Hagerty Won't Insure My Roadster

Wow! I can't believe the phone call I concluded. Haggerty told me that they won't insure my FFR Roadster (420hp small block) due to my "lack of high performance" driving experience. I have no marks or tickets on my driving record and I've driven Richard Petty stock cars twice and spent a half-day in a Porsche 911S at the Porsche Experience center with an instructor. They told me to come back when I've had a year's worth of experience. Not a chance. Canceled my driver's club on the phone at the same time. I can't recommend them.

Other recommendations...?

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Originally Posted by Scneal

Wow! I can't believe the phone call I concluded. Haggerty told me that they won't insure my FFR Roadster (420hp small block) due to my "lack of high performance" driving experience. I have no marks or tickets on my driving record and I've driven Richard Petty stock cars twice and spent a half-day in a Porsche 911S at the Porsche Experience center with an instructor. They told me to come back when I've had a year's worth of experience. Not a chance. Canceled my driver's club on the phone at the same time. I can't recommend them.

Other recommendations...?

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They told me the same thing when I tried to get a quote from them with similar driving experiences.
State Farm did the deal for us and I'm happy because Baby Go-Dad (Age-23) gets to drive it too.
Haggerty's limitations regarding who, when and where you could drive were insane.
Shown below was my 1st time attempting to play at Talladega:

https://youtu.be/U4wZ8SmsXAY

Good Luck & Read The Fine Print!

Apparently you aren't the only one, they have been hard to work with lately based on several folks feedback. Word is Hagerty has had a LOT of accidents and payouts amongst Cobra drivers recently. Grundy is my go to.

Ya I had a slightly different conversation with Hagerty. They liked my driving experience but want 3x the price of American Family, plus also had all kinds of restrictions of where and when I could drive the car. I'm getting a very snooty special cool-aide club feel out of Hagerty lately.

Robbin has been a go to guy to get many of our cars insured. Give him a call as he underwrites with several companies. I have a build in progress policy now that is underwritten by American Collectors Insurance.

Robbin R Terry
POB 229
Auburn, IL 62615
www.midwestclassicins.com
Office - 217-438-6235
Fax – 217-438-3347
Hours 8:00am – 4:30pm CST Mon-Fri

Another vote for State Farm. Under $300 annually with an agreed value of 35K, same liability and deductible as all of our daily drivers and no mileage or use restrictions. When getting quotes be sure you know the difference between AGREED value and STATED value…you could get a very unpleasant surprise with stated value in the event of a major loss.

Jeff

Hmmm good to know I have been thinking my Hagerty policy was a little pricey. Just switched my home owners and auto to State Farm. I think I'll get a quote.

For the record I did get the 3rd degree from Hagerty last year on the MK 2 also but guess I had enough HPDE days to qualify.

I had a lot of luck with American Collectors. As to Jeff's point they we have an "Agreed Value" of 50k. I can't open the policy until I have a VIN but that should be in about 30 days

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Originally Posted by Jeff Kleiner

Another vote for State Farm. Under $300 annually with an agreed value of 35K, same liability and deductible as all of our daily drivers and no mileage or use restrictions. When getting quotes be sure you know the difference between AGREED value and STATED value…you could get a very unpleasant surprise with stated value in the event of a major loss.

Jeff

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True that.

I'm at $350ish annually with 65k Agreed value. Drive any time, anywhere. I do have mileage set at 8k miles a year. I don't see that as a problem.

State Farm in ME would not insure my roadster so went with Mike at Midwestern(?).

I contacted Robin at Midwestern who quoted me a rate through Hagarty.
I ended up using my local State Farm with an agreed upon value, unlimited miles, and the ability to turn off collision and liability in the winter months to a tune of a whopping $50/6mo, prorated of course.

I went through Mike Smith msmith@classiccarinsurance.com for my Mk3 and my ‘66 Mustang.

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions. What a great community of people! I am in underwriting for $65,000 agreed value (Thank you Mr. Kleiner). They do have a lot of driving restrictions. I may contact my local State Farm agent for a quote. I just don't want to bring other cars. The rest of my insurance is with USAA.

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Originally Posted by Scneal

...I may contact my local State Farm agent for a quote. I just don't want to bring other cars. The rest of my insurance is with USAA.

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Insurance often has variations by state but that may be a deal breaker. When I first did mine almost 15 years ago I had to bring all autos. I didn't mind doing that since my previous insurer wouldn't even look into it so I gave them the "screw you" and took all 5 of the cars & trucks + 2 trailers + homeowner's to State Farm.

Jeff

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Originally Posted by Scneal

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions. What a great community of people! I am in underwriting for $65,000 agreed value (Thank you Mr. Kleiner). They do have a lot of driving restrictions. I may contact my local State Farm agent for a quote. I just don't want to bring other cars. The rest of my insurance is with USAA.

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I've been with USAA for 24 years now. I had always taken for granted they were the least expensive with Cadillac coverage to boot. Recently I switched to Allstate because they charged me 1/2 for the same coverage. Homeowners and auto. It was crazy but my rates a so much less now. I have excellent credit and a clean record. A few others have had this experience as well.

I use American National. Really good rates and happy with the agreed value. American Modern is a good choice too. Used Midwest for that policy and was overall happy just switched cause a few less $.

As soon as I saw this thread, I knew I had to comment. I should keep my opinion to myself, but that's always been a problem...

Hagerty denied me for lack of experience as well. Seeing how many others have shared that experience, I have to wonder why they claim to be an insurer for enthusiasts. Call Robbin. He's a forum vendor and makes the whole process easy. And, he's way less expensive than Hagerty.

I just got Hagerty insurance for my build via my agent and I have way less HPDE than most here, I have test driven a few cars and that is about it, which I told my agent. Hagerty did ask but still insured me.

I’m a fan of Hegarty Ins, they promote all kinds of car activities, put out a very good, daily newsletter and a top notch magazine. I’ve had to call them for a tow once, which was excellent service, and I actually had a claim - for which they did not raise my premium. It’s probably true that they charge more than most, but they don’t have any restrictions other than I agree not to commute to work in the roadster. They’ve always had that “resume of owning and operating high hp vehicles” and that’s not a plus, but I still think it’s a really good insurance company that advocates more than most for our kind of driving.

I’ve had Hagerty since day one of ownership. For whatever reason, my experience has been the opposite of most here.
Yes, I had to fill out a form describing my previous experience with high HP cars, and gave them my appraisal for our agreed upon value. I have ZERO restrictions AND added my wife while on the phone with them. When I have called in to see if I would be covered driving 1,200 miles and then back to London Ohio, they said absolutely and told me the car is meant to be enjoyed. They were excited to hear about the show and coincidentally they were opening a new office right there. When I bought my FFR premium top, I figured I better up my coverage. A quick phone call, done. I’m paying about $800 a year and it sounds like I’m over paying compared to some here. I could drop the price $100 by not being in their Driver’s Club. They’ve been great with me, but maybe a lot has changed since 2017 when I got insurance. For me, ditto what GTBradley said.

I thought I'd ask Hagerty about insurance for my car. I was in the process of transferring the registration from Texas to NY. I have State Farm for our insurance on all our cars, home, and RV. It's good to check to see what the costs are. The call to Hagerty ended up really short. After the usual question for what kind of car, it was followed by how many miles on it. They ended the call with a "we can't insure you". I never got to the driver training part! :)
State Farm has been great so far. They transferred my coverage from Maine, North Carolina, Texas, Pennsylvania, and now to New York. They have the vehicle covered for a declared value, with no restriction on driving the car, glass coverage, and roadside assistance. All for about $300.00 a year.

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Originally Posted by Blitzboy54

I've been with USAA for 24 years now. I had always taken for granted they were the least expensive with Cadillac coverage to boot. Recently I switched to Allstate because they charged me 1/2 for the same coverage. Homeowners and auto. It was crazy but my rates a so much less now. I have excellent credit and a clean record. A few others have had this experience as well.

