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Got a DUI back in September, costing me $$$ in insurance

T

themisfit610

Golden Member
Hi guys,

So here's my situation...

Back in November of 08, I was a dumbass, and scraped my car up against a curb, causing a fair amount of damage. This was an "at fault accident" in insurance speak.

The, in September of last year, I got a DUI. I blew a .08 exactly, and the lawyer pled it down to a wet reckless, but I still got the license suspension etc...

So, I have two nasty little black spots on my driving record.

I drive an 03 Infiniti G35 sedan with ~130k on the clock, and was used to insurance being ~$150 per month before the DUI. The car is financed so I have to carry collision and comprehensive.

Now, I went in to get an SR22 the other day so I can get my damn license back, and of course this means the insurance company gets to change their rates. In short, I'm looking at ~$500 per month to keep my car insured.

I'll let that sink in for a moment.

$500 per month, up from $150. I'm paying $170 a month for the stupid car payment, and insurance is over 3x as much.

OUCH.

The only way I see to save some damn money here is to sell off my baby (hopefully for enough to cover the ~$6k I still owe on her), and buy a beater ass car for cash that I can drop comprehensive / collision on to get my insurance premiums down to a minimum.

Does anybody else see a way to reduce the obscene amount of cash I have to pay to drive a damn car every month!?? As it stands, with the car payment, insurance, gas, and a portion of my DUI class fees / lawyer fees / fines factored in, I'm spending over $1000 per month on my car. This needs to stop.

What do you guys think?

~MiSfit
 
I am sorry to hear that, but maybe it's not too late for you in life to consider not consuming another drop of alcohol in your life again.

That's all. That's all the advice I have for you, it's the same advice my dad had for me when I was a little kid... and trust me it sure was worth listening to.

But yes, it's pretty obvious, getting a beater + minimum insurance is your best bet right now.
 
What do I think? I think you should sell your car, buy a beater and thank your lucky stars each and every day that you're even allowed to ever drive again.

The only way I would ever have any respect for you at all would be if you completely stopped drinking alcohol as a result of your foolishness. I have no sympathy for you. Have a hobo pull you around in a little red wagon for all I care.
 
Thanks for the judgements, guys 😛

Getting a DUI is very stupid, and I'm really not proud of it. Do consider that had I been pulled over 20 minutes earlier I would have passed, since I was at exactly the legal limit (.08)

That's not the point of this discussion however.

To answer the question, I did shop around a little bit, but didn't seem to get much better offers anywhere else.
 
Sell the car and get a cheapo with basic insurance.
When I got my DUI, I didnt have to get an SR22 as I took the alco ed classes, so my ins never changed.
One thing I fully remember from the classes...
A - get pulled over for DUI, and fail the test, 6 mo license revoke and criminal record/court
B - get pulled over for DUI and refuse the test, 6 mo license revoke and no criminal record/court
Option B costs less and doesnt go on your criminal record
 
Looks like I can get stripped down insurance for ~$300 per month from Geico or Progressive. AAA won't go under $500 :O

If I owned this damn car I could insure it for $100 per month.

Looks like I'm going to keep the stupid thing, and just bite the bullet on insurance ><

~MiSfit
 
Sheeesh! That's 3 times more than I pay per month for a 07 Corvette, 06 GTO, 99 Camaro Z28, and 02 Monte Carlo SS combined.
 
Yeah. Don't get a DUI.

Even if you're lucky like me, and get a good lawyer who talks it down to a wet reckless (thus saving you $8k in fines), you still get totally screwed by having this on your driving record. I'll be a very high risk driver for years.

Basically, I can't finance a car for at least 5 (probably 10) years, because the extra insurance costs from carrying collision / comprehensive would be like paying double the monthly payment. Sweet. 🙁
 
There's nothing really stopping you from keeping your current car and insuring another car....you still have to get SR-22 on them all. I had to get SR-22 on a charge lots worse than DUI and I paid $125/mo for a Porsche, Vette and a Caravan.
 
how would you have passed had you been pulled over 20 minutes earlier? wouldn't you have failed more?

i would recommend just getting a crap car and saving money for a while. even ride the bus or something if it is an option. just save up and let some time pass from your DUI.
 
Don't bikers not have to carry insurance in certain states/areas? Just buy a bike and avoid insurance, enjoy less gas, and don't lay it down over 40.
 
I doubt the curb rash influenced this much. My wife caused 4.5K of damage--her fault--a few years ago. I think our rate went up either nothing or less than $10/month. The DUI is definitely what did you in, which actually makes me happy, but that's beside the point.

