DUIs and insurance

So I'm talking to a friend of mine, wondering how with no mortgage or car payments or wife/girlfriend his take home salary can barely keep him afloat month to month, and he mentioned his car insurance as a big bill. 

He's got 2 duis, one from the 90s and one that was charged in 03 and convicted in 08(illegal checkpoint, they fought the ever living hell out of it until the state decided that State police don't need to follow state checkpoint laws). 

To me it seems like at least the older one should be off his insurance record by now, but even the second one being almost 10 years old seems like it should have passed. 

Am I just imagining a 7 year record thing like debt collectors have? Is there anything that could be done like driving school to maybe clear up the records?

He's ignored my call and complain advice before and then been surprised when it worked out, so I'm curious if maybe he's just imagining he can't shop insurance rates because he's to lazy to call around and wants to blame it on his record. 

7 years and it should be off his record. Since the insurance company is a private entity, they can pretty well do what they want as far as how long the make him hurt. He has a history as a repeat offender, I'd probably make him pay as well. 

First DUI and completion of the PA ARD program of mandatory driver classes the DUI record should be expunged from public record. You may have to petition for that tho but it will still be in the court records. 

With second DUI tho, the first DUI comes back and makes it a second offense. 

Probably best to consult an attorney after that one. 

Insurance rates are also greatly affected by your credit rating.  Since he's living pay check to pay check his credit score is likely not getting better.  

Tom Suddard said:

Yeah, the erector set in my right leg is compliments of a repeat DUI offender. He deserves to pay more.

John Welsh said:

Insurance rates are also greatly affected by your credit rating.  Since he's living pay check to pay check his credit score is likely not getting better.  

Mm this is true. 

He is doing better than paycheck to paycheck, but he complains a lot about money(he makes 4 times what I do and doesn't have to buy diapers, he can shut up about money, but he's a good friend). He has no credit score though. After some crap went down with a store credit card and an ex girlfriend in the late 90s that they are STILL calling him about, he's never had another, and credit karma says he has no score. I've explained time and time again how to use the credit union and money he already has to build credit and what that would do for pretty much everything, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. 

1800/year for liability on 2 vehicles isn't exactly breaking the bank or super expensive. It's about what the general was charging me with a clean record and mediocre credit score. Just seems that at 40, with not even a speeding ticket in 10 years, rates should be better than they are for a Saturn Vue and an OBS f250 despite the old DUIs.

So, if he has no credit score, EVERYTHING in his life is more expensive.  I bet he carries loans on the two vehicles at enormous interest rates resulting in enormous payments.  His rent is higher (I'm assuming he cant get a mortgage.) His utilities may cost more too.  Etc, etc.

He should be on liability only on those cars, and should be paying about $800/year. Get and use credit dummy! And shop around for insurance!

On the "repeat DUI" circle jerk: It's been 10 years since the last one, seems like he's learned his lesson.

I never listen or offer advice to people who I know earn more money than me, and have no dough.  berkeley em.

In reply to John Welsh :

Oh no, he actually does have some money.  I've been trying to talk him out of spending 20 grand he has in savings on a piece of E36 M3ty property for the past month. He's just cheap, and a creature of habit. 

The house is his outright from his parents estate, vehicles paid cash. No loans ever is working against him. He already took the hit from the power company changing from his dad's name to his, and that opened his eyes some that maybe rebuilding his credit would be a good idea. Something like a grand deposit because of no recent credit history, even though the only thing they changed was the name on the bill. 

I think you hit the nail though with credit score, I'd forgotten how much it effects insurance. 10 years seemed like way too long for it to be affecting rates. 

I think the credit score will have something to do with it. Also, how long since he last shopped insurance? From about year 3 with the same insurance, the rates seem to go up inexplicably until one changes the insurance company.

Also, I find that in some cases the price difference between full coverage and liability only (plus underinsured/uninsured motorist cover) is so small that it sometimes just doesn't make sense to ditch full coverage - that's how I ended up with full coverage on my '96 F250.

I should tag my friend in here that has a steel rod in his back form a sober driver, he would burn this tread to the ground.

GLWT Paul B

slefain said:

Tom Suddard said:

Yeah, the erector set in my right leg is compliments of a repeat DUI offender. He deserves to pay more.

If he's in PA, his DUI violation can't be considered 35 months after the conviction date.  His lack of credit is the tiering factor putting him in the "high risk" bucket for auto insurance.

Also if it not on his record, it doesn’t mean it isn’t on his insurance’s record and they aren’t going to drop rates unless there’s a reason to.  Much like the cable companies.

Change insurance companies and it will likely get better.  His credit won’t help his case that much though.

Most importantly, STOP DRIVING DRUNK!

I’d really reconsider a friendship with someone who does that.  Sorry, but that’s the sort of thing that could cause you more hassle than it’s worth.

