Kayla from Montana recently wrote into “The Dave Ramsey Show” with what sounded like a pretty straightforward question: Can we afford to buy a new car?
“My husband lives and breathes by Dave’s rules and he thinks we can’t afford one,” Kayla wrote. She said she and her husband are both 35 years old, have a combined income of $700,000, and a net worth close to $1 million. They have two young daughters and are planning to grow their family soon. Their only debts are a $600,000 mortgage on their home and a $65,000 mortgage on a rental property.
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Kayla’s plan was to save up and buy a new midsize SUV this year. Her husband wanted to stick with a used full-size SUV and keep it for at least seven years.
Ramsey Fires Back at the Wife
What followed wasn’t the usual Ramsey-style financial breakdown. Instead, Dave Ramsey and co-host Rachel Cruze launched into a full-on critique of the couple’s dynamic.
“The problem here Kayla, is not the car,” Ramsey said. “You just stand back and ask for stuff and he decides if he’s going to give it or not. That is not a Ramsey rule.”
Ramsey went on to say Kayla sounded like a “16-year-old having a hissy fit because your daddy won’t buy you a car,” a comment that many viewers found jarring.
While Ramsey emphasized that he teaches couples to work together financially as “two grown-ups working toward an agreed goal,” his mocking tone and personal assumptions about their relationship didn’t sit right with many listeners.
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Viewers Push Back Against Ramsey’s Tone
In the video’s comments section, viewers pushed back.
One commenter said the woman didn’t sound anything like Ramsey’s mocking imitation. She had simply asked if they could save up for a new car, considering their income. The commenter added, “He didn’t have to insult the wife. He was a rude a-hole.”
Another wrote, “I didn’t get that inference from her writing at all. Dave heard something that was never there.” Others shared that they also didn’t pick up on any of the supposed undertones and felt Ramsey was projecting.
Several people pointed out that the husband appeared to be using “Dave’s rules” as a way to shut down the conversation. One said it sounded like he just wanted control and was using Ramsey’s advice as an excuse.
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Ramsey’s Actual Advice
Despite the drama, Ramsey did eventually answer the financial question: No, he wouldn’t recommend buying a brand-new car unless you have a net worth of at least $1 million. “Buy a two-year-old SUV,” he said. “Let someone else take the buttkicking on the depreciation.”
He also criticized the couple for poor money management. “There’s something wrong. Where the heck is all this money going? You ought to be able to write a check to buy that SUV and not even have this discussion. There’s money going out of here like you guys are in Congress.”
Still, many commenters felt the emotional commentary overwhelmed what could have been a simple financial discussion.
One viewer summed it up: “Dave, you are good at finances, but perhaps leave the ‘daddy issues’ for John Deloney?” Deloney is one of Ramsey’s co-hosts and a popular mental health expert.
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This article ‘I Want A New Car,’ Says A Wife Whose Husband Says They Can’t Afford It On $700K. Dave Ramsey Starts Mocking Her And People Are Confused originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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