Should I Ask My Husband to Sell His Second Car to Pay Off Debt?

A 27-year-old woman is trying to help her husband dig out of $20,000 in credit card debt, and it’s turning into a full-blown emotional standoff over a car that, on paper, should be the easy one to sell.

Her husband is 29, a serious car enthusiast, and he already owns two vehicles: a 2006 Honda Civic he bought outright, and a 1993 Miata he also paid for and keeps because it’s his “hobby” and his pride. They even sat down with a game plan, which basically says sell the Miata, worth around $2,000, to start knocking out balances. But when she brings it up, he gets devastated, arguing the Miata is not the reason they’re in trouble, and he cannot stand the idea of losing his one thing.

Now the wife is stuck between supporting his passions and pushing for the financial move that could actually relieve their payments.

Original Post

My (27F) husband (29M) is $20,000 in credit card debt currently. We met with a financial planner to come up with a game plan to help us pay off the debt and save for a house.

He currently has a 2006 Honda Civic and a 1993 Miata. The financial advisor has recommended he sell the Miata (worth about $2,000) to begin to pay off his debts.

My husband (29M) is a huge car enthusiast and worked hard two years ago to buy that car outright for about $1,800. He doesn't put any crazy work into it, it runs and drives decently.

Overall, insurance and gas cost us about $100/month for the car. When I brought up to him if he had put any thought into selling his second car he became overly emotional and said he was devastated to lose something he really wanted from life.

His argument was that even if he didn't sell the car, it doesn't cost so much that it's the reason he's in financial hot water and that with all the drastic life changes we've made this past week, he would hate to lose his one hobby. As his wife, I empathize with him on maintaining what he worked hard for and supporting his passions.

As I said, he isn't working on it, it runs and drives perfectly fine and he drives both cars equally (alternating back and forth every other day). I can also appreciate though that two grand is a good amount of money to knock out at least one of his credit cards and take a strain off his overall payments.

Initially he had wanted to sell his Civic but it doesn't make any sense selling a much younger, reliable car. His argument was that he could make double for the Civic (around $4,000) and also had a set of rims he could sell on the side worth a few hundred.

My concerns were that he works about an hour away from our home and I don't foresee him being able to afford a newer car for at least 5 years. Only driving a 93 Miata with 250,000 miles on it as a daily driver is not feasible or realistic.

I'm feeling at a cross roads but I still think I'm right for asking him to seriously consider selling his Miata. AITA for pushing him to sell his Miata even though it's his passion, knowing that in the long run he could get another one in the future when we're more financially sound ?

Comment from u/Simmeryetimbers

Comment from u/Jason_Samu

Comment from u/andreaak88

Comment from u/Torboni

Comment from u/Moo_Moo_Mr_Cow

Comment from u/shhh_its_me

Comment from u/KaraAuden

Comment from u/murano84

Comment from u/sawdeanz

It also echoes the Redditor torn between tradition and love, in a marriage-at-28 showdown with family expectations.

Comment from u/sappuchu

Comment from u/stunning-stasis

Comment from u/IAppearMissing05

Comment from u/BarefootJacob

Comment from u/[deleted]

Comment from u/ITworksGuys

Comment from u/Throwaway-242424

Comment from u/daaimp

Comment from u/YMMV-But

When OP starts talking about selling the 1993 Miata, her husband’s reaction is so intense it turns a money conversation into a personal loss.</p>

The fact that he alternates between the Miata and the Civic every other day makes OP feel like the “hobby” argument is getting in the way of reality.</p>

OP also points out the downside of keeping only the Civic, because commuting an hour away with a 250,000-mile daily Miata is not a plan, it’s a gamble.</p>

The deadlock gets worse when he tries to justify selling the Civic first, then mentions rims on the side, while OP is staring at $20,000 in debt and a house goal that won’t wait.</p>

We're curious to hear your perspective. Share your thoughts in the comments.

He may love the Miata, but OP is starting to realize the debt is not going to care about feelings.

Before you decide, read about the AITA mom who refused to let neighbors kids adopt her stray puppy.