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Add me to that tally.

They were less-than-brilliant on a couple of issues regarding homeowner’s insurance when I was working out a contract to buy a house in 2003. I just blew those wrinkles off as teething pains for getting into a new market, as I heard that they entered the TX homeowner market in 2002.

Then after a few years of insuring “crotch rockets” through them, In 2005 I found comprehensive coverage elsewhere for cheaper than their liability-only pricing.

Then it was homeowner’s insurance again in 2012 when I sold and bought bigger — they came in last when I shopped it around. That triggered the urge to shop the auto insurance and they came in last in that category, too.

I’m still a member (it’s permanent), but not using any of their services since 2012. If their customer service was delightful it might have made a difference but they have never impressed me in that dept, either.

Anyone know what hp/weight or raw hp figure triggers their (Hagerty’s) stickler “HPDE” requirement?

More of a curiosity than a real question I guess.

I have to pile on the bandwagon as well. They denied me due to not enough experience. We ended up going through our insurance agent who found Berkley One Classics. Great rates and the only restrictions are any driver needs to have 10 years plus driving experience. My younger two boys will have to wait a few years but it will take that long to build cars for them anyway! :)
Oh yeah, I did have to tell them what the engine size was and stated that I would not be racing so that was also a restriction I suppose. Mine is a 302.

Well add me to the official list of Hagerty haters. I just dropped coverage on the MK2 and 66 Vette with them in favor of State Farm and saved $500/year plus no mileage or other restrictions.

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Originally Posted by Windsor

Anyone know what hp/weight or raw hp figure triggers their (Hagerty’s) stickler “HPDE” requirement?

More of a curiosity than a real question I guess.

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As soon as you say "Cobra", insurance companies get scared.

I wonder what the impact on your state has with Hagerty.. or any insurance for that matter? I'm covered by Hagerty for $50k value, but it costs me $1k per year. We have a massive uninsured driver problem here though. It's close to 25% of Texas drivers are uninsured.
They did ask me about HPDE.. which I had easily covered, so no issue there for me at least.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scneal

Wow! I can't believe the phone call I concluded. Haggerty told me that they won't insure my FFR Roadster (420hp small block) due to my "lack of high performance" driving experience. I have no marks or tickets on my driving record and I've driven Richard Petty stock cars twice and spent a half-day in a Porsche 911S at the Porsche Experience center with an instructor. They told me to come back when I've had a year's worth of experience. Not a chance. Canceled my driver's club on the phone at the same time. I can't recommend them.

Other recommendations...?

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I used American Family under my current policy. $280/year, $70K AGREED replacement value. Full coverage just like my other cars. No limitations.

This all makes little sense to me. I have a Type 65 insured by Hagerty at 40k value for $474 per year. I recall being asked about HP level by my agent and told him 340, per the engine's specs. I was never asked about high-performance driving experience, of which I have none. The car is listed on my insurance card as a "Factory Five Shelby Daytona Cobra."

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Originally Posted by Blitzboy54

I had a lot of luck with American Collectors. As to Jeff's point they we have an "Agreed Value" of 50k. I can't open the policy until I have a VIN but that should be in about 30 days

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I have American Collectors as well and they were really easy to work with. I was able to get mine insured using the CO serial number. That way if something happened between completion and my trip for a VIN it was covered already. Once I got my VIN I just called them back and they updated the records.

Another vote for Robbin. Super fast and easy process, and cheap.

Robbin R Terry
POB 229
Auburn, IL 62615
www.midwestclassicins.com
Office - 217-438-6235
Fax – 217-438-3347
Hours 8:00am – 4:30pm CST Mon-Fri

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jeff Kleiner

Another vote for State Farm. Under $300 annually with an agreed value of 35K, same liability and deductible as all of our daily drivers and no mileage or use restrictions. When getting quotes be sure you know the difference between AGREED value and STATED value…you could get a very unpleasant surprise with stated value in the event of a major loss.

