BajaNomad

Baja bound car insurance

BajaBuckeye - 3-30-2017 at 03:07 PM

I just got off the phone with Baja Bound about car insurance and insurance for my small kayak trailer for 30 days and was shocked at the quote I got. Over $500 for our 2013 Ford F-150 and small kayak trailer with 2 kayaks. This is for full coverage. Can someone chime in on whether liability only is doable or should I check another company? Thanks in advance.

[Edited on 3-31-2017 by BajaBuckeye]

hondo - 3-30-2017 at 03:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaBuckeye  
I just got off the phone with Baja Bound about car insurance and insurance for my small kayak trailer and was shocked at the quote I got. Over $500 for our 2013 Ford F-150 and small kayak trailer with 2 kayaks. This is for full coverage. Can someone chime in on whether liability only is doable or should I check another company? Thanks in advance.
For how many days weeks etc.

David K - 3-30-2017 at 03:32 PM

*Daily policy
*6 mo. policy
*12 mo. policy
All have different rates.

The best deal if you spend more than 30 days a year in Baja is the annual policy, I think?

You can get quotes online from Baja Bound, Discover Baja, and many more, I think? Discover Baja sells the same policies and are cheaper IF you join their travel club. The Baja Goodlife Club is another... Vagabundos and Lewis and Lewis are also mentioned often.

sancho - 3-30-2017 at 03:44 PM

Libility only on a 4 yr. truck would be a bit of a gamble,
considering MOST Mex plated vehicles have no Ins.,
hope that is not a rude statement,
some US Ins Co's will cover your collision coverage in Mex on your US
policy, if you have it on your US policy, for x miles into Baja,
still have to have Mex libility. I go with Bajabound, specifically
their Mex Co's HDI and ACE, APPEAR to settle claims reasonably
I assume there are others that live up to the policy

bajaguy - 3-30-2017 at 03:54 PM

Bajabound, full coverage with legal, HDI Seguros

David K - 3-30-2017 at 04:45 PM

Plus, Baja Bound sponsors Baja Nomad (this site)... keeping this great resource on the Internet!

woody with a view - 3-30-2017 at 07:08 PM

FWIW, my ANY 90 days in a year policy for full coverage with Discover Baja is ALOT less than a comparable w/ Baja Bound.

willardguy - 3-30-2017 at 07:09 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaBuckeye  
I just got off the phone with Baja Bound about car insurance and insurance for my small kayak trailer for 30 days and was shocked at the quote I got. Over $500 for our 2013 Ford F-150 and small kayak trailer with 2 kayaks. This is for full coverage. Can someone chime in on whether liability only is doable or should I check another company? Thanks in advance.

[Edited on 3-31-2017 by BajaBuckeye]


:O..I think geoff is eyeing a new fuel injected 2 stroke KTM! thats eff'n ridiculous! cross the border and buy mexico insurance from a mexican company

BajaBuckeye - 3-31-2017 at 06:25 AM

I've contacted Discover Baja and their price is considerably less and in hindsight since we are going to be south of the border for 30 days I think I may have overreacted with my initial reaction to the cost of this Mexican insurance. Hopefully this trip will be worth the added expense.

bajapedro - 3-31-2017 at 07:16 AM

If you are going down to Baja and will be parked for several day, say at your home or camp site, you could get ins that covers you for only the days you will be driving or on the road.
Sometimes, I purchase a drive down policy for say 2 days, then a drive home policy for say 2 additional days. When I am down, I tend to not drive my truck much anyway, instead driving my rzr, so this saves me money.

David K - 3-31-2017 at 07:35 AM

Of course, if your truck is stolen or damaged while parked, having insurance the full time will be worth it... I mean, it's like $10-20 a day or less the longer you are there.

Alm - 3-31-2017 at 09:37 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaBuckeye  
Can someone chime in on whether liability only is doable or should I check another company?

