Firstly, I'm 28 and married so this is not a post by a 14 year old who's spoiled and wants to be driven around in a trendy car, my concern is strictly for the safety of my parents. My dad has a 1994 Chrysler Town and Country that he bought new but refuses to let go of. He's an older guy (in his 70s) and doesn't let go of things until they absolutely fall apart, his last car being a 1974 Olds Mobile. The problem is that the Olds was built like a rock, the Chrysler was not and should have been replaced 5 years ago.
I recently borrowed his car to help with a move (no way am I going to let movers touch my av and computer gear!) and it was frankly one of the most terrifying driving experiences of my life - the front wheels wobbled, there was a burning smell from the engine, and - most frighteningly- the transmission slipped from drive to neutral IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. I returned the car to him that day and now the auto shop gave him another bill for $1,200 - this is on top of another $1,500 spent earlier this year. My parents are retired but they're doing ok, making smart investments and saving accordingly, so money's not the issue here.
My point is my dad is wasting money on a car that's doomed to fall apart and I'm scared that they're both going to get hurt in this thing. He's very stubborn and would rather throw money into repairs vs just buying a decent used car - what can I do to convince him to just buy a car??
I would honestly just buy him a car but me and my wife just bought a house and we don't have much spare cash right now. I would gladly pick up the car payments in the future, but I'm don't want to make promises to him based on speculation on my part (with the economy the way it is).
Oh, one other issue: when talking to him about replacing the car he keeps mentioning going back to India and.. gulp.. dieing ... "I won't need a car when I go back to india.. Why buy a car when I'll be dead in 5 years?" P.S His mom just died 2 years ago, they have excellent genetics actually, and he's still sharp as a tick and has never gotten into even a fender bender.. And he's talked about going back to india for 20 years, but the reality is that his family is here now.
Suggestions?
Cliffs
1. Dad is in his 70s and refuses to let go of his 1994 minivan
2. I borrowed the car and found dozens of scary mechanical issues during routine driving - the car is not safe
3. Dad is so stubborn he'd rather pay nearly $3,000 so far this year in repairs then get a new (used) car
4. I am not concerned about style *AT ALL*, my concern is for the safety of my mom and dad, since their car feels like a death trap
5. They can afford a car
6. Whenever I mention trading in his car he mentions eventually going to indian and not needing a car, but he's had informal plans to go to india for decades now so I don't see that happening
7. I would help with the payments when the economy picks up but don't want to promise him anything since I don't know what the future holds
EDIT:
My mom is terrified of the old car as well and says that she'd totally support replacing it, but is tired of trying to convince my dad. She even says that she has a pre-approved loan from her credit union for 1% interest and would buy a car today if it was her decision.
I recently borrowed his car to help with a move (no way am I going to let movers touch my av and computer gear!) and it was frankly one of the most terrifying driving experiences of my life - the front wheels wobbled, there was a burning smell from the engine, and - most frighteningly- the transmission slipped from drive to neutral IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. I returned the car to him that day and now the auto shop gave him another bill for $1,200 - this is on top of another $1,500 spent earlier this year. My parents are retired but they're doing ok, making smart investments and saving accordingly, so money's not the issue here.
My point is my dad is wasting money on a car that's doomed to fall apart and I'm scared that they're both going to get hurt in this thing. He's very stubborn and would rather throw money into repairs vs just buying a decent used car - what can I do to convince him to just buy a car??
I would honestly just buy him a car but me and my wife just bought a house and we don't have much spare cash right now. I would gladly pick up the car payments in the future, but I'm don't want to make promises to him based on speculation on my part (with the economy the way it is).
Oh, one other issue: when talking to him about replacing the car he keeps mentioning going back to India and.. gulp.. dieing ... "I won't need a car when I go back to india.. Why buy a car when I'll be dead in 5 years?" P.S His mom just died 2 years ago, they have excellent genetics actually, and he's still sharp as a tick and has never gotten into even a fender bender.. And he's talked about going back to india for 20 years, but the reality is that his family is here now.
Suggestions?
Cliffs
1. Dad is in his 70s and refuses to let go of his 1994 minivan
2. I borrowed the car and found dozens of scary mechanical issues during routine driving - the car is not safe
3. Dad is so stubborn he'd rather pay nearly $3,000 so far this year in repairs then get a new (used) car
4. I am not concerned about style *AT ALL*, my concern is for the safety of my mom and dad, since their car feels like a death trap
5. They can afford a car
6. Whenever I mention trading in his car he mentions eventually going to indian and not needing a car, but he's had informal plans to go to india for decades now so I don't see that happening
7. I would help with the payments when the economy picks up but don't want to promise him anything since I don't know what the future holds
EDIT:
My mom is terrified of the old car as well and says that she'd totally support replacing it, but is tired of trying to convince my dad. She even says that she has a pre-approved loan from her credit union for 1% interest and would buy a car today if it was her decision.
.
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