Trouble Looms As Teen Backs Out Of A Bad Car Loan Made By His Freshly Single Mom

It started with a car loan, and it somehow turned into a full-on family standoff. A teen, still reeling from his mom’s fresh divorce, tried to clean up the mess by going to the bank with her to transfer the loan from her name to his.

Here’s the twist: he wasn’t just trying to “take over.” He found a better, cheaper car than the one his mom was paying for, which should have made everything easier. Instead, his mom is demanding he drain his savings to keep paying off the remaining $20,000, claiming she “gifted” him the car.

Now he’s wondering if backing out of a deal he never agreed to makes him the bad guy.

The OP kicks off his story...

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The OP went to the bank with his mom to try to transfer the loan from her name to mine

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The OP got a better car for cheaper than what he would be paying off of his current car

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OP's mom is demanding that he drains his savings to pay for a car that he never agreed to pay for

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The whole thing kicks off when OP and his freshly single mom show up at the bank to transfer that $20,000 car loan into his name.

OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the AH:

I might be making my freshly divorced mom finish paying off $20,000 of debt for a car she “gifted me.”

We've gathered some of the most upvoted comments from other Redditors for you to read through below

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It's not the OP's car if it's not in his name

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This Redditor is still trying to wrap his head around the calculation

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The OP is deciding to downgrade?

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OP then points out he found a more reliable, cheaper replacement, but his mom keeps pushing for the original payoff like it’s non-negotiable.

This echoes the friend who refused to lend money despite knowing their pal was in trouble.

When the “gift” argument comes up, OP shuts it down hard, saying he never agreed to pay for a car he didn’t choose.

To the above comment, the OP replied saying...

I didn’t say downgrade. It’s not like I can’t afford it it’s just a matter of getting something reliable that isn’t already completely depreciated. A lot of people have been suggesting to get a beater for half the cost but this isn’t the 90’s, 5-10k isn’t gonna get you that far at least not without constant visits to a shop. I need reliability. But I appreciate you, God bless you.

And the comments continue...

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This Redditor doesn't think that is a gift

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The OP never agreed to pay for it

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The OP should give her the keys and walk away

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To make it worse, OP’s mom is essentially asking him to drain his savings anyway, even though he says he needs reliability, not a constant-repair beater.</p>

Cars are expensive purchases, so even if it was intended as a present, OP's mom ought to have discussed it with him to some extent. The OP could want to take over if she contributed a sizable sum of her own money, but from what we can tell, the OP is paying for the car in whole.

It's likely that OP would have chosen a less expensive car to meet his budget if his mother had told him how things were. Drop your thoughts and verdicts in the comments section.

He might be able to afford the car, but the family dinner did not end well.

Want another tough call about money and pressure, read about refusing to declaw a cat even when a partner demanded it.