Help ! ? ! ? Hubby Wants a Sports Car..??

Dave Ramsey would say: if the house is paid off, you have no credit card debt, have an emergency fund and college funds underway for the kids, then PAY CASH FOR THE CAR AND GET IT.

If any of the above are missing, Dave would say, "Grow up! Don't be a little boy. AND buy the car when you can afford it."

daveramsey.com

I say let him buy it. It's better than him not coming home at night. Everyone needs a way to be non-responsible from time to time, it's healthy for the spirit, so let this be his way of being childish and fun.

Have you ever watched Suze Orman answer questions just like this from real people on tv? My guess she would say "get the car!" if you are caught up on the kids college fund contributions, your house is paid off, you have fully funded retirement 401K and have zero credit card debt AND can pay cash for it. Soooooooo.......?

It's scary in this economy. Everyone gave you the same response I would have but I will include that the $15,000 car doesn't just stop there with cost, you still have the monthly insurance, maintenance, etc. And your husband will be gone more often cruising leaving you and the kids at home, so you may get real tired of this car.

My husband needed a new car & was hell bent that he wanted a $52,000 car. of course I got a lot of "well i make good money i should be able to have it". Thank goodness we signed up for the Dave Ramsey class. I cannot believe how much he has changed from this class. It's a 13 week class & we are in the middle of it still, but I am so happy he totally changed his mind & now is more focused on our future.

Good luck

I think a lot of men go through things like this , some want cars , some want bikes/boats you name it!
Can you afford to spend that kind of money on a car? You don't need a 3rd car , sell the one your husband currently uses and then use that money towards the one he wants. I wouldn't rush out and buy it though , you need to work out if after a few months will the novelty wear off and he will want something else??

Why doesn't he just rent one a few weekends a year? It can be his Fathers day, Birthday and Christmas gift?

Our daughter is in college and I am glad we had savings.. Remember we only have one child. She has scholarships and grants.. I am looking at the final payment for this spring semester (1 semester)it was $29,513.00 plus we pay for her flight, books, Insurance, and a monthly allowance.

What do you all have saved for the 2 kids you have for college?

Hi Lisa,

Some Men are to "Sports Cars" as some Women are to "Shoes/Clothes/Purses"

This is NOT a Need, it is a WANT. As Suzi Orman says, do the math and see if you can honestly afford this *third* car.

Have an honest conversation about your finances as a couple and then decide what to do. Being PRACTICAL /REAL about the family Finances is a good thing.

PS-I am married to a car enthusiast myself, he always has a "Project/Fun" car ( third car), that he buys at a bargain price ( We save up for it-pay cash for it), he likes to work on it, fix it up and sells it, for profit.

Well, judging from your post, there doesn't seem to be the concern of finances weighing on you. If that is the case, I say let him have it. My husband has a Mustang Convirtable which only has 2 seats in the back (and are ridiculously cramped for anyone with legs) and we have 4 kids; and it is only driven for 4.5 months a year. The rest of the year it sits in the garage (while we both park our "normal" cars in the driveway exposed to the elements, lol). We had a payment on the car for 3 years, but it has been paid off for a few years now. I will say that it is nice to have that car to take when the off chance happens that we get to leave the house together without the kids. It honestly helps us remember that we are more than just parents. Is there a way you could compromise and he could get a used one? Is he absolutely set on a new one? It is important to remember that we adults need our "toys" too, just like the kids do. For me, its the computer and my hobbies such as photography and scrapbooking. For my husband it is his car and his racing go karts.

I will tell you though that in my situation, he had the car before I came around...but...he has said to me in the past that he wanted it for a very long time and his ex-wife never "let" him get it. Now he jokes with others that he traded in his first wife for the car :)

If he wants a fun car to drive to work...let him. Do you normally drive your car on the weekends with the kids? Don't buy a third car that expensive....one car will do a lot of sitting so you'll just be wasting money. But here's a little tip for you about the Corvette. A lot of men don't think about the overall BIG picture when buying their sports car. My husband HAD to have this older BMW and I was fine with it. He works hard, I love cars too like a guy so I guess that helped him, and we could afford it...so we thought. That frickin car was a money pit! We just sunk dollar after dollar into it and it seemed like it was never going to end. We got rid of it at a loss about 6 months ago. Lesson learned for us.
Now onto you with the Corvette man...if you're really adament about not getting that car or want him to get a different one...ask him to do some basic maintenance research...namely how much replacing tires is going to cost! I mention this because we have a friend who HAD to have a Corvette. His wife was not too thrilled about it for the very same reasons you mentioned. Well, the time came when he needed to replace the tires he learned very quickly that it sucked to replace Corvette tires (basically they run between $400-$500+ EACH to replace). So the tires alone on that car are ridiculous. Just thought I'd give you a heads up.
But if you can afford that and he really wants the car and it will keep him happy...I say let him get it. You only live once. :)

I second the response to rent one!!! Great idea.

This is perfectly normal.... is this something you can afford? And like JC says, you have insurance and repairs, although it doesn't sound like it will be driven all that much.... if you can afford it then why not? I completely agree with Jaime.... us adults need our toys too. If we could afford it I would defiantly buy my husband a vet (it's his dream). I have my toys too... computers, camera's, and even 4 wheelin when we have the money. Just because we are parents doesn't mean we have to sacrafice "everything". We had a 2 seater sports car at one point and it was great when we had our time without kids.... we would just drive up the coast (we are from California) eat dinner and drive back. Having a 3rd car really is not a bad idea. You never know when a car is going to need repairs that might take a few days.

SURE! As soon as he gives you $15k for what YOU want as well . . . .

$15,000 for a Corvette? It must be used and/or have miles and/or issues. NEW Corvettes are over $40 thousand!
Not that I know from personal experience, my husband is very practical but did buy a Chevy Impala Super Sport a few years ago with a corvette engine for about $20 thousand. We had a friend, bachelor, who bought a new Corvette, had to wait a few months to get it and I think he said it was just over $50 thousand because of the bells and whistles.
Like I said, I don't get it. My husband doesn't get it but it's up to your family.
Good Luck,

This is funny, I have always wanted and will someday have...a corvette. Call up your insurance agent and just for fun quote it and let him know how much more it will be. That may put a stop to it if money is an issue! Otherwise, just be glad its a car and not another women he's looking for! Good luck!!!

Why don't you rent one for him for a week. Maybe that will help tide him over. If you have NO debt, maybe look into buying a used affordable Corvette. Don't go into debt over a toy though.

Sure, why not, if you can afford it? Maybe he's tired of the mini van scene, and wants a car where no children will be. Maybe this will help you take date nights more than twice a month too! :)

Well...I understand the love of cars, I've always loved cars and although I don't have a shiny nice sports car, I definitely get the urge to have one when I see one flying by. I mean, think about how long he has probably wanted a sports car...if he works hard for his money, and you guys can agree that it won't become a problem for you guys...i'd say let him have his fun. You live but once.