Buying New Car Insurance

I have been without a vehicle for over 10 years since I went from temporary resident to permanent resident and could no longer drive a foreign-plated vehicle. If the car dealership can get its act together, I will be getting a new pickup truck next week. Then I will have to get it registered in my name and buy auto insurance.

Does anyone have recommendations for an auto insurance company to use, or one to avoid? I will be wanting to get extensive coverage… third-party liability, on-site legal representation, collision, comprehensive, theft…

The government only allows a very small number of companies. The most popular is Qualitas. There are several agents, one right at the end of the parking lot at Soriana. Look for the car parked in front.

I recommend Adolfo Reynaldos Morga 755 558 0881 or 744 195 7609

When I bought a new car a few years ago, I went with Qualitas. They had a tracking device put in the car in case it was stolen and wrote the policy as full replacement cost. Now that it is older and has miles on it, the coverage is not a great and the policy is cheaper. What I like about them is I can buy a policy for the months I am there. The car sits in a covered stall behind a gate in the summer.

And if there is a fire, or if it is stolen?

Back in our RV days, many snowbirds would only buy enough insurance for their trips south then back north, thinking they didn't need it when they were parked in an RV park. We saw so many bad things happen. Worse, 6 months or a years worth of insurance was not much more than their two short policies.

Here is an example on “no insurance”. The owner had no theft insurance on a low value vehicle. The vehicle was stolen. Months later it was found a Gad to be towed out of a 450 meter deep ravine. The owner was liable for the bill of at least C$2,000.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/car-stolen-it-may-still-cost-you-as-kamloops-man-finds-out-1.3891934

I can think of a couple of things I don’t want to scrimp on, insurance and parachutes.

Here is an example on “no insurance”. The owner had no theft insurance on a low value vehicle. The vehicle was stolen. Months later it was found a Gad to be towed out of a 450 meter deep ravine. The owner was liable for the bill of at least C$2,000.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/car-stolen-it-may-still-cost-you-as-kamloops-man-finds-out-1.3891934

I can think of a couple of things I don’t want to scrimp on, insurance and parachutes.

Whoa, wait a minute! Didn't the owner report the car as stolen?

Whoa, wait a minute! Didn't the owner report the car as stolen?

The bill for the retrieval had to be paid. They didn’t stop being the owner when the vehicle was stolen.

They were still the owner, so they were still responsible for retrieval of the vehicle. If they had comprehensive insurance that included theft insurance, the insurance would have paid the bill.

Whoa, wait a minute! Didn't the owner report the car as stolen?

The bill for the retrieval had to be paid. They didn’t stop being the owner when the vehicle was stolen.

They were still the owner, so they were still responsible for retrieval of the vehicle. If they had comprehensive insurance that included theft insurance, the insurance would have paid the bill.

This is news to me. My understanding is the thief becomes responsible for damages caused by the vehicle once the car is stolen.

Google search for "if your car is stolen, are you liable for any damages caused by the thief?"

This is news to me. My understanding is the thief becomes responsible for damages caused by the vehicle once the car is stolen.

I think if there were a third-party liability issue, such as a person driving a stolen car being in a collision, hitting a pedestrian, etc. the liability would be on the driver.

In this instance it was not a third-party liability claim, and presumably the thief was unknown.