How much lower relatively do you think insurance on a 2008 TSX versus a 128i or used e46 for an 18year old? Is it significant?

Thanks.

 

You'll get raped either way being only 18. You can get a quote pretty easily from any insurance carrier. My guess is the TSX might be slightly lower than the 1-series because of the higher safety ratings, but I don't think the difference will be that great.

 

Insurance with RSX is a lot more than the TSX, because the RSX is a race car and it has 2 doors. That was their reason. I think the reason will be the same with those 2 cars.

 

To add on what visuelz said:

For a 23 year old unmarried guy like me, the 2007 TSX's insurance rate was about half of what a 2006 RSX's insurance rate was, literally when I was shopping... I would agree that coupes mean higher insurance rates, but it also depends on the market of those who drive them. (IE - the Camry Solara coupe doesn't have the RSX's rates because it isn't a race car like vehicle and older people drive them anyway)

FYI, the TSX's rate was a little more expensive than that of a TL (Type S or not didn't matter), Lexus ES, or Honda Accord. The Lexus IS's rates were considerably more than the TSX, nearly at RSX levels, and that can be attributed to the previous generation of the IS, aka "The Tuned Up Corolla on steroids."

 

To be honest, it all depends. Rates vary significantly from state to state and very greatly on a new car vs say, a 2006 or 2007. Yeah, you're gonna get slammed for not having a long driving record.

Here are rates that I recently looked up for a 32 year old male with a clean record. The TSX was surprisingly higher than I expected. It doesn't have the 128i but it does have the 328i, so it should be comparable.

These are 6 month quotes for leased cars from Progressive.

2008 Acura TSX - $1213
2008 Audi A5 - $972
2008 BMW 325i Sedan - $1019
2008 MB C300 Sport - $1008

For comparison, I'm paying $753 for my 2005 Honda Civic EX SE.

I had this done last year as well but with a company called 21st Century.

2007 Acura TSX - $775
2007 Acura TL-S - $795
2007 Audi A4 - $795
2007 BMW 328i Coupe - $818
2007 BMW 328i Sedan - $795
2007 MB C280 - $841
2005 Honda Civic - $804

 

You'll get only hearsay here (well intentioned though). The only way to get accurate info is to call a/your insurance agent/company.

 

Second what Simba said. Quotes are the only way you'll know.

Remember safety ratings are just a small part of the equation. Insurance companies look at many, many factors besides safety. Yes, safety helps on the portions of a policy that deal with your medical coverage. But in general, they look at overall claims and repairs against that kind of car (both in the industry, and for those they insure). If you get the kind of car that a lot of folks do stupid things in, or cost a lot to repair, you're going to pay for that.

My dad is a retired State Farm agent of 35+ years. I asked him about Volvo's once - if they were cheaper to insure because of the safety reputation. His answer was interesting - he said that it wasn't the car that made the difference, it was they type of peope who bought one. Volvo owners are, in general, safe drivers. They cost an insurance company less in at-fault claims, and therefore have lower insurance primiums. The fact the car itself may have been safer was secondary.

So like I said - drive a car that people tend to do stupid things in, and you'll be paying for their bad habits.

 

So is a TSX a car that people do stupid things in?

 

^^
lol i think not. though it may sound similar, it is no rsx. rsx-s is one of the highest insurance rate i know. but for the tsx, its mainly driven by mature folks even though i am not. =P i dont kno if other insurance companies are like this but they charged me more cuss i had navi..-_- it was 20bucks more compared to a tsx either an AT or a MT without navi. whats up with that~?

 

oh an to answer the original question. i think the tsx and the e46 price will be quite similar. but i have beliefs that the 128i might be a bit higher as it'll be classified as a sports coupe.

 

I don't think so - as previously mentioned, I think the average TSX owner is not your Fast-and-Furious wanna-be. If you were into that, you wouldn't necessarily buy this car. Not to say people don't, but on the whole they don't. Now if you are an insurance company, and you're looking at an 18 year old kid behind the wheel of a TSX versus a 128i (which, by design, is meant to be "driven"), you can see where that would lead.

When I was 19 (and unmarried) I was in my Dad's office and ran a quote on the most expensive car they had (Ferrari Testarossa) just for fun - premium was $6,000 for six months. And that was many years ago...