Insurance on a ALH TDI

mrfiat

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Location
Los Ranchos, NM
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI (Reflex Silver) , 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon (Black)
I was in a accident in my 1999.5 Jetta TDI (155K miles in great shape) last December. It was not my fault and they took out my rear PS door and rear quarterpanel. (Damaged the front door a little and the bumper) The estimate was $5,200 to fix it. I am insured through Progressive.

They totaled the car and offered me $2,200 for it. I, of course, sent them a bunch of craigslist ads, ebays ads, etc showing they were way undervaluing the car. I finally got them up to $3,500 and I took it. (I was tired of dealing with them at that point)

It has cost me about $8,000 to replace the car with my 2003 Jetta sedan.

I'm paying $400 per year for full coverage on my 2003 Jetta right now. I called Progressive today to see if they could up the payout if this car gets hit and they do have stated value insurance. They want $1,800 per year extra to do a stated value of $7,000 on the car. (Which is way too much, so I will not do it)

Does anyone have an insurance company that is more reasonable on stated value insurance on our older ALH TDIs? Or do we just have to eat the difference if someone hits us? (Like I had to)

I have a Lotus Elise insured through Hagerty and I pay $600 per year for full coverage with a stated value of $30,000. They will not insure a car unless it is an exotic though.

Thanks!
 

jrsride2002

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
'02 Jetta Wagon TDI
I do have Progressive, but without stated coverage.
My coverage is cheap, and I got it through my bank... Get a quote from your bank??

Best I can tell you. Otherwise yes. We'd have to eat it. Make no mistake, they are interested in your money, and not your interests. If they have to fork over some money, it will be the minimum they can get away with. Unfortunately, this is a great opportunity for yourself and others, to learn more about their insurance company.

Best of luck bud and sorry for your loss,
~ Junior

Sent from my SM-G360T1 using Tapatalk
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Down through the years, I've played the game of chance and won. Once the vehicle's value is at or below $5 -6,000.00, I dump full coverage!

I deposit the difference in a Savings Account just for insurance. That's being a bit disciplined.

I've been with Farm Bureau for over 45 years. They've paid for a few windshields and bumpers. I have Progressive on my RV.......... now just liability!
 

mrfiat

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Location
Los Ranchos, NM
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI (Reflex Silver) , 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon (Black)
Nice! There wasn't anything I could do. I was sitting in the median doing a left turn and the F-150 plowed right into me. He didn't even say he was sorry. His insurance is contesting my claim, so I have to wait 6-12 months for arbitration so I can get my $500 deductible back.

Now I am nervous someone is going to hit my 2003 Jetta and I will be back to square one. I really think the laws should be changed so the offending party has to get the person they hit back to where they were before the accident. I'm $4000 in the hole after the accident, but I do have a nicer, newer, better looking car out of the deal.

The annoying thing is that these ALH cars will run forever, but accidents/insurance companies will take them off the road.

I cut the rear fender out on my 1999.5 and the car drives fine. (I bought it back from the insurance company for $160) I'm keeping it for my daughter to drive in high school. (Assuming I can get her to learn to drive a standard)
 

gforce1108

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Location
Newburgh, NY
TDI
04 Jetta GLS BEW, 14 Audi A7 V6 TDI, 13 Porsche Cayenne V6 TDI
I have a Lotus Elise insured through Hagerty and I pay $600 per year for full coverage with a stated value of $30,000. They will not insure a car unless it is an exotic though.

Thanks!
I got a quote from Hagerty on my 09 SLK ($850 a year for $25k coverage). Not 'exotic' at all. $8k is very high for a 03. I'm very surprised you got what you did for the totaled 99.5. The risk on the insurance company is high and they are all in business to make money. I don't see any cheap way to get the coverage you want. Your best best is to hope for the best and fight the same way you did this time if it happens again.
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
IMHO traveling on the roads should be "at your own risk" for other than gross negligence.

