after i perform a slew of repairs to the car, im interested in taking her to a DE. however, i am interested in knowing what kind of insurance i can get for the weekend. any help would be great. thanks!

 

Collectors Insurance offers a DE only policy that is 1.5% of the agreed upon value with a 20% deductable.

 

There's an ad that recently started running in Panorama for Laurel Driver Education Management (866.518.1110).

Never used them, never called them, so I have no idea how good they will be.

 

Check your existing auto policy. Many insurers do not exclude non-timed on-track activities.

However, if your intent is to not make a claim on your normal policy, check out those companies already mentioned.

If you're not sure you'll like DEs (I think you will), it wouldn't seem advisable to pay the separate annual insurance fee for 1 event.

 

i only have liability on my normal policy, collision and comprehensive arent worth it. i don't want to shell out the entire worth of the car over the course of 5 years just so i can have a $1000 deductible on collision (perfect record, too )

 

Forget about DE insurance. The deductable will be too high for you and the premium as well. Be safe and you should do fine. Most folks who have an incident usually sustain cosmetic damage and the repair bill is managable.

BTW, get your turbo fixed, don't be spilling oil all over the track!! :-)

 

Also as a novice, self-insurance may keep you from taking too many chances and going over your head. It's rare that a car gets seriously damaged, and it usually doesn't happen to novices (you'll have an instructor to help keep you out of trouble. ) You might want to consider an umbrella liability policy though. I'm more worried about someone accusing me of doing something stupid and expecting payment for their new Carrera GT than the chance of damage to my car. I do figure that's part of the risk of going on the track and if you can't accept that than you shouldn't be out there!

 

Ask me how many people I know got their car wrecked by an uninsured driver. Then ask me how many of those were carrying liability-only. You know what they got? Nothing! They went from driving to walking in the blink of a eye. It wasn't their fault, but that's what insurance is for.

Liability-only on something like an '86 Pontiac Grand Am POS is fine. If you could afford to hand the keys to the car to somebody on the street and walk away, then liability is fine. Essentially that's what would happen if an uninsured driver smacked you. They would ruin the value of the car, and leave you with nothing. What are you going to do? Sue somebody? Good luck.

If you can't afford proper insurance, you're driving the wrong car. JMO

 

Insurance is a topic that cycles around fairly often. If you want to ensure your existing policy will cover DE, you need a letter from the insurance company underwriter, not your agent - the underwriters letter is binding, the agent's is non-binding opinion. DE insurance is an option, although pricey.

I'd guess that most are self-insured, although some who sustain damage will put a claim in on their street policy. Although it does happen, car-to-car carnage doesn't happen often in DE. Most accidents are self-induced one car events, although sometimes something breaks or you come upon anti-freeze or oil on the track.

 

I am thinking the owner GT3 that hit the wall and crumpled the left side of the car at Summit yesterday is hoping he is covered. I did not speak to him, but man that was my favorite car out there yesterday (that and the Grateful Dead 993 Cup Car). I was on the track and was red flagged, but did not see it happen. He hit the tires coming out of T9 on the right side. Depressing, and a reminder although this is fun, at the same time it is serious and bad things (and expensive) can happen. I hope everything works out for him (he was fine by the way).

Jim

P.S. It was the dreaded/feared last run of the event.

 

Red1
Sounds like he is making a reasonable cost analysis to me. Why insure an 86 turbo for collision? The insurance company isn't going to give you squat for the car. If it eases his mind for one weekend to add insurance it's his call.

 

I purchased DE (track) insurance through American Collectors Insurance. The insurance premium is 1.5% of my declared value of the car, then I have a deductible, but it beats the alternative. I consider it a worthwhile investment.

 

Me too, I purchased DE Insurance through American Collectors, it covers the car while being stored, intransit, sitting in the paddock and on the track. I have had experience with State Farm with another car and they paid but were not too happy. The small amount you pay for the additional policy is well worth it
MY2C
C

 

Per event?

 

Honestly an 86 Turbo is probably not worth insuring on the track for DE.

If you car cost 60-100k and you still owed alot on it then fine. But for a 10k car it is not worth it. You will need to spend alot on it and not get much in return.

If you cosmetically damage the car the insurance will probably total it even with the high deductable. It that case it would actually be better to keep the car and sell it to be fixed or parted out. Especualyl if you have go -fast parts on it. In most case an indent will probably leave the engine intact so it can be sold off afterwards.

Also incidents in DE are really quite rare. Car to car almost never happens. The greatest risk of incedent can be reduce by carefully listen to you instructor and being smart on the track. There is no reward for taking risks in a DE enviroment. Taking risks is what often causes an incident.