What's the BEST motor club to join? Good Sam etc.
What's the BEST motor club to join? Good Sam etc.
Thinking of joining a travel club like AAA, Good Sam, etc. Need advise from folks who have experience with any of them. Pros and cons. I have towing on my regular auto insurance already. What else do I really need and are their benefits really worth their prices?
1998 Concourse V-10 Triton....AKA...Land Shark
Re: What's the BEST motor club to join? Good Sam etc.
My car insurance company does not deal with RV, so I have to go with a different company. The RV insurance has towing as part of the benefits, so that is not what I would use if I want to join them. But some like Good Sam seems to know large rig better, and less likely to send you a pickup tow truck if you need help.
I don't do a lot of camping in Good Sam member sites, so their discount is not worthwhile. Once I was thinking about joining the FMCA for the tire discount program, but I were able to find alternatives. It really all depends on what you do, and if your lifestyle match what they offer. If you want to give me a free car, and give me the choice of a Mazda Miata, or Chinook, I would rather have the Chinook.
I don't do a lot of camping in Good Sam member sites, so their discount is not worthwhile. Once I was thinking about joining the FMCA for the tire discount program, but I were able to find alternatives. It really all depends on what you do, and if your lifestyle match what they offer. If you want to give me a free car, and give me the choice of a Mazda Miata, or Chinook, I would rather have the Chinook.
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
Re: What's the BEST motor club to join? Good Sam etc.
I only have experience with AAA and the membership has more than paid for itself. I can do my DMV chores in their stores with no waiting, they've bailed me out when I've run out of gas, and they towed me home during covid when I broke the front wheel off of my pickup.
Really though, if you're in a pinch with your Chinook, you'll need a wrecker for a proper tow. That's the key...
Really though, if you're in a pinch with your Chinook, you'll need a wrecker for a proper tow. That's the key...
1994 Premier
Re: What's the BEST motor club to join? Good Sam etc.
Flame, Flame... you know there is rarely one "best"
Anyway, when I did the research years ago, Coach Net seemed a bit better to me than Good Sam (but they got good marks too). Coach Net changed their membership tiers, and for some reason I can no longer remember I found it annoying so I dropped it.
A plus is that they are used to handling big rigs (and for towing purposes, our Chinook is big). They will also try to help you over the phone, and sometimes they will send out a tech who will try to fix the problem on the spot. Obviously this saves them money, but if successful it also avoids your Chinook needing to be towed which can save you time and potential damage.
One thing that made it less valuable to me (and I think this pertains to most or maybe all of the companies) is that they will only go some number of feet off a paved road. I'm often off down a gravel road, so hmph. But you may not be.
So although I may re-up my membership (or join a different one), I also spent some money equipping myself to at least be able to do more than I could before (better tools for tire changing, inflating, some diagnostics, etc.) That doesn't take the place of a membership, but can be useful, especially out in the boonies.
Anyway, when I did the research years ago, Coach Net seemed a bit better to me than Good Sam (but they got good marks too). Coach Net changed their membership tiers, and for some reason I can no longer remember I found it annoying so I dropped it.
A plus is that they are used to handling big rigs (and for towing purposes, our Chinook is big). They will also try to help you over the phone, and sometimes they will send out a tech who will try to fix the problem on the spot. Obviously this saves them money, but if successful it also avoids your Chinook needing to be towed which can save you time and potential damage.
One thing that made it less valuable to me (and I think this pertains to most or maybe all of the companies) is that they will only go some number of feet off a paved road. I'm often off down a gravel road, so hmph. But you may not be.
So although I may re-up my membership (or join a different one), I also spent some money equipping myself to at least be able to do more than I could before (better tools for tire changing, inflating, some diagnostics, etc.) That doesn't take the place of a membership, but can be useful, especially out in the boonies.
1999 Concourse
- caconcourse
- Posts: 497
- Joined: October 31st, 2014, 10:25 pm
Re: What's the BEST motor club to join? Good Sam etc.
I just want to put in a plug for Progressive RV insurance and their included roadside assistance. We had two rescue calls on our first trip, and they were very good. We had a blowout near Four Corners, and two hours from the nearest town in 100+ degree heat. They called us a couple of times while we were waiting for the service truck, and also called ahead to find tires in stock for us for when we were back on the road. It was a long afternoon, but we were back on the road with new tires before sundown.
Clay
2001 Concourse
Santa Barbara, CA
2001 Concourse
Santa Barbara, CA
Re: What's the BEST motor club to join? Good Sam etc.
There are some overlaps between RV insurance and motor club service. Maybe Flame is asking for both?
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
Re: What's the BEST motor club to join? Good Sam etc.
I've had Coach Net on and off, and found it useful on a couple of occasions. I've never needed a tow, but my mother did in her big Bluebird, and they knew who to call to get the right kind of equipment out there to tow her into town. On a couple of occasions they've put me on with a tech who was able to get me rolling again. That is super useful because I'm often out where the phone works but YouTube doesn't
They're a bit annoying because they don't seem to offer auto-renew and their renewal process is sometimes not super obvious. And they never seem to be able to record the kind of motorhome I have (maybe because I don't seem to be able to get my renewals done in time?), so every call started with them asking detailed info about my rig that I just don't know (which version of the engine does it have? etc). They're super nice about it, it just requires some patience - but since they start every call by asking if you're somewhere safe, I expect they'd skip a lot of it if you needed help in a hurry.
They're a bit annoying because they don't seem to offer auto-renew and their renewal process is sometimes not super obvious. And they never seem to be able to record the kind of motorhome I have (maybe because I don't seem to be able to get my renewals done in time?), so every call started with them asking detailed info about my rig that I just don't know (which version of the engine does it have? etc). They're super nice about it, it just requires some patience - but since they start every call by asking if you're somewhere safe, I expect they'd skip a lot of it if you needed help in a hurry.
1999 Premier, now minus all passenger side cabinets and appliances
Re: What's the BEST motor club to join? Good Sam etc.
For our regular automobiles, I have AAA Plus, which I would recommend. The Plus gives you 100 mile tow to place of your choice...a definite plus from the usual "to nearest garage." You can also use their local offices to renew your drivers license and get foreign currency, which saves trips to the RMV and bank.
BUT--they do not cover tow of an RV! For that, you need something else. I have used Good Sam and I have had good luck with them. One time, I had to call them to come change a tire and the other time I needed them to tow our Rig out of a mountain campsite near Santa Fe (blown transmission). In both instances, they sent the right equipment to do the job...in fact, the guy who towed us out was a maestro! He knew exactly what he was doing--negotiated a tricky gravel road out with no damage to the Rig. I was impressed.
David
BUT--they do not cover tow of an RV! For that, you need something else. I have used Good Sam and I have had good luck with them. One time, I had to call them to come change a tire and the other time I needed them to tow our Rig out of a mountain campsite near Santa Fe (blown transmission). In both instances, they sent the right equipment to do the job...in fact, the guy who towed us out was a maestro! He knew exactly what he was doing--negotiated a tricky gravel road out with no damage to the Rig. I was impressed.
David
Re: What's the BEST motor club to join? Good Sam etc.
Something else could be AAA Premier, which includes RV towing. I've had it for few years but never used it yet.
Roly
Roly
1998 Premier
Re: What's the BEST motor club to join? Good Sam etc.
Let's keep it that way, Roly.
Brought insurance for all these years, and never got a single check from them. Not that I am complaining...
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis