How thorough is AAA generally?

I’m trying to acquire a parts car as cheaply as possible to fix my friend’s car that was in a front-end accident.  I found one with a blown motor (broken timing belt... interference engine) … but it’s about 60 miles away.  It is the exact make, model, year, and color of my friend’s vehicle that I’m trying to repair.

I’m considering slapping her plate on the parts car, rolling it out of the seller’s driveway to the side of his street, and calling AAA.

Anyone think I’ll have an issue?  I can’t imagine tow truck drivers are checking VIN numbers…

Doesn’t AAA cover the driver not the car? Upgrade to the premier membership or whatever it’s called and get the car towed with that coverage and everything above board. That seems like a better option to me anyway

I've only ever had them check my license against my AAA card. Well, one guy crawled under and popped the busted shifter for me so I could get home. 

It's usually an independent shop coming out for the tow. Talking to them, they get $100 just for hooking up and almost a dollar a mile from AAA. They tend not to care what they're moving as long as they're moving something.

Maybe taking the plate would help, but as long as you're there, I can't imagine it being a problem. There's pictures and stories on the board of half a car being brought home.

I think the last AAA tow I had they checked the VIN.

That said, it suddenly fell off the paperwork when I slipped the driver $50 cash. (got a rental box truck stuck, shouldnt have been off a paved road per terms, well worth it. it was just a 100ft pull anyways)

I have done this a few times, never had the tags or VIN checked. They just hooked up the car and that was it.

spandak said:

Doesn’t AAA cover the driver not the car? Upgrade to the premier membership or whatever it’s called and get the car towed with that coverage and everything above board. That seems like a better option to me anyway

Yes, BUT the car is supposed to be registered AFAIK.  That is the AAA coverage that she has.

Currently, the parts car has no plates (reg transferred to seller's new car).

I've had AAA tow a friends car on my policy because I was with them. Can she put paper tags on it? (Not sure where you're located or how much it costs)

There will be AAA rules and then the local towing company will pull out the rules if needed .

But a few extra bucks to the driver does wonders !

mazdeuce - Seth said:

I've had AAA tow a friends car on my policy because I was with them. Can she put paper tags on it? (Not sure where you're located or how much it costs)

We could put temp tags on it but that would make it a more costly multi-day affair… drive out, buy it/get title and BOS, add to insurance, wait in line at DMV, pay sales tax at DMV appraised value, buy temp plate, drive back out to the car & call AAA.

Take the plate from the crashed car with you when you buy the car. It is not like you are going to drive it with the wrong plate on it.

AAA don't care. Once the tow truck is dispatched after the call, you're golden. That driver is on AAA's dime and wants to get paid. 

Wouldn't hurt to take a picture of the valid plate so you can recite if they ask. They've never asked me though. I once bought a totaled donor car on craigslist that I knew didn't run. I called saying "My car is broken down and won't make it home. Keeps overheating. Rear-wheel drive, so please send flatbed". All technically true. They said "Okay sure it'll be 45 minutes". I followed the tow truck home in my other car. He could tell I was obviously just using AAA to buy a donor car but wasn't phased a bit. 

TurnerX19 said:

Take the plate from the crashed car with you when you buy the car. It is not like you are going to drive it with the wrong plate on it.

That’s literally the exact plan, but it falls apart if the drivers check VIN’s. Which it sounds like generally they do not, so I'm going to give it a shot

Highly variable on the driver you get. Bring spare cash.

I have written a lot about less than normal AAA tows in this thread.

A few guidelines:

• AAA covers a person, not a car so you that person, your card and your proof of ID need to be there with the car.
• The car has to be on the road (or at least a driveway.)  AAA is not going to pull you out of a field or a ditch.  
• There is a spot on the driver's form where he has to put a license plate number so have a plate on the car...any plate and the plate has to be not expired.
• The car can not appear to be part of an accident. AAA will not tow you if they think the cops should be involved.  

Generally, do as much as possible to make the car look road worthy.  