In other words you accept that the other person may drive imperfectly and there may be accidents. If you consider that risk unacceptable then you should buy insurance against whatever you deem appropriate but in other than gross negligence circumstances you should NOT be able to recover from the other party.

I've got close to 3/4 of a million miles under my belt on the roads since I turned 16. The number of cars I've wrecked is zero. The number of accidents in which I was actually operating said vehicle (that is, not counting someone ramming me in a parking lot when I'm not in the car) is also zero. This is not because others have not done foolish things; they have. It's because I'm defensive enough, good enough, or both that I haven't wrecked the car.

If I choose to drive a $200,000 car and you hit me, other than being drunk or otherwise grossly negligent, the destruction of the vehicle should be on me, since it was election to display such wealth in a public place where I know there is risk to it.

Yeah, I know, this is that thing called "personal choices come with responsibilities" that nobody likes any more.
 

mrfiat

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Location
Los Ranchos, NM
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI (Reflex Silver) , 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon (Black)
So, you think if someone is drunk driving, for example, and they hit my car, I should eat the damages? :) I don't agree with you on this one.
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
So, you think if someone is drunk driving, for example, and they hit my car, I should eat the damages? :) I don't agree with you on this one.
This is why we make no progress on anything important (like putting a stop to the car and medical insurance rape job, which incidentally is intertwined -- especially in places like Michigan) in the United States.

What I said was this:
IMHO traveling on the roads should be "at your own risk" for other than gross negligence.
An accident in which the at-fault driver is intoxicated is pretty-much the definition of gross negligence.
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
Ditto Bees & Chicken.
Just had similar with RIP 99.5 Jetta. State Auto offered 4200 (100k mileage), I was so shocked I didn't argue.
I had asked my wife years ago to drop extra insurance, which she didn't. Replaced w/2003 NB 330/year for minimum.
I consider insurance as government sanctioned legalized crime.
 

belome

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
Mid MI
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS TDI 5-speed
especially in places like Michigan
I was just going to say... ALL of you have it easy compared to the raping that Michigan has done to us.

Google MCCA fee, we pay $192 per year per vehicle just to cover unlimited medical insurance for people who need long term care.

I have 2 daily driver cars, 1 Tahoe trailer puller, 1 Motorhome and his and hers Honda Groms.

I pay $1,152 dollars into this fund, which gets applied on top of my "regular" car insurance that is already outrageously priced.

Can you tell I'm angry.

PS - The best part, if I crash my moped and don't hit another car, it won't even cover me... but I pay the same $192 for it regardless.
 

KLXD

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 22, 2009
Location
Lompoc, CA
TDI
'98, '2 Jettas
IMHO traveling on the roads should be "at your own risk" for other than gross negligence.

In other words you accept that the other person may drive imperfectly and there may be accidents. If you consider that risk unacceptable then you should buy insurance against whatever you deem appropriate but in other than gross negligence circumstances you should NOT be able to recover from the other party.


If I choose to drive a $200,000 car and you hit me, other than being drunk or otherwise grossly negligent, the destruction of the vehicle should be on me, since it was election to display such wealth in a public place where I know there is risk to it.

Yeah, I know, this is that thing called "personal choices come with responsibilities" that nobody likes any more.
Wow!

Someone does well in life and drives a car you consider a display of wealth and it's his problem if someone else hit him?

How about the fact that you know you're on the road with expensive cars and may hit one. You therefore carry enough insurance to cover your liability for repairing the damage you do or take the bus.

It's called personal responsibility.
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
Wow!

Someone does well in life and drives a car you consider a display of wealth and it's his problem if someone else hit him?
Yep. You choose to drive a $250,000 car instead of a $20,000 (or $5,000) one. All perform the same basic function; traveling from "A" to "B". It was your decision to place $250,000 worth of hardware "at risk" on a public highway, not mine. I not only didn't make the decision I have no right to influence your decision.

You know, before you do this, that operators of vehicles are imperfect. This is the very definition of knowing acceptance of risk.

