"Thought AAA had me covered, but turns out my plan only included a 5-mile tow (seriously, who tows just 5 miles?)."
Exactly—5 miles barely gets you off the highway, let alone to a mechanic. Good on you for checking the details now. It's tedious, but knowing your coverage can save a lot of stress down the road...literally.
Had a similar wake-up call last summer. My car overheated on the freeway, and I thought, "No worries, AAA's got me." Turns out my basic plan only covered 5 miles too—barely enough to get me off the exit ramp and into a gas station parking lot. Ended up paying out-of-pocket for another 12 miles to reach my usual mechanic. Definitely wasn't cheap, and it made me rethink the value of upgrading my coverage.
Honestly, I get why they offer the basic plan—it's budget-friendly and probably fine if you mostly drive around town—but for anyone commuting regularly or taking longer trips, it's pretty much useless. Makes me wonder how many people actually realize this limitation before they're stuck on the side of the road... Has anyone here upgraded their AAA plan after an incident like this, or did you switch to another roadside assistance service altogether? Curious if the extra cost was worth it in the long run.
Honestly, the basic AAA coverage is like those tiny bags of chips—they seem fine until you're actually hungry. Had a similar experience a couple years back... upgraded to the Plus plan after shelling out extra cash for towing. Gotta admit, it's been worth it—especially since my car seems to sense payday and breaks down accordingly. Haven't tried other services yet, but AAA Plus has saved me enough headaches (and wallet aches) to justify the cost.
Yeah, I totally get what you're saying about basic AAA coverage feeling insufficient. Ever notice how breakdowns always seem to happen at the worst possible moment? I've been debating upgrading myself, but does the Plus plan really cover enough mileage for towing? And is roadside assistance actually quicker with the upgrade, or is it just more miles included? Glad it's worked out for you though—nothing worse than being stranded and realizing your coverage isn't cutting it.
I've wondered about that too—does upgrading actually speed things up, or is it just extra towing distance? Had a buddy with AAA Plus who still waited almost two hours on a Sunday evening. Made me question if response time varies more by location and time rather than the plan itself... Also, for classic cars, I've found specialty roadside services sometimes offer better coverage. Might be worth checking into those instead of relying solely on AAA upgrades.
