[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Is AAA worth it? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 1/12/2011 12:09:01 PM EDT
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Got a packet from them to join. I know about the roadside services,but they also tout the discounts on hotels and rest, etc.
Are they worth the yearly fee? |
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Got a packet from them to join. I know about the roadside services,but they also tout the discounts on hotels and rest, etc. Are they worth the yearly fee? I think out of my ten family members a few have it, generally since they are in a car with another family member not everyone needs it. |
| You're better off getting AAA than using your insurance's roadside coverage. Why? Because your insurance will base your accidnet risk based on how many times your lock your keys in your car or run out of gas, or need a jump start. If you have "too many" problems your rates are going to go up. |
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Yes. Have you ever paid directly for a tow or to retrieve keys out of your car that you or someone else locked in? Have you tried to find a place to get your keys out on a Sunday in another state? What about knowing a fairly reputable auto repair place in a location you are not familiar with? AAA is worth its weight in gold. I keep the plus membership mostly due to my travels. I have actually had to have a car towed 100 miles before so it is worth it to me. |
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I commute 50 miles one way to work every day. The G/F and I each have a car and a 4x4 suburban for farm work and inclement weather transportation. Her car is a 1999 has 165k miles mine is a 1998 has 145k miles and my suburban is 1991 with 207k miles.
We have been stranded MANY times now, and our AAA gold membership has paid for its self MANY times over. They will tow up to 100 miles for free (only on the gold membership, the standard membership only covers the first 5 miles then they start charging by the mile). I got a flat out in the middle of BFE in the pouring rain in my suburban one time and could not get it jacked up as the weight of my truck kept driving the jack down into the mud, I called them and the guy came out with a 3' long piece of oak fence plank and was able to help m e get the truck jacked up (I learned to keep a piece of wood in my truck just for this purpose after that). I always ask if there is a AAA discount at various places (parks, dining, etc..) and am surprised how often I get a few dollars off for it. I have not had to claim it but they will bring you 5 gallons of gas for free if you run out somewhere. |
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Got a packet from them to join. I know about the roadside services,but they also tout the discounts on hotels and rest, etc. Are they worth the yearly fee? I am a member but have never used it on my own vehicle. It seems those that can afford it probably maintain their car(s) enough not to need it. 
I had a blow out on the highway, but it was faster for me to change the tire rather than wait for the tow truck. (I think you give up your man card for having another man change your tire when you are fully capable of doing so, anyways.) My sister was in college and her car was always breaking down. Had it towed to my house enough times I invested in the "RV AAA plan" - something about unlimited mile tow, etc. She got locked out once too... they popped her lock. It is nice to have their travel services. We booked our honeymoon through them at a discount, etc. If you can't get online and want to buy a plane ticket they will happily help you out (found out the hard way 1200 miles from home  ).
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Make sure you get AAA+ or RV. That way you can get towed 100mi back home. Not to mention if you ride a motorcycle or tow a trailer RV plus covers you. Motorcycles are not covered under standard AAA or AAA Plus but are covered with the RV level. It only takes an errant roofing nail to change a motorcycle ride to a traffic watching seminar. The tow truck will show up much faster than a buddy with a trailer on Sunday afternoon |
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About 25 years ago I joined for one year. Then I did the math. I forgot what it costs to belong, but let's say it's $40. In 25 years I would have paid $1,000 for the piece of mind of calling one number and getting a tow. How many tows have I needed for breakdowns in that time? Two . . . at a cost of about $40 each. Basically, what AAA does for you is saves you from having to look up the number for the local tow company . . . probably the same one that AAA would call.
If you're the type of guy who buys the service plan when you buy an appliance or electronic gadget, then yes, by all means, AAA is for you. |
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I have their super duper plan. Costs 140 a year or so. 140/12=11 bucks a month.
I do carry a battery jumper, breaker bar etc for DIY tire change, battery fix. But if I am in civilization and it is gonna be less than 30 minutes for AAA to arrive, I call them. Why should my precious ass sweat? 
If I am out in the boonies? I ain't waitin. So, yes, I think it is worth it. |
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There are some very good discounts for AAA members at many businesses. The Pearle Vision discount was 50%. Free maps is big + too - though maybe not as much with readily available GPS and internet maps. I've only used the free tow twice, but the other benefits are well worthwhile. |
Once had the very basic AAA plan, the one where they only towed your car five miles. Well planets moved into alignment and I ended up having to call for a tow. Turns out I was slightly over 5 miles from were I asked them to tow it to. Frigging bastard tow truck driver drops the car at the five mile mark, less than two hundred yards from where I asked them to tow it. Wanted $65 to tow it the final distance.  Said FU and pushed the car my self the final distance. Since then I use the gold plan or what ever its called now where they will tow it something like 100 miles.
In the old days they were great with the Trip Maps. They'd map the entire trip out for you including hotels and gas stations. In my state AAA local offices also do driver's license renewals which usually turns out to be faster than going to DMV. They also do passport photos a the local offices (at least they did at mine) too which was great for getting my pistol permit photo and updating my passport. They can have deals for airlines, cars, cruise, movie theaters, amusement parks and other attractions. It was cheaper getting movie tickets there than at the movie theater. ] The AAA in my area also apparently run car clinics (never been to one) for summer and winter driving where they will check over your car for any issues, and discuss how to drive in bad weather. They also sell luggage, road emergency kits and other items at their local offices. They also have discounts for car service and rental cars. |
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About 25 years ago I joined for one year. Then I did the math. I forgot what it costs to belong, but let's say it's $40. In 25 years I would have paid $1,000 for the piece of mind of calling one number and getting a tow. How many tows have I needed for breakdowns in that time? Two . . . at a cost of about $40 each. Basically, what AAA does for you is saves you from having to look up the number for the local tow company . . . probably the same one that AAA would call. If you're the type of guy who buys the service plan when you buy an appliance or electronic gadget, then yes, by all means, AAA is for you. 
