unless they've changed their rules), Silver Wheels specifies that the car(s) be kept in a locked garage and NEVER left unattended unless you are at a legitimate car show. Some of my cars are outside, some are in a locked garage but right off the bat, Silver Wheels and I didn't see eye to eye. For people who don't know, Silver Wheels (through Lant in Ontario), and Hagerty are all underwritten by Aviva. It's the exact same insurance policy and the exact same restrictions.

http://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php?topic=78650.40
 
Last edited:
Same link as above :

http://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php?topic=78650.40


As one of the posters on that website states:
"

Two phrases Hagerty buries in their website tells all:

"Limited usage" "While only the policy describes the coverage provided"

This coverage is for Collectors with garage queens, not intended for ppl that desire 1/2 price policies for "regular transportation". "

Again, Hagerty and Silver Wheels have the exact same policy restrictions as they are both underwritten by Aviva.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom