Just my two cents from seeing this stuff play out regularly...
I get the point about bumping up liability, but honestly, if you're high-risk like me (couple tickets, one fender-bender), it pays to go a step further. Trust me, the extra coverage saved my butt when things went sideways... wouldn't risk it again.
I hear you on that. A few years back, I was in a similar boat—thought I'd save some cash by sticking to the bare minimum coverage. Then one rainy afternoon, I hydroplaned into a parked car (yeah, embarrassing as it sounds...). Thankfully no one was hurt, but the damage was way more than I expected. My basic liability barely covered the other guy's repairs, and I ended up paying out-of-pocket for my own car. Lesson learned the hard way.
Since then, I've been pretty cautious about insurance. Even though my driving record's cleaned up a bit, I still opt for slightly higher coverage than required. Sure, it costs a bit more each month, but knowing I'm covered if something unexpected happens is worth the peace of mind. Everyone's situation is different, but from personal experience, I'd rather pay a little extra upfront than get blindsided later.
"Even though my driving record's cleaned up a bit, I still opt for slightly higher coverage than required."
I totally get the peace of mind angle, but honestly, higher coverage isn't always the best move for everyone. If you're driving an older car that's not worth much, comprehensive or collision might just be throwing money away. Instead, you could stash that extra cash into an emergency fund for repairs or a replacement down the line... just another way to look at it.
Instead, you could stash that extra cash into an emergency fund for repairs or a replacement down the line...
I see your point about older cars and coverage, but honestly, as someone who's still mastering parallel parking (the struggle is REAL), I feel like the extra coverage is my "oops" insurance. Last year, my hand-me-down sedan got into a minor fender-bender—totally my fault—and having comprehensive meant I wasn't stuck explaining to my dad why the bumper was duct-taped on... again. Sure, saving cash sounds great, but sometimes peace of mind is worth more than a few extra bucks each month.
Totally get where you're coming from with the "oops" insurance thing, haha. When I first started driving, I remember being super paranoid about every little scratch or bump. One rainy day, I misjudged a curb (still cringe thinking about it...) and ended up scraping the side of my car pretty badly. Thankfully, I had comprehensive coverage too, so at least I didn't have to empty my savings fixing it.
But now that I've been driving for a few years, I've actually switched to just liability coverage and started putting a bit aside each month instead. It's not a ton, but it's comforting to know it's there if something happens. Honestly, it depends a lot on your comfort level and how much wiggle room you have in your budget. Nothing wrong with paying a bit extra if it helps you sleep easier at night—especially when parallel parking still feels like a boss battle sometimes, lol.
