Who has AAA membership, is it worth it?
 

I'm planning a cross country road trip in May of 2011 and am considering a AAA membership for a little peace of mind. Is the cost worth it and are the services what they are supposed to be?

I have had it 35 years. Worth it to me for maps a few hotel discounts. But unless you get premium with unlimited towing if you breakdown in BFE they only tow 7 miles

I have base level membership, but mainly to get a good deal on insurance on my "normal" cars. The 911 is insured separately (specialty car - for good rates).

Oh yeah....lock outs on my Truck....towing on my truck....rare on my 911. Well worth it, 35+ years.

Been a AAA member since 1962 and its well worth it.

I have the Premier membership which gives free towing up to 100 miles and I've used it often enough to MORE than pay for itself.

Worth it.... best tool for an extended road trip in a 41 yo car.

Premier here! Not worth it UNTIL YOU NEED IT!!!

Premier Plus Here,

Since I was a Teenager, wow ages ago :-(

I had to tow my baby over 70 miles, did not pay a dime.

My son, free gas 3 times "annoying" but better than me lugging a gas can in my baby ;-)

Jumped my wifes car twice.

All in 2010.

Best part is DMV stuff, so convenient no extra charge.

Discounts on Hotels and Rentals

Geez they need to pay me commission for this.

Absolutely essential. Whether the car is old or new, s**t happens, as they say. So whether you need a tow because your SC's motor done blowed up or you need a battery jump because the battery in your wife's DD has gone flat, help is just a fone call away. By the way, both those things have happened to us in the last year.

I have had AAA+ (or whatever it is called) coverage for a couple years, primarily because it offers 100 mile towing. Used it for the 1st time last summer after my clutch failed downshifting from 4th to 3rd at the end of the back-straight at Mid-Ohio. AAA towed the car 85 miles to my mechanic's shop. Very glad I had it.

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Since '62????
 

Steve,

You're not old enough to get a license on that year!!!!!! How could you join the AAA? Through your Dad I guess.

Tony

Never leave home without it
 

I've been a member 35+ years; the service features, maps, discounts, registration, towing and if you have a family ( or wife ) it a great value. Most used by family members late afternoon after a foggy morning :confused:!
cheers
art

Exactly. My dad was a member and I "inherited" his membership. Makes me a 50year+ member!

$10,000 bond card. Worth it's weight in gold.

Not that I would know anything about that........

I have had AAA Premium I think for 25 years. 100 mile towing, gas, lock outs. I use it a few times per year. The plan I have can be used on any car I am in/using. So if I am in a borrowing a car it's covered. a passenger in a car it's covered. Plus I get discounts at hotels. Great deal well worth it.

AAA Premium here too, I have used it to get my track car to the shop:D saves me loading it up on my trailer and taking time from work to get it done...

We bought it when we moved up from Florida to Birmingham.....peace of mind and even more so now we have a 24 year old car.....worth it IMHO

Neil

how much is the premium deal? pay per yr?

AAA Premier costs me $210 per year, and it paid off big time last year,as our 2003 F-150 had a spate of bed-crapping incidents.
Clutch slave (inside bellhousing) went(surprise, no clutch)..towed from home to dealer for warranty work, N/C.
Steel brakeline cracked (surprise, no brakes)..towed from home to friend's shop, N/C.
And the big one...transmision input shaft bearing let fly, 200 miles from home (actually it crapped out 150 miles into the trip, we limped it the last 50). Towed home to friend's shop, N/C. It did suck (cost mucho) having to rent a car one way to drive home, however.

Also have had the + for awhile. Not only did it get a good work out with old 240 Volvos but they also delivered non-running cars that were sold 100 miles to Portland.

Make sure you sign up early enough. The tow coverage takes some time to kick in.

I had the premium for a long time and never needed it. My cars are always very well maintained by my mechanic (me). I felt like I am insuring myself for a $300 tow that never happened. I canceled. Now that the DMV is such a mess in CA I went and joined them again this year on the basic membership just so I can use their DMV services.

When you use it at motels a few times a year, it will pay for itself as the discounts can be significant. And again, just the ability to use their DMV services itself is worth it!

G

well worth it, I have had the + for years. My fuel pump on my targa STB on memorial day last year, called AAA and they had a tow truck on the spot within an hour after the call, towed me home 80 miles, discounts are nice also.

Saving on the towing is nice and so is the road side asst. But for me the best part of the membership is not having to go to DMV.

to quote mastercard ......."PRICELESS"

not really but as others have said well worth it if you need it ......

