a couple of questions from a novice

Hello everyone!

My husband and I are going in tomorrow for our PDI on our new Jayco Jay Feather 27P and we have a couple questions that we probably should have asked before now...

1.? We are scheduled to take the trailer over to our insurance agent's office tomorrow after we sign on the dotted line.? We assumed that we would go ahead and use the same company (State Farm) that we use for all of our other insurance needs.? Now I am reading online that you can insure your rv through AAA, the dealer, and then it seems like there may be some companies that only insure RVs??? I read on another site (that I only lurk on) that you would be crazy to insure your RV through an auto insurance company.? Can someone explain this to me?? What is the danger in using my regular insuance company and what would be the benefit of going elsewhere?

2.? Regarding emergency roadside assistance - does anyone have any recommendations?? I've heard of three - Good Sam, Coach Net and AAA.? The Good Sam site indicated a price of $79.95 - does this program have "levels"?? Is the 79.95 membership the lowest?? I couldn't find a price for a coachnet membership on the web site.? Does anyone have info on that?? And AAA's "Premier" Package costs $102.00 - does that include RV towing?? Are there other companies I don't know about?? Sorry for all of these questions, but we are brand new to this and it's all kind of confusing right now.? If someone could fill in the blanks for me I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer - we need all the help we can get  ???

Sami

1. Personally I would not even move the RV until I had proof of insurance.  I cannot see why it would be necessary to take the trailer over to the insurance agency to get it insured.  If they want the business let them come to you.  I have some reservations about doing business with a insurance company that even suggest moving the rig un-insured even for a short distance. 

I would recommend you let your fingers do the walking and make a few phone calls to a few insurance companies and get some quotes.

2, Roadside assistance I would highly recommend Coachnet.  We had the GS until we had to use it, once was enough that is when we got Coachnet.

Thanks for the reply, Ron.  I guess I should clarify... the trailer will be insured as of midnight tonight.  We will just be taking it to them (very close by to the dealership we are picking it up from) to take photgraphs of it.  I just wanted to make sure that going with our regular insurance company was a wise decision.  Sorry for the confusion.

In the matter of insurance..... Therer are some insurance companies that specialise in RV insurance and which understand they are not your every day car.... That is, you don't drive them day in and day out.  Thus they give you a SERIOUS break

Other companies,,, I't is just another vehicle

So, for the first period, Since it's kind of "late in the day" Go with plan A, 

But during your first period of insurance,  Like the song says

"My Mamma Told Me: You better shop around"

Check out other companies, when you find a good rate post and see if any of us have any comments about the company

Some companies are.... Shall we say... Better than others and occasionally it's worth a few extra dollars

Sami

You'll probably receive a range of responses on the insurance question. I've had my RVs insured through State Farm for the last 20 years and personally see no reason to change to a company I have no experience with. That doesn't mean that the there's anything wrong with the other companies or that they won't give you a good/better price. I get multi-vehicle, good driver and other discounts with State Farm. I've also found them to be excellent when it comes to handling claims. So, folks can call me "crazy", but I'm very happy with my insurance carrier.

I currently have Coach Net, although I once had Good Sam. The only time I needed to use Good Sam I was very satisfied with the service. But the downside of GS is that your mailbox will be full of their junk mail with virtually no way to shut it off. I'm having a mental block re CoachNet's annual fee, but I think it's comparable with Good Sam.

Thanks so much to the three of you for responding.  I realize, of course, that our insurance question is coming too late to make a difference right now, but we just want to make sure that we have a clear understanding of how the whole RV insurance thing works in the event that we want to make a change later.

Ed & Sami said:

Thanks for the reply, Ron.? I guess I should clarify... the trailer will be insured as of midnight tonight.? We will just be taking it to them (very close by to the dealership we are picking it up from) to take photgraphs of it.? I just wanted to make sure that going with our regular insurance company was a wise decision.? Sorry for the confusion.

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That is good news.  I see no problem then insuring it with somebody you have confidence in.

I read on another site (that I only lurk on) that you would be crazy to insure your RV through an auto insurance company.  Can someone explain this to me?  What is the danger in using my regular insuance company and what would be the benefit of going elsewhere?

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There are RVs and there are RVs.  You have a trailer.  They do not have motors in them unlike motorhomes.  Therefore they do not need liablity insurance.    You cover them only for collision and comprehensive.  If you carry them with your auto policy you may be able to get a multi-vehicle discount.  I carry mine with USAA, my auto carrier with no problems.  My premium is currently $120 a year -- admittedly on a 9 year old rig.

And AAA's "Premier" Package costs $102.00 - does that include RV towing?

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Only if it says it does.  Ask.  I have Premier with RV/Motorcycle coverage printed on the card.

Sami,

Like Tom, I too have my RV insured with my primary carrier - State Farm - and got a great rate too. CoachNet for the OTR assistance coverage.