how to get insurance for a trailer

[dkutz]

My wife and I are looking to get our first VINTAGE airstream trailer. We were wondering how you get insurance for it? Is it through your car insurance or through your homeowners iinsurance? How expensive is it?

Thanks


Looking for Vintage 1968 or older airstream. 20 feet or smaller.

[bhsl8]

Hi and welcome to the life. I would suggest you look at the question from both a homeowners and vehicle standpoint. Talk to your agent, shop around.

I do caution you to have an agreed upon value though no matter what you decide. If not, you will be paid "book value" for an old trailer and it may not be near enough to cover repairs for a coach that you would want to have repaired or even if it were "totaled".

I speak from a $7500 loss experience.

Good luck and enjoy!

[clancy_boy]

dkutz,

I called my agent (State Farm) on the road home with my 66' Caravel. I made the assumption that I was covered with the tow vehicle insurance and was correct as long AS THE TRAILER IS ATTACHED AND WAS TOWING. If parked and not attached then that was a another issue. Parked at home then it falls under my home owners insurance. This is quite the issue here in south Mississippi as some insurance companies are requiring a policy on the loss due to a hurricane. I took out a trailer policy and claimed higher value than bluebook - had to prove value through 3 comparisons. $15K coverage (all losses) was about $120 a year. Includes towing while on the road which is a great deal.

Mike

[Silvertwinkie]

I would make sure that the agent understands the vintage values. For some reason RVs are totally foreign to agents sometimes.

I have a newer coach and my agent could put a value on it fairly easily.

I've heard lots of folks going the Foremost way, but for me, I get one heck of a discount having the house, car and Safari with State Farm.

[SafeHarbor]

I insure with Progressive. They gave me stated value on the '79 Excella but would only do actual cash value on the 75 Argosy. I added on some things like separate roadside assistance for the truck/trailer on the Excella, and the premium came to about $900/year.

The agent suggested taking DETAILED pictures of the trailers in the event that I need to prove that any damage is new rather than preexisting. This indicated to me that they were aware that old trailers have "beauty marks," and I was not offended.

I wish Geico covered travel trailers. I got into one of those dumb accidents last November when my truck was four days new to me, and Geico was terrific in the way they handled it. I have zero gripes about the way they responded.

Considering that my LAST accident was in a bank parking lot in 1983, I was highly impressed. This accident was 3600% more expensive, and their service was quick, efficient, and polite.

But Geico doesn't do old travel trailers.

Lamar