Insurance 'replacement vehicle' Over 30 day purchase

[CephEsaul]

I had liability for my VW. I purchased a Pontiac 3 months ago in an inoperable condition. It was missing suspension & a wheel, front/passenger side. The VW became unsafe to drive, but I continued to drive it. After getting the Pontiac finally running I switched plates & drove it before switching the insurance. The next day I accidently ran a red light & got t-boned on the passenger side. I'm at fault. Insurance said they can cover a replacement vehicle only if it's been purchased in 30 days, but it took 3 months to get in running condition. I'm not covered. I'm living a nightmare. Lost my car, license, job, & now I will owe 10's of thousands of dollars.

Do you see any way to help?

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

Nope. And I'm sure they wouldn't have considered the Pontiac a replacement car if they found that you still owned the VW. Tags ad insurance are not something that you can move from one car to another if you still own them both.

 

[Just Blue]

I had liability for my VW. I purchased a Pontiac 3 months ago in an inoperable condition. It was missing suspension & a wheel, front/passenger side. The VW became unsafe to drive, but I continued to drive it. After getting the Pontiac finally running I switched plates & drove it before switching the insurance. The next day I accidently ran a red light & got t-boned on the passenger side. I'm at fault. Insurance said they can cover a replacement vehicle only if it's been purchased in 30 days, but it took 3 months to get in running condition. I'm not covered. I'm living a nightmare. Lost my car, license, job, & now I will owe 10's of thousands of dollars.

Do you see any way to help?

What state did this happen in?

 

[FlyingRon]

30 days is way more grace period any insurance company I know provides. Ten is more like it.

I'm not sure why this makes any difference. If all you have is liability, you're not getting anything for fixing/replacing the car even if was properly added to your policy.

 

[laurakaye]

30 days is way more grace period any insurance company I know provides. Ten is more like it.

I'm not sure why this makes any difference. If all you have is liability, you're not getting anything for fixing/replacing the car even if was properly added to your policy.

I'm guessing the OP is more concerned about the liability, If the Pontiac was covered as a replacement car then the policy would be in effect, covering him for the damages being claimed by the other driver involved in the accident. When insurance said "cover a replacement vehicle," they meant with the same coverage as the original vehicle, not that the OP's original (or replacement) vehicle would have been replaced.

• "I'm not covered (has no liability coverage)
• Lost my car (no coverage via his policy, even if it has been in effect)
• License (likely suspended due to not having insurance coverage at time of accident)
• Now I will owe 10's of thousands of dollars (to other driver who was involved in a not-at-fault accident)

When you "switched plates," of course you know now, you should have called your insurance agent or company to remove the VW and add the Pontiac to your policy.