You need to shop other insurance companies. If the rates all suck, well yes you'll have to sell the G and buy a 2002 Civic so that your rates are lower.

Yeah. Don't get a DUI.

Even if you're lucky like me, and get a good lawyer who talks it down to a wet reckless (thus saving you $8k in fines), you still get totally screwed by having this on your driving record. I'll be a very high risk driver for years.

Basically, I can't finance a car for at least 5 (probably 10) years, because the extra insurance costs from carrying collision / comprehensive would be like paying double the monthly payment. Sweet.
Click to expand...
Haha You are evidently more of an insurance risk than if you had simply totaled a car and booze never came into it.

Count your lucky blessings. This past weekend a guy was driving home in his SUV following a friend. When he never showed up his family went out looking for him. Oh, snap, daddy's SUV seems to have rolled off the road. Cops saying speed and alcohol a factor. 26 years old and now his family is making funeral preparations.
 
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DarkThinker said:
I am sorry to hear that, but maybe it's not too late for you in life to consider not consuming another drop of alcohol in your life again.

That's all. That's all the advice I have for you, it's the same advice my dad had for me when I was a little kid... and trust me it sure was worth listening to.

But yes, it's pretty obvious, getting a beater + minimum insurance is your best bet right now.
Click to expand...

Because that 0.001 was all the difference between the terrible life choice of his and being a horrible drunk driver person and being perfectly legal. Nothing like the MADD peanut gallery making ridiculous comments that defy common sense.

If you blow 0.08 you're driving under influence by definition of law, not physiology. BAC of 0.079 has the same effect as 0.08, the only difference is that law draws the line there... so just stfu with the high horse feedback.
 
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I do not speak from experience, and I may actually be talking out of my ass here, but I remember vaguely that there used to be some sort of loophole where people who owned companies and got DUIs would register and insure the car in the company name, which seemed to help. I highly doubt that is the case anymore, as when my wife was put on her company's policy to drive the company cars, they listed her on the insurance as well, so if she had a DUI it would have come up anyway.

Can you get an unsecured loan for the 6k remaining (at say, 15-20&#37; interest), pay off the car, and drop the collision/comprehensive? 15% interest will bite you, but not $500 a month bite you.
 
Dropping collision and comprehensive coverage is a sure fire way for you to keep yourself in the hole. You had these two "little events" happen at the end of last year. You are making payments on a 7 year old car with 130k miles, and you are driving over the limit.

You sir need to make some changes in your life, and the first one will be to start considering paying for 6 months of insurance at a time, not monthly. Start thinking long term.
 
halik said:
Because that 0.001 was all the difference between the terrible life choice of his and being a horrible drunk driver person and being perfectly legal. Nothing like the MADD peanut gallery making ridiculous comments that defy common sense.

If you blow 0.08 you're driving under influence by definition of law, not physiology. BAC of 0.079 has the same effect as 0.08, the only difference is that law draws the line there... so just stfu with the high horse feedback.
Click to expand...

Me stfu? How about you go F yourself, how about that? I was one of the few here who didn't tell him to go to hell for it. And I didn't even say he was a drunk driver. Irregardless drunk or not, he still got in loads of trouble for being a drinker and that's the bottom line. I told him that after such an experience, it might be good for him to just consider giving it up. Hell, forget the police and accidents, the money I saved alone with not drinking all those years has already made it worthwhile, let alone never having to face a shit storm like what the OP is like right now.

But that's not good according to you, no no, a good advice from your POV would have probably been to tell him to get a drink, sit back, relax and forget this ever happened.
 
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Irregardless... hah.

In fairness, the guy didn't come here looking for moral or ethical advice, he was asking about car insurance. I don't think your advice was on topic or helpful at all. I'm not sure where the OP said he was an alcoholic, I must have missed that part.
 
check out unitrindirect... I too once had the unfortunate experience filing a SR-22 with insurance... unitrindirect was very helpful and much cheaper then any other insurance company out there. It was almost as if they completely ignored it.
 
HannibalX said:
Irregardless... hah.

In fairness, the guy didn't come here looking for moral or ethical advice, he was asking about car insurance. I don't think your advice was on topic or helpful at all. I'm not sure where the OP said he was an alcoholic, I must have missed that part.
Click to expand...

Well the guy didn't mind me saying it and that's good and I gave him car advice as well. But he is in no need for more lawyers (i.e Halik) he already has a real one.
 
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