When it comes to Florida’s minimums, I’ve always been a bit torn. My daily driver is a ‘92 Buick Roadmaster wagon, and honestly, I keep the insurance as barebones as possible. Part of it’s just practicality—the car’s worth maybe two grand on a good day, and I’d rather put extra cash toward keeping it running than paying for coverage that’ll never pay out more than the car’s value. If it gets totaled, I’ll just hunt for another old beater or finally pull the trigger on that project truck I keep talking about.
But I do get what you’re saying about liability. That’s the one thing that makes me nervous sometimes, especially with how expensive newer cars are now. One distracted moment and you could wind up owing way more than you ever imagined. I had a buddy who rear-ended a Tesla last year—he was only carrying the state minimums and ended up in a world of hurt financially. He’s still paying it off, and it pretty much wiped out his savings.
I’ve looked at bumping up my liability limits a few times, especially after stories like that. The difference in price wasn’t as bad as I thought, but for now I’m still rolling the dice. Maybe it’s stubbornness or just being too used to driving cars nobody else wants to steal or crash into. I do keep a separate fund set aside for emergencies, which helps me sleep at night.
One thing I will say—if you’re driving something you actually care about (or can’t easily replace), extra coverage starts to make a lot more sense. I’ve got a classic Mustang that only comes out on weekends, and you better believe that one’s insured up to its eyeballs. It’d break my heart if something happened and I couldn’t fix it.
Guess it really does come down to what you’re willing to risk. For me, with my daily driver, I figure the odds are in my favor... but every once in a while, I wonder if I’m just tempting fate.
- Florida’s minimums are honestly pretty low—just $10k personal injury protection and $10k property damage liability. No bodily injury liability required unless you’ve been in trouble before.
- If you only carry those minimums:
- You’re on the hook for any damages over $10k. Hit a new SUV or, like your buddy, a Tesla? That bill can get scary fast.
- No coverage for your own car if it gets wrecked (but sounds like you’re okay with that for the Roadmaster).
- If someone sues you for injuries, you could be paying out of pocket, especially if they get a judgment above what insurance covers.
- I get wanting to keep costs down on an old beater. I did that with my ‘88 Caprice wagon years back. But these days, with how expensive repairs and medical bills are, I bumped my liability up. It was maybe $10/month more, and it just feels like cheap peace of mind.
- For the cars I actually care about, yeah, full coverage all day... I’d be sick if something happened to my ‘67 GTO and I wasn’t covered.
- Bottom line, the minimums might work for some situations, but one bad accident can really mess up your finances. I’d at least price out higher liability—sometimes it’s not as much as you’d think.
I get the logic behind bumping up liability, but honestly, I’ve carried just the minimums on my old SL for years and haven’t run into any issues. Maybe I’m tempting fate, but I’ve always figured if something catastrophic happens, I’d rather pay out than shell out for coverage I rarely use. Plus, with how much some of these insurance companies jack up rates for luxury cars, it feels like I’m paying for every Porsche and Bentley that gets dinged in Miami. Maybe I’m rolling the dice, but sometimes I wonder if the extra peace of mind is really worth it when you factor in how rarely most of us actually make big claims.
Plus, with how much some of these insurance companies jack up rates for luxury cars, it feels like I’m paying for every Porsche and Bentley that gets dinged in Miami. Maybe I’m rolling the dice...
I get where you’re coming from, especially with the rates on older luxury cars. But I always wonder, what happens if you’re at fault and the damages go way beyond those minimums? I had a friend in Tampa get into a fender bender—nothing major—but the other driver’s medical bills were crazy high. His insurance barely covered it, and he ended up on the hook for a chunk out of pocket. Makes me think the “peace of mind” angle isn’t just about big crashes, but even those everyday mishaps. Do you ever worry about that side of it, or just figure it’s not likely?
His insurance barely covered it, and he ended up on the hook for a chunk out of pocket.
That’s the part that always gets me—people think “bare minimum” means “good enough,” but Florida’s minimums are like bringing a pool noodle to a hurricane. I had a guy once who figured he’d save a few bucks by dropping his coverage down to the legal floor. Fast forward three months, he rear-ends a Tesla (because, of course, it’s never a Camry), and suddenly he’s learning what “personal liability” really means. He told me later he’d have rather paid the higher premium than spend his weekends talking to lawyers.
I get not wanting to pay for every luxury car on the road, but sometimes those “what are the odds?” moments come knocking at the worst possible time. Peace of mind isn’t just about catastrophic pileups—it’s about not sweating every time you see brake lights in front of you.