Hi Tony,

LOL,....That was the year that I got my license and my Dad gave me a membership as I was driving a self-made hot rod ('47 Merc with 394c.i. Olds) that he didn't have much faith in. :)

Wouldn't travel without it!

Doyle

get the premiere with 100 miles of towing. cheap insurance and you'll never know when you might need it, even on well maintained cars. Use it once and it's paid for.

Agreed. I have several cars and I use them. They've brought me gas, flat tows, etc. Plus my wife drives the old cars once in a while. I'd pay 10x the money to insure she can get an easy tow if something were to happen.

The discounts are great too - Hertz, hotels, etc.

OK guys, it looks like AAA membership is good thing there have been NO negative posts to my question.

Before I take my road trip I'll get a membership.

But first I need to do 2 things.......

1. Sell this Cars for Sale: 2008 MINI Cooper S in GREER, SC 29651: Hatchback Details - 292002029 - AutoTrader.com

2. Buy a Boxster......got a couple saved on "My Autotrader" I'm itching to check out

Our Premiere (CAA) is $161 a year and give us 1 tow up to 320km(200 Miles) and 4 tows up to 200km (120 Miles).

So I guess we got a very good deal North of the 49th Parallel (for a change).

The difference in price is probably link to the magnitude of lawsuit South of the border.

Steve,
Same deal but with a ’50 Ford Flathead V8 starting in 1958. (Seems like yesterday.)

Last summer’s little Colorado tour, a nice retired history teacher working for AAA Travel here found us all sorts of interesting places. She also saved me more than half on a big rental SUV and hotel rates. Even an outrageous last-minute deal for the Telluride Jazz Festival. :D

All you need is a 911, AAA+, Visa, a cell and a few Benjamins.

Best,
Grady

it's good to have epecially if you havea family. we (wife, daughter and I) have used the service may times over the years for towes (3 on the tr6, 1 when the daugher wrecked her honda and a couple others for non starts), lockouts, flats, dead battery jumps etc. sometimes the wait can be 3 hours for service during peak times in Atlanta.

With AAA Plus,

- You can have your car towed to you mechanics place instead of having your spouse (or a friend) following and get you home and then take you out there to pick up your car once its done. In my case, this works out to 160 less miles on our 2nd car and a happier spouse.

- If you have a mechanical over 100 miles from home (or your mechanic), you get the call towed 100 miles and ride along. Have it dropped off, take a brake and then call for a second two of a up to 100 miles. You get the picture - several have done this when there car has a mechanical problem at a track event.

- NO trips to and long waits the CA DMV.

My son's first car with an old 914 (they're all old). He and the tow truck truck drives were on a first name basis. 3 members X 4 "free" tows/yr = 12 tows/yr.

I've had AAA for all my driving life. Now, with an older car and older motorcycle, the 100 mile towing allowance is fantastic for peace of mind. I use the auto insurance to not only insure my daily drivers (about 50 other companies can do that, too), but also my Porsche under a collector policy (I don't think anyone else offers as good a policy at the rate I'm paying).

One problem I had while living in Oregon: I broke down in Washington on a motorcycle. Washington's AAA refused to honor the Oregon policy to tow my bike. When I returned to Oregon eventually, I double checked with my Oregon chapter and they agreed that usually another AAA region will honor whatever agreement is in place with the member's home region. So Washington supposedly goofed, but it was still my problem stuck 200 miles from home in a place with no cell reception and few other options, not theirs.

Dude!! You have any pictures of that sled?

If you drank too much it is better than a cab. :) Getting him to go through the drive through is a challenge. This is from friends.

I have their special towing package, its worth it.
I needed a tow from work to home, 50 miles - didn't cost me a cent.
Also a tow from home to TRE in Van Nuys, 50 plus miles - didn't cost me a cent.
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I have three cards in my Wallet. License, Visa, and my AAA card. I'll never leave home without it.

I've used it for maybe 6 tows (friends, sisters car, flats, etc.), and locked my keys in my car twice. Never paid a dime for any of it.

I've registered 3 cars in the past six months with AAA and my wait time to be taken care if combined is about 17-20 minutes. That alone is worth the $125 I spend.

I broke my car at AAA speedway (haha), they had a tow truck driver there in 15 minutes and I made it out to dinner with friends after the event once I got my car back in my garage.
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Yes, it's very worth it.

If you live in Cali it is a must have. You can skip the DMV for most services by going to AAA

"well worth it if you need it" says it all.

Try slamming a deer head-on at 70 mph and 400+ miles from home and you'll appreciate it...

Oh...not the P-car, BTW.