Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 17:24:40 -0500
Reply-To: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: buy a daily driver or press the syncro into service?
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response
Raymond,
I live in MA and do Summer/Winter swap of license plates/ registration/
insurance 2 times every year, for the past few years to save money. MA RMV
requires insurance if it has plates. You can't cancel or suspend insurance
without a receipt for turning in the license plate. If you do a
summer/winter swap, you're transferring the plates, which allows you to
legally eliminate or drastically reduce the insurance coverage on the car
that you're not using. That's the law, here. I drive my 911 during the
warm months, then do the swap in November and reduce the insurance to cover
it in storage (in my garage). Then in spring, whenever I feel ready, I
reverse the process, while stopping the insurance to the van altogether. So
there's no 'exactly' 6 mos interval requirement, or limitation on how little
to insure the de-registered vehicle. The downside is you still have to get
inspection stickers (every year, not just every other, like usual), and you
still pay the full year's excise tax on both vehicles, even though you're
only using them for part-year. That's the price I pay for this atypical
arrangement. The cost of a summer/winter swap is $15 each time (re-using
the old plates), where the cost of new plates would be $30 - 50 each time,
IIRC. I used to live in Phoenix, AZ, so I'm well aware of how cumbersome,
restrictive and relatively expensive everything is here in MA.
HTH,
Mike B.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Raymond Paquette" <raymondpaquette@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 2:45 PM
Subject: Re: buy a daily driver or press the syncro into service?
>I do this in California, but am about to move to Massachusetts. Anybody
> know if you can pause your insurance in MA? I know MA has a somewhat more
> complicated system thanCA
>
> Raymond
>
> On 1/29/07, Mark Tuovinen <mst@ak.net> wrote:
>>
>> Will you need to drive the van during the winter? If so keep the full
>> policy on it, if not you should be able to suspend part of the policy and
>> leave coverage that protects you from loss if something happens while it
>> is
>> parked. I think our Westy Syncro costs us about $50.00 for six months
>> while
>> in storage. Your agent should be familiar with this procedure as many RV
>> and classic car owners do it every year. Should you do this and then
>> find
>> you need to drive the van just call and reactivate the suspended
>> coverage.
>>
>> Mark in AK.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Woody Halsey <WHalsey@SYA.ORG>
>> Date: Monday, January 29, 2007 8:35 am
>> Subject: Re: buy a daily driver or press the syncro into service?
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>
>> > That's what I have done this winter, purchasing a 1987 Jetta for what
>> > has amounted to about $1,650 after repairs. Now the question is:
>> > Do I
>> > keep the V'gon registered and insured? When you factor the
>> > insurance in,
>> > the cost/benefit analysis gets a little trickier. In other words,
>> > savingthe wear and tear on the beloved V'gon doesn't come for free!
>> >
>> > Of course, my plan was to have the V'gon in the body shop all winter,
>> > but know shops around here wanted to see it until spring.
>> >
>> > Woody
>> > 83.5 V'gon
>> > Haverhill, MA
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>
| 
