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Mulegena
Super Nomad
Posts: 2412
Registered: 11-7-2006
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short-term US car insurance
Did the Search and checked my personal Bookmarks but didn't find any threads/links to buying short-term US car insurance.
To clarify, this is for a car that is in Baja fulltime, is registered and street-legal and will be transporting its owner, me, into the states for a
limited period of time. Don't want an annual policy, but one sold by day, week, month.
Anybody? Thanks.
[Edited on 3-23-2012 by Mulegena]
"Raise your words, not your voice. It's rain that grows flowers, not thunder." ~Rumi
"It's the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
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Bajajorge
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Sounds like separate Emails to lots of American insurance companies. 
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Udo
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Don't fret about the US car insurance, and where to buy it!
When crossing the Mexico border into the US, there are several vendors that are in the waiting line area selling US daily car insurance policies. This
is common practice for many Mexican and US citizens.
The sellers have yellow vests and their wares are advertised on their clothing.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Mulegena
Super Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Udo
When crossing the Mexico border into the US, there are several vendors that are in the waiting line area selling US daily car insurance policies. This
is common practice for many Mexican and US citizens.
The sellers have yellow vests and their wares are advertised on their clothing. |
Have never seen them in
the Tecate lineup which is where I always choose to cross.
I'm rather certain there's a phone contact to purchase in advance.
Thanks.
"Raise your words, not your voice. It's rain that grows flowers, not thunder." ~Rumi
"It's the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
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Hook
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You didnt say WHERE your car is registered and street legal. That makes all the difference in the world.
Udo's observations are most certainly the outfits set up to sell US insurance to MEXICAN PLATED vehicles driven by MEXICANS WITH MEXICAN DRIVERS
LICENSES. Lots of those.
US plated are very different animals. I'll step aside and see what comes up here. Many different avenues that people take on this. It's NOT as simple
as just getting it at an insurance stop.
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Mula
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Also in California, the plates are made in-active if you do not have insurance coverage. The Insurance Companies notify the Cal. DMV when you
purchase ins. or when your ins. is no longer active and they - the DMV in-activate your plates or re-activate.
[Edited on 3-23-2012 by Mula]
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Mula
Also in California, the plates are made in-active if you do not have insurance coverage. |
Could be, although I've never heard it put just like that....anyway, that's the idea. To cross with insurance.
Hook is right. Those policy hawkers are for Mex plated cars only.
If it's a US plated car with live registration, call Elena Bretts in Ensenada. I buy one, two or more days of coverage [US underwriter] from her all
the time.
646 1785715
elenabretts@yahoo.com
I've tried email in the past with no reply. She's really busy.
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Udo
Elite Nomad
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You are correct, Mulegena, about Tecate. However, on the mail boulevard, near the plaza, I saw a building with auto insurance signs on it.
Perhaps Hook & Mula are correct in their assessments, and there is a difference between US and Mexican plated vehicles.
However...
I don't think that the DMV will be notified if insurance is issued on a daily basis for a specific vehicle, and in particular if the vehicle WAS
registered at one time or another. A daily rate is a daily rate.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Brinloor
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Short term US car insurance
Maria try Lynda Bilyeu, an insurance agent in San Felipe. She researched every permutation for me, although she never could find short term US
insurance for Canadian plated vehicles with Mexican insurance. I'm sure she has the information you need.
lyndasinsurance@yahoo.com
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DianaT
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A while back, as US citizens we could not buy daily insurance in the US with a car with plates from Guatemala and driver's licenses from Honduras.
We quickly renewed our US driver's licenses and then bought regular US insurance for a year as it turned out to be cheaper.
You might google the names of insurance agents of all sorts based in San Ysidro.
Good Luck!
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Mulegena
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South Dakota registered car fulltime in Baja
Have email into Lynda with request. Thanks, Brinloor.
Called and spoke with Elena Bretts who will reluctantly sell me a one-month policy for $40 US.
I say reluctantly because she wished to sell me home or auto insurance for Baja before writing a short-term US auto policy.
What do other South Dakotans who maintain a car in Baja do?
I only need insurance by the day for a short business trip.
I really don't want to cross NOB without coverage!
"Raise your words, not your voice. It's rain that grows flowers, not thunder." ~Rumi
"It's the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Mulegena
Called and spoke with Elena Bretts who will reluctantly sell me a one-month policy for $40 US.
