Originally Posted by accord95
as far as rates go, its hard to tell. some companies give low rates for high risk drivers, companies charge different rates for your territory(zip code). there are so many factors involved its hard to say which one is best for your variables. best thing to do is call around.
when i shop for insurance, the deciding factor is how they operate as far as claims, not the cost of the policy. to give you an example, esurance and progressive are terrible at handling claims, they use used or aftermarket parts to repair your car instead of OEM. my friend filed a claim with esurance when someone poured sugar in his gas tank, and his engine siezed up. esurance tried to tell my friend that sugar in the gas tank is harmless and they didnt want to cover his claim. and my freind the co-operator of a performance shop.
try to go with a company with a top claims reputation, allstate/statefarm/travelers/etc.
also, the best people to ask this question is body/repair shops.
First of all, any insurance company will put an LKQ or aftermarket part onto a vehicle older than one year. It is an insurance company's duty to indemnify the parties involved, not put them off in a better spot they were before the accident. Example: A 2004 Honda Accord gets into an accident today. The 2004 Honda Accord obviously had a 2-year old bumper on it prior to the accident. That car will get an LKQ bumper off an 04+ Honda Accord....NOT a brand new OEM part. It is the shop's duty to prep/paint that piece properly...so you shouldn't even know it was a different color prior to installation on the vehicle.
Secondly, sugar in the gas tank hardly ever works...which explaines why Progressive may have needed to further investigate the matter. Granual sugar generally sinks harmlessly to the bottom of the tank. If it is picked up, generally it blocks up the filter or the fuel pump pick-up. You hardly ever see granual sugar that has been pourd in the tank actually make it up to the injectors because the gas in the tank doesn't easily dissolve the sugar so it can pass through the filter. Pre-dissolved sugar products like syrup, coca-cola, etc are a different story all together. THAT can royally mess up your fuel system.