AAA towing?

[elchivito]

Son has been using my old 93 Toyota 4x4 pickup. He lives about 80 miles away. It started making noise at 290K miles and he discovered broken timing chain connectors. He's in no position to repair it himself - although he wants to. He adores that old kidney masher. Not going to happen in an apartment complex parking lot.

So I took him our Honda Element and need to get the Toy back home. One yahoo quoted me 500 dollars. Yeah. A friend said "sign him up with the mid-level AAA membership for 91 dollars. They have 100 mile free towing. Then have him call for a tow and send it home."

Seems almost too good to be true. Is it?

[Frank X. Morris]

Howdy elchivito,
I think there is a waiting period after becoming a member. Plus it may have to be taken to a repair shop.

[tbomachines]

I've done that...literally upped my aaa membership from the side of the road to expand the tow radius. They were able to do it instantly for me.

[elchivito]

Looks like it's a 7 day wait before services kick in. I'm not in a hurry.

[JB3]

Worth every penny. Though there is a yearly limit to tow distances in the fine print, so gotta make sure its gonna run reliably for a while after the 80 mile tow

I once had a 95 mile tow clear across the new york metroplitan area from AAA. Would have cost 1000 dollars without my membership. No limit on where they will tow the vehicle, does not need to be a repair shop

[Fulcrum525]

I did it when I bought my Gwagen. However something very important to keep in mind is that the vehicle has to be registered to you or they won't tow it. This didn't use to be the many case years ago but it is something they updated some time ago. They will bring it anywhere you need be it home or a shop so long as it's within the distance limit. There are different levels you can purchase which give you different free towing limits.

[TX76513]

uhmm....Additional charges for Roadside Assistance services beyond the
“Classic” benefit level, such as towing beyond 3 miles,

[elchivito]

Originally Posted by JB3

Worth every penny. Though there is a yearly limit to tow distances in the fine print, so gotta make sure its gonna run reliably for a while after the 80 mile tow

I once had a 95 mile tow clear across the new york metroplitan area from AAA. Would have cost 1000 dollars without my membership. No limit on where they will tow the vehicle, does not need to be a repair shop

I am going to sell it as is. These trucks are in great demand around here and it's a perfect restoration project for somebody with the space, tools and means. Not a flaw in the body, no frame cracks, good interior etc. It's unmolested. Teenager owned examples that have been hammered into the ground mud-bogging and boulder crawling routinely bring 2-3K dollars and are getting scarce.

Originally Posted by Fulcrum525

I did it when I bought my Gwagen. However something very important to keep in mind is that the vehicle has to be registered to you or they won't tow it. This didn't use to be the many case years ago but it is something they updated some time ago. They will bring it anywhere you need be it home or a shop so long as it's within the distance limit. There are different levels you can purchase which give you different free towing limits.

Title is in son's name, so no worries there.

[my83300cd]

AAA plus RV. Gets you the 100 mile tow, plus they will tow motorcycles. I started with them when I got the 59 bug, and the AAA folks have been really nice to deal with. Had the 77 hauled home last week after the water pump belt self distructed.
Nice bonus is they will renew CT liscense at the local office, no need to go to DMV.

[Mxfrank]

Driving old cars, I find that having the platinum level service is good insurance. I've had more than one long tow to recover a disabled car, as well as innumerable roadside jump starts, fuel rescues, and flat repairs through the years. Plus free maps...who else gives free maps these days? There are other member benefits that may have value to you, like credit monitoring, discounts, insurance, etc.

Service is provided by a network of independent contractors. You may find that the very same service that wanted to charge you $500 will be towing you for free.

[Skid Row Joe]

Originally Posted by Mxfrank

Driving old cars, I find that having the platinum level service is good insurance. I've had more than one long tow to recover a disabled car, as well as innumerable roadside jump starts, fuel rescues, and flat repairs through the years. Plus free maps...who else gives free maps these days? There are other member benefits that may have value to you, like credit monitoring, discounts, insurance, etc.

Service is provided by a network of independent contractors. You may find that the very same service that wanted to charge you $500 will be towing you for free.

It's not "free." You're paying a subscription fee annually, regardless whether you use it or not.

You will have to fight them to take it to your service facility of choice. You may not be successful. BTDT - several times!

[Skid Row Joe]

Originally Posted by TX76513

uhmm....Additional charges for Roadside Assistance services beyond the
“Classic” benefit level, such as towing beyond 3 miles,

Yup.......the fine print in their favor. Getting them to tow over 10 miles in an urban setting is impossible.

[tbomachines]

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

It's not "free." You're paying a subscription fee annually, regardless whether you use it or not.

You will have to fight them to take it to your service facility of choice. You may not be successful. BTDT - several times!

bullshyt.

[tbomachines]

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

Yup.......the fine print in their favor. Getting them to tow over 10 miles in an urban setting is impossible.

bullshyt.

I've done both several times.

[Mxfrank]

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

It's not "free." You're paying a subscription fee annually, regardless whether you use it or not.

You will have to fight them to take it to your service facility of choice. You may not be successful. BTDT - several times!

Just keep talking. In some sense Aaa is like insurance, which socializes the cost of towing. But their third party relationships offer benefits over and above membership costs. For example, my wife can save the annual membership cost with a single AAA discount book at Woodbury Common. A couple of hotel and travel discounts can do the same. There may be a lot of ways to get these deals, but with AAA, they make the towing and other club benefits free.

I’ve never had a problem with long tows in the NY metro area (that includes an epic recovery from State College,PA), and most of the time I just have it towed to my own driveway.The amount of free mileage depends on the member level you choose. And if you request a flatbed, you get a flatbed. So my experience has been uniformly excellent, but you may live in an alternative universe.