Antique Auto Insurance
Because of the place an antique automobile has created in history for itself in terms of the premium prices they typically command, antique auto insurance is important. These automobiles are collected by passionate enthusiasts who are willing to pay much more for them than their actual cost back in the day.
The value of these automobiles increase each year unlike other automobiles that are subject to depreciation in their value with each passing year. These antique automobiles are works of art and are highly prized by collectors who are sometimes willing to pay many times more than their actual utilitarian value. It is very difficult to determine the market value of an antique car while insuring it. There aren't that many antique auto insurance providers available either.
In the case of an ordinary automobile that has no claim to antique value, the price of the vehicle at any point of time is determined from the original cost with depreciation for each year that is deducted from it. For antique automobiles however, the price cannot be determined based on the original or current utility value, nor can there be depreciation in value over the years. In fact the value of an antique automobile increases over time.
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.