When is the last time you had a tow? The first tow for my sister ('07) was going to be $160 for ~26 miles. It was cheaper to upgrade to the RV+ than pay the difference. |
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Good enough for us to renew for over 25 years. We've used the tow feature a few times. Picked up some maps of Mexico from them and done some hotel reservations in the past. My office is about 1 mile away and doing the DMV thing there for a motorhome, a buggy, a truck, an SUV, and a motorcycle saves some time and you're not waiting on stuff in the mail. DMV will send you the bill on time, but expecting the sticker back in any given time is not realistic. Good peace of mind. It's the same sort of thing when you make sure the wife or kids have jumper cables or chains. Can't guarantee the weather or the place where stuff happens. Looks like it's about $200 for a 50 mi tow and $300 for 100 miles. |
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Great deal. especially if you have an older vehicle or make a lot of road trips. And the discounts add up if you look for them. All the free maps you can eat. And using their DMV services is worth the price alone. My regional DMV offices are stinking third-world shitholes, on both sides of the counter.
I've got the middlin' 'Plus' plan which has worked out very well a few times when I've needed a long-distance tow. Defintely a worthwhile investment. Their insurance rates can't touch what I get via USAA though. |
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About 25 years ago I joined for one year. Then I did the math. I forgot what it costs to belong, but let's say it's $40. In 25 years I would have paid $1,000 for the piece of mind of calling one number and getting a tow. How many tows have I needed for breakdowns in that time? Two . . . at a cost of about $40 each. Basically, what AAA does for you is saves you from having to look up the number for the local tow company . . . probably the same one that AAA would call. If you're the type of guy who buys the service plan when you buy an appliance or electronic gadget, then yes, by all means, AAA is for you.
When is the last time you had a tow? The first tow for my sister ('07) was going to be $160 for ~26 miles. It was cheaper to upgrade to the RV+ than pay the difference. I had my son's car towed to garage last year. It was only a couple of miles though. BTW, I live in a small town. If anyone here tried charging $160 for a tow, they'd be out of business in no time. I did have a break down a few years ago in a town about 90 miles away (I forgot about this one). I paid some local guy $100 to haul it for me on his car hauler. I suspect if I had called AAA they would have dispatched a regular towing company from my home town and paid him $400. Even at that, it would still be cheaper to self-insure your tows over the course of a lifetime. |
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Make sure you get AAA+ or RV. That way you can get towed 100mi back home. Not to mention if you ride a motorcycle or tow a trailer RV plus covers you. Motorcycles are not covered under standard AAA or AAA Plus but are covered with the RV level. It only takes an errant roofing nail to change a motorcycle ride to a traffic watching seminar. The tow truck will show up much faster than a buddy with a trailer on Sunday afternoon Yep, back when I had a bike I had to have it towed a couple of times and it was well worth it. |
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About 25 years ago I joined for one year. Then I did the math. I forgot what it costs to belong, but let's say it's $40. In 25 years I would have paid $1,000 for the piece of mind of calling one number and getting a tow. How many tows have I needed for breakdowns in that time? Two . . . at a cost of about $40 each. Basically, what AAA does for you is saves you from having to look up the number for the local tow company . . . probably the same one that AAA would call. If you're the type of guy who buys the service plan when you buy an appliance or electronic gadget, then yes, by all means, AAA is for you.
When is the last time you had a tow? The first tow for my sister ('07) was going to be $160 for ~26 miles. It was cheaper to upgrade to the RV+ than pay the difference. I had my son's car towed to garage last year. It was only a couple of miles though. BTW, I live in a small town. If anyone here tried charging $160 for a tow, they'd be out of business in no time. I did have a break down a few years ago in a town about 90 miles away (I forgot about this one). I paid some local guy $100 to haul it for me on his car hauler. I suspect if I had called AAA they would have dispatched a regular towing company from my home town and paid him $400. Even at that, it would still be cheaper to self-insure your tows over the course of a lifetime. Must be nice...  In college I blew up the clutch in my truck and had to get my boss to come pick me up with his rig (60 miles). The going rate was $1/mile there, $35 hook up, $2/mile tow.  I worked for a week for free to pay that off.
FWIW, AAA will dispatch the closest "AAA certified wrecker" as you could be hundreds of miles from home and need a tow to a garage, etc. |
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Hyundai provides free Roadside assistance for a period of time on all new car purchases. (at least, they did when I got mine) If I didn't have that, I would surely buy into AAA. LOL, you haven't had to call a car manufacturer road side service then... I blew the main inline fuse (requires wiring harness replacement  ) in my car shortly after I got it. Car would not start. Called the roadside assistance, they wanted to tow me 35 miles the opposite direction from home because it was the closest dealership, by 4 miles. And, "are you in a safe place? It will be 2 hours before a truck arrives".
I said f* it, went out and tried to pop the clutch. Car turned over, called and canceled the service request and told them I was heading south, if it died again, I would call when I was 4 miles closer to home. I didn't have blower, heat, radio, nor dash lights.
Between that "service" and other denied warranty issues, the "value" of buying a new car is a joke. |
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It's come in handy several times over the years.
I can change a flat tire, but the time I fractured part of my back I wasn't changing not freaking tire. AAA did though. I've had tows from my driveway to the service shop. I had one very nice guy hit the starter with a metal bar to get it going. Told me I needed a new starter, lol. Seems some years I never use it and some I call every other month. There are plenty of discounts too at retail and hotel places, just ask. And I think you can use it to help someone else you just have to be there, not sure about that though. |