"Insurers can be pretty sharp about mileage and usage, so it's always best to be upfront."
Yep, learned this the hard way myself. Had Hagerty ask me directly for odometer readings when renewing my policy on my '72 Chevelle. They even requested proof of another daily driver—wanted a copy of my registration and insurance card for my Corolla. Can't really blame them though; classic car policies are cheap for a reason. If we all started using our classics as grocery-getters, we'd lose out on those sweet low rates...
Been there myself. Couple things I've picked up over the years:
- Always snap a quick photo of your odometer when renewing—saves hassle later if they question mileage.
- Keep your daily driver docs handy; insurers seem to randomly request proof every now and then.
- And yeah, tempting as it is, using a classic car regularly can bite you come renewal time. Learned that lesson with my old Mustang... premium jumped quite a bit after I got careless with miles.
Haha, learned the hard way myself. Thought I'd be slick commuting in my '72 Beetle for a few months—insurer wasn't amused, premium shot up. Now she's strictly weekend duty... lesson definitely learned.
Yeah, classic cars can be tricky with insurance. A lot of folks don't realize insurers often classify them differently—limited mileage, garage-kept, no daily commuting, etc. Usually cheaper premiums but stricter rules. Had a client once who got dinged because he drove his '68 Mustang to work occasionally... wasn't pretty. Curious though, did your insurer offer any options or discounts if you installed mileage trackers or anything similar?
I ran into something similar with my '72 Beetle. My insurer offered a decent discount if I agreed to install a mileage tracker, but honestly, the restrictions were pretty tight—no commuting, limited annual mileage, and mandatory garage storage. It was tempting from a budget standpoint, but I ended up passing because I occasionally like taking it out for errands or weekend drives without worrying about mileage limits. Definitely worth checking the fine print carefully before committing to those trackers...
