How gap insurance covers vehicle depreciation?

by renditioner » Sun Aug 24, 2008 05:48 pm

What is gap insurance? is it insurance which covers the depreciation of my vehicle ? Is it mandatory ? what are the benefits of having it ?

Total Comments: 27

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 08:06 pm Post Subject:

Some lein holders may make it manditory it is not state manditory, it is a good idea though for anyone that is financing 80% or more of their vehicle...If your vehicle totals the insurance company owes you the ACV (actual cash value) only! NOT the loan payoff...GAP covers that GAP (if there is one) between what the carrier pays and your loan payoff...The benefit I guess is obivous once you understand it...without it if you are upside down, you now have no vehicle and are still making payments and then usually rolling that balance on top of your replacement vehicle loan...and the mess starts a new! only worse the second time...

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 02:18 am Post Subject:

I have it on my car, it was more for peace of mind for me incase I was in an accident the first year or two. Buying a new car so close to winter made me nervous, so I purchased it.

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 05:40 am Post Subject:

Gap insurance works as an additional coverage for your car. Gap insurance covers the gap between your policy limit and the loan on the car. It's a worthy choice for new vehicles, as the car value depreciates right after you roll it out of the showroom.

The gap insurance may ensure your peace of mind especially when you are upside down on you car loan.

Most of the gap policies cover collision and car theft. However, the coverage may differ according to the nature of the policy. Hence, you're required to find out about the coverage type before purchasing the plan.

~Jeremy

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 05:58 am Post Subject:

I agree with goodnatured, gap insurance is required more to ensure the peace of mind. The major benefit of the Gap policy is that it frees you from the car loan when your vehicle gets totaled within the first few years of purchase.

You can purchase the gap policy from the dealer, but may not get a good bargain. Hence, for gap insurance too you are required to shop around for better coverage and competitive rate.

The gap insurance isn't very expensive and in most states its available at fairly cheap price, though, in some states the rate may depend upon the volume of the loan.

However, before deciding about the gap policy, you should check it out with your existing auto insurer. Some insurer may have the gap policy inbuilt in the main policy and may be charging you already for it.

Regards,
Juanita

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 06:19 am Post Subject: However, some states do not offer such insurance

Oh! here are some additional information for you.

GAP insurance isn't available in all the states. The following states do not offer GAP insurance policy,

  • Connecticut
  • New York
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • New Mexico
  • Louisiana, and
  • New Hampshire


And as I've mentioned in my previous post, in Texas and Nevada the rate of the Gap policy depends upon the amount of the loan.

The Gap insurance, normally, has a duration of 84 months. Gap policies are generally not required on the old cars, however, there are special cases where the insurer may allow you to maintain the Gap policy on an old car as well.

Regards,
Juanita

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 11:54 am Post Subject:

ok.So the gap insurance is usually availed for new cars bought on loan ?

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 12:36 pm Post Subject:

yep, or also a good idea on used ones that you start out upside down...typcially (well always) when buying at a ''we tote the note'' car lot.. :roll: :twisted:

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 06:31 pm Post Subject:

yeah " we tote the note" car lot..You have to be extra careful with them ...

Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 05:17 am Post Subject:

Hi, it may sound elementary but what is 'tote the note'?

Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 05:27 am Post Subject:

'Tote the note' car financing is, when the dealer himself plays the role of the financier for the car.

Tote the note financing is often looked down upon by many auto dealers. And there are limited number of the dealers who operate in this manner. Normally the customers with poor credit score and financial conditions prefer to get the tote the note financing.

'Tote the note' is also known as 'buy here pay here'. And often you'll not get quality vehicle with these kind of dealers.

Regards,
Juanita

Add your comment

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.