Car Wars: A New Hope

[71dusterman]

I would go to an Insurance Broker to see what they can find for you and possibly toss in the home insurance as well. See who really wants your business for the least out of your pocket.

 

[Dr.Jass]

Yep. I'm in the process of doing that myself for my home insurance. Apparently my agent needed to make another Corvette payment, because he keeps raising the replacement cost of my house to $125,000, contents not included. I would have a hard time spending half that to replace it. It's a tiny two-bedroom, not even 700ft². To hit $70K, I'm pretty sure I'd have to add another story, since my footprint is as large as zoning will allow on a 60'x125' lot. :doh:

 

[restoman]

Just to give those of you not in Michigan an idea about our insurance rates.

I'm 42 with no tickets or accidents. Chrissie is 38 with no tickets or accidents. We have no kids driving. She has a 2000 Buick LaSabre with comprehensive coverage only. I was driving my 98 dodge 1500 4x4 with the same coverage. With those two cars our yearly bill was right around $3200.00 That does not include my charger (It's on its own policy). Our rates have changed now that I have a newer truck so I'm not sure of the current numbers off of the top of my head. I know it's more though.

Ouch!
Over here in the Land of The Rich Taxpayer, we pay $2000 a year for a 2002 Volvo and a '99 Montana, both with $2 mill liability coverage and comp/fire/theft. I'm 50, wife is 44, and I'm thinking it's time to shop around for a new insurer...
The Beetle costs $125 a year.

 

[Dr.Jass]

Like I said, he's taking it in the shorts. Hard.

 

[71dusterman]

Just over $1600 for my 07 Mega Cab and 11 Avenger here. My house insurance is thru the same provider and we are classified as being in a high risk area of the province.

 

[Stretch]

They changed that law jass. All DUI;s are on your record Permanently. Its odd though. If you got your first one today and another 7 years frome now the 2nd is a second offense. But if you got your first today and your 2nd in 8 years the 2nd is a 1st offense. but if you ever get another, be it 7 years , 10 years, or 30 years after the 2nd witch was considered 1st offense because it was 8 years after the 1st it 3rd offense. so you can effectively go from 1st to 3rd. The shitty part of that is the law includes all dui arrests so if you got 1 in 1969 one in 1978 and one tomorrow its 3rd offense. It doesn't matter that the first two came before the law changed.

welcome to the peoples republic of Michigan.

 

[Stretch]

I see I said $3200.00 It should have been $2200.00 a year. Fat fingers I guess.

 

[Dr.Jass]

They changed that law jass. All DUI;s are on your record Permanently. Its odd though. If you got your first one today and another 7 years frome now the 2nd is a second offense. But if you got your first today and your 2nd in 8 years the 2nd is a 1st offense. but if you ever get another, be it 7 years , 10 years, or 30 years after the 2nd witch was considered 1st offense because it was 8 years after the 1st it 3rd offense. so you can effectively go from 1st to 3rd. The shitty part of that is the law includes all dui arrests so if you got 1 in 1969 one in 1978 and one tomorrow its 3rd offense. It doesn't matter that the first two came before the law changed.

welcome to the peoples republic of Michigan.

You're going to tell me about this? Remember, I got my last one 10 days after that new law went into effect... otherwise it would have been a first offense.

You didn't closely read what I wrote. Insurance does not go back that far, nor does my active state record. Yes, it still counts against me as a prior if I get another one, but the points drop at 3 years, just like any other ticket. If you pull my record right now, it will say my license is suspended. It will not show any points. If you pull my full (permanent) record, which requires calling the state and requesting a copy of it, you'll get about 70 pages in a heavy manila envelope.

 

[Stretch]

According to Chrissie with the new law and the new LEAN system it all comes up. Driving and criminal every time they run you. Although yes. I missed the part about insurance going back 3 years.

Sorry I blew up.

 

[Dr.Jass]

Yes, it will show your criminal and active driving record, plus alcohol offenses involving motor vehicles. That's not new; it's been that way for many years. It will not pull up my speeding tickets from the Eighties or the ticket I got in front of K-Mart in 1998. In fact, when the members of her department treated me like they were Gestapo, they apparently didn't know anything that wasn't active. They ran my name. All they had was the open warrant in South Carolina.

There is no "new" law. The one to which you're referring has been in place since 2007. It only affects alcohol-related offenses, so they know what offense to charge against you if it's once again alcohol-related.

Regardless, my insurance will only be high risk for six months.

 

[Stretch]

Right. And it's been in effect for 7 years already? How did that happen? Wow! Life kind of freight trained right on by I guess.

 

[71ChargerRT]

NJ was the same way with insurance rates, When I had my '99 Durango, no blemishes on my driving record and I was getting hosed for almost $500/month for full coverage(financed the truck). Now in Texas with 2 vehicles with full coverage we're paying $140 a month and I'm ready to switch because I can save about $20 a month with the same coverage elsewhere.

 

[Dr.Jass]

I just had this conversation with my brother last week, and he just switched companies. He's now paying a scosche over $800 every six months on two vehicles with full coverage on both. I can't remember if his wife's station wagon is a 2010 or 2011 (Mercury Mariner), but it's that and his 2014 Chevy Silverado Z71 4-door. Of course, his old agency suddenly found all kinds of savings for him, but he told them they should've thought about saving him money rather than fucking him on insurance for the past six years.

Typical situation: new agency opened up, best prices in town, and everyone flocked to 'em. Now they're leaving in droves. Calling around is well worth the money, and if Stretch is really paying that kind of money for "unsurance" he's just plain being ripped off. The replacement cost on my brother's truck alone is more than Stretch would get if he wrecked all three of his cars, and the Charger isn't on the rip-off policy.