eastes

I need to make a decision. My 09 R35 has only about 6 months warranty remaining. I'm thinking I should sell now to make it easier for the new buyer to make a decision. Also might mean I can ask a little more for it. After reading your post, it sounds like an upgrade might be worth it at some point but I wouldn't buy the new 2011 right away as the extra 70k on top of what I'll likely get for the '09 is too much at the moment. So, it means I'd need to drive around in a Corola or something for a while. Hmmm. Decisions Decisions.

I appreciate that some of you are showing your support by defending me against those who are saying I'm a tosser for "getting off the hook". Although it makes me feel warm and fuzzy that you got my back, there's no need :-) I understand why a few members would get pissed about others "getting off the hook", but I don't think they see that I'm actually not off the hook. Far from it. I haven't lied about anything to court and I pleaded guilty to the offence. "Getting off the hook" usually implies a lie of some kind. I've spent $1000's in fines and legal fees I CANNOT drive for any other purpose than work. I can't even stop for milk and bread on the way home. (the judge even specified this). I've had to hassle my friends and boss for references I've had to sheepishly ask the director of BraveHearts (child abuse charity) that I need a reference. (she obliged because I donate, have volunteered time and gave her a near new car earlier in the year) etc... Do "tossers" do that? 2 days off work $100's in taxis (so far) And now, today, it looks like I'll likely need to sell the R35 because insurance companies probably won't want to insure me. wori and RB25PWR, I do understand how you feel, but I am not off the hook, and I haven't lied. It's upsetting to hear you call BS on my remorse. Perhaps you might be the kind of peeps who need to get to know someone in person. I understand that. The thing that bothered me the most about this whole experience is I didn't hurt anyone while there's wife beaters and drunken mugs that kick cops and spit at cops that walk away with a warning and a small fine. I saw this first hand at court. It's insane and it really bothered me to see. Perhaps that is a conversation to be continued in a different forum post?

I drive under 10,000km/year. (business and pleasure combined) Is it still beneficial for me? I have no idea.

No correction needed. You are 100% right. I never disagreed with this.

The guy in a VN and on the dole, would have been able to do it for free if he could show his family would be extremely affected. Not having a job would make it a little more difficult though. I have provided on this forum, everything he would need to do it for free. Unfortunately, I didn't have that luxury to confidently do it myself. I also saw this whole thing as a bit of a learning exercise. I didn't see it as "buying" my way out. I wanted to see how the courts and lawyers worked, to learn as much as possible from experts, not anonymous forum posters.

In my opinion, blatant disregard means that I was both aware of the speed (watching the speedometer) and being aware of the 80 zone at the same time. Unfortunately, I was unaware of both. Extreme Carelessness perhaps? Not an excuse, it's still just as bad.

Hi Wori, I am sorry that my actions have annoyed you and other members. I do understand how you feel. I too, feel frustrated when I see someone who isn't held accountable for their wrong-doings. It's even more frustrating when they are smug or brag about "I fought the law and I won. F%#@ the law". I detest that attitude. I can assure you that I do not feel like I am above the law, nor do I feel like I am more special than you or anyone else, just because I am lucky to drive a nice car. If I may, I would like to clear up some of your comments that you have expressed in various posts. Never, have I argued this nor have I even gone close to mentioning such a thing. I believe my car is just as dangerous as a more dated car. You are right. I do not deserve to drive, because that is what the law says. The law also says I can drive for work purposes and I am very lucky about that. Phew! More importantly, I feel I have actually been taught a lesson, despite your doubt I think you are trying to say that breaking the law is breaking the law, no matter what. You are obviously right. However, I broke it more with carelessness, not blatant disregard. I must defend myself here. If we ever got to know each other better, I would like to think that you would know that I wasn't pretending. Yes, it was recommended to me to help the case, but I saw it as being much more valuable than the case. Regarding the "Attitudinal Driving Seminar". I urge everyone do go do it. If I ever have kids, I'll be taking them to do it on the day of their licence. It saves lives, I'm sure of it. Take your kids, take your friends kids, take everyone. Yep, it's a cop-out. Everyone on here seems to be doing it which is frustrating that I feel like I'm the only one who's not. If it means the difference between keeping my insurance or not, I'm afraid it's a cop-out I need to take. I'm pretty sure it's not going to make a difference though as they ask for primary driver history. Yes, it's probably going to still cost several thousand dollars a year extra. For the record.... If could turn back time, I would probably just take the suspension. It'd have finished by now and it all would have been over with. I hope you don't mind me clearing these things up and I hope it helps alleviate your concerns.

