GAP / Tracker - Dealer / 3rd Party?

[oscar]

Hadn't really thought too much about either - but a friend of the wife was just mugged for her car keys, outside her front door 2 streets away from us -- and it's made me think!

I had the GAP insurance on my A3 - seems like a rational thing to do, but how about trackers? Assume they're going to make ****** all diff to my insurance but drastically improve the chances of recovering the car?

Lastly - I assume that going through the dealer for either isn't going to be cheap (albeit reliable and legit I would hope!) - would you go elsewhere?

 

[redspudder]

I took return to invioce insurance out with these people they where recomended by the Autotrader and have a link from their website,very resonable and much cheaper than getting it off the dealer.I paid £230 for a max pay out of £20K with four years cover the max the dealer gives is 3years and i think they wanted over £350.

http://www.ala.co.uk/

 

[redleg]

when i ordered my new audi in march the dealer offered me gap insurance for something like £350 for 3 years , I told him i could get same cover of the internet for about £150 and he matched it straight away without any argument so remember = I f you dont ask you dont get

 

[oscar]

I saw those ala guys on autotrader as you say - looks like a good deal / reputable insurer.

Found quite a few places online (including the guys that did my parrot system - chameleon) who will do the tracker (horizon) for £260 so I'll give the dealer a chance to match both but probably end up doing it with someone else. (iirc they wanted >400 for the GAP and >800 for the tracker, though I could be wrong).

 

[Necroscope]

I can see the sense in GAP, although i didnt take it.

Regarding TRACKER i have always been of the mind that if it doesnt reduce my insurance, then i wouldnt bother as if the car did get stollen, i wouldnt want it back anyway. Hence i dont have one

 

[Just Plain Old]

GAP insurance is a con......... It should be legislated against.!

Tracker is a worthwhile insurance option (usually) I phoned direct and they came and fitted it at work. So goood service, can't remember what it cost now.......

 

[oscar]

is GAP bad? It's not something I've had massive experience of - i'd just figured it as a 'new for old' upgrade to your standard insurance

 

[redspudder]

GAP just pays the shortfall for example

You pay £20k for car then say you owe £15k (as youve paid a few payments) on HP or loan, your car is classed as a right off and the insurance pays out £11k then the GAP will stump up the £4k to pay the loan off hence the name GAP as it pays the gap from insurance company pay out to what is actually owed on the HP,o.k if thats what you want.
I went for return to invoice example
You pay £20k for car then say you owe £15k (as youve paid a few payments) the car is classed as a right off and insurance pay out £11k this time the return to invoice will pay the £4k to HP company and also re imburse you your £5k as you paid £20k for car thus returning to invoice price you paid for the car.
Its a no brainer to me but obvously you pay a higher premium for this insurance but not a massive difference,like i say i put quite a bit of money down on the car so i went for this option so that if anything did happen to the car i would get my money back.

 

[redleg]

if you paid cash for your car say £30.000 then it was wrote of after 2 yrs the gap insurance takes you back to £30,000 so you are still in a good position ,for a £150 one off payment its well worth considering .

 

[redspudder]

Redleg this is not strictly true GAP just covers the shortfall, return to invoice insurance would take you back to £30k,if you paid full £30k cash for a car then GAP would not be needed as you would have no HP to settle.