Lower Your 2002 BMW M Insurance Quotes

Searching for cheaper car insurance rates for your BMW M? I can’t think of a single person who likes having to buy car insurance, in particular when they are paying too much. Big-name insurance companies like Allstate, Liberty Mutual and State Farm all claim big savings with catchy ads and it is challenging if not impossible to see past the corporate glitz and find the best price available.

Smart consumers take time to take a look at other company’s rates every six months since rates change frequently. If you had the lowest price for M insurance on your last policy you will most likely find a better rate today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re about to find out the best way to eliminate unnecessary coverages and save money.

Pieces of the BMW M insurance rate puzzle

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that go into determining insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

  • High deductibles save money – Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are required to spend out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Coverage for physical damage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, insures against damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims could be colliding with a building, vandalism, and burglary. The higher the amount you have to pay, the lower your rates will be for M insurance.
  • With age comes lower rates – Mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets. Youthful drivers are statistically proven to get distracted easily in a vehicle therefore insurance rates are much higher.
  • Liability coverage is cheap – Liability coverage provides coverage if a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability provides legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so drivers should carry high limits.
  • Safer cars cost less to insure – Cars with high safety ratings tend to have better insurance rates. Safer cars have better occupant injury protection and any reduction in injury severity translates into savings for insurance companies and lower rates for you. If your BMW M has ratings of a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov it may be receiving lower rates.
  • Special features that cut premiums – Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all aid in stopping auto theft.
  • Your insurance rates can be influenced by your job – Occupations like doctors, social workers and dentists are shown to have the highest average rates because of job stress and long work days. Other occupations such as farmers, historians and the unemployed pay the least for M insurance.
  • A lapse in coverage is a bad thing – Allowing your coverage to lapse is a fast way to pay more for insurance. And not only will your rates increase, getting caught without coverage might get you a revoked license or a big fine.You may have to file a SR-22 with your state department of motor vehicles.
  • More people means more accidents – Living in a small town has it’s advantages when buying insurance. Fewer people translates into fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. Urban drivers tend to have congested traffic and much longer commute distances. Longer commute distances translates into higher accident risk.

Companies offer discounts so take them!

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but you may find discounts that you may not know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at quote time, but a few must be specially asked for before they will apply. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you are throwing money away.

  • Anti-lock Brakes – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control prevent accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • One Accident Forgiven – A handful of insurance companies allow you one accident without raising rates if you are claim-free for a particular time prior to the accident.
  • Employee of Federal Government – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% for M insurance with a few insurance companies.
  • Good Student – A discount for being a good student can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts up to age 25.
  • Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more for M insurance than drivers with accident claims.
  • New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less since new cars are generally safer.

It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn’t make money that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.

Car insurance companies who might offer some of the above discounts may include but are not limited to:

Check with all companies you are considering how you can save money. Some discounts may not apply everywhere.

Ads can be misleading

Consumers constantly see and hear ads for cheaper car insurance by State Farm, Allstate and GEICO. They all make the same claim that you can save if you move to their company.

How can each company make almost identical claims?

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that earns them a profit. For instance, a driver they prefer might be profiled as between 30 and 50, owns a home, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A driver who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Drivers who fall outside these standards will be quoted more money which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads say “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That’s the way companies can truthfully state the savings.

This emphasizes why it’s extremely important to get a wide range of price quotes. Because you never know which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Do I just need basic coverages?

When it comes to buying coverage, there isn’t really a cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s situation is unique so your insurance should reflect that Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining if your insurance needs would benefit from professional advice.

  • When should I not file a claim?
  • Should I have a commercial auto policy?
  • Does my policy pay for OEM or aftermarket parts?
  • Is a blown tire covered by insurance?
  • What is PIP insurance?
  • Are my friends covered when driving my car?
  • Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
  • What if I total my 2002 BMW M and owe more than it’s worth?
  • Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
  • Are rock chip repairs covered?

If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider talking to an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, free and you can get the answers you need.

Coverages available on your policy

Learning about specific coverages of your auto insurance policy helps when choosing the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are the usual coverages offered by auto insurance companies.

Liability car insurance

This provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property that is your fault. This coverage protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 50/100/50 that means you have a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage pays for claims such as funeral expenses, pain and suffering and repair costs for stationary objects. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but consider buying as large an amount as possible.

Coverage for collisions

Collision insurance pays for damage to your M resulting from colliding with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as rolling your car, colliding with a tree, crashing into a ditch, backing into a parked car and damaging your car on a curb. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Another option is to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

This coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Normally these coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for expenses for dental work, EMT expenses, rehabilitation expenses, X-ray expenses and prosthetic devices. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Comprehensive auto coverage

Comprehensive insurance coverage 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 claims such as vandalism, a broken windshield, fire damage, damage from flooding and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.

One last thing about your coverage

Cheaper 2002 BMW M insurance can be sourced on the web and also from your neighborhood agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some companies may not provide online quoting and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

When you buy insurance online, make sure you don’t reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.

In this article, we presented some good ideas how you can get a better price on insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even find the best prices are with a small local company. They can often provide lower rates in certain areas compared to the large companies like Progressive or GEICO.

Even more information can be found in the articles below: