So, my Choptop has been stored in a storage place for the past few months to ride out the winter due to my garage here full of projects. Well, got a call from the police this morning and the storage place owner. Turns out all the units around my car and mine were broken into and they wanted me there as soon as possible. I asked for details but they said the door had to be re-locked and only would be re opened when I got there.
So after a frantic few minutes of getting the kids dressed and out the door we gotto the storage place and waited for the cop and storage unit owner to show up. I was freaking out seeing the other doors to the place, they were all smashed and hacked up around the lock mechanism and either the locks were missing all together or cut an on ground. The storage owner locked mine back up due to it being a car. I was fearing my glass side windows broken the only part i cant fix or get new ones of I was freaked out totally. If the car even was in there! Well, he opened it up and there she sat all the stuff from the inside was laying all over the floor and the windows were intact they jimmied the drivers door rather than smash their way in. Whew! I have tons of scratches in the paint but at least the glass is ok and they messed up the lock tumbler for the ignition but I have another. It's pretty obvious they were trying to steal it but did not work out for them the bat is deader than a door nail. A headache for me saved it I think. I have learned a lesson here, keep my windows rolled down in storage! everything in the car can be replaced or fixed except those! The cop didn't think he could get prints off anything, they prob had gloves on. Grrrr I hate lazy thieves this town used to be so safe and secure well, till the illegals moved in yet another reason to go country I guess.
I keep mine in a storage unit over the winter too, so far I've been lucky. Family has been using this rental facility since I was 12, I've never heard of anyone getting broken into there. One nice thing is there is an apartment unit on site. Old janitor used to live on site but when new owners took over, they canned him. The have since rented the unit out to a daughter & her boyfriend from someone in the head office. We have on site 24hr surveillance you can say.
The unnerving part of the whole deal as it were I found out later on today that the insurance company cancelled the car without notifying me. I am super pissed over that! if it had been wrecked or stolen i would have been super screwed!! I think I would have murdered them in a lawsuit tho according to all my files it is in effect till April! they cant do that without notifying me. My parents own the insurance agency that I go threw and raised holy hell with the underwriter today over that so lets see what happens. I guess i am in the market for a company that covers modified cars as this was their excuse to drop it without notice although it was fine for them for the past 2 years.
. I guess i am in the market for a company that covers modified cars as this was their excuse to drop it without notice although it was fine for them for the past 2 years.
If you had coverage through a normal insurance company like Allstate, State Farm, Progressive, etc then you were probably underinsured anyway. Unless you are very lucky you will have an actual cash policy which is nearly worthless. Had your car been stolen you would have gotten blue book value which on a Fiero is not much. Then you would have had to argue with them over the mods and then they would argue that you didn't declare the mods and you would probably lose.
The only way to protect a modified Fiero is with a Agreed Value Policy. This is where you and the insurance company agree in advance the value of the car and it never changes unless you both agree to change it. Since your parents are in the business they might be able to do this through a normal company, but the average person will be out of luck trying to get a policy like that through State Farm and those type companies.
The only real alternative is collector car insurance, like Grundy or Hagerty. They only deal with agreed value, and are very affordable. But the downside is that there are a lot of restrictions. It can't be your only car, (no daily drivers) and you are only supposed to drive it for pleasure, (not to school or work) and some have mileage limits. They base their rates on the fact that most collector cars are garage queens, (because they are, mine hasn't left the garage in years).
So maybe that works for you or maybe not. But like I said if my car were stolen I could afford to rebuild it or just buy the Corvette like I should have done in the first place.
If you had coverage through a normal insurance company like Allstate, State Farm, Progressive, etc then you were probably underinsured anyway. Unless you are very lucky you will have an actual cash policy which is nearly worthless. Had your car been stolen you would have gotten blue book value which on a Fiero is not much. Then you would have had to argue with them over the mods and then they would argue that you didn't declare the mods and you would probably lose.
The only way to protect a modified Fiero is with a Agreed Value Policy. This is where you and the insurance company agree in advance the value of the car and it never changes unless you both agree to change it. Since your parents are in the business they might be able to do this through a normal company, but the average person will be out of luck trying to get a policy like that through State Farm and those type companies.
The only real alternative is collector car insurance, like Grundy or Hagerty. They only deal with agreed value, and are very affordable. But the downside is that there are a lot of restrictions. It can't be your only car, (no daily drivers) and you are only supposed to drive it for pleasure, (not to school or work) and some have mileage limits. They base their rates on the fact that most collector cars are garage queens, (because they are, mine hasn't left the garage in years).
So maybe that works for you or maybe not. But like I said if my car were stolen I could afford to rebuild it or just buy the Corvette like I should have done in the first place.
yes, I had all the modifications scheduled and agreed value but, I guess they had fits over the parts not being readily available. Oh well I guess it will be written with Grundy or some new company they are looking into selling for.
[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 02-01-2014).]
yes, I had all the modifications scheduled and agreed value but, I guess they had fits over the parts not being readily available. Oh well I guess it will be written with Grundy or some new company they are looking into selling for.
Regular insurance companies don't like to do agreed value policies because it doesn't fit their business case. Regular cars can be sent to body shops and easily repaired. If a chop top gets damaged there is no book to explain how to repair it. Honestly I don't know how Grundy and Hagerty do it. That's why I said I would rather the whole car be stolen, then it's obvious what my claim is... But let the glass be broken then try to explain that chop top glass is thousands if you can buy it at all. I'm getting to where I'm afraid to drive my car. Houston people are crazy and I have a close call nearly every day. I'm tired of having a car I'm afraid to drive.
Regular insurance companies don't like to do agreed value policies because it doesn't fit their business case. Regular cars can be sent to body shops and easily repaired. If a chop top gets damaged there is no book to explain how to repair it. Honestly I don't know how Grundy and Hagerty do it. That's why I said I would rather the whole car be stolen, then it's obvious what my claim is... But let the glass be broken then try to explain that chop top glass is thousands if you can buy it at all. I'm getting to where I'm afraid to drive my car. Houston people are crazy and I have a close call nearly every day. I'm tired of having a car I'm afraid to drive.
If I remember right, My mom was explaining companies like Grundy kinda are like a Loyds of London when it comes to cars like our chops. They know parts are hard to come by and figure out a average or something like that far as replacement value. I guess I do not really care about the details how they do it as long as it is covered enough to drive it. After Archie told me about the window availability problem with his vendor I have been asking around here in town with a few of the glass making companies that do custom tempered glass creations for the bathroom market and auto manufactures. The one in particular says they prob can do it with the right forms but time wise they would have issues fitting them in anytime soon due to their other productions. I think I already gave their info to Archie to look into so who knows maybe something will work out?
Archie told me about the window availability problem with his vendor I have been asking around here in town with a few of the glass making companies that do custom tempered glass creations for the bathroom market and auto manufactures. The one in particular says they prob can do it with the right forms but time wise they would have issues fitting them in anytime soon due to their other productions. I think I already gave their info to Archie to look into so who knows maybe something will work out?
If we were really worried about the glass we would open up our checkbooks and buy a spare set right now. I know there are sets of choptop glass all over the USA. The chop top roller in the mall now comes with a set of glass. Kind of like t-tops...I've been hoarding t-top glass ever since I installed them in my GT.
Ya the wallet thing is somewhat a rough one right now lol! lawyers are expensive!! but if I find a set of the glass ones I will pop in a heart beat to obtain them.
[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 02-02-2014).]
The unnerving part of the whole deal as it were I found out later on today that the insurance company cancelled the car without notifying me. I am super pissed over that! if it had been wrecked or stolen i would have been super screwed!! I think I would have murdered them in a lawsuit tho according to all my files it is in effect till April! they cant do that without notifying me. My parents own the insurance agency that I go threw and raised holy hell with the underwriter today over that so lets see what happens. I guess i am in the market for a company that covers modified cars as this was their excuse to drop it without notice although it was fine for them for the past 2 years.
I have my 87GT 3800SC insured with Fremont Insurance. Full coverage. Our agent switched all our insurance over to Fremont. Saved $$ and have better coverage. Fremont requires you get the car appraised. My agent recommended Classic & Sports Cars in Jenison, Michigan. Ike has been in the business for 33 years. He is a Corvette specialist. Nice guy, a car guy and knows his stuff.
