Seeking recommendations for Ny insurance broker

nomadbuka · 05-17-2016, 08:33 AM

Good morning skoolies, just enroute to pick up my skoolie and have been franticly searching for insurance solutions, I know there is a tonne of advice here, most of which I have read - I have sent off for a few qoutes but still awaiting any responses. Does anyone based in New York state have suggestions for a broker that have dealt with before?
Thanks, Buka

Robin97396 · 05-17-2016, 10:27 AM

Hey, you can't say you're buying a bus and not give any details. Are you trying to keep a bunch of us in suspense?

nomadbuka · 05-17-2016, 10:38 AM

hahah, well at this stage it's a 2004 international - someone else's project so 80% complete. I brought it online and at the time of purchase had the buses original broker lined up to reinsure it for me however I found out last week that the insurance slipped and he declined to help open a new policy.
So, a day on the phones for me and with a bit of luck I'll have a few photos of us on the road this time next week.
The nice thing is for us (coming from australia / NZ) with no tools / workspace all the grunt work has been done - leaving just the plumbing and remodelling to suit our needs which can all be done on the road.
We are here in New York just dealing with the insurance then comes the dmv and hopefully will be transversing america by the end of the week.
Here starts our dream adventure.... Hopefully

nomadbuka · 05-17-2016, 11:01 AM

Can I ask a question - all my qoutes are comming back like 10x monthly payments of $240 plus down payments ect... It all works out to be around the 3-4k annually Mark.
Is this normal or excessively high? I've seen loads of threads on skoolie stating $200-300 and I had assumed this was an annual price not a monthly.. So my question is is $240 a month good or am I being taken for a ride?

Robin97396 · 05-17-2016, 11:11 AM

I'm pretty sure someone is jerking you chain, although I think it's just ignorance on their part.

You're looking for a "commercial policy for private use" and it will most likely be through Progressive. Since your build isn't complete yet I'm assuming you're attempting to insure as a van for the time being.

My insurance was just about $400 for the year, which is a little high in comparison to others on this forum, especially considering it was just a liability policy. That was all the offered. Oregon is a difficult state for insurance.

You'll need to go to an independent insurance agent. Often the old house with the insurance sign in front of it. They'll probably take a couple photos and question you about your use of the bus. How much you tell them is up to you, but normally just answering questions as directly as possible works best.

Docsgsxr · 05-17-2016, 04:40 PM

What is it titled as? If it's titled as an RV then ask the insurance company the RV rate, if it's titled as a bus, then ask for a private commercial plan, tell them there are only 2 seats in it. That way they know you aren't "hauling around a bunch of people".

nomadbuka · 05-17-2016, 04:48 PM

Havnt had too much luck today, lowest qoute I could get was $2600 for full coverage for a year as a private comercial through progressive. It has previously been titled as an RV however I have spoken to well over a dozen different agents today and directly with the insurers themselves with the majority giving the usual story of "not covering skoolies"
Was turned down once due to my residential address being manhattan and again for having a roof top deck in place.
Seems the private agents have been more of an assistance but we still don't seem to be having the luck others have. It's been an exhausting day but we will keep trying. Ideally I'd love to get it down under a grand and I can't fathom why we can't get close...

nomadbuka · 05-18-2016, 05:20 PM

So just for anyone thinking of insurance out of New York state be aware this is the most expensive place to apply for insurance from. All our qoutes were either declined or above 3k for just liability. Today we tried another angle - we tried using an Illinois address... We were so relieved our qoutes were comming back under the grand Mark for full coverage and 400 for liablity. Being international travellers we had no idea that insurance would vary from state to state so greatly... So for anyone else encountering the problems we have just faced I would recommend exploring the options of using other states with a shipitto or alternative mailing adress.
Tomorrow we pick up our bus from upstate New York and head for Chicago!
So excited.
I have read here it's fine to drive the bus with the bill of sale and insurance to the DMV in IL.... Does anyone know if we will encounter problems not having plates on the bus on the way or will this paperwork be sufficient?

Robin97396 · 05-18-2016, 06:12 PM

You should have a temp sticker for the drive. You know, the paper registration you put in your rear window that's good for 10 or 15 days. The interesting part is police can't see the registration through a tinted window, and I never got stopped.
If you have a current car policy, most of the time vehicles purchased for private use are covered by your existing policy for a short period of time. Of course, check with your own state for rules.
Here they only offered liability insurance. I've never had just liability before.

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