Lower Your 1997 Dodge Intrepid Insurance Cost

Nobody likes paying for car insurance, in particular when the cost is too high. Big-name insurance companies like State Farm, Farmers Insurance, GEICO and Allstate persitently shower you with ads and it can be hard to not get sucked in by the cute commercials and take the time to shop coverage around.

It’s important to shop coverage around at least once a year because insurance rates go up and down regularly. Even if you got the lowest rates on Intrepid coverage a couple years back you can probably find a lower rate today. There is a lot of wrong information about car insurance online, so we’re going to give you some good information on how to save money.

Verify you’re getting all your discounts

Car insurance is not cheap, but companies offer discounts to help offset the cost. Most are applied when you complete an application, but a few need to be specially asked for prior to receiving the credit. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.

  • Senior Discount – Mature drivers may be able to get reduced rates on Intrepid coverage.
  • Lower Rates for Military – Being on active duty in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
  • No Claims – Claim-free drivers pay less compared to drivers who are more careless.
  • Good Student Discount – Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
  • One Accident Forgiven – Some insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before your rates go up so long as you haven’t had any claims for a set time period.
  • Pay Upfront and Save – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
  • Defensive Driver – Successfully completing a driver safety course could cut 5% off your bill and easily recoup the cost of the course.
  • Government Employees – Simply working for the federal government could cut as much as 10% off on Intrepid coverage depending on your company.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. Just because it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will reduce your overall premium however.

Car insurance companies that possibly offer some of the above discounts are:

Check with all companies you are considering what discounts are available to you. Discounts might not apply in your area.

Factors that can influence Dodge Intrepid insurance rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that come into play when calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to lower auto insurance prices.

The list below includes some of the items that factor into prices.

  • Where you live is a factor – Residing in less populated areas has it’s advantages when insuring your vehicles. Drivers in populated areas regularly have congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Lower population means fewer accidents.
  • Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance – Vehicles with high crash test scores get lower rates. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates. If your Dodge earned at least four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org it may be receiving lower rates.
  • More miles equals more premium – Driving more miles in a year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies price each vehicle’s coverage based on their usage. Cars and trucks that are left in the garage get more affordable rates than those used for commuting. Verify your auto insurance coverage is showing the proper vehicle usage. Incorrect usage on your Intrepid may be costing you.
  • Being married is a good thing – Getting married can get you a discount on auto insurance. Having a significant other means you’re more mature and it’s proven that married couples file fewer claims.
  • High numbers of claims are not good – If you file claims often, you can pretty much guarantee either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance companies award lower rates to people who do not file claims often. Car insurance is intended for the large, substantial claims.
  • Never allow your policy to lapse – Driving your car without having proper coverage can get your license suspended and you will pay a penalty because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, but not being able to provide proof of insurance might get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
  • Your job and insurance rates – Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for auto insurance? Occupations like doctors, architects and stock brokers tend to pay the highest rates in part from high stress levels and lengthy work days. On the other hand, jobs such as scientists, students and homemakers have the lowest average rates on Intrepid coverage.
  • Lower rates with optional equipment – Choosing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can thwart your car from being stolen.

When should I talk to an agent?

When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no one size fits all plan. Each situation is unique so this has to be addressed. For example, these questions can help discover if your insurance needs could use an agent’s help.

  • Do I have coverage when pulling a U-Haul trailer?
  • Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
  • Should I get collision insurance on every vehicle?
  • Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
  • I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
  • Are rock chip repairs covered?
  • Am I better off with higher deductibles on my 1997 Dodge Intrepid?
  • Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
  • What are the best liability limits?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It’s fast, free and you can get the answers you need.

Auto insurance coverage information

Learning about specific coverages of insurance helps when choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are the usual coverages available from insurance companies.

Medical expense coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for expenses for things like ambulance fees, doctor visits and surgery. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

This gives you protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your 1997 Dodge Intrepid.

Due to the fact that many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Frequently these coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Collision coverage protection

Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against things like hitting a mailbox, driving through your garage door and scraping a guard rail. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

Auto liability insurance

Liability coverage can cover damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Another option is a combined limit which limits claims to one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage protects against things such as structural damage, loss of income, funeral expenses, medical services and medical expenses. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as large an amount as possible.

Comprehensive protection

This pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims like falling objects, damage from flooding, hitting a bird and damage from getting keyed. The maximum amount your insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Saving money is sweet as honey

When buying insurance coverage, it’s a bad idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many cases where an accident victim reduced liability coverage limits only to regret at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price.

Discount 1997 Dodge Intrepid insurance is possible from both online companies as well as from independent agents, and you should be comparing both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who don’t offer online quoting and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

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