Such high Insurance Costs for a New Passat

Re: Such high Insurance Costs for a New Passat (SCUCD)

$141.00 a month for a Sports Sedan isn't that bad. First off, are you getting quotes for a 1.8T or a V6?? Have you shopped around for different quotes? Have you played with the different levels of coverage and PIP? (Depends on your location!) Your credit rating also plays into the picture when shopping for automobile insurance!
I pay $120.00 a month to insure my 2001.5 GLX 4 Motion through GEICO. I know it's not the lowest rate, but I also have a 7 Year/100,000mile extended warranty, and $5000 worth of PIP. My friend you are also 25 years old, which is still considered very high risk by many insurance underwriters. Your rates should go down again in a year or two, but it depends on the underwriter. Progressive and StateFarm tend to have great quotes but I've been insured by GEICO for 15 Years; (since I've been driving) and my driving record is spotless.
You also may want to look at multiple-policy discounts. Do you own a home or need rental insurance? I'm not an insurance agent, but you should do a little more research and get as many quotes as you can.

Re: Such high Insurance Costs for a New Passat (The Swami)

FYI for anyone interested......here's the symbols that the industry uses for comp/collision rating (with the exception a select few companies):
2002 Model Year
Passat GLS Symbol
Sed 4 Dr 14 1.8L/4
Wag 4 Dr 15 1.8L/4
Passat GLS V6
Sed 4 Dr 16 2.8L/6
Wag 4 Dr 16 2.8L/6
Passat GLS V6 4MOTION
Sed 4 Dr 17 2.8L/6
Wag 4 Dr 17 2.8L/6
Passat GLX V6
Sed 4 Dr 18 2.8L/6
Wag 4 Dr 18 2.8L/6
Passat GLX V6 4MOTION
Sed 4 Dr 19 2.8L/6
Wag 4 Dr 19 2.8L/6

In a nutshell, the scale goes from 1 to 27 with (21+ is rated a little different - cars like porsche being in this class). The higher the symbol the higher the rate. Just to give you an idea, the difference between a symbol 14 and 15 is about 10%.
Some reference points...the Dodge Caravan SE is a symbol 5, and the base Altima is a 13. One of the main components that drives this is repair costs.


[Modified by DaisyCutter, 2:45 PM 2-11-2002]

Re: Such high Insurance Costs for a New Passat (vista2variant)


Area has much more to do with insurance rates than the vehicle. I moved from Santa Barbara, CA to Phoenix, AZ(good neighborhood) and my rates doubled. Ouch....

Re: Such high Insurance Costs for a New Passat (SCUCD)

AAA is notoriously expensive. Try a few other reputable companies such as State Farm and 21st. If you don't mind, try also others.
Insurance rates are highly dependent on geography ($700 in Palo Alto versus $1000 in L.A. for me!) and age. Some insurers look at occupation and marital status as well. The difficult part is that you can't usually classify one company as being consistently less expensive than another. Let me give you an example. All companies look at whether you have at least 9 years of experience, which is a very significant factor in determining your rate. But is is very possible that company A will be cheaper than company B when you have 8 years of experience, but as soon as you have your 9 years under your belt, company B might become a better deal. Another example. Say you are a professional. Company A may give you a discount for it, but not company B. But for a guy who is not a professional, B might be more inexpensive. Do you get the picture? Which company will give a good rate depends largely on many factors specific to your situation. Bottom line: shop round.