Advice requested please...

KnJ

Member
Hello,

My wife and I will be picking up our new Landmark in Elkhart the first week in August. We will be going full-time immediately once we leave the dealership. I need to get insurance for our new rig (actually our first RV ever!). What advice would you give a couple of young, inexperienced "kind-of-kids" advice on good companies? What to ask for? What is a reasonable rate? And anything else we should know?

Thanks so much!

Jerry & Kim
 

TandT

Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
Congratulations on your new LM.

We shopped a little and Progressive RV Insurance came in as the best, "bang for the buck". Trace

EDIT. I should have said they came in best for our fulltime needs.
 
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AnnR

Active Member
I completely recommend Foremost. They are very experienced with RV insurance and offer lots of options tailored to your needs and how you will be using your RV. We have a seasonal site, and although we've had Foremost for years, when we got our new trailer our dealer recommended shopping around with other companies to compare rates. We were really surprised that many companies won't insure seasonal RVs, or have very limited RV policies. You might find the same problem with full-timing - it's considered more of a residence. If you financed your RV, make sure you check with the bank/finance company to see what insurance minimums they require - that's a good place to start. Also consider adding a liability policy in case someone gets hurt at your campsite - kind of like homeowners' insurance for your RV. Congratulations and happy camping!
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Jerry and Kim,

Congratulations on your Landmark purchase and welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. You'll find lots of useful information and a lot of friendly people here who are happy to share their knowledge and experience.

Liability for running into stuff should be covered by the tow vehicle insurance.

You'll definitely want:
Comprehensive including Total Loss Replacement Cost
Collision including Total Loss Replacement Cost
Rv Medical - which if I remember, covers medical expenses for visitors/passengers who are injured while with you (hopefully avoiding lawsuits).
Emergency Expense - which if I remember, covers lodging and other expenses if you're forced out of your trailer by an insured event.
Replacement Cost Personal Effects - should cover all the stuff you're carrying that wasn't part of the RV purchase.
Vacation Liability Coverage - covers lawsuits from people walking by your RV who get hurt and decide it's your fault.

We use Geico, which covers our Landmark year round for about $800. I think their pricing is based in part on the zip code of our storage lot (even though it's not there very much).

Some Insurers offer discounts for RV in storage, but since you'll be full-time, that's probably not interesting to you.

You should also consider an extended warranty. There are many policies available from many companies. We have Good Sam's - about $650 for 3 years coverage. Before selecting, make sure you read the detail re: coverages and exclusions, as well as the insurer's policies. Choose deductibles carefully.

If you're on the road, Roadside Assistance that covers both truck and trailer is important. If the truck breaks down, you'll want coverage to include towing both truck and trailer. Otherwise you'll be leaving the trailer on the side of the road. We use Good Sam's and have had to use them once to get antifreeze delivered after a hose popped. They showed up with antifreeze in about an hour. By contrast, our first call was to OnStar for GM's help. But since it was a weekend, the best they could do was to send a tow truck for the truck only, and leave it at the dealer until Monday.

We also have Good Sam's Emergency Assistance Policy. This is primarily to get truck and trailer home if I'm unable to drive. But it paid for the first year's coverage and some by reimbursing us the uninsured portion of the cost of an ambulance ride last year.
 

KnJ

Member
Thanks A & M. We are luck that we will be able to pay for our rig outright (we want to be 100% debt free!). I will check into Foremost and see what kind of rates they have. Thanks again.
 

KnJ

Member
Wow. Thanks so much. This is like gold to us right now. Gives us a better understanding as to what we need. I will copy your list so I have a reference when I call for the quotes. As far as the extended warranty goes, I was able to get that with our 5th wheel (5 year extended). I have heard that the roadside is a must. Good to know about the towing of the truck and rig. Great information. Thanks a million!
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Another vote for Foremost. We've had them since the days of the TT and they've been excellent dealing with claims.
 

TXTiger

Well-known member
I have had Foremost in the past and found them to have good premium rates and great claims service. I now have a bundle with Safeco for my Auto, Truck, Motorcycle, Boat, 5th Wheel, Homeowners and Umbrella on them all. You get a better rate if you insure all your assets with one insurer and place an umbrella policy on everything.
 

rick_debbie_gallant

Well-known member
We have found that the insurance program offered by Good Sam/Camping world to be very good. We have our TV and car insured at full coverage as well as our fifth wheel. In face the fifth wheel is insured for replacement if totaled. JOHO. IWFU.
 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
As you are becoming fulltimers, you need to be insured as fulltimers, which means a company that writes fulltimer policies. We use GMAC thru Goodsam...you will also want to check National Interstate. You will need liability coverage with you fulltime policy, as you no longer have a homeowner's policy. True fulltime insurance will cover you and your RV as your home.
 

MTPockets

Well-known member
Good Sam Club for Fulltimers... We checked with Progressive, Allstate, GEico, And a couple others and the Good Sam Club Was best coverage/price....... I've seen threads on the topic before and see where others get better rates than Good Sam... Can't explain why, but bottom line ..... shop.
 

KnJ

Member
Thank you. Kim and I are still in our 40's so I think that AARP is not a valid option for us at this time. Maybe down the road we can look into it :)
 

KnJ

Member
Thanks for the advice. We checked with Good Sam today and actually received a quote that is a little higher than some others we have gotten. We called a company called Miller Insurance (out of Oregon). They are rv specialists and will shop it around for you. We got a quote from them that is about $300 lower than Good Sam and it is for full-timing. Still shopping though...
 

KnJ

Member
Ok, so i checked with Foremost and they informed me that they can not insure our rv because of our location (Pensacola, FL). Something to do about the costal location. Interesting.
 
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