Insurance oddity

[Ford Prefect]

We recently had to swap the boss' six month old MS3 for a Mazda3 s Touring model w/AT. (She won't be driving a clutch again for a while, if ever.)

The surprise was that the insurance premium for this garden variety Mazda3 is about $80/year higher than for the souped up MS3. No other variables changed -- just the car.

According to the agent, the company uses some independent rating service to determine the premium category. Apparently, the limited production MS3 hasn't generated many, if any, claims so far, so it seems to be under the radar.

I wonder how long that'll last.

[Bob Hill]

I found the same thing on insurance. Funny that the rarer the car the cheaper the insurance because fewer people own them and thus fewer claims. My 91 Miata insurance is higher than my RX-8.

BOB

[Demon_MX5]

They say that insurance on a Mustang is more expensive than insurance on a Viper....

[Ford Prefect]

They say that insurance on a Mustang is more expensive than insurance on a Viper....Wow ... Just wow. :rolleyes:

[hobie237]

That is certainly odd. I'm amazed they don't do the ratings in terms of claims per number of cars in circulation. As pointed out, limited production cars would be ranked artificially low only using absolute numbers.

[Demon_MX5]

They say that insurance on a Mustang is more expensive than insurance on a Viper....

Wow ... Just wow. :rolleyes:

What? In many ways it makes sense. If the insurance companies use the number of claims vs the number of cars insured then it would make perfect sense. 80% of the Mustang owners I see are puck-ass teenagers that think they're hot **** just because mommy and daddy bought them a V8. (I also think it's funny that they think their V8 is all big and bad when its only a 4.6, MAYBE a 5.0, which is only a 302.)

[hobie237]

...(I also think it's funny that they think their V8 is all big and bad when its only a 4.6, MAYBE a 5.0, which is only a 302.)

I don't get it- I missed something... :confused:

[Demon_MX5]

Mustang owners (that I see) brag about their V8s being big ****, but to tell the truth, they are the smallest on the road. Even the "baddest" 'stang back in the day, the Boss 302 was only a 302ci V8. Mopar was using 440s and such, Chevy was using 350, 389, 502s.

But all that is a different topic. Back to insurance....

[hobie237]

Mustang owners (that I see) brag about their V8s being big ****, but to tell the truth, they are the smallest on the road. Even the "baddest" 'stang back in the day, the Boss 302 was only a 302ci V8. Mopar was using 440s and such, Chevy was using 350, 389, 502s.

But all that is a different topic. Back to insurance....

True, the 302 was not the biggest motor "back in the day," but the Mustang also wasn't the biggest car around.

That said, today, 4.6L is a pretty big motor. In fact, I'd say anything much above 2.5 or 3.0L is pretty big by today's standards, and I happen to think that small-displacement engines with lots of cylinders (Ferrari's 3.6L and 4.3L V8s stand out) are pretty cool. Theres nothing I'd rather have under the hood of a Miata than the 2.8L V8s that are starting to roll out...

[Demon_MX5]

In the world of V8s the 4.6, is on the smaller side. Take Chevy for example, they have the 5.7, 6.0, 427, etc.

[hobie237]

In the world of V8s the 4.6, is on the smaller side. Take Chevy for example, they have the 5.7, 6.0, 427, etc.

Only in the world of American muscle-car era V8s. Elsewhere there are plenty of small-displacement V8s in circulation- Europe in particular.

[swingdancr]

It's not the displacement of the motor, it's what you do with it.

Nascar uses 357 CI for their motors and make 600-700 hp.

Formula1 uses 2.4L (about 147 CI) and make 700-800 hp.