You have to have the AAA Gold package which will tow you up to 100 miles.  The lesser package only tows you as far as the closest mechanic.  If farther then per mile charges of like $3-$4 per mile.  

Most importantly, tip your driver.  He is the real decider.  Do things that generally make his job easier like having the car in an easy to hook-up-to location.  Of course, part of making his job easy is to also stay out of his way.  

In reply to John Welsh :

Thank you for the zombie thread link, lots of great info in there!  Sounds like we'll be good to go; she does have AAA gold.

From the photos in the ad the car looks totally road worthy.  Presumably destroyed cylinder head and a busted up rear bumper with old duct tape residue... but I just need the nose off of it, which is in decent shape.

Parts car:

Fixer-upper:

In reply to therieldeal :

You'll be golden Pony Boy! 

Yours looks like a "text book" tow. I fully believe that the parts car won't run and that you need to get it home so you can fix it.  All true statements just your definition of 'fix" is different meaning you'll be taking parts off it rather than adding parts to it. 

AAA will not blink of it's as nice on other side....

Years ago they wanted the cardholder to drive in the truck with the driver , I assume thats so when they got to the destination someone knew where to drop it and sign off for it.....

Not sure how they do that today.....

californiamilleghia said:

Years ago they wanted the cardholder to drive in the truck with the driver , I assume thats so when they got to the destination someone knew where to drop it and sign off for it.....

I had AAA tow my Miata home from Laguna Seca once, while I drove with my wife and the kids in the minivan (we had driven down to the event separately).  The driver didn't blink an eye, I just said I'd meet him at my house, where he unloaded the car into the garage for me so that I didn't have to push it up the driveway.

AAA isn't doing the towing.  They contract with a local shop.  If the driver wants reimbursed for the tow, they'll take it.  You call AAA and say your car won't start and you think it's a broken timing belt.  They call Smooter's Towing and Hair Salon.  Smooter shows up with a truck.  On one hand, he could turn up his nose and make no money for his time.  On the other hand, he just got a call from AAA that says they'll pay him for a hook.  He's going to get paid.  He's not going to leave the dinner table and drive a half hour to just say, "nah, I don't want money today."

Having said that, the drivers can get picky and report certain things.  I had my 66 Bonneville towed by AAA because I had the motor out of it and the interior partially stripped.  They reported that it was not a "roadside" tow because the car was obviously a project and that car is now forever blackballed.  But more importantly, they towed it first.  They got their money and THEN reported it.

What I'm saying is, give it a bath and as long as it looks like a viable car with a broken timing belt, you're golden.  If it looks like something you dragged out of the junkyard with muddy, flat tires, they might give you grief. 

Curtis said:

What I'm saying is, give it a bath and as long as it looks like a viable car with a broken timing belt, you're golden.  If it looks like something you dragged out of the junkyard with muddy, flat tires, they might give you grief. 

They will also sometimes decline to tow it if they think it's going to be trouble.  Really low cars that are likely to break the splitter when they pull it onto the flatbed, for example.  So take the splitter off before you call them. :)

Update: Our 60 mile free tow went off without a hitch on Sunday night.  Driver pulled up, rolled down his window and said “that silver Hyundai, right?”.  I said “yessir, looks like a broken timing belt” and he backed in and loaded her up.  No vin check, heck I don’t think he even asked to see her AAA card.

My friend's car is torn down & just about ready to receive her new nose... she should be back in business shortly.  Can't beat a color-matched parts car for a few hundred bucks vs. having to sign up for 5 years of loan payments!

Great!    Please keep us updated on the panel swap. 

Glad it worked out. I have had AAA bring a flatbed to tow a car that had 1" of dust on it and 4 flat tires. No questions asked, drag it up and go.

Glad it worked out!

I had AAA tow this, including loading it up through a fence I had to disassemble. The driver was a little nonplussed but did it.

Also had AAA repo a car for me once. Turns out it wasn't the first time the driver had done that...

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Now that green Miata is pretty impressive.  I hope you told them on the phone "yeah, I'm not sure why it won't start??"