bob m

I posted this one in the A4 area - because it gets so much more traffic, but I'm an AR owner, so for those who don't frequent the A4 section and only reside here, this is what I posted.

When I first started driving - way back in the late 60's, I remember being a member of the Automobile Association of America (AAA). They were pretty popular and had physical offices where you can go in and discuss trip plans and they would give you these hard copy maps with an outline for your destination and suggested stop overs and hotel discounts,etc besides the very important roadside assistance. I know they offer roadside assistance today, but really in this age in internet reservations, NAV systems in your car and on your phone as well as roadside assistance being a given under the car's warranty and/or by your insurance company, has AAA become an anachronism or is it still useful today?

uberwgn

We still do, but I agree, they are in their sunset years. TripTik? I bet the youngsters here don't even know what that is.

We have used them recently when I guided my daughter thru the process of getting her first (car) loan. They are good for stuff like that. Another service we have thru AAA in MA is Registry (dept of motor vehicles) services. Initially, they could only perform super-limited tasks. They've recently added driver's license renewal and my wife took advantage of that a few weeks ago. I'll tell ya, that potentially saved her 2- 4 hours of time by avoiding the Registry, which are few and far between due to budget pressures. My son had to have a car towed last winter...they took care of that. In reality, we use the services very little.

I saw a AAA ad on TV last night touting their wide range of services. They are making efforts to make their presence known.

bob m

Wow, TripTik! Brings back memories. It's such an established company, maybe I'll take another look at at - if I find value, I'll consider joining.

stanj

They're the best thing when you need to get towed (much faster than Audi's or MB's roadside assistance), plus they offer one of the best car / house insurances, so I'm a thrilled customer. Maps? Not so much anymore

Audphile

+1 to the towing, they are very fast. My wife drives many miles and I have a 17 year old son so I have AAA mostly for their safety.

Fortunate1

I've been a continuous member (CA) for many years. I still find the hard-copy maps useful for planning, even though I have nav on my bike and also my phone.

CA (CSAA) also has DMV services, which are outstanding. Since I also consolidated auto/home/umbrella policies there, it's a good one-stop shop. The (small) added benefit is that they take credit cards for payment, so paying those higher-ticket bills is less painful when getting credit card rewards.

TIIVIO

I've been a member since I first got my license years back.

I think if there is an AAA office near by it's still a convenient one-stop shop for a variety of services, such as, hard-copy amps, passport photo, DMV registration and etc....

As for roadside assistance, I feel like even though more and more credit card company are offering them nowadays they all contract it out to companies including AAA anyways. Considering all the customers brought in through those credit cards it should keep them in business for a long while.

Side question, how competitive is AAA's auto insurance compare to other insurance companies in general?

Fantasiamon

I too have been a AAA member since my Dad gave me a membership card when i got my first car. I've sued their tow services and roadside assistance numerous times over the years since '96. The easy and quick tow anywhere is really what i keep my membership for mostly but some of the benefits other posters have mentioned seem worthy of looking into more here in NY.

Uberwgn, I'm originally from MA (took my drivers test at the Framingham DMV...or Natick...same thing right?). If you think those DMV lines are rough try NYC. Zoinks!

uberwgn

Yeah, Framingham. Long gone. They probably eliminated 50% of our locations a number of years ago.

Fantasiamon

Oh man. I'm from Sudbury. Everytime i come home to see my parents i feel like something else is gone or changed. That's what getting old is though i suppose.