Plea Bargains: Going in Without a Lawyer to Plead Guilty to a Crime

My question involves criminal law for the state of: Virginia

Hi,

I was arrested for DWI and have a court date/arraignment coming.
The specifics of my DWI:
- First Time Offense
- BAC: 0.11
- No aggravating factors
- No criminal record. Just a few tickets here and there (No ticket in the last 2 years or so)

I've talked to a few lawyers and the impression I get is that I really don't have a case and have to rely on the prosecutor or the cop to mess up on their side to have a shot. At this point, I don't really see a point in spending $2000 - $3000 to get a lawyer if I'm going to be found guilty anyways. Everybody around me is saying I HAVE to get a lawyer no matter what.

So my questions are:
1. Is it really that rare/un-heard of to plead guilty without a lawyer?
2. Do judges usually look down upon this and give a harsher punishment than they normally would? All the lawyers told me that if I'm found guilty I should expect a standard sentence ( no jail sentence, etc. ). This sounds about right based what I researched.
3. Can I plead not guilty at the arraignment and get all the police reports, and then, make a decision on getting a lawyer? One thing I worry about this is that if I still don't think theres a point in getting a lawyer, can I plead guilty before the actual trial?

Thank you so much for your inputs in advance.

Plea Bargains: Going in Without a Lawyer to Plead Guilty to a Crime