Jeff

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Another vote for state farm. No restrictions, agreed $65K, annual $338 but varies by state and agent.

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Originally Posted by Avalanche325

As soon as you say "Cobra", insurance companies get scared.

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Not all of them evidently. I tried the local State Farm agent last year and he could not get past the fact I was not asking about Cobra health insurance. Seemed he had ever heard of an agreed policy for classic cars. Would have been more impressed if he had been scared to sell me insurance for my Cobra.

Roy

I got a quote from Hagerty and Heacock Classic Insurance 10 years ago for my 1969 Mustang and Hagerty cost more and had a lot of restrictions. So I have been using Heacock for the last decade and had no issues renewing. Currently I think I spend $350/yr. The only restriction is no commuting. They work through American Modern Insurance Group. I'd suggest giving them a try. https://heacockclassic.com/

I am insured with Hagerty, but I went through the same song and dance as to my driving experience handling high horsepower vehicles. "Tell me what experience you have in handling this high horsepower car" I had to go through my racing career from the 70's and 80's, and I guess I passed their test, so they insured me. $800 a year on 55k agreed value. It was weird answering their questions.

I've insured all my cars and houses with State Farm for over 45 years. When I inquired about the Cobra, they offered only "Collector Car" insurance. That put restrictions on use to club events, parades and car shows and hacd a 3,000 mile annual limit. When I pushed back that this would not cover my intended use, I got the "nod-nod wink-wink" that they may not be so detailed on any claim. The last thing I needed was to have an accident and have them then apply their restrictions to my claim. I went to Haggerty and have been happy with Haggerty's belief that these cars are to be driven and enjoyed. Yes, they did press for high performance driving experience which wasn't an issue.

The saga comes to an end. I'm happily insured with American Modern by Robbin Terry at Midwest Classic Insurance. He's a Vendor to this forum and community. Wonderful to work with and made it really easy. Thank you everyone for your comments in this thread.

I've been with State Farm ( for Cobra ) since 95, and have added other veh's. over the years .... Excellent rates compared to quite a few others .....I have a 6 mos. on ( $200 ) ...6 mos. in suspension ( $30 ), arraignment. ... I would recommend them to anyone ..... They even quoted me a great rate on a 2121 Vette ...... Mike :D

I am currently working with Robbin, good experience so far. Due to North Carolina insurance quirks, he gave me a quote for Hagerty and not the other underwriter's he uses.
No mention of driver experience so far but have not finalized the process.
It will be interesting to see if that becomes a problem.

It is a weird world out there in insurance land. It seams that the "state" that the enthusiast is in makes a big difference of the eventual ability to get insurance, cost, use restrictions exc. The person on the other end of the phone representing Joe Blow Company seams to hold even more sway to the enthusiast desire to obtain insurance. Just in the comments above multiple examples of "X Company" had people on both sides of the ledger of accepted or denied for various reasons and wild differences of cost. My experiences are much like those stated here with multiple turn downs by some of the companies that people have stated above that they have insurance for their Cobra. At the end of one conversation with my then homeowners and families vehicle fleet (State Farm), I was so not impressed with them I ended up changing to a different company. Due to recommendations back then on FFcars from the people then some of them taking part in this conversation and meeting Robin at the London Cobra Show, signed up with him for my insurance. My experience with him was very good. My wife and I started to track the car and he was unable to cover the car for track event's, but helped get track insurance which ended up being Hagerty. I live Loveland Ohio just northeast of Cincinnati and I don't remember the exact details but it seamed like shortly after we started tracking the car Robin call and said that the company was having to cancel the policy due to changes in the state he was unable to continue the policy, he recommended Hagerty again and basically set it all up. My phone calls were easy peezy with Hargerty. No questions of track experience on their part. but I questioned them extensively on track Insurance aspects. I signed up with Hargerty and with one short phone call I have track insurance. Been happy with Hargerty so far, and very much like the Drivers club and Motorsports Reg that they do also.