I say reluctantly because she wished to sell me home or auto insurance for Baja before writing a short-term US auto policy.
What do other South Dakotans who maintain a car in Baja do?
I only need insurance by the day for a short business trip.
I really don't want to cross NOB without coverage! |
Really?? I have SD plates and she never ever tried to load me up with anything.
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BajaBlanca
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Location: La Bocana, BCS
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I do not know the details at the moment and Les is not here BUT I know that we have Mexican plates and our Mexican insurance covers us here and in
the States as well. I think a friend of ours in town got us into this company. NO extra chrage, you are covered in both countries.
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J.P.
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If you have a car that is already insured in the U S you can get a Ryder on the policy to cover say your baja beater for temporary use.
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oladulce
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We have SD plates and no US insurance nowadays- only a Mexico "full-time resident" policy.
I signed up for a monthly Geico policy online, and cancelled it when we returned from CA. Before trying this method, I called Geico to make sure that
if I used this method again for a future US trip, I wouldn't be penalized for early cancellation or something else in the fine print and she said not
a problem. If you make another trip North within 6 months of cancelling the policy, they reinstate the previous policy and info. I was reimbursed for
the portion of the policy term that wasn't used.
It worked out well and I had the policy in hand before crossing the border. Haven't found any snafu's yet in using this technique for short term US
insurance.
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choyero
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great thread...I've always had a problem with this too.
About using Gieco/state farm/farmers...etc for short term use. The 1st time or 2 they let you, the 3rd time they say. "Sorry Can't Help, it looks like
you've bought/canceled a few times before" been there done that on the following companys Gieco/state farm/farmers. I used allstate last trip, no
issues on the 1st cancelation, will see if there is a #2, 3, 4...
I dont have anger management issues, I have idiot management issues.
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BajaBlanca
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Location: La Bocana, BCS
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time for US insurance companies to wake up and smell the coffee...there are enough of us to make a big difference. money-wise, I mean. yu would
think they would come up with a better system. Like I said before - you can get excellent coverage through Mexican banks which cover you in the
States.
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oladulce
Super Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by choyero
great thread...I've always had a problem with this too.
About using Gieco/state farm/farmers...etc for short term use. The 1st time or 2 they let you, the 3rd time they say. "Sorry Can't Help, it looks like
you've bought/canceled a few times before" been there done that on the following companys Gieco/state farm/farmers. I used allstate last trip, no
issues on the 1st cancelation, will see if there is a #2, 3, 4... |
Bummer- I thought it was too good to be true with Geico. At what point did they say "sorry...", etc? Were you denied online when you tried to buy a
policy the 3rd time, or did they give you grief when you tried to get a refund of your unused portion?
Since the online applications usually include the question "do you currently have a US auto policy" I was wondering if that would be a red flag for
insurance companies to deny coverage. I applied for the 1st Geico policy a few weeks before our annual policy expired so I was able to answer "yes, I
have a current auto policy".
Since we don't maintain annual US insurance anymore, I'll have to respond "no, no current US coverage" in a few weeks when I try to renew Geico for an
upcoming trip. I'll post the results to keep the flow of information going on this topic.
Even if I have to do as choyero and make the rounds thru the various insurers, it sounds like I can get at least 6-7 trips NOB using the stop and
start method which will carry us through for 2 or 3 years. Even that would save about $1600 by not having to maintain an annual policy for those years
on a vehicle that's in Mexico 95+% of the time.
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choyero
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I was denied over the phone each time when I tried to purchase a policy. What usually happens is i fly up and buy a new "used but maintained baja car"
and then need insurance to get it back down. I always got the refund back when I did get a policy and canceled.
I used a old high school friend who has a state farm company for several yrs, it was their idea to begin with. I must of gotten away with it 5 times
before they said sorry. All the other companies have been at or before the 3rd time.
$40/month is a bargain, It usually ends up costing a couple hundred.
As far as showing previous insurance, show them your mexico policy and your visa and explain that you reside in baja and do have non-required car
insurance...it has met their requirement every time for me.
Anyone have a sure fire person to get short term insurance. I want to head north soon and pick up a new dirtbike.
I dont have anger management issues, I have idiot management issues.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by choyero
Anyone have a sure fire person to get short term insurance. I want to head north soon and pick up a new dirtbike. |
I posted one up above.
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