Are There Gaps To Worry About In GAP Insurance
Today on the Christian Car Guy Attorney with Draper and Wagoner Adam Draper discusses concerns about Gap Insurance
by Adam Draper
1. GAP insurance covers people who are upside down on their car loans and the car is totaled in an accident – that is they owe more for the car than it is worth and the insurance company covering the loss is only paying the fair market value of the car.
2. GAP policies are probably not necessary if you have enough down payment on the car and you are paying it of in three years or less.
3. GAP policies are a good idea if you are having to finance a car for a long time, BUT you have to pay attention to the fine print. The GAP policies usually say that they only cover the difference between the amount financed and the Fair Market Value (FMV) or Actual Cash Value (ACV). The problem comes when the insurance company paying off the accident claim and the GAP insurance company disagree on the FMV or ACV. For instance, let’s say the loan payoff is $15,000.00 and the liability insurance company will only pay $13,500.00 for the FMV or ACV. The GAP insurance carrier should pay the remaining $1,500.00, but they say that the FMV or ACV is $14,500.00, so they are only willing to pay $500.00 towards the remaining debt on the loan. That means car owner ends up still owing $1000.00 to pay off the loan.
4. Other problems with GAP policies is that they will define you out of coverage. Like any other insurance coverage, you have to know what you are insuring. For instance, I know of a case in which a person bought GAP insurance on a commercial cargo van, and when it was wrecked the GAP insurance carrier refused to pay anything because the policy they sold excluded commercial vehicles. Somebody is going to get sued over that one.
One Comment on “Are There Gaps To Worry About In GAP Insurance”
The Parable of the G-A-P: When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, He fills the gap in our lives that occurred when we went upside down on our promise in the Garden of Eden. The acronym for gap is God – Answers – Prayers. But we must accept that God gives one of four possible answers to each of our prayers: (1) NO… He’s trying to protect us; (2) Slow… the timing is not yet right; (3) Grow… we are not mature enough in our walk yet to handle our request; (4) Go!… the timing is right for us to do his will. So… don’t be disappointed if you don’t get what you pray for… He knows what you need before you ask (Matthew 6:8)