Anybody have AAA?

[mlyonsd]

My son is heading for college 500 miles away and is taking his old reliable car with 220,000 miles on it. He's going all the way across the state of South Dakota which has some pretty desolate interstate.

For dad's peace of mind I'm thinking of purchasing AAA. Anyone had good/bad experiences? Waste of money? Better option?

[Chief Pote]

We have it and it's worth it when you need it. I once had to call AAA when my piece of crap Maxima got stuck in a snow drift in my driveway. :doh!:

[Mile High Mania]

You may only need it one time... when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere at he worst time of day, it's worth it to me for the family.

[mikey23545]

It's a great deal, and usually it pays for itself every year.

Only one tow job, or one service call per year and your already ahead of the game.

And it makes me feel better about the missus commuting to work knowing we have it.

[Stewie]

I've had it for years. Only used the service once, but the other discounts make it worth it. They also offer identity theft monitoring at no charge.

For the first year you can be covered by AAA and have your son covered at no charge.

[alpha_omega]

Never really considered it. We have Emergency Roadside Service coverage on our car insurance though.

[gblowfish]

I've had it for many years. Good peace of mind, and if you have to use it once during the year, it pays for itself.

[patteeu]

Well worth it. I've had it for 20 years and it's been well worth the money.

I accidentally let it lapse one time many years ago and my car broke down in rural Texas near LBJ's ranch. That tow job cost me as much as 3 years worth of AAA, iirc. Since I renewed it, I've used it on several occasions.

[OnTheWarpath15]

We've had it for a year, but luckily never have had to use it. We saved enough money on hotel rooms and other discounts to pay for it last year.

[Simply Red]

We have it and it's worth it when you need it. I once had to call AAA when my piece of crap Maxima got stuck in a snow drift in my driveway. :doh!:

Lol.

[mlyonsd]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Seems like a no brainer but was just wondering if anyone had any bad experiences or there were any catches I should know about.

[mikey23545]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Seems like a no brainer but was just wondering if anyone had any bad experiences or there were any catches I should know about.

The only negative I can think of is that sometimes, depending where you are, the local service provider for AAA may be slow to get to you. I've had to wait for a couple of hours before for someone to show up.

[TribalElder]

I have AAA plus for like 86.00 a year

I get 4 tows per year up to 100 miles as I remember.

Typically I don't use them but some day I think I will call AAA and have them "tow" my car from the bar to the house :)

[Saul Good]

Never really considered it. We have Emergency Roadside Service coverage on our car insurance though.

This is the way to go. Nearly every car insurance company offers it as a rider. You don't need a stand-alone plan through AAA.

[Deberg_1990]

No, but I have roadside assistance with my insurance. It's only a few bucks a month. Any emergency service is probably worth it, I've used it a few times.

[Stewie]

This is the way to go. Nearly every car insurance company offers it as a rider. You don't need a stand-alone plan through AAA.

They are generally more expensive than AAA and don't offer any additional benefits.

Edit: I think insurance company policies only work for the vehicles that are insured. AAA follows the card holder. If I were in my buddy's car and it breaks down they cover his car, too.

[Demonpenz]

it's good to have piece of mind.

[Mile High Mania]

This is the way to go. Nearly every car insurance company offers it as a rider. You don't need a stand-alone plan through AAA.

Yeah, but as mentioned earlier... AAA covers the driver, not the car. You can be driving any car.

[Just Passin' By]

Outside of one tow, where the dispatcher gave the towing company the wrong directions during rush hour and it ended up being a 2.5 hour wait time, I haven't had anything but positive experiences in 20+ years. Given the number of tows I've had to call for, and the discounts, I've always found it well worth the cost.

[Eleazar]

If you're in a desolate place, it may take them a long time to show up. Advise him to keep food and water and other prudent items in the car with him.

[patteeu]

Outside of one tow, where the dispatcher gave the towing company the wrong directions during rush hour and it ended up being a 2.5 hour wait time, I haven't had anything but positive experiences in 20+ years. Given the number of tows I've had to call for, and the discounts, I've always found it well worth the cost.

Yeah, I've used them many times and I've never had a wait time that seemed out of line for the conditions. You're obviously going to wait longer on a day when lots of motorists are having problems, but I never sensed that I was being put at the back of the line because I was AAA.

[Chiefshrink]

The only negative I can think of is that sometimes, depending where you are, the local service provider for AAA may be slow to get to you. I've had to wait for a couple of hours before for someone to show up.


Yep ! It varies from area/region for sure.

[oldman]

We've had it since our oldest daughter started college many years ago. Some years we used it more than once, some years we never used it. You can put several people on it and it's still pretty cheap. I think the 1st driver is around $50 and all others about $25. Pretty cheap peace of mind.

[ClevelandBronco]

Aren't members supposed to remain anonymous?