Why don't you check their webpage. Liability costs ~$90 a year as I recall, though could be a little more with a trailer. Closer to check-out they will add their "membership fee" on top of that. Same price at Discovery Baja, Lewis & Lewis and few other companies. They are all brokering the same 2 or 3 Mexican insurance corporations.

Daily plans are costly, 30 days can cost the same or higher than 6 months. Also, check pull-down menus when online - somebody here was bit.ching that annual Baja Bound is so expensive now, "starts" from several hundred dollars. Depends on the coverage, duh.

Things like kayak trailer I don't understand, can't justify in this area - as opposed to carrying 1 or 2 kayaks on the roof.

Alm - 3-31-2017 at 09:45 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajapedro  

Sometimes, I purchase a drive down policy for say 2 days, then a drive home policy for say 2 additional days.

When filling Baja Bound online application, I remember there was some warning that insurance has to be purchased before you leave the US.

Alm - 4-1-2017 at 05:24 PM

Found something else. From Baja Bound website:

"A split term policy is when two policies are purchased, one policy to drive to the destination and another for the exit trip.
...
Split term policies may only be issued with LIABILITY ONLY coverage.
...
Claims may be denied if split term policies are issued with physical damage and theft coverage."

So, you can try and purchase two 2-day policies with full coverage with a lapse in between, but the claim will be denied.

[Edited on 4-2-2017 by Alm]

David K - 4-1-2017 at 07:10 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  
Quote: Originally posted by bajapedro  

Sometimes, I purchase a drive down policy for say 2 days, then a drive home policy for say 2 additional days.

When filling Baja Bound online application, I remember there was some warning that insurance has to be purchased before you leave the US.


Yes, you purchase the online policy before you leave, naturally. You pick the day and time to begin and end the policy. Then you PRINT it out at home and put a copy in your glove box for the trip. IT IS SO EASY...

Alm - 4-1-2017 at 11:17 PM

David - yes, buy and print before going in. Was surprised to hear that people still use a phone to buy insurance :), online is easier to see what you're buying and compare the plans.

Btw, rates for day coverage are identical with either B Bound or Discovery B (and the situation is similar with 6-12 months liability).

chavycha - 4-2-2017 at 11:43 AM

You're paying for what I assume is around $30-40k of comprehensive coverage. That, combined with the Mexican insurance companies' preference for 6mo or 1yr policy terms, makes it pretty expensive.

For figuring your comprehensive coverage amount, you may want to consider 'worst-case scenario' on all the parts. As an example, if the trailer/kayaks were going to get ripped off, what kind of money would you get in a claim? Note that trailer/boat policies require you to list each item separately, meaning that each kayak has its own deductible. So say you have a $2k trailer and two $2k kayaks. $6k total value. However, your policy has a $1k deductible. After all the deductibles are figured, you'd only get $3k. Also read the fine print - the trailer and boats will only be covered when attached to the tow vehicle. Take the trailer off and park it and it's no longer covered. So is it really worth paying for that coverage, or should you just do liability only on the trailer/kayaks?

We used Lewis & Lewis / Qualitas a few years back and had a small claim with them on a boat motor that was ripped off. The whole process was a huge hassle and took several months to resolve. We did eventually get a check, but only after dozens of calls and broken promises.

We've used BajaBound in the past as well. Easy enough to get a policy online. They do say they'll mediate with the insurer if you have a claim. They are slightly more expensive than others.

This year we used Adventure (mexadventure.com) as their prices on an ADA Seguros policy were the best for the coverage we wanted. This year's cost was around $330 for $15k comp on the rig For whatever reason, their "Elite" coverage with $500 fixed deductibles and 300k liability was cheaper than their standard.

Only put liability on the boat/trailer (real world value around $5k).

David K - 4-2-2017 at 12:41 PM

The legal aid that is included with the policy can be a great relief if you are in need!

Alm - 4-2-2017 at 01:15 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
The legal aid that is included with the policy can be a great relief

...and is included even you buy liability only.