Help with Insurance for Foreign Driver.

[Bob Murray]

Need help from our all knowing collective.
I have a very good friend who is coming (from Europe) to California to purchase a 63 Coupe from Me and then ship it back to Europe.
After the purchase he & his wife want to drive the Car around the north west for about 60 days. They both have international drivers
license's and have driven in the US many many times. His German Insurance carrier will not insure the Car in the US. My Classic Car
Insurance carrier will not issue him insurance as it will be his only Car and a daily driver. I have contacted most carriers and have only
found one (progressive) that will cover the Car (at a pretty high premium). However they (ins Co) requires that he has ownership
(legal interest) in his name. After talking to our (very helpful HA HA) Calif DMV, They say that the only way for him to have proof of ownership
is to register it in California (Sales Tax , reg fee's 10%).
Anybody have any suggestions, ideas ,thoughts on how to do this. I know vehicles are purchased here all of the time for export but this is a
little different.
Please HELP
Bob
bobmspeedster@yahoo.com

[David Jones]

My insurance is with Hagerty and when my son came to visit I checked and they told me he was covered to drive my 356's and was covered under my insurance as long as I had given him permission to drive. This was true of my daily driver cars as well. Just do not sell the car until the end of the trip.
Check with your insurer and let us know if that is the case for you.

[Jules Dielen]

I did the same for my dad when he visited from Europe. Hagerty called it 'permissive use', the car is/was in my name and they did not care he did not have a US driver license. This was a few years ago, but it sounds exactly the same as what David says.

[Jim Liberty]

Leave the car registered to you until he ships it. ..............Jim.

[Bob Murray]

I have been insured with Hagerty for 20+ years ( numerous Cars) . Had a long talk with them. They will allow permissive use for short periods and a max
of 6 times ?? The supervisor could not define 6 times. My friend will be driving the Car more then that so they has issues with this "Permissive use".
Still looking for other alternatives.

[Bob Murray]

Thanks Jim,
Looked into that idea but the only coverage (for him) I could find required him to have an ownership interest in the
Car. They want to see his name on a registration (Calif Taxes,fees due). I might have to add him to the registration and then
move the Car to a different Carrier (most require a US drivers License). He has a International License.
Still looking for additional avenues.
Any agents online??

[David Jones]

Impossible to verify "6 times" in my opinion. How would they ever know how many times he had driven it and does that refer to one driver multiple times or multiple drivers one time. I have 4 Porsches insured with Hagerty and when my son visited I was in intensive care and I wanted him to drive them all at least once as an anti deterioration measure, so 4 drives were used up immediately. Sounds like nonsense to me. I would just give him the keys and say go drive it as if you were giving someone a test drive prior to purchase.
In reality how would you get prosecuted and indeed, could you be prosecuted and who would bring the case? The car is insured and it is up to you to say who can drive it. I regularly allow new Porsche owners in the local PCA club to drive my cars just for the experience and as long as I have my insurance card with me I feel I have no concerns.
Just like mileage, how would they check if you had exceeded your mileage allowance except in the case of an accident and even there one could disconnect ones speedometer if you wanted to defraud the insurance company? If you decided to drive from California to Ocean City for the ECH you would have to cease driving your car in the middle of Utah on the way home so as not to exceed your yearly mileage. I think the insurance company wants to discourage using vintage cars as rental cars but when you loan it to a relative I doubt they are going to send their secret police after you especially as the new driver is a potential new insurer.

[Jim Liberty]

Bob, my cousin from Germany drives my 356s here all the time. I was not even aware of a limitation. Do you want me to contact my rep. and discuss your situation. I would need all the details. Jim.

[Jim Neil]

I tried to help Joris Koning when he brought his Carreras her from Holland for RRIV (I have close friend in the insurance business), but was unable to find a solution. You might reach out to him to see how he ended up handling it.

[Jim Neil]

By the way, if he takes delivery of the car and uses it in CA, he will be subject to CA sales tax, DMV advice is correct.