When is it acceptable to buy a stupid car?

[Honu]

When our first child was on the way bought a BMW 3 series convertible told the wife child seat would fit
When it did not my wife loved the car and we just used the SUV for kid duty and sold the Porsche since it became useless
This was when I was still living on Maui 3 series very IMHO ultimate island car hahahahaha

Have to say glad I did that then we both had it lived it loved it and still had a kid hauler

We make money to enjoy things I feel so do what you and the wife want

Now our BMW was 4 years old at the time super low miles drove it for a few years kept it up sold it for close to what we had into it ($500 less) so buying Smart on anything Like a car takes the sting out when time to move on

I think ya have to love what ya drive that fits in your financial position so does not need to be expensive just something ya love for whatever reason

If the wife is on board go for it

[CPM]

And you could actually achieve that goal in the back of the Tacoma's bed.
Just thought that needed mentioned.

I was shooting for the top of Haystack Mountain in Montana overlooking the Chinese Wall. My theory is it will create some type of superhuman.

[Averageman]

I was shooting for the top of Haystack Mountain in Montana overlooking the Chinese Wall. My theory is it will create some type of superhuman.

Can you get your hands on some Kryptonite?

[SteyrAUG]

When you have the money, you are not shorting your retirement and savings and it is an “extra” or third vehicle. That would be my logic.

Yeah, pretty much. I'd also say when you can afford it and it's a good deal and you aren't losing 40% of the purchase price when you drive it home. It could also be a second vehicle as long as it can function as a daily driver.

When it comes to money I worry about two things. Not having enough money for everything we need and still having money I didn't spend to enjoy life with family and friends after I pass.

I also find, no matter how much money you have, things adjust to eat any excess up so really there will never be extra money. If my household income doubled tomorrow I would simply allocate the extra funds to fix things around the house that I've been holding off on, would upgrade to more reliable and safer vehicles for my wife and I and I'd completely flush any debt I'm carrying up to and including the mortgage on the house.

But in the meantime every once and awhile, assuming it won't mean not paying the electric bill, you have to buy a few things that give life "meaning", something you can enjoy that makes the last 20-30 years of working your ass off amounting to something more than just getting by. Something that will make it acceptable to keep working another 20 years or so depending upon your age.

The times when I've been the most broke and figuring out how to get my head above water, I think of better days when I had my father staying at my house for the winter and taking him out to nice dinners and crap like that and I don't regret a single dollar that I spent even if the steaks were sometimes a little pricey. I imagine those with children feel the same way.

I've been way up and I've been down and I have a reasonable expectation to continue to be doing ok. There will always be opportunity to make more money, but you can't get a second chance at those nice dinners with family who isn't with you any more.

[Kevslatvin]

Exactly. That’s why you put the baby in wifey’s SUV.

However, if that’s such an issue; wait until your kid is out of the house.

For the love of all things holy, do not forfeit your chance to buy a badass car at some point in your life.

It ain’t rocket surgery, gents.

That's my philosophy. I had a '89 Mazda Rx7 when my daughter was born. Maybe not bad ass to many but a sports car none the less. I still have it today 16 years later. To be fair though I had it when we got married and it was paid for when my daughter was born. My wife's cars have always been the family car. I try to keep her in something newer and dependable and I've ended up with a truck and dirt bike along the way. Having a baby doesn't have to be a death sentence on everything fun or cool. I think you're allowed an impractical thing or two as long as your family doesn't suffer because of it.

[AKDoug]

Bitter? Nope. I'm not working any more than I would be if I was blowing my money on silly things. I'm just frugal. I'm 35 but I've saved enough that I could walk away and take a bunch of years off of work with no change in lifestyle and not touching a retirement fund. My wife stays home raising the boys.

That gives me much more peace and enjoyment than driving a hot rod to and from work every day.

Everybody is different and that's just me. Stress and worry cause me a lot more discomfort than not having cool things. I get that not everyone is wired that way. My true happiness is to not owe anyone anything and therefore not have to work.

Again, I understand I'm probably an outlier. If I only had the recommended 3-6 months of expenses in an emergency fund I would literally stay up at night worrying about it. So my version of "living in the moment and just enjoying life" means I'm not worried about being someone's slave. Buying things does not give me any true happiness.



Anyway, this really isn't what the OP asked.

So, for him, as a Dad speaking to a Dad to be - Car seats are WAY bigger than you think they are once you get past the click in carrier stage and move into the big rear facing seats (about one year.) Also, babies, even boys, have all sorts of crap that has to go with them everywhere you go, way more than you are expecting.

However, if you can get the wife's car set up to be the 100% family mobile and you will never be delivering the kid to day care or anything in your car, don't even worry about it. Just get what you want since you will literally be the only one ever in the car and will never have passengers unless it's the wife on date night while the kid stays home with a baby sitter.

You're not the only outlier.. I have never dreamed of owning a sports car or a muscle car. Yeah, I marvel at the horsepower and the engineering that go into them, but that's about it. I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to drive one, but I'd prefer it on a track. To own one? Nah, not for me.

I can't even stand driving a car of any sort. Crouching down to get in, smacking my head on the door header. I hate even renting cars. I get zero enjoyment out of them.

I like my stuff offroad where there's few rules.. be it in the water, on the snow or out in the sand. No cops to mess with me, just my own bad decisions to hurt myself and nobody else.

However, the same rules apply when you want to buy a boat, an RV, a Jeep, or a car you don't really need. If you are in a place where the money won't matter, go for it. But kids bring responsibilities far beyond what you can budget for. All it takes is one medical emergency and you're in deeper than what a car costs, sometimes even when you have good insurance. I held back all my fun purchases when I had kids, then chose fun stuff like guns and snowmobiles that the kids could enjoy with me once they reached their early teens. Not saying your kids wouldn't enjoy a fun car, just saying that it wouldn't hurt to wait a bit and make sure your kid isn't going to need the financial support you've saved up that you would spend on that fun car now.