We do this with horses, for example. Horses are imperfect animals. They make "errors", and might kill you. That's not because they're "grossly negligent" (nor are their owners), it's because ordinary error in their execution of their life may lead you to being trampled, thrown, etc.

Virtually every state has an equine liability law, which says that if you go into a place where horses are you accept the risk that comes with this, including negligence (e.g. the owner of said property might have missed a gopher hole into which said horse could step.) It is only gross negligence that leads to liability for the owner of said horse or equine property.
How about the fact that you know you're on the road with expensive cars and may hit one. You therefore carry enough insurance to cover your liability for repairing the damage you do or take the bus.

It's called personal responsibility.
So because someone might buy and operate a $500,000 vehicle everyone must have $500,000 X N (for some number of potential vehicles involved in a collision) of property damage liability insurance?

See where this leads? To exactly where you are now -- you get raped blind. In the meantime those who have no or few assets choose to give you the finger, run minimum limits (or buy no insurance at all!) and if they hit you they declare bankruptcy and give you the finger AGAIN, which there's exactly NOTHING you can do about.

Oh wait, you said, you bought uninsured (or underinsured) motorist coverage? Why, if you think it shouldn't be your problem? CLEARLY, IT IS but instead of accepting that being on a public road is an "at-risk" activity you want to be able to sit at a light with NO cross traffic, but which is red, WATCH THE PERSON BEHIND YOU CLEARLY NOT ABLE OR GOING TO STOP, AND NOT INTENTIONALLY RUN THAT RED WHEN NO RISK OF COLLISION EXISTS so you can claim to be a "victim" and hit HIS insurance.

If you had an "at risk" model you'd be able to buy declared value insurance on your vehicles at a REASONABLE price because ONLY YOUR LOSS RECORD would matter when it came to the price of same, and 99 times out of 100 EVEN IF ITS THE OTHER GUYS FAULT legally the fact is that you could have avoided the wreck BUT FOR YOUR ACTIONS AS THE OTHER OPERATOR.

Not long ago I uploaded on my forum a dashcam extract showing exactly such an incident. I had a green light approaching an intersection I intended to turn left at, and there was no oncoming traffic -- in other words, I was perfectly in the right to proceed at the road's safe speed, slow as I approached the turn to a safe cornering speed and make my left. Because that corner is somewhat "blind" to the left until you're very close to the intersection I slowed as I approached despite having a green, noted a vehicle coming from the left (he's got a red) and as I somewhat re-accelerated and prepared to turn I noted HE WAS NOT GOING TO STOP. I was able to stop, did, and he blew straight through the intersection right in front of me at his original speed -- he never touched his brakes.

If I had NOT slowed approaching the (somewhat-blind) corner I almost-certainly would have been unable to stop without being in his path and would have been hit in the driver's door or front driver side. That collision would have conclusively not have been my fault; I had irrefutable video evidence that the light in my direction was green and his was red. I still would have been minus a car and might have been seriously injured.

That's why YOU wreck cars and I haven't -- "my fault or not" -- in over 750,000 miles of driving. There have been MANY incidents which were legally the other driver's "fault" if there had been a collision but there was no collision -- it was avoided due to the way I was operating my vehicle and the level of attention I was paying to the environment I was operating in at the time. In other words I treat being on or near a public road, say much less DRIVING on one, as an "at-risk" activity.
 
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belome

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
Mid MI
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS TDI 5-speed
If you had an "at risk" model you'd be able to buy declared value insurance on your vehicles at a REASONABLE price
Michigan is one of the few remaining no-fault states... meaning you cover your own damages.

Have you seen Michigan insurance rates??????
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
Michigan is one of the few remaining no-fault states... meaning you cover your own damages.

Have you seen Michigan insurance rates??????
Criminals, there is your "personal responsibility." my behind.
More like corporate socialism.
What I hate, in Ohio, I can't get an extra car without paying full rate for each, even if one just sits. And they bone you if you make frequent short term changes,
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
Actually, Michigan is NOT one of the few remaining "no fault" states. Not really anyway.

