Question for the old and decrepit people here: AARP

[Obie]

I have a Plus RV membership on the mainland although I can use it here.

They will tow pretty much anything I am driving including RVs and my truck and boat trailer when I had a boat.
The free tow is up to 100 miles and they will tow me to my home or to any shop I desire within 100 miles. After the 100 they charge by the mile.

I even used it to tow a vehicle home from a body shop because I had no interior or windows.

[Punatang]

I've never used ARP for mapping IP addresses to MAC addresses on a local network but I'm sure it's great if that's your thing.

[TomK]

Lastly, I would encourage you to see yourself as young and energetic instead of old and decrepit. Thoughts and words are things.

Oh, don't worry, I don't. That's just my British sense of humor and self-deprecation sneaking through. It's not meant to be taken seriously.

[terracore]

I use AAA for the towing. I drive several vehicles that are over 50 years old and sometimes they break down.

I can even use it for friends as long as I am there to show the tow truck guy my card.

It has saved me thousands over the years.

That's why I had AAA.  But our car insurance offers roughly the same roadside assistance for $12/year (compared to over $100 with AAA)

The big difference is the car insurance is per policy, so it's $12 per car per year, whereas AAA covers any vehicle.  But I'd have to insure ten cars for AAA to cost less.

I've used them both for towing and didn't notice any difference in the service.  I know that AAA has programs that come with more included towing miles (100), but those start at about $200/year and while it's theoretically possible I could be on the Kona side and need a tow to Puna, that hasn't happened in 13 years and with the money I've saved I could abandon a junker in Kona and buy a different one on the Hilo side.  Having AAA doesn't move one to the front of any line either, I had a car break down in the snow and AAA told me it would be IMPOSSIBLE (their word) to get the car towed within 24 hours because of the storm.  I had to orphan it on the side of the highway and hike to the nearest exit and someone else managed to get it towed and impounded before I could return with some tools (several hours). I filed a claim with AAA and they sent me a check of what my benefit would have cost them, but it didn't come close to covering the "out of network" towing and impound fees of the company that raked me.  Honestly, it could have been one of the companies AAA contracts with and they knew they can make a lot more money by not answering the phone when the AAA dispatcher calls during an unusual snowstorm and gouging everybody instead.

My last AAA tow was shortly after we moved here. AAA has different chapters, and Hawaii was in a different chapter than Alaska was in, and that is where my plan was based out of. Different chapters charge different fees and they have reciprocal agreements to supply coverage for each other. This did delay in getting my service dispatched because I was talking with someone who represented the chapter Hawaii was in and they had problems pulling up my Alaska membership information. This was over 10 years ago so maybe their system is more streamlined now. The guy I was talking to told me that I was supposed to change my membership to reflect where I was living. I had never heard that before, but I still paid nothing for the tow.

[Durian Fiend]

I use AAA for the towing. I drive several vehicles that are over 50 years old and sometimes they break down.

I can even use it for friends as long as I am there to show the tow truck guy my card.

It has saved me thousands over the years.

Are you the guy with the really old truck with a hoodless V8, headers, etc?    That is a cool ride.

[Obie]

No, not me.
I had a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda convertible here until last May when I sold it to a friend on the mainland.
I still have a 1959 Willys 4x4 truck here.
You may see it out and about.

[Punaperson]

Just a note to terracorre: I have recently had way too much contact with towing companies. (I have two old vehicles, and thankfully they took turns needing attention.). I asked all three tow truck drivers I dealt with if it made any difference if I used AAA or my insurance company. All three told me that AAA customers get dealt with first, because they are better than insurance companies for reimbursement for services. If an insurance covered call comes in, dispatch will cover all AAA calls first, even if the insurance call came in earlier. This is an 'unofficial' practice. Things may have been different in earlier times and in different states, but this was what I was told in the last few weeks.

[TomK]

I probably should have mentioned that I'm also a Hawaii AAA member and have been for many years. I know the benefits of that membership, but I was hoping someone would point out the benefits of an AARP membership. I haven't found any, and it seems others share my opinion.

I'm grateful for everyone's opinions.