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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Antique Auto Insurance

By Matt Hellstrom

Antique vehicles or collector automobiles are those that have been around for quite some time and have retained their appeal. Therefore it is unthinkable to go without proper antique auto insurance. These vehicles are usually worth much more than their original price owing to their antiquity. The older they are, and the better the condition, the higher their price tag. Their value continues to increase with each passing year and the usual depreciation rates that many automobiles are subject to, do not affect them.

Whereas the ordinary automobile faces depreciation in its value over the years, a vintage automobile's value appreciates with each passing year. The older it is the more value it has to the collector. Some very rare automobiles of such kind are priced so high that they are many times over their original market value. The existence of this anomaly creates a lot of problems when it comes to determining a value for such automobile before they can be insured.

The insurance value for a vehicle is usually determined by the original price less the depreciation over the years that it has collected. In the case of an antique automobile, the price cannot be determined in this fashion as it is the age of the car that contributes to the rise in its value.

There are several methods to determine the value of an antique automobile that are employed by insurance companies offering antique auto insurance policies on antique and classic automobiles. The main one is the agreed upon price method which basically is the price acceptable to both the insurance company and the car owners. This value is arrived at after a consensus is reached on the price and a particular amount that is higher than the original cost of the car is fixed as the value.

An antique car's value is usually determined by a comparison based on the current values for similar automobiles as listed in popular vintage automobile magazines and price indexes that are in vogue. Sometimes the services of an independent assessor are sought to determine the value of the automobile.

One less-used method is to fix the value of the automobile as the sum total of the actual cost price plus the many up gradations and enhancements and amount spent on repairs etc over the years. The last method is to fix the value of the vehicle as the amount arrived at after deducting the depreciation with age from the original cost price of the vehicle.

Most antique auto insurance lay down certain rules and stipulations that have to be adhered to for the policy to be active on the automobile. Keeping the automobile secure from theft, fire or corrosion and ensuring that it is not used for racing or commercial transportation is a usual requirement that is put forward by antique auto insurance companies. The other usual stipulations are that there should be another vehicle for general use in the owner's household and the antique automobile shall not be used for regular commuting purposes.

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