How much do you pay for auto insurance and vehicle registration?

[awakenedsoul]

I just got my bills for the year for my auto insurance and registration. I drive a 2004 Kia Rio. Last year I replaced the engine. It's a great little car. My car insurance for the year will be $387.00. I try to drive just one day a week. On the other days, I take the bus and/or bike. I also drive to see my parents a few times a year, which is a 6 hour trip each way. My vehicle registration is $88.00. for the year. I feel like these prices are pretty good. It pays to drive an older car!

How much are you spending? Just curious...

[catherine]

Wow.. that's a deal.

Of course, NJ is one of the highest car insurance states, and DH and I pay $1512 a year for two paid-for/no collision cars--a Honda Fit and Toyota Prius. I actually thought $126 a month was a bargain, because you don't even want to know what it was when I had 4 kids on the plan.

I am a conservative driver since I work from home and don't need the car often, but DH somehow finds ways to put mileage on his car. He has had his car for 8 years, and I've had mine for 7. I have 86K on mine and he has 122k on his.

[pinkytoe]

DH has a company car which costs us nothing out of pocket but insuring my old Volvo costs $325 a year. Registration $65. I only drive to work and back and run errands so about 50 miles a week.

[Simpler at Fifty]

Registration is $75 for cars. Insurance is $302/yr for the 2003 Camry and $336 for the 2009 Honda CRV. When I started working from home full time I called our ins agent and told them. That reduced the premium. Also told them DH was not working. There are many ways to get discounts. We have our homeowners, auto, umbrella policy and jewelry rider with the same company. That saves us a few hundred a year. I have been with the same company for over 20 years, DH came on when we got married 11 years ago. I think we get something for that too. The camry has over 130k and CRV has around 60k.

[Blackdog Lin]

We just renewed our car tags. Taxes and registration for (1) 1994 Chevy Astrovan; and (2) 1996 Ford F-250 Pickup; and (3) 1979 Mercury Capri - was $212.00. It was about $20.00 higher than it should have been due to the "Crappy", as we affectionately call it, becoming eligible for an antique tag, which we got but which involved some additional title fees and such. From here on out we won't have to pay a registration fee every year for it, only pay the property taxes, which is about $12.50 a year. So it will save us money in future years for doing it. (DH shows no signs of getting rid of it, and I don't complain as he doesn't have much in the way of "man toys". It's his little hot rod.)

Insurance on all the above is $514.00/yr., liability only. Because they're all so old.

(and catherine, I remember what it was like to have kids on the auto insurance. Due to various unhappy circumstances, we paid about $6000.00/yr. for auto insurance for around 5 years. For one kid and one DH, both with.....extenuating circumstances. I am these days almost able to just smile when writing that wonderfully reasonable check to the auto insurance company.) :)

[awakenedsoul]

Thanks for all the replies. It sounds like everyone here has very good rates. I just have liability on my car, too.

[goldensmom]

Three vehicles, full coverage on a 2008 and a 2011, pl/pd only on a 2000 truck. Insurance for one year (two drivers over 45) is $2300 and registrations are $340.

[Float On]

Insurance is close to $150 a month on a small SUV and sporty truck both have full coverage. Renewal of registration is around $55 each every 2 years (love that our state went to 2 year registrations).

[Oceanic]

Holy crap I want to live where you guys live. Insurance on my 2005 Ford Freestyle is about $1500 / year. And I have high deductibles and an excellent driving record.
I wonder if this is a Canada vs States thing - we pay a lot more for some stuff and I can't quite figure out why.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Holy crap I want to live where you guys live.

Me too I guess. My insurance is over $1000 a year, that's 1 car. I struggled, really struggled to pay that thing off in 3 months (didn't want to pay much interest and won't pay that stuff out of savings), felt so fricken broke all the time, even lowered permanently the amount I was contributing to various savings things because I was like "I can't live being so broke", and people pay like $200-$300 car insurance bills for the year?!? I don't have full comprehensive or anything, most of that bill is liability,though I do have more than just liability like theft. I drive 20 miles to work each way so noone is going to give me a discount for not driving (yea I don't like that situation any either -but at least it gets good gas mileage?). And my record isn't perfect. Two tickets (yea fine I got tickets and didn't go to traffic school - alright - that's true or I'd only have 1 ticket on my record) and one minor accident. I pay over $100 a year for registration, but that's just purely based on living in this state I think (and age of the vehicle but the vehicle is pretty old) I know many other states pay significantly less for registration, but a bit over $100 isn't something to bother with too much - bankrupt state needs money somehow.

[awakenedsoul]

Oceanic, Maybe. It's not like you're driving a brand new car, either. Where I live, it's also based on the other car owners of the same model and their accident rates. That's why I take the bus as much as I do. The older the car, the cheaper the insurance and registration.

[Alan]

Our vehicles are bundled with our homeowners insurance. After breaking out the homeowner, we're paying approximately $1500 a year for full coverage on a motorhome, two cars and one motorcycle. We've found it pays to shop around and bundle whenever you can.

Vehicle registrations are approximately $250 a year for those same vehicles and a small utility trailer.

[Spartana]

I just paid the insurance for my 2001 truck today - $280 for 6 months ($560/year). That's for high coverage liability only with a $1000 deductible and it's bundled in with my homeowners, earthquake and umbrella policy. I just bought a new car today (still have truck) so will have an additional cost now as I will have both liability and collision/comprehensive on it and don't know what those will be yet. Probably a lot I imagine.

[awakenedsoul]

Yeah, I remember when I bought my 2004 Kia in 2005, my insurance was much higher. I think it was like $100. a month. That's why I want to keep this car a long time. I'm fine with the bus...

[simplelife4me]

None of this means much unless coverage details are given.

[awakenedsoul]

simplelife4me, As the person who wrote the original post, it means a lot to me. I appreciate all the polite and helpful responses. Feel free to start your own thread if you need more details. I can tell by the posts who is probably just carrying liability.

[awakenedsoul]

I'd like to rent a car when I travel, too. But, I have two German shepherds, and some of the agencies no longer allow dogs in the rental cars. My Kia has a new engine, so it should last a long time. I've never been one to buy expensive cars, either. A lot of the people in my neighborhood have very fancy, large, brand new Suburbans and trucks. Many of them tell me that they don't have any money. I don't say anything. I guess they don't see the connection. Some of them have several vehicles...all those expenses really add up!
One lady did mention that she saw me taking the bus, and she would like to, also. But, she cleans houses, and has to haul her vacuum, etc. with her.