Art & Inspiration Is roadside assistance worth anything

I used to drive my jalopies all over BFE, in northern Nevada there's literally nothing for 150 miles at a time. Used to not blink an eye taking untested junkyard hot rods for long trips. I'm planning on getting back at the road trips this coming year, but I've been sitting in the security of the garage for too long overthinking things.
Is there a decent roadside assistance plan that would be of any service if say an oil pump pickup falls off in the middle of nowhere? I can and have dealt with fairly catastrophic failures on the side of the road by myself without issues but I just worry about if I need to find a tow to the nearest town for parts etc. I've never had anyone stop when I've been broke down, they all like to stare and keep driving, so I'd really like to come up with some sort of reliable backup plan. Especially considering the lack of quality of replacement parts in the last few years.

 

I feel Roadside Service is a back up plain for tow truck companies when they are slow , When slow they arrive
quickly / within reason!
BUT when they get a call that pays more then what your plain / cap pays ,
You will get bumped !
I have had to use a few times ,
May be 6-7
Times in last 8 years , The plain I have covers my Hot Rod / classic vehicle
Plus my D-Der's ,
( my H-Rs never needed towed )
3 times I have waited over 3-4 hrs , less then 20 miles from my shop.
I called my roadside carrier , then they call tow Company,
In my experience it's a gamble in how Quick they show up, most time was
1 to 1-1/2 hrs,
The times I needed , knowing there
was/ is over 30 T-C , maybe close to 60 in a 20 mile air mile radius, & kicker is I have my own rollback , but I am the only one knows how to drive it

All so ,always "Request Rollback"
There was 2 times Tow truck showed up, I denied the use of , on those 2 specific vehicles,

 

I took out a good sam membership several years ago primarily so the wife and kids would have something. We never used it so I was just about ready to cancel it until 2 weeks ago when my daily gave up in a store parking lot. A simple phone call and they took care of the rest, pretty painless actually. It did take a couple hours from the initial phone call to the conclusion but that is probably more due to finding and scheduling someone available (it was Sunday so maybe that made a difference).

 

Hello,

Out West, we have been members of AAA since our 20 something days. It was a necessity despite not having a lot of spendable cash on hand. We knew we would be on the road for a lot of vacations, and photo shoots. Plus, we just saved to the point of taking a trip up the coast and in unfamiliar locations. So, any help offered was a great backup plan.

We could count on our fingers the amount of time a call was necessary. Sometimes we would never have a call for our daily drivers. Perhaps, a couple of years ago, a battery was necessary. But, we just keep the card in our wallets. It is money well spent. Our son also did the same and he has used it many times on his family cars.

Jnaki

If I count the times, the flathead sedan delivery on our surf trips... none. The 58 impala, none, the 65 El Camino, a couple of times in Northern California in different years and my wife's daily driver station wagon once. Each time it was a call and ask for a "Flat Bed tow truck." It was a term used every time.

Not bad for owning and driving a zillion miles all over the West coast road trips from Baja Mexico to Canada. Then, when my wife and I drove on our cross country USA road trip, it was insurance in our wallets. But, never used. YRMV

Note:
For our son away at college for the first time, we knew the So Cal location on the coast, but it was a satisfied insurance plan for us being 200 miles away. He used it twice once for conking out in the rain near the downtown location and one other time, he needed a new battery. A great Christmas gift for anyone... YRMV

 

Don't most classic car insurance policies include some type of road side assistance? I think mine does. Or maybe it is just that they reimburse towing charges. Guess I should look. My biggest concern is that they would take hours to get to you.