In Florida a DUI stays on your record for 75 years.

RevRico said:

John Welsh said:

Insurance rates are also greatly affected by your credit rating.  Since he's living pay check to pay check his credit score is likely not getting better.  

Mm this is true. 

He is doing better than paycheck to paycheck, but he complains a lot about money(he makes 4 times what I do and doesn't have to buy diapers, he can shut up about money, but he's a good friend). He has no credit score though. After some crap went down with a store credit card and an ex girlfriend in the late 90s that they are STILL calling him about, he's never had another, and credit karma says he has no score. I've explained time and time again how to use the credit union and money he already has to build credit and what that would do for pretty much everything, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. 

1800/year for liability on 2 vehicles isn't exactly breaking the bank or super expensive. It's about what the general was charging me with a clean record and mediocre credit score. Just seems that at 40, with not even a speeding ticket in 10 years, rates should be better than they are for a Saturn Vue and an OBS f250 despite the old DUIs.

$1800/yr for 2 cars? I pay $2100/year full coverage for one car. That's 35, 1 accident, good credit score, etc. 

I'm not sure what the complaint is. Is he still beating his liver like a rented mule on high end scotch and just making sure he does it at home now?

BoxheadCougarTim said:

Also, I find that in some cases the price difference between full coverage and liability only (plus underinsured/uninsured motorist cover) is so small that it sometimes just doesn't make sense to ditch full coverage - that's how I ended up with full coverage on my '96 F250.

This. I have full coverage on all my cars.   I had full coverage on the $1000 '97 Celica I sold to Jthw8.  It cost peanuts a year over the liability-only policy.

In reply to z31maniac :

Yes, but on cheap beer. Spend $30 grand for a shot and a beer on the way home from work, and you drink at home after that. 

I went through his monthly bills because the easiest way to make more money is to spend less and while  I've found some larger monthly expenses than the $150 for insurance that can be cut away, this just looked like the easiest place to start. 

I have no input on the DUI front, but I understand the frustration of a friend with few real bills and decent pay bitching about money. 

RevRico said:

In reply to z31maniac :

Yes, but on cheap beer. Spend $30 grand for a shot and a beer on the way home from work, and you drink at home after that. 

I went through his monthly bills because the easiest way to make more money is to spend less and while  I've found some larger monthly expenses than the $150 for insurance that can be cut away, this just looked like the easiest place to start. 

If there are larger expenses that can be cut, why is an expense that he can't control the cost of (insurance), the easiest place to start? 

The only thing he can do is shop around and see if there is a company willing to charge him less, other than that, the other expenses are the place to start. 

z31maniac said:

RevRico said:

John Welsh said:

Insurance rates are also greatly affected by your credit rating.  Since he's living pay check to pay check his credit score is likely not getting better.  

Mm this is true. 

He is doing better than paycheck to paycheck, but he complains a lot about money(he makes 4 times what I do and doesn't have to buy diapers, he can shut up about money, but he's a good friend). He has no credit score though. After some crap went down with a store credit card and an ex girlfriend in the late 90s that they are STILL calling him about, he's never had another, and credit karma says he has no score. I've explained time and time again how to use the credit union and money he already has to build credit and what that would do for pretty much everything, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. 

1800/year for liability on 2 vehicles isn't exactly breaking the bank or super expensive. It's about what the general was charging me with a clean record and mediocre credit score. Just seems that at 40, with not even a speeding ticket in 10 years, rates should be better than they are for a Saturn Vue and an OBS f250 despite the old DUIs.

$1800/yr for 2 cars? I pay $2100/year full coverage for one car. That's 35, 1 accident, good credit score, etc. 

I'm not sure what the complaint is. Is he still beating his liver like a rented mule on high end scotch and just making sure he does it at home now?

Y'all need to do some shopping. I don't pay that much for all of my cars. That includes 5 cars, two buses, and 4 drivers, one of which is a 18yo male. Including the insurance on the house we pay under $1500 a month. 

In reply to Toyman01:

But in what state though?  Auto insurance cost/coverage is another one of those things that varies GREATLY by state.

In reply to WilD :

SC, apparently the 8th least expensive. 

You poor saps in Michigan have the privilege of being one of the most expensive. 

Linky.

When I moved to the US, my driving record followed me (2 speeding tickets, that was a bad day) but my very good credit history didn't. As a 30-year-old single male, you can imagine what my insurance rates were. I think they were something like 30% of my take-home pay for a while. Trying to get an apartment was tough, too, as I owned my own house in Canada so I didn't have any references from landlords.

Didn't take long to build up good credit and life got a lot easier. But man, that was a sucky time period.

I'd give your buddy the same advice I give a lot of people: visit an independent insurance broker. They know a lot more about insurance than you do, especially with edge cases like his. Plus get a credit card and pay it off every month.

And don't drink and drive, shiny happy person.