Discussion
Again, probably a topic you all know but...
I thought it would be wise to check out insurance options for a 2005 DB9. My current insurer has what I think is a fair premium (£603pa) but they'll only cover the car if it has a tracker fitted. Is that standard for Aston insurance? They say trackers cost from £100-£1,000 and as long as it's Thatcham 5 or above they'll be happy. But I don't feel the need to fit one if it's not necessary.
My policy runs until May, so if the car I buy doesn't have a tracker I'll either have to fit one, or bail out of the policy and start afresh. Is this a job for a 'specialist' insurer? I've done that with TVRs and some companies will give discounts if you're a member of something, but is the same true for Aston?
Looking for the best insurer for a non-trackered DB9 (assuming the one I get doesn't have it). Ta
I thought it would be wise to check out insurance options for a 2005 DB9. My current insurer has what I think is a fair premium (£603pa) but they'll only cover the car if it has a tracker fitted. Is that standard for Aston insurance? They say trackers cost from £100-£1,000 and as long as it's Thatcham 5 or above they'll be happy. But I don't feel the need to fit one if it's not necessary.
My policy runs until May, so if the car I buy doesn't have a tracker I'll either have to fit one, or bail out of the policy and start afresh. Is this a job for a 'specialist' insurer? I've done that with TVRs and some companies will give discounts if you're a member of something, but is the same true for Aston?
Looking for the best insurer for a non-trackered DB9 (assuming the one I get doesn't have it). Ta
Premiums of course vary considerably with location and the other criteria.
I pay around £350 for a Vantage. There was even a reduction last time.
On your point of trackers John, all DB9s should already have a tracker fitted by Aston Martin. Your insurers therefore probably want the tracker monitoring to be in force. Perhaps time to move your business. Many insurers have become used to charging lower premiums to new customers, than they charge their existing policyholders to renew.
Even when my car was only two years old, my insurer did not require the tracker to be operating. I first used Aviva, then changed to NFU. My main requirement was to be allowed to choose a repairer, if the worst should happen.
Edited by Dewi 2 on Wednesday 30th December 22:44
Dewi 2 said:
Premiums of course vary considerably with location and the other criteria.
I pay around £350 for a Vantage. There was even a reduction last time.
On your point of trackers John, all DB9s should already have a tracker fitted by Aston Martin. Your insurers therefore probably want the tracker monitoring to be in force. Perhaps time to move your business. Many insurers have become used to charging lower premiums to new customers, than they charge their existing policyholders to renew.
Even when my car was only two years old, my insurer did not require the tracker to be operating. I first used Aviva, then changed to NFU. My main requirement was to be allowed to choose a repairer, if the worst should happen.
Edited by Dewi 2 on Wednesday 30th December 22:44
Your DB9 will have a tracker in it, but the reserve battery will have died by now. I had the tracking company fit a new unit to my 2005 DB9 about 5 years ago, and then took up an offer for a one off payment for a lifetime tracking cover. Was about £250 combined which I thought was good value.
Insurance will depend on many aspects. Where do you keep the car; your age; where you live etc...can vary enormously. My DB9 is insured with Admiral for less than £300pa. 8,000 mile limit (garaged/Surrey). One of the advantages of being over 50 !
Insurance will depend on many aspects. Where do you keep the car; your age; where you live etc...can vary enormously. My DB9 is insured with Admiral for less than £300pa. 8,000 mile limit (garaged/Surrey). One of the advantages of being over 50 !
Edited by pschlute on Thursday 31st December 00:52
pschlute said:
Your DB9 will have a tracker in it, but the reserve battery will have died by now. I had the tracking company fit a new unit to my 2005 DB9 about 5 years ago, and then took up an offer for a one off payment for a lifetime tracking cover. Was about £250 combined which I thought was good value.
Not sure which unit is I’m the DB9 but Vodafone (whose units are in some other AMs) don’t seem to offer the “lifetime” option any more. I think it’s about £300/year these days.oilit said:
agreed most if not all DB9 have trackers fitted - as painful as it is that many insurers demand them - if it's in there it normally costs no more than £200/annum for subscription - which in the scheme of things isn't that bad.
I disagree. Effectively adding 50% to the cost of my insurance premium to insure the insurance company against a total loss is "bad" in my opinion.Vantage S, value about £55K, insured with NFU for £400 with no tracker. All modifications declared.
V8V Pete said:
I disagree. Effectively adding 50% to the cost of my insurance premium to insure the insurance company against a total loss is "bad" in my opinion.
Vantage S, value about £55K, insured with NFU for £400 with no tracker. All modifications declared.
that's why we are all different - which is a good thing right ?Vantage S, value about £55K, insured with NFU for £400 with no tracker. All modifications declared.
I have fallen for this trap. My Vantage was insured with classic line, no tracker activated and not discussed. Didn’t even think people bothered with trackers these days!
However when I got the Rapide suddenly the same insurance co wanted a tracker activated “if it was fitted as standard..”