 

As my name implies, I do understand the value in having your butt covered.
Early 20's I drove for AAA. Many times a hero.
As cars ( L-tronic ignition, + injection ) improved, And I had a good grip on maintenace.
Constant eye on tires, plus different handy jacks a real crossbar wrench and a can of fix-a-flat.
I told the missus save yer money I got ya.
Then one day,,,,
driving a modern car to the big city hospital,,, brainiac had a plan to get gas 1st thing in AM.
Rolling up the interstate suddenly no power?? OHH Shit.
Mrs. says that Liberty Insurance includes roadside assistance.
Bang 20 minutes later, an SUV delivers a can of gas

 

I'll look into AAA. I piggybacked off my dad's Good Sam policy once when a heater core expired and I didn't have enough water to fill the radiator back up. Took 2 hours to get a jug of water brought to me but all I cared about was that it got me back on the road when I had no other options. I've heard mixed results with Good Sam so figured I'd get some opinions before I pay for something. I don't care if I have to sleep in the car for a day waiting for a tow to the nearest parts store parking lot, I just want to make sure that it'll happen if needed.

My cars all qualify as beater status in the eyes of insurance so I just have minimum liability...

 

Check your current auto insurance policy. You may already have some form of roadside assistance in your coverage. If not, I think many insurers can add roadside assistance to your current policy and roll it into your auto policy premium. But I've never had any occasion to use this sort of coverage, so make sure to read the fine print as to what coverage (towing, repairs, rental car, lodging, meals, etc.) the policy actually provides.

(T.T.Tom types faster than me . . .)

 

OOHH yeah BTW, call your local tow guy, ask how much is a 12 mile tow. ? ?
NaH @ ClayMart I just began a quarter hour sooner

 

Hagerty Drivers Club ( extra charge ) has extended Roadside service.

 

I have the Hagerty. I have never used it. You get roll-back service, roadside repairs (up to something like $700) and some other perks. I think it was $45 extra per year. You get a key tag with an 800 number. I have a couple of cars that don't have spares, just a key tag. Mike

 

I drive crappy old cars all over the place...and I don't have any "insurance". So, I have to have my act together, and make sure the damn things won't break. So far I've only had to get towed once, about a mile from where the crunchy wheel bearing was getting really scary, to a hotel to spend the night, and also figure out how to fix the car.

How do you make sure it won't break? Well, that's the trick, isn't it? Most important is to make sure that everything which holds liquid is in good enough condition to keep holding that liquid. And everything that moves and needs lubrication of some type, has that lubrication. And all the fasteners that need to be tight, are tight, and keep tight. It doesn't hurt to bring a few select spare parts, like belts, maybe a fuel pump if the main pump is electric, some baling wire, perhaps points/condenser, and a few other things. Plus just enough tools to be able to use the spare parts, or fix a few other things that you can find parts for on the road.

The main problem with my approach is that it takes years of experience to be able to accurately judge the condition of a car, and what needs to be fixed ahead of time, and what you might get away without having to work on. And that experience is gained by....things breaking! So, good luck...

(oh...it helps to have enough money to be able to deal with whatever emergency arises. If your bank account is empty, that alone could dissuade you from having too many fun adventures. Sorry.)

 

Another endorsement for Hagarty's "Drivers Club" here. We've had coverage with them for 20 years, have had to use it a couple of times. Roll-back pickup twice, once when we foolishly ran out of gas in the Pontiac wagon. It's well worth the very nominal charge.
As an aside, I think that aging has a lot to do with my own hesitance to drive our cars without worry as much as we used to. Well, maybe it's that now at 70 I think twice about jumping in an old car built with re-cycled parts and heading off into the sunset. We still do it, but now I do think about the possibility of trouble.

 

Thanks Squirrel, that's been my approach for the last 10 years, been all over the western states and never ended up permanently stranded. I tend to overmaintain my cars and always have spares and tools in the trunk. JB Weld has saved my bacon 70 miles from town before. I have a hefty emergency fund.

Just need some peace of mind in case I'm 70 miles from a town and the transmission explodes. Where I plan on commuting regularly next year is beyond desolate. I know there's a point where a guy just has to trust the equipment but if I don't have backup plans to my backup plans I have a hard time being comfortable with a situation. I'm always driving my old junk but in the last 5 years it hasn't been more than 7 miles out of town so walking has always been an option.

