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WHAT KIND OF CAR TO BUY?
By Chuck Wells
37% of consumers plan to
purchase a new vehicle in the next 12 months according to a
survey done by Progressive Insurance Company. Most of these same
people have no idea how this new car is going to affect their
car insurance rates.
Many people in the survey thought that the vehicle color,
sunroofs, tinted windows, and stereo speakers would influence
their rates. Most of the time, these things do not change your
premiums.
The more expensive the car and the heavier it is, the more it
will cost to insure. Two door cars (and convertibles) also cost
more to insure than 4 door models.
People buying cars are most interested in a car that reflects
their “lifestyle.” Most would pay more for a car that ran on
solar or electric power and warned them if another car was in
their blind spot (wherever that is). They would also pay more
for a car that got good gas mileage or woke them up if they fell
asleep (really). Women were more interested in the car safety
than men. Men want performance.
I have had many people call me after purchasing a new car and
complain about the high cost of insurance. Call your agent
BEFORE you buy the car to make sure you can afford the
insurance. Whenever you buy a newer car, it makes sense that it
will cost more to insure than an older car because the insurance
company is on the hook for more money if you crack it up.
CARJACKER PICKS WRONG BUNCH OF GIRLS
Ruben Castaneda of El Monte, California figured he had easy
pickings when he saw the opportunity to steal a car holding one
39-year-old female and 4 teenage girls. He thought wrong.
Castaneda put the jagged edge of a broken beer bottle to the
neck of the 39-year-old woman demanding her car. Her daughter,
19-year-old Alice, jumped out of the passenger seat, ran around
the car, grabbed Castaneda’s throat and the arm holding the
broken bottle, and threw him to the ground cracking his skull on
the pavement.
Castaneda got up and tried to attack the girls in the backseat.
Another dumb move. The 16-year-old in the backseat punched
Castaneda in the face, kicked the bottle out of his hand, and
slammed the door on him. The two teens then dragged Castaneda
out of the car and threw him to the pavement again.
When police arrived, Castaneda picked up the bottle again and
was pepper sprayed by the police.
When asked why she attacked Castaneda, the 19-year-old girl
said: “I didn’t want him to do anything to my mom. I just saw
him put the glass to my mommy; I guess that’s what made me do
it.”
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