Long and short was the original (euro track?) system was defunct so that all got ripped out and wound up having to fit the newer Aston Vodafone system.
It really does work though, which is nice to know and extra peace of mind so sort of feels acceptable value. The battery’s started to go recently on the fobs (1yo), you get a text. If you routinely forget to swap them they seem to get in touch within less than a minute if you go off for a drive! My wife moved the car out of the garage without the fob and again they called.
Compare that with the (potential) service you get from an insurer when you are involved in an incident. Therefore for a theft situation the Vodafone tracker is pretty much spot on.
Just seems crazy as someone points out it’s really an insurance for the insurers against a car being stolen and not found!
However when I got the Rapide suddenly the same insurance co wanted a tracker activated “if it was fitted as standard..”
Long and short was the original (euro track?) system was defunct so that all got ripped out and wound up having to fit the newer Aston Vodafone system.
It really does work though, which is nice to know and extra peace of mind so sort of feels acceptable value. The battery’s started to go recently on the fobs (1yo), you get a text. If you routinely forget to swap them they seem to get in touch within less than a minute if you go off for a drive! My wife moved the car out of the garage without the fob and again they called.
Compare that with the (potential) service you get from an insurer when you are involved in an incident. Therefore for a theft situation the Vodafone tracker is pretty much spot on.
Just seems crazy as someone points out it’s really an insurance for the insurers against a car being stolen and not found!
Support the view Vodafone one works well and had similar experience of getting a call if it’s just moved 50 yards. Just renewed mine on Cayenne on the 2yr deal. Insurance company insist on it on Cayenne as “4x4s are favourite ram raid vehicles” but don’t need it on more valuable 911 or Vantage when I had one.
CB07 said:
Just seems crazy as someone points out it’s really an insurance for the insurers against a car being stolen and not found!
It doesn’t seem that crazy to me. The insurance industry is, in theory, all about pooled risk. If you car has an active tracker then the insurance company knows that, in the case of theft or hijacking, there’s an increased chance that they will get the car back, which reduces the odds on them having to make a “total loss” payout. In reality, most car insurance is reduced to a series of “tick box” activities by brokers to assess risk, as you’ll have noticed if you deviate one iota from the standard questions, it usually has to be referred back to an adjuster or specialist. Some companies have a greater appetite for perceived risk or certain sectors than others, plus the commercial pressure to keep getting business, which is why premiums vary.
One more shoutout for Vodafone Cobra here - I like the “low battery” reminder for the fobs and I’ve found the control centre staff excellent to deal with. My only gripe was the lack of a user manual when I renewed, as the documentation all stayed with the original owner
LTP said:
It doesn’t seem that crazy to me. The insurance industry is, in theory, all about pooled risk. If you car has an active tracker then the insurance company knows that, in the case of theft or hijacking, there’s an increased chance that they will get the car back, which reduces the odds on them having to make a “total loss” payout.
I will qualify that slightly by saying it seems crazy to me that I am paying a 3rd party to increase the insurance co odds in that total loss situation..I also didn't have the option of paying a higher premium with the insurer as a result of no tracker. Theoretical price increase would surely be roughly the cost of a tracker subscription. It is after all nearly 2021 I just feel a product/technology could very easily exist that insurance could offer their own proprietary tracking system and just bundle the pricing together in a reduced premium if you accept a tracking package. After all they have those black box things for young drivers etc.
CB07 said:
I will qualify that slightly by saying it seems crazy to me that I am paying a 3rd party to increase the insurance co odds in that total loss situation..I also didn't have the option of paying a higher premium with the insurer as a result of no tracker. Theoretical price increase would surely be roughly the cost of a tracker subscription.
Refer back to my comments about "tick box" activities and appetites for risk. You're buying a roughly standardised product, not an individually-tailored insurance policy.V8V Pete said:
oilit said:
agreed most if not all DB9 have trackers fitted - as painful as it is that many insurers demand them - if it's in there it normally costs no more than £200/annum for subscription - which in the scheme of things isn't that bad.
I disagree. Effectively adding 50% to the cost of my insurance premium to insure the insurance company against a total loss is "bad" in my opinion.Vantage S, value about £55K, insured with NFU for £400 with no tracker. All modifications declared.
Thanks to everyone who replied. Since posting I've decided which car I'm after, and it has a Tracker so I can stay with my current insurer for now. NFU came in just the lowest at £593 but only if XS was increased £500.
NFU didn't need a Tracker, neither did Classic Line (but as I do 8K a year their best was £1300); Admiral was £694 with a bigger XS.
The car is also at a dealer which means if I do p/ex there's no need to have two policies.
Gradually the ducks are lining up. Slight hitch - the dealer is now in Tier 4 so can't do test drives... doh!
NFU didn't need a Tracker, neither did Classic Line (but as I do 8K a year their best was £1300); Admiral was £694 with a bigger XS.
The car is also at a dealer which means if I do p/ex there's no need to have two policies.
Gradually the ducks are lining up. Slight hitch - the dealer is now in Tier 4 so can't do test drives... doh!
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