Return-Path: Received: from a.gp.cs.cmu.edu by K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU id aa10895; 16 May 90 16:03:46 EDT Date: Wed, 16 May 90 16:00:26 EDT From: Mark.Maimone@A.GP.CS.CMU.EDU To: bovik@K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Erie car insurance Hi Harry, Just wanted to let you know what it's like to get car insurance, now that PA has passed the law requiring lower insurance premiums. I looked into your database and decided to try six places. Just so you know, I am 24 years old, have never owned a car, have never had my own insurance, and have one moving violation on record (running a red light) from August 1987. I've had a New Jersey license for over seven years, and my name is on my father's policy as a 3% usage driver. The car I needed to insure was a 1983 Honda Civic four-door sedan. SUMMARY: CALL JOHN MICELI OF ERIE INSURANCE at 828-4111 Of the six places I tried, four turned me down. Three of these were (presumably) due to the new law, which is scaring companies away. These three were AMICA, Arthur Tripp, and independent agent Jack Driscoll (Jack tried several places, and none of them wanted new business). The other was a Liberty Mutual agent, who said he couldn't offer any rates until the moving violation expires, which is three months away. So I ended up with two quotes. A different Liberty Mutual agent offered $1313/year for liability alone (down to $980/year when I turn 25), and $2000/year for full coverage (down to $1500/year when I turn 25). But by far the best offer was from the Miceli agency (an Erie agent). They said $480/year for liability alone, or $664-707/year for full coverage. Those rates are due in part to the fact that they consider 24 years to be the "adult" cutoff, rather than the 25 years of age required by most companies. Obviously, I went with the Erie agent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ COMPANY AGENT PHONE LIABILITY FULL now 25 y.o. now 25 y.o. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AMICA Kris 343-5200 ---- ---- ---- ---- Andrus* Liberty Mutual Philip 325-2535 1313 970 2000 1500 Kotick Liberty Mutual Angelo 787-7375 ---- ---- ---- ---- Dinardo Erie John 828-4111 480 480 664-707 664-707 Miceli independent Jack 882-2200 ---- ---- ---- ---- Driscoll Phoenix Arthur 341-7527 ---- ---- ---- ---- Tripp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * the recommended AMICA agent was Mr. Jamieson, but he was not in so I spoke with Kris Andrus instead It turns out there are two Erie organizations, the Erie Insurance COMPANY and the Erie Insurance EXCHANGE (John Miceli handles both). The EXCHANGE has the best rates by far; about 40% lower than the rates I got with the COMPANY. But since they can afford to be picky about who they choose, my one violation was enough reason to not offer me those rates. When you apply with Miceli, he puts you in for both; if the Exchange accepts you, you're in luck. If not, then the Company's rates are still quite competitive. For reasons not worth going into here, I did not call State Farm, but you should definitely check with them. Even the other agent at Miceli's office (Fran Cecil) said that Erie and State Farm often have similar rates, differing only by a few dollars sometimes. Good luck! Mark M.