I looked at my policy the other day and saw that a Mini is considered (High Performance)... I called and talked to them about this and they said that it is listed with Corvette, Camaro, and other cars of that nature... I know the little car scoots pretty good and handles great but it is still under 200 horse.. There are family sedans that are over 250 horse and they don't list them as (HP)... I don't understand that... So as a end result of all my phone calls today on the subject I have the CEOs contact info for Progressive.. If anyone is interested in appealing this with me just reaply and I will post all the contact info... I should have to pay more for insurance than a Honda Civic that is modded.... or a Nissan Maxima... and so on...

 

P.S. Its not just the Cooper S either, it is any BMW or MINI...

 

Why do you find this surprising? MINI markets their cars for motoring on the "twisties", spirited driving, etc. Family sedans, regardless of HP, do not.

Check this out http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...Insurance.aspx

The type of vehicle you drive greatly affects the rates you pay. Vehicles that have a high frequency of claims (sports cars) or are expensive to repair (luxury cars, SUVs) are prone to higher premiums

and here http://moneycentral.msn.com/insure/a...aspx?Make=MINI

D -- charged somewhat higher-than-standard premium
E -- charged significantly higher-than-standard premium

for damage

 

Just curious, but how much a month do you pay on Insurance with Progressive?

I'm 23, no violations in the past 4-6 years, full coverage, high limits, etc...

I pay $95 a month... My '01 1.8T Jetta was costing me $160/month...

 

So you think that a Mini non S should be considered high perfomance like a Zo6 vette?? cause they do...

 

USAA considers the MINI a sub-compact economy car.

 

I only have one speeding ticket from 4 years ago... I am paying $150 a month... Who is your insurance company???

 

The only thing that matters is how the insurance companies look at, for example, frequency of repairs, costs of repairs, etc. Look at the references provided ... in term of Damage (i.e., collision ... not the liability which is directed more at your driving record) they charge
somewhat higher-than-standard premium for tintop
significantly higher-than-standard premium for Converts.

There is no difference between MC and MCS, HP is not a factor. Its all in the money $$$.

BTW, the Z06 will cost more to insure because of the comprehensive (and collision). If someone steals it, its going to cost a lot more to replace it than a MC. Price counts too.

 

I would suggest saying adios to Progressive. Many other Insurance companies don't rate the Mini with the Vettes. I am with GEICO & they don't rate the Mini as a high performance sports car (I have an S). No point in arguing with Progressive. Just leave them behind & go with another more reasonable insurance company

 

I don't think your being rated correctly. I have 3 vehicles on my Progressive policy. 2000 TDI NB, 2005 HEMI Durango and a 2006 MINI S

I have your standard run of the mill 100/300 coverage with a $250 deductible.

I see nothing about being rated as a sports car.

2000 TDI NB 90HP $350 PER 6 MONTHS
2005 HEMI Durango $350 per 6 Months
2006 MINI Cooper S $310 per 6 months.

Just think you got a bad adjuster dude.

 

Just find a quote for another insurance company...I dumped Progressive 12 years ago when they raised my rates...I had been with them for 2 years with no ticket, accidents etc...(I was driving a Toyota pickup, base model) When I called and asked them why and the reply was "We are just raising rates across the board". I replied THis is how you treat your safe drivers....I dumped them for GEICO. No complaints...

 

maybe they based this on your age? How old are you btw?

 

I am 26.... I had a 05 nissan Titan before the Mini and it was cheeper insurance than the Mini for the same coverage... and it was a $34k truck so I don't think its the value of the vehicle either.... I don't understand why it is so much.... it is just the minimum full coverage.... I am paying $185 a month for the Mini and a Blazer but the Blazer is only $475 a year.... I am gonna try Geico I guess.. I went E-Surance.com and it was like 400 cheeper a year....

 

I had an 05 Cooper S and it was about 800 less per year then my WRX is to insure. I'm 24 with no violations thankfully. My insurance company had the MINI rated like any other 20-30k car, no performance rating attached to it.
Mike

 

so if you're over 60, they consider this car high performance?

 

State Farm sees my S only as a three door hatch with a back seat and a excellent safety and collision record so it's quite reasonable, under $800/year, multi-line, no tickets, middle age.

two words: dump Progressive jimbo

 

That's funny! I had Geico for 8-10 years w/ only one minor claim ($1000 of bodywork) and no tickets. I checked Progressive and they were $500-$700 per year cheaper. I called Geico and they wouldn't match the rates so they lost a long-time, paying customer. It's the exact opposite story!

 

If you don't like your coverage price, shop around. All of your cars don't have to be on the same policy. I have USAA insurance and my 06 MCS JCW costs only slightly more to insure than my 02 Mazda MPV or 00 Chrysler convertible.

Good luck, and no, a MC should not be in the same category as a Corvette. Thats just silly.

 

I traded my 1996 Camaro for my 2005 MCS. I didn't take specific measurements, but here are my opinions on the following:

Same horsepower as my V6 Camaro.
Same interior room. Same space in the boot. Same 'driving comfort'
Same/similiar availability of 'mods'. Similar 'fast' perception. Same 'yeah there's two seats in the back, but they're not as comfortable as the front' feeling.

I love my MCS... But the next car I'm looking forward to at the moment... The 2008 Camaro. There's even a 2008 Camaro thread in the OT forums.

 

NO, I was just thinking they may have been trying to pull a fast one on him by using his age... statistics show that teenagers drive faster and can be involved in more street incidents than some more mature folks. So (if he was young) by this rule, maybe they were trying to give him a rate hike based on this and stating the Mini is considered a high performance car.

 

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I've got to respond to Wagnbat on this...

I'm on that boat with you Wagnbat! I've owned 4 Camaro's in the past, and I'm foaming at the mouth for the new one. I hope you took a moment out to send an email to GM telling them to build it! I did and acually got contacted by them thanking me for the support!

If there is a car out there that will make me sell my MCS, it's the new Camaro - the question now is, how much will it equal the concept, and if they build it, do I get it the first model year or wait until year 2 or 3 when they will undoubtedly come out with an SS version!

 

How is THAT possible?!?! $50ish a month on an S with FULL coverage?!?! God, my 1998 Honda Civic is $42 a month just for liability with uninsured...

 

Must have a lot to do with the geographical location, age, driving experience, what other policies you have, discounts, credit rating, etc...

I pay just over $85/month TOTAL for BOTH my cars - '05 MCS and '06 Impala SS. No tickets, 2 kids. That's with the highest coverage I think I could get as well.

My homeowners policy is with the same company, so I get a discount for that.

 

Thank you KC MCS for introducing some missing factors, especially location. The original question was from Huntington, IN, just down the road from me in Fort Wayne. As a definitely non-major metro area insurance is relatively cheap here. The highest cost auto insurance area in the country, is, or at least used to be, New Jersey.

I'm in my 50's, a homeowner with that insurance at the same company, have a high credit score (yeah, that counts these days), and a long and inglorious list of speeding tickets (but not for the last few years, touch wood). I'm paying about $1200/year combined for the 05 MCS and a 96 BMW M3.

My bet is that if I lived 150 miles down the road in Chicago it'd be more like $2000, and in NJ a bunch more than that.

Neil
05 MCS
96 M3

 

FYI, my insurance (State Farm) plummeted when I switched from my Mustang to my MCS. My agent said that the Minis all have "a very, very low loss rating".

In the end, insurance companies will charge as much as they think the market will bear. A niche car like the Mini will always bring in a higher price because they think more people are inclined to accept the rate because they want that particular car.

But for now I'll enjoy my "cheap" insurance, compared to my old V8 cars.