[Shotimes] Re: insurance / 90 SHO is antique

[MonsieurBoo@aol.com]

Brett:  "I was told once that if a car is 15 years old, it is  classified as 
an antique and qualifies for low cost insurance.  There were  some limits such 
as under 5k miles per year.  Insurance was cheap -- like  100-150 per year. 
Does anybody know anything about this?"
 
I just went through this after taking my '56 Chev panel truck out of  storage 
and getting new plates.  It seems like the big daily-driver  insurance 
companies mostly refer your policy out to specialty  agencies.  It was a pleasant 
surprise to find out from you folks there's  still a couple that handle it 
through their own system.  The one my company  referred me to, first thing they 
told me was that if my ride wasn't up to show  quality, don't waste their time 
and they practically hung up in my ear.
 
After searching the web and calling around, I finally ended up doing  
business over the web with "the largest" of the classic-car insurers and it  worked 
out OK, with enough flexibility in allowable miles, etc.  But in  retrospect, 
if you can find a local agent to handle it and you come in with all  your 
paperwork, probably you could walk out with your policy in hand -- not  necessarily 
so easy on the web, although these folks do let you e-mail or fax  your docs.
 
There were a bunch of forms that had to be filled out, listing each and  
every mod, and I had to send them photos of all sides (including the  inside) and 
engine.  Part of this was because it's got a 350 instead  of the original 
straight-6 ;-)  
 
Classic-car insurers do expect, with varying degrees of rigorousness, that  
the vehicle be garaged.  They make a big deal about this "protecting the  value 
of your classic" but I rather suspect it has something more to do with  
"protecting their assets against liability claims" in case someone spots and  
swipes your inviting ride and ends up running over ten grandmas at a bus  stop.  
(My truck could take out twenty, easy.)
 
Also be well prepared for them to ask for a copy of your existing  
daily-driver insurance policy, especially if you try to put the typical  limited-use 
coverage onto your SHO!  
 
Having said all this, it can be a bit of a pain but it is 1950s cheap  
($90/yr for me).  
 
This is all entirely separate from how each state handles these things when  
it comes time to put the plates on.  Most states do have at least one  
category of special-vehicle plates (Antique, Historic and Street Rod are MD's)  and 
this is where the age or other requirements are usually  stipulated, and also 
where the state-to-state differences occur.    (Here's a good test:  Ask your 
state if you can get a Vanity tag on an  Antique plate!)  Generally these 
registrations are much cheaper, mine  cost me $50 for new plates and a two-year 
tag.  
 
Cheers,
Mark L.
94 atx 130k
56 Chev Panel