The law's intent has been perverted so that if you show up in a hospital with an injury and it's from a car accident they'll bill out at 3x or more what the SAME injury would be billed at if you were NOT in a car. Why? Guess.....

I have family and friends that live in that craphole and am astonished what they get charged.

The same issue applies to multiple cars here. I have two, but can only drive one at a time. EVEN IF I EXCLUDE ALL OTHER DRIVERS (that is, the ONLY person who can operate EITHER car is ME) I pay an ADDITIONAL premium for the second vehicle LIABILITY coverage. How's that again? ONLY ONE CAR CAN HAVE A LIABILITY EXPOSURE AT ANY GIVEN TIME since there's only one covered driver! That's a pure scam; charging the LARGER of the two actuarially-based premiums for liability predicated on the two vehicles is legitimate, but to charge TWO liability premiums when only ONE vehicle can be moving at a given time (and thus give rise to liability) is nothing more than theft.

This crap would *instantly* disappear if you had an at-risk model for public roads. You already need MEDICAL INSURANCE under Obamacare that covers accidents (or you get fined.) Even before then, and again as of next year, you can choose to buy medical insurance -- and such policies cover accidents. Declare as a matter of statute that presence upon or within the right-of-way easement for public roads is an "at-risk" activity, and that only gross negligence overrides this.

If you want your potential injuries in an accident covered, buy medical insurance that covers accidental injury. If you want your car covered in case there's an accident, buy physical damage insurance. If you accept the risk of injury in a wreck and destruction of your property then go without and if you get hurt or your car is destroyed, so be it. There is no more "requirement" to buy car insurance to get plates (which the illegal immigrants ignore anyway -- just like they ignore driver licenses too -- and they're some of the most-likely to hit you!) There are no more fights and lawsuits over "who pays" when there's a wreck -- your insurance pays you, if you have it, and if not, too bad so sad. Your premium would be entirely a function of your individualized risk of loss (and how much is at risk if there is a loss.) If there's gross negligence involved (a commercial driver that's over the legal hourly driving limit, the at-fault operator is legally drunk or stoned, etc) then you can sue because "at risk" envisions ordinary negligence (humans commit errors and this is expected) but not gross negligence.

Literally ALL of the current auto insurance scam would disappear in an afternoon.
 
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Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
Uh, nope, still one driver, still one liability exposure. Now it would be fair to charge the higher, if there's a difference (e.g. if one vehicle is heavier, less-maneuverable, etc -- and thus more-likely to do more damage) but even if one is pulling the other there's still one "liability source" in an accident.....

(Note that you are *not* charged an additional liability premium for a trailer -- the liability source and where same attaches lies with the vehicle that is being operated.) :)
 

fireguard

Member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Location
So Cal
TDI
02 Beetle
Maybe the best thing to do if you get hit is claim neck and back pain and tell the insurance company it’s going to cost them a lot more than the value of your car.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Does anyone have an insurance company that is more reasonable on stated value insurance on our older ALH TDIs? Or do we just have to eat the difference if someone hits us? (Like I had to)

I have a Lotus Elise insured through Hagerty and I pay $600 per year for full coverage with a stated value of $30,000. They will not insure a car unless it is an exotic though.

