Insurance is wild, man. It’s like, you can drive a decade without a hiccup, but the minute you slip up—doesn’t matter if it’s a Camry, a Chevelle, or a dump truck—bam, you’re suddenly public enemy number one. I swear, the stop sign thing is brutal. I got nailed for that in my old beater Civic and my rate shot up like I’d been drag racing at noon in front of a police station.
I’m with you on the “accident forgiveness” stuff. They make it sound like a magic shield, but then you look at the fine print and realize you’re just paying extra for them to maybe not gouge you… once. And then your rates still go up the year after, or they “forget” to apply it. I tried it once, didn’t see any real benefit, just a bigger bill.
Honestly, I think it’s everywhere, not just Rhode Island. My cousin in Ohio got dinged for a minor fender bender and his premium doubled. No prior accidents, nothing. Insurance companies are just looking for any excuse to up the rate. I get why they’re careful, but it feels like there’s no reward for being a careful driver long-term.
With my ’73 Nova, I keep it on a separate classic policy—those seem to be a little more forgiving, but they’ve got all sorts of weird restrictions. Like, “don’t drive it to work,” or “keep it in a locked garage,” stuff like that. Makes sense, but also kinda ridiculous when you just want to take it out for a spin on a nice day.
Anyway, you’re not alone. It’s just the system, I guess. Makes me think twice every time I see a yellow light now…
Not gonna lie, I hear you on the rate hikes, but I’ve actually had a different experience with my insurance (Progressive, if that matters). Got rear-ended last year, totally not my fault, and my rate barely budged. Maybe it’s just luck of the draw or depends on the agent? Also, I get the classic car policy thing—my buddy’s got a ’68 Mustang and he’s always griping about the “no grocery runs” clause. Still, I’d rather have those weird rules than pay triple for a daily driver. Guess it’s all a weird balancing act...
- Totally get what you mean about the “luck of the draw” with insurance. I’ve had Progressive too, and honestly, my rates barely moved after a not-at-fault fender bender a couple years back. But my neighbor with Geico? His premium shot up for basically the same thing. Makes no sense sometimes.
- The classic car policy rules are wild. My uncle’s got an old Camaro and he’s always paranoid about where he drives it—like, he won’t even take it to Cars & Coffee if there’s a chance of rain. Those “no errands” clauses are strict, but yeah, I’d rather deal with that than pay daily driver prices for something that sits in the garage 90% of the time.
- Insurance just feels like a weird lottery half the time. Sometimes you get lucky with an agent who actually helps, sometimes you get stuck arguing over every little thing.
- Rhode Island traffic court sounds like a headache on top of all this... Hope things smooth out for you.
Yeah, those classic car policies are strict, but honestly, I’d rather jump through a few hoops than pay full price for a car that barely leaves the garage. Insurance is such a gamble—sometimes you win, sometimes you’re just stuck paying more for no reason. Rhode Island courts don’t make it any easier either... had to fight a ticket there once and it was a nightmare. Just gotta keep receipts and hope for the best, I guess.
I get wanting to save, but man, those classic car policies can be a pain if you ever want to actually drive the thing. I tried one for my old Mustang and ended up switching back—too many rules about mileage and storage. Sometimes paying a bit more is just less hassle. Rhode Island courts though... yeah, that’s a whole other headache.
