Advice for when you’re purchasing your classic car insurance
23rd August 2011 by Karen No CommentsImage courtesy of Duncan Harris
The damage caused by forced entry, vandalism, theft, or any other kind of damage goes way beyond inconvenience and financial outlay for the average classic car owner. Zealous enthusiasts usually buy and meticulously refurbish models themselves, taking months and even years to complete a project, so, as you can well imagine, loss of any kind means loss of time, love and a great amount of effort and thought, too.
While it’s crucial to enhance the security of your classic car in order to prevent vandalism, loss or damage, it’s also important for helping you keep the cost of your car insurance as low as possible. Click here to get some great quote comparisons from experts in classic car insurance. If the very worst occurs, you’ll at least want to feel reassured that your investment is, at the very least, well protected at the cheapest possible price.
Because classic cars are easier to force entry into than their more modern counterparts, it’d be incredibly prudent to invest in a Thatcham-approved alarm, immobiliser and tracker. What’s more, a tracker will enable police to retrieve a stolen car quickly, often within 24 hours – particularly valuable in view of the fact that classic cars are often quickly dismantled for parts because they’re of more value and easier to sell on this way. Also, fitting your car with one or all of these devices will help keep your insurance premium low.
TRACKER, one of the UK’s leading stolen vehicle recovery companies, appreciates that many classic car owners are often unwilling to tamper with the authenticity of the vehicle by fitting any modern technology, thus interfering with its original state, and concerned about the fact that the addition of such technological gadgetry would detract from the car’s bygone look.
Stuart Chapman, of Tracker, said: “Classic car owners are understandably cautious when it comes to installing alarm systems and immobilisers. Some devices are even unsightly, even on modern vehicles, so people feel they affect the look of the vehicle. Whilst that might be the case, the appeal of those vehicles for criminals makes it essential to protect them.”
If you’re happy that you’ve taken every step possible safeguard your car against theft or wilful damage, then there still more ways you can keep your car insurance cost to a minimum. Because classic cars are usually parked off road and most often in a garage, driven infrequently and always driven very carefully, car insurance for this class of vehicle tends to be lower than most others anyway.
However, making sure the mileage estimation for the year is accurate will satisfy your insurer that you’re less likely to be in an accident by being on the road less. Similarly, you should get your classic car valued and get the value guaranteed – if your car is written off, for example, you’re guaranteed to get the true value of the car, which usually increases with age, in the case of classics.