OH No DW wants another car

[brucethebroker]

So DW wants a new car , we look at cars . She has a 2008 Kia 136000 miles . The only problem is the AC is starting to go bad and the car is rattling .

She wants a Kia Soul , you have all heard it ....I have not had a new ...new car in years .

My guess is spending the money now is much, much easier than the pain felt if her current car gives out during a rain storm and it takes 3 hours for AAA to respond...

 

[brucethebroker]

Sorry Aerides, didn't mean to double up.....just skipped ahead in the thread before responding....

Must be great minds thinking alike.....

did that work

 

[Bamaman]

Wife happy equals a happy life.

At least she not asking for a Jaguar or something like that, any way you can not take it with you so enjoy the new toy.

My retirement car was a Jaguar XK8 convertible. And we had just bought a Lexus IS too. But we still have them 9 years later.

 

[ncbill]

If dropping a chunk of cash is an issue why not lease it?

With a selling price around $18k the monthly lease payment (zero down) should be in the $200s.

 

[Amethyst]

Did she contribute to the household finances? Then she gets to say what kind of car she wants, and when she wants it. I hate the idea of treating a woman like she is 16 years old and her husband "allows" her to get a car. Edit: I would feel the same way about a wife "allowing" her husband to buy something he wants.

 

[Red Badger]

So - - - lemme get this straight. Your DW, identifies a car she wants, exact model, etc. She goes to the dealer & negotiates what looks like a reasonable OTD price on an inexpensive compact car. Now, because you're retired, saying, "Sorry darling, we just can't afford such frivolous toys," is REALLY A THING?? Buddy, you've got more guts than a damn slaughterhouse!!!

Cowboy up and let her buy the car.

 

[Walt34]

I have to say I'm in the "buy the new car" camp. Hey, it's not like she's wanting a new Caddy Esplanade! And with 136k miles on the old car I'd be concerned about my DW driving around in a car with possible reliability issues.

As far as the money flying out, when we retired 16 years ago within six months we bought a brand new house, a brand new Buick for DW, and a brand new GMC 4WD pickup truck for me. Talk about negative cash flow, yikes! But all were long-planned purchases and the timing just worked out that way. We still have the house and the pickup but the Buick has since been replaced with a Honda Accord.

 

[njhowie]

I will agree with others here - let her have that car.

1. We've rented the Kia Soul while on vacation a couple times and it is a good/fun car.

2. She's had the current car (another inexpensive Kia) for 10 years, 100k+ miles - so it's done it's duty. Sell it for $500, either to the dealer or through eBay or local classified. Maybe you can get a bit more.

3. If wife is happy, you'll be happy. End of story.

 

[Bigdawg]

I'd add - if you don't think you can afford a Kia Soul, and didn't anticipate replacing a 10-year old car with 136,000 miles on it sometime soon, there could be an issue with the plan.

+1. DW drives a Kia Soul. She loves it. Zero %

 

[Dawg52]

I'm half way thinking about a new one. I have been planning for a year end model next year but recently got big bonus points on my GM credit card. They do this about once a year but its much larger than normal. Got a salesman buddy keeping his eye out for a 2018 Traverse. If he can get me a deal on one along with my card discount, I might bite. If not.....will stick to orginal plan.

 

[splitwdw]

So DW wants a new car , we look at cars . She has a 2008 Kia 136000 miles . The only problem is the AC is starting to go bad and the car is rattling .

She wants a Kia Soul , you have all heard it ....I have not had a new ...new car in years . She works a deal 17,500 + ttl the list price is 22490.00 the car is two tone white with a red roof .

She says she wants it as her retirement gift Uhhhh

Is it right to go this route immediately after retirement ? With so many nickel dime items hitting us it seems like money is flying out . Friends have told us the first year of retirement is brutal

That seems like a good deal she's brokered. Maybe cut out the yearly trip to Amsterdam and Key West to pay for the car.
I am not retired. I wonder more about you being nickled and dimed and why your friends tell you first year of retirement is brutal. Didn't they/you plan a budget for retirement? Why is retirement brutal?

 

[Dtail]

I bought myself a new car before retiring. I could easily afford it. The prior one was pretty old too. I switched to an SUV from a commuter car in anticipation of a big change in lifestyle.

I missed planning for an SUV vs. our current coupe (30k miles) as we grow older. We shall see in a few years.

 

[kannon]

We purchased a new car right before I retired, so in similar situation.

Key reason is that we wanted a safe, reliable car in our retirement. We splurged for advanced safety stuff - like blind spot warning, auto breaking, HID lights. As we have gotten older and new focus on healthy living in our retirement, I am VERY glad we splurged for these items. And the sunroof was nice too

Kannon

 

[Red Badger]

That seems like a good deal she's brokered. Maybe cut out the yearly trip to Amsterdam and Key West to pay for the car.
I am not retired. I wonder more about you being nickled and dimed and why your friends tell you first year of retirement is brutal. Didn't they/you plan a budget for retirement? Why is retirement brutal?

Nope. Not brutal. If one has a solid retirement plan (plan A , B,C, etc).

Now, if a sub $20K car decision turns your word upside down, then maybe retirement wasn't the best decision. Mentally, it's a change that can be tough to adapt to, as one no longer adds to nest egg, but starts cracking eggs.

