Saturday, September 23, 2017

Collision and Comprehensive or Not...and...BRAND NEW USED TRUCK!!!

So, how does one (especially when that "one" is "me") decide whether to carry comprehensive and/or collision insurance.

Up until 4 days ago, I was a 1 vehicle family.  Now, I am a 2 vehicle family, though I haven't gotten the 2nd vehicle home yet.  Remember that old math question about how 1 farmer with 1 boat gets a chicken, fox, and chicken feed across a creek?  Well...that's easy compared to how does 1 woman with 1 car living 25 miles out of town get 1 more vehicle to her property without leaving the original vehicle stranded on the road. 
Here are the options that occurred to me:
1) Hitchhike...but I saw that movie "The Hitcher" with Rutger Hauer and he is one creepy mofo so I don't hitchhike.

2) Drive my current vehicle 25 miles to the dealer.  Drive the new car 1 mile.  Take 20 minutes to walk back to my car, at the dealer where I had to leave it to get the new vehicle, drive my original car 2 miles, walk back 1 mile to get the new vehicle, drive that 2 miles, walk back 1 mile...lather rinse and repeat until I get home having walked 25 miles at 20 minutes a mile (500 minutes, or 8hours 20 min).  That seems a bit more trouble than it is worth.  And, I need to spend another 45 minutes at the DMV explaining yet again that yes, my mailing address is in one county/highway district and my home where the vehicles live with me, is in a different county/highway district.  Lather, rinse, repeat.
So, that makes 8hr 20min of driving/walking home, 30min driving to dealer, 45min at DMV (realistically, 1 hour...).  Total: 9hr 50min.  If I have to pee and eat, 11 hours.  That seems excessive

3) Mooch a ride. My main moochable ride friends who live closest are selfishly visiting their grandkid.  Where are there priorities?  I had a ride Weds but my original car was in the shop getting tires 25 miles the other way.  Thursday I was waiting for heating log delivery and didn't get done with that until my ride had had to make other plans.  Friday, I was 2.5 hours the other way.  Same for Saturday.  Sunday the dealer is closed.  MONDAY I can mooch a ride into town in time to get plates, apply for a title, and pick up the pick up. 

4) If the Monday ride falls through I will call the local taxi (which is a small step up from hitchhiking because the driver looks more like Boss Hogg than Rutger Hauer) and pay to get to the dealer.  Cripes.


ANYWAY:  The brand new used truck...1999 pick up so obviously its name is Prince Rogers Nelson...changes the risk factors for insurance coverage and/or lack there of.

While I was a 1 car family, carrying more insurance to make sure I had a rental car and could comfortably replace the car, was more important (see above: live 25 miles out of town).  If I crashed the car or a moose stomped on it while I slept, I was stuck.  There are rides I can easily mooch to work, but not back and forth to the repair shop or car rental place.  Those are all different directions.

NOW I only have to mooch a ride home.  There should be a working rig waiting for me there.

So, is it worth it to keep paying coverage for a rental car?
If I am more than 50 miles from home then it might be.  But probably not.  I'd be pretty screwed anyway.
If the car or pick up were completely unrepairable, like a roll over or a tree completely crushing the car, or a moose hitting the front end at 60mph, would I replace the rig? Probably not.  I'd take the payout and drive the remaining vehicle until it wouldn't go anymore. What price is that repair?  I DON'T KNOW.  That's part of the decision problem.  The other is calculating my risk.  Then there is calculating my risk tolerance. 

I will wait 30 days to try to figure this out again, maintaining current coverage until then.  That's about when I owe for the next 6 months of coverage. 

Winter is especially risky drivingwise, so I may carry more coverage through winter and drop it in spring.