Thanks!
I use Farmers Insurance and had great luck. Case in point - my 2004 Golf suffered a hail total loss. Texas and Colorado both have provisions where a hail total loss = you don't have to bother with a salvage title (it stays clean). I had State Farm at the time, and they didn't give me a good settlement offer, so I hired an independent appraiser. Mind you, I also had a crap ton of enhancements on the car, but not so much as recently. So State Farm ultimately gave me about $5400, which included keeping the car. Later, about two years later, I hit a deer just south of town, and had Geico (which is probably one of the ****tiest insurance companies, btw). Hired an independent appraiser as well, but the value only increased from about $2400 to $3700, so it wasn't worth my time. I then ran over a mattress (same car) earlier last year, a couple of months into COVID-19. Obviously the other party's fault. I was amazed it wasn't a total, as I got around $4200 from that claim (and saved a bunch by using junkyard parts to replace my front bumper). Finally, my crap luck last December - I ran over a dead buck one night on the left side of the Golf (and it popped the side airbag on my beautiful passenger side leather seat), and a dead wild hog the night after, on the passenger side. Needless to say, it stayed as one claim. Initially, Farmers only wanted to give me $2200. I had an aftermarket parts endorsement for all my mods (which was around $8200, and included things like my limited slip diff, upgraded clutch, tune, intake and exhaust, etc). I'd just moved to Bilstein B8 in the front and added a swaybar. So in the end, the ACV ended up being $7100, and to keep the car, it was $5600 take home.

Now I've been in the process of moving all my mods to my 2003 ALH Golf that's replacing the 2004 BEW.

Insurance companies I'd avoid - Progressive (dealt with them when their insured's truck bed lid flew up, unsecured from a trailer, and hit my sportwagen head on), Geico (like I said, super ****ty insurance company that has cheap prices for a reason), and Esurance (they might be marginally better than Geico, but that's still a toss-up). Farmers and State Farm have been good to me (the latter, good on payouts, and SF likes to use OEM parts, even for older cars, but they're quick to drop, even when it's not your fault).
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Maybe the best thing to do if you get hit is claim neck and back pain and tell the insurance company it’s going to cost them a lot more than the value of your car.
That's not something you want to lie about to an insurance company, unless it's legit.
 

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
That's not something you want to lie about to an insurance company, unless it's legit.
Legit lies are always the best 😉
 

ThomasHoward

New member
Joined
Mar 16, 2021
Location
USA,NY
TDI
VW
Volkswagen Jetta is a pretty problematic car. Especially with such engines and with Hybrid systems. The problem is that if something brokes, the prices for new details are very high, this is why insurance companies don't like to insure such cars, and they take a lot of money for this. I had one, and I thought that German cars are the best, until I bought my first Japanese car. I bought a Honda Civic because I like small and fast cars. I was wondered how cheap is its insurance because it is a very durable car and the majority of drivers don't have any problems with it.
_______________________
https://www.insuranks.com/car-insurance/how-much-is-car-insurance-cost-for-a-honda-civic
 
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benIV

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
Location
Southeast NC
TDI
2003 PG 5m Jetta GL Sedan, 2003 RS 5m Jetta GLS Wagon (Golf Variant)
And we wonder why health insurance is so disastrous. Seems very few in this world understand truly what insurance is.

for op i do same as others. decide what you can absorb in worst case scenario and cover yourself for the rest at minimums.
 

wonneber

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 12, 2011
Location
Monroe, NY, USA
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagon,2003 Jetta 261K Sold but not forgotten
And we wonder why health insurance is so disastrous. Seems very few in this world understand truly what insurance is.
We gamble we will get sick and the insurance company gambles we wont.
Seems to me their making the money. :unsure:
 

STDOUBT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Location
Portland, effing Oregon
TDI
dos jettas
No insurer would ever pay me what my '03 is worth to me. Or if they would, the premiums would be ridiculous.
I roll with "liability" only. Cheap, and lets me save up for 'whatever happens'. Take care of it my damned self.
 

Djoisan

New member
Joined
Jun 16, 2021
Location
Seattle
TDI
none
There's always a problem with these insurances. Basically, most of the unreliable companies are crooks. I think so, because they don't evaluate cars involved in accidents well enough to keep some money in their pockets. Last year, I was in an accident with my Jetta TDI with a truck, I was innocent, but the insurance only assessed my car for $1500. Isn't that a joke? I had no choice but to leave peacefully, no scandal. I regret it now that I didn't dispute the fact that I was innocent. I'm thinking of switching to insurance from https://joywallet.com/geico-auto-insurance-review/ . My friend advised me, he said he hadn't had any problems with this company yet.
 
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