 

I also have Hagerty Drivers club road side program. I have never had to use it but glad I have it. Years ago I used to drive the coupe to drag strips, race and drive her home, and had no road side assistance program. Now I do probably because I am getting old.

 

Also remember that you don't have to have a roadside assistance plan, to get roadside assistance. Whatever company is contracted to come rescue you, will also come rescue you for payment at the time you need to be rescued.

The difference is that when you have "insurance", you are paying all the time, for something you seldom, or never, need. Unless the fact that you have "insurance" makes you less inclined to fix things that need to be fixed?

The "insurance" companies make good money...I'd rather keep that money. And spend it on gas and tires and more old cars.

 

I have roadside assistance with AAA as part of my insurance. Had them replace the battery in my car at my house a couple of months ago. Used them once about 30 years ago for a problem on my '66 Mustang and again about 20 years ago when I blew the rear end in my Model A (no I wan't racing and it was stock). I started with them in 1970 when they were the only company that would insure a daily driver '57 T-Bird at a stated value instead of the value of an old car. This predated most of our currently availability of classic car insurance companies.

Charlie Stephens

 

I did the math decades ago, comparing full coverage on old cars, to just liability coverage. I decided I could buy a whole bunch of replacement old cars for what the insurance would cost. Of course this only works if you use old cars like cars, so you aren't covered by specialty limited use insurance.

 

I had AAA until they left me stranded for 6 hours. I had to finally get my cousin up to come get me at midnight.
I dropped them the next day.
I then had Allstate. I have their insurance on my DD. Same issue. Waited hours for them too. I dropped them. I now carry the tow truck companies card in my wallet for my daily driver pickup. I have Hagerty for my 32’s
Fortunately have not needed them as yet.
My wife’s new vehicle comes with roadside.
I think most companies like AAA and Allstate are a waste. Just my experience.
Tow truck told me they get last preference when he’s called. Better to call him directly.

 

have had AAA membership for many years. have used it several times, for on topic and off topic rides. never used their other services, except for vehicle registrations. have hired private short haul transport services which were pricey. yep, days of calling a buddy with a tow chain are long gone.

 

Just had to use AAA for my OT p/u. My Classic membership covered a tow for 7 miles. The shop was 8 miles away. Cost me 12 bucks for the extra mile. Just had to renew my membership so I upgraded to the Plus level to get up to 100 miles per tow. Total yearly cost after the upgrade was less than $100.00.

 

AAA is a absolute joke in my area. I hear many stories like yours from customers at the shop I work at.

 

People in isolated areas are not going to be impressed with most services. You may not have phone service to start with. If you are 4 hours away from a city large enough to have a company signed on to the service you requested, it can be quite a lengthy time before anything happens. I have friends with triple a, that's where the info came from.

 

This is the absolute truth. Wifey and I had a situation in a town about 80 mi. from San Antonio, called them (aaa), said they'd send out a wrecker for tow. Never happened, after about 6 calls. Got a ride back to San Antonio, got a part, got it back, fixed it myself and off we went, the next day. Next phone call to them was a cancellation. Never again for any of 'em-just use a local tow from the nearest town.

 

I've always had good luck with AAA but I live in a metro area where tow services are nearby. They've always been prompt to respond, I've never had to wait more than an hour.

 

Sounds like I need to just find the nearest tow companies for the towns I travel through and keep their numbers in the car. I would've thought having AAA call them in would give you the priority not the opposite, holy crap.

 

Years ago I saw two ladies stopped along the highway with a flat tire. I stopped to see if I could help. They assured me they had contacted AAA and thanked me for stopping to help but my assistance was not needed. Now I do not look nor act like a thug so I think we can skip that excuse. But, to make a long story even longer, well over an hour later I was making my return trip and there sat those two ladies still waiting for AAA. I just waved and continued on. Had they let me change their tire they would have been long gone.