Still worried about that. My insurance broker is looking into it. Might register the car as a company as well. Will let you know as soon as I find something.

You got it. There was closure knowing I didn't need to worry about it anymore and yes, being able to drive for work was a win. Hooray!

I already own an R35 so I know how much attention it gets. Hence, I'm trying to think outside the box for where to spend out marketing budget. If done right, $200k on some sort of R35 activity coulde be better word of mouth activity then $200k on radio (which we've tried before) You guys are right though. Teenage lads are the R35 market. My company's target market is 35+ men and women. Thank you for input, it is very much appreciated. I'll probably drop the idea for now. Might consider again if we come up with a better way to execute.

I get the point and I agree unfortunately. It could work if the price was REALLY cheap. But then it probably wouldn't be worth the effort. Maybe a chauffeur service for $100/hour could work. (no branding on the paint) Could be used for birthday presents, Christmas presents, weddings, school formals, special events etc.... Again, it wouldn't be to make money, it'd be for PR and media releases, word of mouth, social media photo opportunities etc... I reckon $100,000 spent on that would be better advertising then $100,000 spent on radio or TV advertising.

I agree with this if you're smart enough to use that money to invest in something that will reliably make more than the interest rate. If you are, congrats. Can I give you some money to invest for me? :-) Unfortunately, we aren't all that financially smart. As far as I know, this is only true if you're willing to lie in your tax return and say that the vehicle is used for work. Driving between home and work is personal use unfortunately. What % do you tell tax man is for work and % for personal?

Finally. I have closure. Today was court date to request Special Hardship license, allowing me to drive for 6 months during the suspension period for work purposes only. To help the judge decide, the following was provided: Certificate of attendance to the attitudinal driving seminar. (not a defensive driving course.) Judge loved that I did this Affidavit from my boss listing a whole bunch of stuff about my job and how I'll lose my job if I lose my licence. (signed and witnessed by JP or lawyer) Three written character references. Two were from cop friends, 1 from a charity that I help out at. They needed to be in a very specific format - addressed to "your honor", state that they know of the exact offence, state that I'm remorseful, that it was out of character, that they don't believe I'll re-offend, that they were surprised. etc... My complete re-account of the offence A signed affidavit from myself with a whole bunch of stuff about me. My family life, how I will suffer financially if I lose my job (eg, can't pay mortgage), can't maintain a fair relationship, (if you had kids, I'd say I can't support kids without a job etc...), what my assets, my expenses and my income etc.... There was more information that the lawyer provided. I can't remember all the details. Probably just formality stuff. Details of my driving history (eg no minor infringments for nearly 3 years) The most important thing was the affidavit from boss and myself. The thing he seemed to love the most was that I attended the attitudinal driving seminar. If I simply had a crack at representing myself, it would have been a lot more stressful and definitely wouldn't have been a sure thing. I used a gun lawyer named Andrew Wiseman to help. Was $2000. Luckily I didn't dispute the infringement at the start. It would have reduced my chance of a the special license. Anyway, I hope this helps anyone in a similar situation.

Suspension finally arrived in the mail. I've hired a lawyer to help me with the Extreme Hardship License. His fee is $2000 to build a case for me, tell me what I need to do an when and will appear in court on my behalf. Suspension officially starts on 4th of April at 12:01 am. The next morning, I just need to get a letter from transport department to say this is on hold, pending court appearance for hardship license. Then I can drive again. Regarding strength of case, I need to be able to drive for work and I haven't had serious trouble in the past, so it should be fine. Fingers crossed.