Compare 2003 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class Insurance Rates

Searching for lower car insurance rates for your Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class? Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy overpriced car insurance? Believe me when I say there are a lot of people just like you who feel imprisoned by their car insurance policy. Lots of insurers contend to insure your vehicles, so it can be very hard to choose a company to find the absolute lowest cost out there.

If you have a policy now or are just looking to switch companies, you can use these techniques to get lower rates and still get good coverage. Finding the best rates is not rocket science. Drivers only need to know the most efficient way to shop their coverage around over the internet.

The method we recommend to compare insurance rates in your area is to know most of the bigger providers actually pay money for the chance to compare rate quotes. All consumers are required to do is provide a little information like the year, make and model of vehicles, level of coverage desired, if the car is leased, and daily mileage. Your information is instantly submitted to many of the top insurers and they return quotes immediately.

Do you qualify for discounts?

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but companies offer discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Some trigger automatically when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically prior to receiving the credit. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Homeowners Savings – Simply owning a home may earn you a small savings because of the fact that having a home is proof that your finances are in order.
  • Distant Student – Youth drivers who live away from home and do not have a car may qualify for this discount.
  • Passive Restraints – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts up to 30%.
  • Life Insurance Discount – Larger companies have better rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
  • Seat Belts Save – Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could save 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
  • Senior Citizens – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for better auto insurance rates on SLK-Class insurance.
  • Sign Early and Save – Some companies give discounts for signing up before your current expiration date. It can save you around 10%.
  • Accident Forgiveness – A few companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free for a set time period.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Most only cut specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like you could get a free auto insurance policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any qualifying discounts will bring down the amount you have to pay.

A partial list of companies that may have these benefits may include but are not limited to:

Before buying, ask each company which discounts they offer. Savings might not be offered in your area.

Pieces of the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class insurance rate puzzle

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that could result in big savings.

  • Liability coverage is cheap – Your policy’s liability coverage is the coverage that protects you in the event that a jury decides you are liable for damages from an accident. It will provide legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so buy as much as you can afford.
  • More miles equals more premium – The more you drive in a year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars determined by how the vehicle is used. Autos not used for work or commuting can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Ask your agent if your insurance policy shows the correct driver usage, because it can save money. Incorrect usage on your SLK-Class may be wasting your money.
  • Are you male or female? – Statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean men are worse drivers. They both are in accidents in similar numbers, but the males tend to have more serious accidents. They also get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving.
  • Lower rates come with age – Youthful drivers have a tendency to be less responsible in a vehicle so insurance rates are higher. Mature drivers tend to be more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.
  • Add-on coverages can add up – There are quite a few additional coverages that can waste your money when buying insurance. Coverages like rental car reimbursement, accident forgiveness and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. They may seem like a good idea when talking to your agent, but if you don’t need them get rid of them and save.
  • Your credit rating is important – Credit score is a huge factor in determining your rates. Drivers with excellent credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers who have lower credit ratings. So if your credit is low, you could be paying less to insure your 2003 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class by improving your credit score.
  • How many coverages with the same company – Some insurance companies will award you with lower prices to people who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even though this discount sounds good, it’s still a good idea to compare other company rates to make sure you are getting the best deal. Drivers may still find better rates by buying insurance from more than one company.
  • Don’t cancel a policy without a new one in place – Allowing your coverage to lapse will be a fast way to increase your insurance rates. Not only will you pay more, getting caught without coverage will get you a license revocation or jail time.Then you may be required to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with your state department of motor vehicles.

Don’t assume everyone needs the same coverage

When buying adequate coverage, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Each situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.

  • Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?
  • Who is covered when they drive my 2003 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class?
  • What is medical payments coverage?
  • Do I need replacement cost coverage on my 2003 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class?
  • Is my ex-spouse still covered by my policy?
  • What is the rate difference between pleasure use and commuting?
  • Should I file a claim if it’s only slightly more than my deductible?
  • Does coverage extend to my business vehicle?
  • Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
  • Should I buy more coverage than the required minimum liability coverage?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.

Advertising myths

Drivers get pounded daily by advertisements for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO. All the companies make the same claim that you can save after switching to them.

How do they all say the same thing?

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that makes them money. For instance, a preferred risk could be between 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and chooses high deductibles. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” is entitled to the best price and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Potential customers who are not a match for the requirements must pay a higher premium which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. This is how companies can truthfully claim big savings.

This illustrates why you need to get a wide range of price quotes. You cannot predict the company that will have the lowest Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class insurance rates.

Parts of your auto insurance policy

Understanding the coverages of auto insurance helps when choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Auto insurance terms can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are the normal coverages offered by auto insurance companies.

Coverage for medical payments

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for bills for X-ray expenses, prosthetic devices, rehabilitation expenses, EMT expenses and pain medications. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Uninsured and underinsured coverage

This gives you protection when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Due to the fact that many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Frequently these coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Comprehensive coverages

This pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as rock chips in glass, a broken windshield, damage from flooding, hitting a deer and theft. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.

Liability insurance

This coverage protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people. It protects YOU from claims by other people, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have values of 100/300/100 which means $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $300,000 for the entire accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Some companies may use one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which limits claims to one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability can pay for things such as court costs, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, legal defense fees and funeral expenses. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford.

Collision insurance

This coverage pays for damage to your SLK-Class resulting from colliding with another car or object. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for things like scraping a guard rail, crashing into a ditch, hitting a parking meter, rolling your car and driving through your garage door. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. Another option is to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Be a penny pincher

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to save on 2003 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even discover the best price on auto insurance is with a lesser-known regional company. Some small companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate and Progressive.

As you restructure your insurance plan, do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many situations where someone sacrificed comprehensive coverage or liability limits and discovered at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.

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