Cheaper 1997 Ford Explorer Insurance Quotes

Are you overwhelmed by the dozens of car insurance company choices? Many other consumers are too. There are so many options that it can be a big hassle to find the lowest price.

Finding the best rates is not that difficult. Basically, everyone who is required by state law to have car insurance should be able to save money. Nevertheless, car owners need to learn the way insurance companies price online insurance because it can help you find the best coverage.

Cheap Insurance Comparisons

There are several ways to compare quotes from insurance companies in your area. One of the best ways to find the lowest 1997 Ford Explorer rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. This can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.

  1. The most efficient way to get quotes is to use a rate comparison form click to view form in new window. This form prevents you from having to do repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for. Filling out one form will get you price quotes from several companies.It’s the quickest way to get rates.
  2. A slightly less efficient method to compare rate quotes requires a trip to the website for each individual company to complete a price quote. For sake of this example, we’ll pretend you want comparison quotes from State Farm, Safeco and GEICO. To get each rate you have to visit each site to enter your coverage information, and that’s why the first method is more popular.

    For a handy list of car insurance company links in your area, click here.

  3. The hardest way to get comparison rates is to drive around to and from local insurance agencies. Shopping for insurance online makes this process obsolete unless you have a need for the personal advice of a local agent. You can, however, compare the best prices online and get advice from an agent in your area.

Whichever way you use, make sure you use apples-to-apples coverages for every company. If the quotes have different limits and deductibles on each one it will be next to impossible to decipher which rate is best. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages may result in a large different in cost. And when quoting insurance, remember that quoting more gives you a better chance of getting the best rates.

Do you qualify for a discount?

Companies don’t always publicize all available discounts very well, so we researched both well-publicized and the harder-to-find auto insurance savings.

  • Good Students Pay Less – This discount can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The good student discount can last up until you turn 25.
  • Auto/Life Discount – Some companies give a discount if you purchase life insurance.
  • Defensive Driving Course – Successfully completing a driver safety course could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
  • Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
  • Multi-policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you may save approximately 10% to 15%.
  • Resident Student – Children who live away from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle can receive lower rates.
  • Memberships – Affiliation with a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying auto insurance for Explorer insurance.
  • Drive Less and Save – Driving fewer miles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
  • Student Driver Training – Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver’s ed class if offered at their school.

Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies don’t profit that way.

For a list of companies with discount auto insurance rates, follow this link.

Why your Ford Explorer insurance rates may be high

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that come into play when calculating the price you pay for insurance. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to big savings.

  • Policy add-ons can waste money – There are a lot of additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren’t careful. Things like personal injury protection, accidental death and term life insurance may be wasting your money. They may seem like a good idea at first, but if they’re wasting money remove them from your policy.
  • Liability coverage is cheap – The liability section of your policy provides coverage in the event that you are found to be at fault for damages from an accident. Liability provides for a legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability is cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
  • Your age impacts your rates – Older drivers are more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and receive fewer citations. Youthful drivers are known to be careless and easily distracted behind the wheel therefore insurance rates are much higher.
  • You might want pay the small claims yourself – If you file claims often, you can pretty much guarantee either higher rates or even cancellation. Companies generally give cheaper rates to insureds who do not file claims often. Car insurance is intended for the large, substantial claims.
  • Battle of the sexes – Statistics demonstrate women tend to be less risk to insure than men. Now that doesn’t mean women are better drivers. Both sexes cause accidents in similar percentages, but men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also get more serious tickets such as DWI and reckless driving.

What coverages do I need?

When choosing the right insurance coverage, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your situation may require specific advice.

  • Is rental equipment covered for theft or damage?
  • Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
  • Should I get collision insurance on every vehicle?
  • Is my camper covered by my car insurance policy?
  • I have a DUI can I still get coverage?
  • Do I have coverage when making deliveries for my home business?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.

Do car insurance companies bend the truth?

GEICO, State Farm and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. All the companies make the same claim about savings if you switch to them. But how can every company make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the right customer that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable insured might be profiled as between 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A propective insured that hits that “sweet spot” gets the lowest rates and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Potential customers who do not match this ideal profile will be quoted more money and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “people who switch” not “people who quote” save money. This is how companies can truthfully claim big savings. This emphasizes why you need to quote coverage with many companies. It’s impossible to know which company will fit your personal profile best.

Insurance policy coverages for a Ford Explorer

Having a good grasp of your insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.

Auto liability – Liability coverage will cover damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property in an accident. It protects you from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability insurance covers things such as bail bonds, legal defense fees, medical expenses and structural damage. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but consider buying as large an amount as possible.

Collision – Collision insurance pays for damage to your Explorer resulting from a collision with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against things such as hitting a mailbox, sideswiping another vehicle, hitting a parking meter and crashing into a ditch. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.

Medical expense insurance – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for immediate expenses such as hospital visits, dental work, doctor visits, pain medications and funeral costs. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers you and your occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available and may carry a deductible

Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims like damage from flooding, hitting a bird, vandalism, fire damage and falling objects. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Ford Explorer.

Due to the fact that many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.

Have money to burn

In this article, we presented some good ideas how to get a better price on 1997 Ford Explorer insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even find the best price on insurance coverage is with a small local company.

Insureds change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including denial of a claim, extreme rates for teen drivers, lack of trust in their agent and even questionable increases in premium. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, switching insurance coverage companies is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.

When trying to cut insurance costs, don’t be tempted to buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage and discovered at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your aim should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.

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