Overhaulin'

Why do they say "free quote in seconds" in those commercials?

If you have seen or even hear a car insurance commercial you probably heard them say "free quote in seconds" or something close to that. Now when i hear that i keep thinking to myself "if i call them asking for the free quote, they'll reply saying "Here is a free quote from the movie The Dark Knight" or like "here's a free quote from Ghandi" or something like that. What do they mean by the word "quote"? Bonus points: What does the orange tab "Top Contributor" mean on this website?

Public Comments

1. A quote means they will tell you how much it will cost you for coverage, not what someone said. Top Contributor is someone who answers a lot of questions in any of up to 3 categories. If they stop giving as many answers, they lose the orange tab.
2. Quote is a 1950's slang term.... meaning "can you give me a price?". Like calling a car dealer and asking for the price over the phone. The dealer does not like to do that. He wants you there at his business sitting in the car. But you don't want to drive all the way there if you can't afford it. So you ask him to give you a price "long-distance". That is a "quote". You could use that price at another dealer. You would tell Dealer 2 that "I got a quote of $10,000 from Dealer 1". So it is the same as a movie quotation. People who answer a lot of questions in one category can get an orange "badge". It shows 2 things. You answer a lot in one topic and you get chosen Best Answer. No one knows the exact formula because Yahoo won't tell.