I need advice from people who understand cars and car insurance which is not me because neither I nor my husband own a car. We live in New York City. When googling, I get some varied answers.
My mother lives in Illinois and I am her primary caregiver and when I'm out there I drive her 99 Corolla. It's not worth much at all, but gets me around. She is still is the title holder of her car but she no longer drives it; I only drive it when I'm out visiting her. Considering the age of the car I'm not concerned about collision coverage for myself, but definitely want to make sure I am covered for liability.
Should amend this by putting my name on it as a driver? I want to ask the insurance agent but I'm worried about opening a can of worms for some reason so I want to make sure that it's okay for me to ask him and he's not going to have a problem with it.
I was considering transferring the title to myself, but as I live in New York City, It seems that invites a host a problems I'm not prepared to take care of like inspection etc. And have no interest in keeping the car after my mother passes away, which may be within a few months.
Anyway any suggestions you have would be welcome.
I've dealt with a somewhat similar situation with my parents' car. I'm DPOA, Executor, etc. and so, manage all aspects of the estate and Mom's care.
We lost Dad and Mom doesn't drive but enjoys going out in the familiar van and so, I decided to keep it and did the necessary repairs for an engine with over 110k mileage; significant engine work now completed. I think that Dad was looking at a trade-in for a smaller car, given their advancing age.
I simply contacted their insurance agent, informed of the situation and was placed on their policy as a household driver; a bit complex because they lived in another state, but easily sorted with online access and a couple phone calls. Emissions check, luckily, did not apply in my state, where I re-titled it. Mom's license had expired and so, I had it titled in my name for future resale. Everyone - from the Ins agent to the DMV staff - were very accommodating and understanding; they deal with this type of thing often and my take is that they're relieved to have responsible family members stepping up and getting things sorted, and that perhaps, too few do.
You'll have to call IL DMV and ask about the best approach because of the emissions standards issue. I think that you'll have to go through that inspection process, if the car is due, whether re-titling for keeping it or for resale. This info should be available online via DMV and will show up once you enter the VIN and either establish an online account or access their existing one. The inspection issue came up on my parents' car when I did a retroactive licensure after the car sat for too many months.
I'd say keep the car if your Mom enjoys hanging onto it and it it eases your ability to do for her when visiting. Just get yourself added as a driver. For an older car, keep basic liability on it. If it makes no diff to your mom and it's any type of drain on the estate and assuming that you have the DPOA authority to do so, sell it and use a transport service while visiting her.
This is but one among many issues that require attention as our beloved parents reach the end of their ability to live safely at home alone. I hope that all goes smoothly for you and I trust that it will.
If your mother no longer drives, her insurer (you mention adding yourself to her policy, so I assume she still has one?) does need to know that.
In any case, there is never any advantage in concealing relevant information from insurers - if you need to make a claim, any facts that haven't been disclosed could invalidate the policy and you'll be right up a gum tree. So call the broker and see what's on offer. You've had your licence for a long time, clean driving history, all the rest of it, yes?
Please don't hesitate to call the insurance company. You need this information. If it isn't possible for you to drive her car then you would be able to rent a car for yourself. Better safe than sorry. And you need this information from your own company. I don't know what your OWN insurance looks like, but if you have a strong umbrella clause you should be covered for liability, so call your own company as well.
You really, when you have a serious legal question, should go to those in the know regarding the laws of your state and the rules of your policies. The opinions of a Forum are all well and good, but they are often also all over the place, literally--as we all live in different places and have differing policies. You need the real skivvy so go to those in charge. Wishing you the best of luck.
Didn't know I could be a co-owner of car/ added to title. I will look that up for Illinois rules!
Some times it is best to leave well enough alone.
I see no reason why you can't call the agent - with mom there, if she is cognitively able to participate in the call - and ask the agent these questions. You're trying to make sure that all of your legal ducks are in a row, so to speak, and there's nothing remotely wrong with mom lending you her car to drive while you're out there. Ask the agent if you should be listed as a driver on the policy. It's a fairly common question, and different states have different rules, so asking the agent for clarification is perfectly ok.