finance
What They’re Worth Today – Feature – Auto Reviews – Car and Driver
1953 Corvette, $125,000-$190,000
The earliest serial numbers win the value sweepstakes—VIN 0003, the oldest known car, might go for $750,000. The $190K price would go to a car with very low miles on the odo, and it would need to be "certified" by an official judging panel (such as that of the National Corvette Restorers Society or Bloomington Gold, both nationally recognized at Corvette gatherings).
1955 Corvette, $75,000-$120,000
At last, it got a V-8 (265 cubes producing 195 hp). Seven hundred were built. The bigger-engined car cost $2909. First or last (as in any given series) would be worth more, as the first ’55 V-8 sold recently for $120,000.
1957 283-hp 579E, $200,000
Experts say 1040 Corvettes were fuel-injected in ’57. Of those, 756 had the 283-hp rating, which gave rise to the ad headline: "FI = 1 H.P. per CU. IN. x 283." And a mere 43 had regular production option (RPO) 579E (a cold-air induction system and a mechanical tach mounted on the steering column). A non-airbox ’57 fuelie would be closer to $115,000.
1961-62 fuel-injected, $55,000-$85,000
The upswept "ducktail" was offered for only two years. They marked the last appearance of the trunklid for many years to come. In all, about 3500 of the ducktails were made with fuel injection.
1968-69 L88, $90,000-$578,000
The value drops slightly for the second- and third-year L88s, despite the new body style. Eighty of them were sold (it was a $948 option) in ’68 and another 116 the next year. The most valuable are those with a racing history—at, say, Le Mans, the Daytona 24 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours. One Le Mans veteran sold at Christie’s 2000 Pebble Beach auction for $578,000. A well-documented race car could be worth more than a street car, but be forewarned: There are several L88 clones out there.
1963 Z06 big-tank coupe, $100,000-$150,000
The Z06 was a semi-race package available for $1818 in the first year of the controversial "split window" fastback coupe. Although some elements of the package were later available in the convertible, the one to own is the coupe, with its 360-hp fuel-injected V-8, Positraction, and four-speed manual. Of 199 Z06-optioned cars built in ’63, roughly a quarter of them had the prized 36.5-gallon fuel tank.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/02q3/what_they_re_worth_today-feature
District of Columbia Auto Insurance Basics
If you want to drive a car, whether your own or somebody else’s, you should have two items according to the law. One is a valid driving license and the other is auto insurance. There are several types of auto insurance policy coverages available. Unless you understand the basics of auto insurance in District of Columbia, you would not be able to select the right type of coverage that would provide you adequate cover in case of an auto accident. Any auto insurance policy would have five major sections. However, the terminology used in these sections might vary from one insurance company to another in a slight manner.
Declarations The first section is the declarations submitted by you in the application form for buying auto insurance. These declarations or proclamations are your personal details, along with the details of other members in your household, who are eligible to drive a vehicle. You are required to submit the names of all these persons including you, your home address, the type of vehicles in your house and their registration numbers, the validity period of the policy, and the policy number. You are also expected to specify the type of coverage you wish to purchase, the policy limit, and the deductible you are willing to pay for the insurance policy in the beginning. If the information provided by you is found to be incorrect in any manner at a later stage, the insurance company could legally refuse to accept any claims made by you after an accident.
Agreement on Insurance Coverage The insurance policy is an agreement between you and the insurance company. This agreement would state the coverage limit of that particular policy and the options of coverage. The type of coverage is clearly mentioned in this agreement, such as liability, collision, comprehensive, medical, personal injury protection, underinsured and uninsured, etc. This agreement would stipulate the amount you would be paying every month under the policy and the commitment by the insurance company about the type of coverage and the limit up to which the insurance company would accept your claim. This agreement and all its clauses are legally binding on both parties.
Exclusions The agreement would also state the items that had been excluded from the ambit of the insurance policy and the limitations of the policy. This exclusions section and the previous agreements section would decide what kind of claims you could make and what kind you could not make with the insurance company, when you are involved in an accident. Hence, you should comprehend this section carefully and decide which items you wish to have in the agreement and which items you wish to include. If you include more items, the insurer would demand more premium amounts every month. Hence, you should delicately balance the inclusions and exclusions to keep the monthly insurance premium at an optimum level.
Terms and Conditions The terms and conditions specify your legal obligations under the insurance policy, as well as the legal responsibilities of the insurance company. These obligations and responsibilities would cover premium payments, the process of claim filing, and the procedures for resolving disagreement, if such disagreements arise during a claim.
Definitions Auto insurance advisors had named this section as ‘fine print’, since the terms that had been used in the insurance policy are presented here. The terms would define your rights and the rights of the insurer. Many of the terms could be interpreted in different manners. Hence, it would be advisable to go through this section carefully and understand the terms. If you have any doubt, you should consult an auto insurance consultant to get clarifications.
As such, if you wish to buy auto insurance policy in District of Columbia, you should understand the mandatory coverage limits, the type of coverage that is statutorily required, and other coverages that you might need to purchase to cover any exigency. If you take adequate care in the beginning and obtain the right type of coverages, you would not regret your decision later, if you become involved in an auto accident.