If you want economy, you have to pay for it

[vtec-e]

It's typical isn't it. You do your bit for your pocket and the environment, then somebody goes ahead and messes it up. I'd like to see how much it costs to insure an Aptera. I believe somebody here is getting one soon. That'll really show up any insurance problems.

ollie

[Funny]

Originally Posted by vtec-e

It's typical isn't it. You do your bit for your pocket and the environment, then somebody goes ahead and messes it up. I'd like to see how much it costs to insure an Aptera. I believe somebody here is getting one soon. That'll really show up any insurance problems.
ollie

I believe Ptero is getting the typ-1h Aptera. I just can't wait until they come out, let alone know all the specs!

[metromizer]

I wouldn't get too worked up about this guys... sounds like another "Man bites dog..." story to me.

Let me take stab at debunking this as made up sensationalism:

"A 40-year-old male driver would pay an average of $1,704 to insure a 2009 Mini Cooper that gets 37 miles per gallon on the highway, according to a study by Insure.com, an online insurance broker. That same driver would pay only $1,266 -- a difference of $438 -- to insure a Toyota Sienna Minivan, which gets 23 mpg.

Similarly, a Honda Civic compact that gets 36 mpg on the highway costs $412 more a year to insure than a Honda CR-V, a small sport-utility vehicle that gets 27 mpg."

Let see, a Mini Cooper. I drove one of those little go karts through the city of Rochester NY two weeks ago. What fun! I have racing experience, and I'll tell you why that little slot-car should be more expensive to insure... pepole buy them because they are fun, and like spirited driving. There isn't many other reasons to buy one of those, a Corolla gets about hte same mpg and is a lot less expensive. The suspension is tight, the S version corners like it's on rails, and acceleration is downright zippy. I found myself easily going double the speedlimit more than once "It's just a fun car to drive, in or out of traffic" Oh, and it happens to get great mpg "I'll take one in British racing Green, Please..."

The Seinna mini van... Hmmmm... My girlfriend has a Toyota Seinna mini van, so I have some very recent experience with that one, too. Great, utilitarian vehicle, I've put over 10k miles on it. Comfortable for 6 passengers and the V6 has plenty of torque to accelerate on and off the freeway. Here's the thing, when I'm behind the wheel, I drive it like a grandma, just as it was intended. It's comfortable, but lacks any serious cornering ability and I will tell you, I am MUCH less apt to drive the van more than 5mph over the speed limit. The tires squeal if you drive 10% over the advised corner speeds (those little yellow signs on the freeway ramps) Moreover, when I take the van, it's because I have 2 or more of our teenage kids in the car. Unlike 'rippin' through Rochester' in my friend's new Mini, I always drive very cautiously with others in my care.

Civics in NorCal are primarily driven by teens and 20-somthings, also one of the most stolen vehicles around. The Honda CRV is basically a neutered SUV with very low center of gavity (available in front wheel drive only as well as 4x4) You never see them muddy, but more or less in a role of commuter that could go offroad (if we took off the passenger car tires). Again, not the same driver or demographic.

Comparing apples to oranges for the sake of a 'man bites dog' story IMO. The WSJ should know better than to publish garbage like that.

[MazdaMatt]

true... a valid comparison would be of two similarly priced vehicles of similar purpose with different fuel milage. But how do you do that? Same size, same purpose, SAME PRICE and different milage? maybe a hybrid honda and a non-hybrid acura?

[Ryland]

i've found small cars to be cheaper, my commuti-car is $120 per year while my civic is $240 per year for liability, insured on the same policy, cars that are seen as sports cars tend to cost more, but my insurance agent told me that efficient cars are the cheapest to insure because they are safe.

[trebuchet03]

This is stemming from a bad call, in my opinion, by the IIHS....

Since when is it relevant to base this statistic on millions of vehicles sold?

The BTS doesn't do that... Why? Because it's statistically irrelevant.

I'll need to find it again, but there was a similar study done comparing fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles. As I recall, one or two minivans were in the top 5. They need to meet the same safety criteria of cars AND have a weight advantage.... I personally have no problem with anyone saying a heavier vehicle is safer IF you stipulate that the vehicles you're comparing have to meet the same safety standards.


And I agree with the the above posts - last time I called about insurance, I gave them model specific information (down to engine size)... They never took a simple "it's a car."

[wagonman76]

Another thing I about small cars and insurance. Small cars usually tend to be 2-door models. At least at my insurance company, 2-door models are considered a sport coupe regardless of anything else about the car, and therefore cost more to insure than the same car in a 4-door.

[metromizer]

I was at a birthday dinner the other night, sitting across from with a a career insurance agent. She said the tables her company uses to assign risk are a lot more complicated than anyone gives them credit for.

I didn't get all the details, but she said cost of repair is one small component. Her main point was the injuries index is weighted much higher, since medical claims are huge $$ when compared to the property damage portion. If it's an older car like my tuna can Metro, they just 'total' it and send me a check, the injuriy part of the claim is their largest liability (read:money looser). I think I understand a little better.

She went on to say cars that have the 'uni-sled system' where the engine and trans are designed to slide under the passenger compartment in a front end collision get the best ratings and lower premiums, but then again it's offset by the higher repair costs of a Mercedes, for instance.

I need to invest in big oil and insurance company stocks... then just look at my profits as a 'rebate' <eyes rolling...>

[95CHERJUST]

Well I work at Allstate Insurance here In PA, call me and Ill save you money on your car Insurance only if live in PA, only licensed in PA. justinlandis@allstate.com

It isnt just the small car thing its many factors that go into it I think kids are into the vtech's, scion's, wrx's, lancer's etc thats why they are more expensive ya know, other factors to think about are age, credit score, driving history (i only see past 3 years). Scion yes really expensive, honda's arent so bad anymore,

[mavinwy]

Insurance is all a numbers game. If a honda coupe statistically has more accidents/repair costs/young drivers/etc than even a toyota coupe. Guess which one will cost more to insure. This is even affected regionally. Once an insurance company tried to lump me in with "Denver" drivers because it was in the region. I pointed out that there are more drivers in the denver metro area than in the whole state of Wyoming and the number of accidents etc would be significantly different. When they would not budge, I changed carriers.

I always found it odd that even liability insurance was affected by the driver's credit score. If the vehicle is paid off...there should be no issue.

Either way, around here, the least expensive thing to insure is a 2 wheel drive pickup with anti-lock brakes and airbags. I would assume that the full frame meant less medical costs. People aren't as likely to go out 4 wheeling and roll their 2wd and the drivers tend to be more mature.

Small "tuner" cars (or cars that are regularly made int tuner cars) seem to be the most to insure.

Statistics is what the insurance industry is based on as a way to make money. It is all gambling that you will pay more than you cost.

Jim