I'm Switching Insurance companies!

As a bit of history, I have been Insured with this company for over 10 years. I have had a clean record over those 10 years and have never made a claim.

In the past, I was pleased that my rates were competitive and more or less fell within the reasonable realm of insurance charges.

Last week, my insurance renewal came in the mail. My insurance had gone up by 25% for no reason. Here is a synopsis of my phone conversation

Me: Hello, why did my Insurance go up by 25%?
Broker: Not sure, it's inexplicable, you have a perfect record.
Me: Ok, Please lower my rates. I have a competitive quote for $600 less per year.
Broker: Wow, that's a lot. but if you stay with us, your $500 deductible will be $0.
Me: I'm saving $600 annually by switching; so, even if I get into an accident with the other company and pay my $500 deductible every year, I'm still saving $100 per year over you guys.
Broker: The Government forced us to increase our rates. Sorry.
Me: I read That was last year. Our insurance company was approved to go up by 5% at most.
Broker: Yeah, sorry, I don't know. We just suck as a company*
Me: I will be switching. Thanks!

*The broker didn't actually say their company sucks. He actually said that Insurance companies had their premiums increase due to the government. the 5% was an average by company. Some people got dinged higher for no explicable reason. It's the Government's fault for forcing Insurance companies to pay for their own medical liabilities.

So, I'd like to take this time to thank my insurance company for saving me $600 this year.

My Car Turned 100,000Kms today

Yup, The car I purchased 3 years and 9 months ago turned 100,000Kms the other day. It was quite a momentous occasion. Marcy D'Arcy is purring like a kitten, and not those kittens who moan all night long, keeping you up, only after head butting the bedroom door open ;)

It got me thinking about the current plight of North American auto makers and a recent discussion I heard on talk radio. Yeah, I listen to talk radio in the mornings because I can't stand Dean Blundel; he's about as funny as a clown funeral, but that's another story for another day.

The argument came about after the president of Ford Canada proposed a $3,500 rebate for buyers of new Ford, Chrysler, and GM cars, if they junk their 10+ year old cars. I thought this was a pretty good idea considering the fact that Cars have become Greener, with a decrease in emissions of up to 50%. Mix the environmental factors with the stimulus the rebate would provide, and it appears to be a pretty good idea. The problem is that during the entirety of the discussion, only pro-old car and anti-domestic voices called in. Arguments ranged from people who want to keep their car for as long as possible, to use it as a measure of their own reliability no matter how much the car costs in monthly repairs, to callers who thought that domestic cars were pieces of junk. One caller even went so far as to misquote statistics from a CNN report, stating that 80% of domestic cars are not produced in North America (The actual story summary is that not all import cars are made outside North America, and not all North American cars are built in the United States).

Whatever the case, I want people to know that not all North American cars are crap. I just rolled over the 100,000KM mark on my mustang, and am proud to say my last mustang lasted 15 years and 389,000Kms. I bet there's plenty of people out there with domestic car success and pain stories. My issue is that people rely on ignorance and biased opinions when making car purchases. When looking to buy a car, do yourself a favor, and do some research. Check out Consumer Reports, ask current vehicle owners if they're happy with their car. Don't just rely on propaganda and slick marketing.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to only buy North American, my point is to simply educate yourself before you buy, and hopefully, educate yourself before you open your mouth on national radio.