OP alluded to the point that it was just tough emotionally. Let's assume that's the situation.

 

[Moemg]

So - - - lemme get this straight. Your DW, identifies a car she wants, exact model, etc. She goes to the dealer & negotiates what looks like a reasonable OTD price on an inexpensive compact car. Now, because you're retired, saying, "Sorry darling, we just can't afford such frivolous toys," is REALLY A THING?? Buddy, you've got more guts than a damn slaughterhouse!!!

Cowboy up and let her buy the car.

A divorce is a lot more than 18,000.

 

[Katsmeow]

Is your car newer than hers? Does she like it? If a new car is really going to break the bank then perhaps you take her car and she takes your current car. If that appeals to her.

Having said that -- the cost of this car does not seems outrageous and given age/mileage of current car it seems reasonable to replace it. Not sure what your objection is.

 

[splitwdw]

Nope. Not brutal. If one has a solid retirement plan (plan A , B,C, etc).

Now, if a sub $20K car decision turns your word upside down, then maybe retirement wasn't the best decision. Mentally, it's a change that can be tough to adapt to, as one no longer adds to nest egg, but starts cracking eggs.

OP alluded to the point that it was just tough emotionally. Let's assume that's the situation.

Saw nowhere that OP alluded that it was tough emotionally. He said he was being nickle and dimed and their friends said 1st year was brutal. I'm wondering what's so brutal for him and his friends. Did they not have a plan A, B or C? He's been retired from the oil industry since 2016 according to an earlier post and they take 2 big vacations a year. Think I also read that his wife just retired.
Back to the original question...
OP, Maybe you should take her to Frank's and buy that corvette that you mentioned in a earlier post!

 

[Andre1969]

I wonder if "I can't afford it" is actually code for "I don't want to spend that much money". My Mom and stepdad have been retired for about 7 years now, and don't even spend what they get in pension every year, so their investment amounts are actually growing. But still, the "I can't afford it" gets thrown around from time to time.


I'll admit, I have a habit of doing the same thing. I think I get it from my grandparents' Great-Depression era mindset.

 

[harley]

I think part of the OP's problem is that in the first year or so of retirement many people are uncomfortable about whether they actually calculated everything correctly and if it's all going to work out. That makes spending any money, much less unplanned relatively major purchases, difficult. I know I was pretty obnoxious about it early on. Our expenditures were much larger, as we were building a large and expensive house (planned expenditure) and then furnishing it with a lot of new stuff DW wanted/needed (unplanned by me expenditures). I was pretty cranky about it, and it wasn't until a few years later that I realized it was because I was nervous and unsure. But since the numbers had all worked out before we FIREd, in the long run it wasn't a big deal. And it won't be for the OP either, unless, as someone suggested, they FIREd prematurely. But I also would recommend biting the bullet, buying the car, and keeping your mouth shut about it. Domestic harmony is worth more than gold.

 

[JP.mpls]

Harley is a wise man. "Domestic harmony is worth more than gold."


OP needs to have a nice drink on the veranda this evening, and let his wife do whatever she wants. You have made it to FIRE, it is time to enjoy.
I'm not a big cigar guy, but this might be a good time for that too. (My friend gets me to pretend I'm cigar smoker when we are out on our boats with a beer in hand. I like the concept a little more than the reality.)


If that doesn't work, I recommend some counseling from Dr. Robbie B.


JP

 

[kcowan]

Our best buddy who squeezes every dime decided with his wife to buy her a new Kia Soul to replace her aging convertible. They were so impressed that they have used it even for long distance travel instead of his Chev Equinox.

In April he died of a massive heart attack so she is now faced with getting rid of the Chev. But it seems that the Kia will serve her well.

I think OP might need an FA to develop a retirement plan that accounts for these regular expense chunks.

 

[RunningBum]

I don't think the OP needs to let DW "do whatever she wants", but replacing a 10 year old car that's rattling (perhaps unreliable) and A/C not working (definitely uncomfortable as we hit summer) should definitely be something that was in the plan before too long.

If this is causing the OP issues, that is either poor retirement planning, or a mental block against spending money that needs to be overcome.

If the roof on your house starts leaking, are you going to replace it, or pretend it's not happening and put it off for a few more years? Are you going to wait until your wife breaks down somewhere before replacing her car, or until her complaining about driving around with no A/C becomes unbearable to you?

This seems like a no-brainer to me. Buy the damned car. Especially since it sounds like she's negotiated a good deal. But it's your money, and your life....

 

[brett]

Get over it. Open your wallet and let the moths fly out.

My guess is that if it was him, rather than his spouse, the replacement vehicle would be in the driveway pronto without all of the gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands. The latter takes away from the enjoyment of the new car and leads to a certain amount of resentment.

 

[Bestwifeever]

The first year (or ten ) of retirement can definitely be scary but imo OP should trust the process and planning, and go with his DW on this new reliable relatively inexpensive vehicle. It will be one less thing to worry about and it won’t be any cheaper next year.

 

[Teacher Terry]

We drive our cars until they have at least around 200k/miles. It is usually cheaper to fix then to buy a new one. About a year after retiring my Volvo had 178k/miles but the required fixes were 6k so at that point it was a no brainer to get rid of it. I would have fixed it for 2 or 3k though.