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To Gap or not to Gap? Insuring your purchase...

2K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  lstowell 
#1 ·
I will be taking delivery of my new Summit either today or tomorrow. Just waiting for it to get to the dealer. I usually always lease my cars but this time I am leaning towards buying. For those of you who buy, what are your thoughts on Gap insurance? Do you spend the money or do you take the risk?
 
#2 ·
If you total your vehicle the insurance will only pay the book value of the vehicle. So if God forbid you total your car the second day of ownership, you will still owe the bank over $10k that insurance will not cover due to depreciation.

My credit union's is only $250 and I have seen other banks at $500. It's a one time payment you can add to your loan.
 
#3 ·
Only buy insurance if you can't afford the loss and the cost/benefit is something you need to sleep well at night. Insurance always costs more than your expected outlay....to cover sales costs, admin costs, and profit.

Think of it this way, if you paid cash instead of financing and you got in an accident, you'd be in the same position as financing and getting into an accident. Would you buy "gap insurance" if you paid cash up front?

Don't pay $500 for a very small $3000 risk, etc.
 
#4 ·
One other thought.....can't you buy gap insurance from anyone? The dealer, no matter how great, may not be the best place to buy it.
 
#5 ·
If you are putting a decent amount down, there should not be any "gap" at the time of a loss. Check your state insurance laws, but many states if you total the car within a certain amount of time, the insurance company owes you the price of a brand new car. That protects you against that initial drop in value. After that, unless you finance most of it, the monthly payments should keep up with depreciation.


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#6 ·
My insurance company only changes $100 for new car replacement coverage way cheaper than any gap insurance I have ever see with our jeep you should only need that for 2 years at the most after that your loan should have caught up with the value of the car.

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#10 ·
You should always have Gap insurance. You total the vehicle at any time and the loan is paid off.E0ven if you are upside-down. On a lease or a finance even if you buy or lease with zero down at zero percent interest and you total it you may not have enough to pay it off. Most leases have it included. You drive it off the lot and it depreciates about 10 grand. You will get the best price on Gap insurance from the company that insures your car. Dealers make a hugh profit when it's sold through their finance department.
 
#12 ·
I think dealers make a huge amount profit on this offering period. I couldn't disagree more about "always have gap insurance" comment. Maybe I missed a key detail above, but the only way I would even consider recommending gap insurance is if the person purchasing the vehicle was putting almost zero down with a lengthy loan. There are better options mentions above to reduce the financial hit of totaling a brand new car.
 
#13 ·
With that said, A lot of people never think about the many scenarios in which a vehicle could be totaled. You have to consider theft, flooding, fire etc. With as complex newer vehicles are and the high cost of labor it wouldn't really take that much to total a vehicle. It's cheap insurance and I don't know to many people who finance a vehicle that aren't upside down in the first couple of years due to depreciation.
 
#14 ·
I don't know the dealer's price yet, but right now my current insurance told me I could add it to the policy for an extra $120 a year for as long as I wanted it. $120 is a very cheap amount to pay for peace of mind. I think I am going to do it.
 
#17 ·
^^^

True - or rather not pay. But the whole point of insurance is the premiums are far more than the expected outlay. It has to be, or insurance companies would be out of business overnight.

It comes down to risk and one's tolerance for risk....the fear of loss is a powerful marketing tool.
 
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