We're both 32, and I'd say we live in a medium to HCOL. We live in California, but not like San Francisco expensive.

Selling the car for a loss just to avoid the risk of needing a new tranny is not a good idea. Just keep the car and drive it. The risk of needing a major repair on a 2017 is low.

And is the new tranny over 9k?

And for IRAs, you only have 120 days to close from the withdrawal, so this wouldn't qualify even if it was from an IRA.

How old are you if you don’t mind me asking and do you live in a HCOL area?

Somewhere between the two options. I would never spend 175k but I guess I'm wondering exactly how nice of a car I can get without being irresponsible.

Our total monthly varies but I would say that we average about 1k per month leftover. We just purchased a house about year ago so a lot of our expenses (maybe 2k) are going to one-time costs though, things like furniture, home repairs, etc. I would estimate that by June this year, we'll probably be able to save around 3k per month.

You’ll need to Google your state and see what the requirements are for a caregiver.

There is no 401k penalty exception for withdrawals related to buying a home. (There is for IRA, but not 401k.)

This is correct. Just be very careful with any collection agency what is going on. They are crooks

You will need a bunch of death certificates, at least 5 or 6.

You have to file for probate, and the court appoints an administrator.

Well price it out, see if you have cash on hand to afford it.

If not, see what your monthly payment estimate would be, does it fit within your budget?

Yes? --> cool

No? --> consider something cheaper

I doubt you'll find anything outside of your budget, tbh but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a financially wise decision.

You do you though.

Thank you!

Truthfully, I'd like to get the nicest SUV I can.

Hmm. We're about 61/39.

Now that I see the numbers, it doesn't seem fair to split 50/50 although that's what we did prior to getting married, and we had a lot of changes happen last summer. I started earning more and simultaneously, he took a pay cut to get into an industry where he will eventually get paid more than me. But he's still entry level right now, so it'll take a long time to get there.

And yes! All the excess money from rental income stays contained in my checking/savings combo that is only used for that property. I don't touch it at all, but it's there in case any maintenance or repairs need to happen.

A $25k car on a net income of $35k is a ton of car overall. The monthly payment amount works because it's a 5+ year loan. Most of us around here suggest you should stick to a 3 year loan or less to "afford" a car.

Do you want to plan to live with mom for the next 5+ years while you pay off this car?

A car in the $10-15k (pushing it) range would be a lot more appropriate long term. Many experts recommend your total transportation cost should be 10-15% of your income. It's guidance, not perfect in all situations but should give you a better idea of where you should be https://www.investopedia.com/how-much-should-i-spend-on-a-car-5187853

at 2900 monthly income, you have 428 in monthly expenses, bringing your discretionary down to 2472. are you planning on keeping your chevy or trading it in?

If you're keeping it, you'll have to pay for insurance on both cars. There's usually a discount with car insurance companies when you have multiple cars, but it will still eat at your finances. If you're trading it in, or even doing a pick and pull thing, you'll be able to put that as a part of a down-payment on your Mazda, which will your reduce monthly minimum.

Mazdas are really fuel efficient cars, so I think you picked a good make and model especially since you have a bit of a commute. I'm not so sure about the year. You could shop around for a 2014 give or take and go for a less expensive car.

Is there a reason you and your mom aren't on the same phone plan? There's usually a family discount for adding another line to an existing account.

If you really really want a newer model, I think you need to save quite a bit to bring your monthly down to a manageable level. If you saved 10k, you'd have a 15k loan, at 5.4%. If it's a 60 month term, you're looking at 285.83 monthly.

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/high-interest-savings-to-get/

A $25k car on a net income of $35k is a ton of car overall. The monthly payment amount works because it's a 5+ year loan. Most of us around here suggest you should stick to a 3 year loan or less to "afford" a car.

Do you want to plan to live with mom for the next 5+ years while you pay off this car?

A car in the $10-15k (pushing it) range would be a lot more appropriate long term. Many experts recommend your total transportation cost should be 10-15% of your income. It's guidance, not perfect in all situations but should give you a better idea of where you should be https://www.investopedia.com/how-much-should-i-spend-on-a-car-5187853

They can do whatever they want. You have the choice of leaving.

Find a credit union near you, should be able to get that rate down below 7%. Not sure why youre concerned w credit score unless youre swallowed in debt while stll pocketing 150k. Even at 10%, the interest is minimal over 2/3 months and sounds like it'll be worth a couple hundres more $ to secure your dream car

If you’re only a few days late, you can call the cc company and ask them if they might waive the late fee this one time

Use Credit Karma to monitor the contents of your credit report.

Don't give one single care in the world to your credit score. Do not track it, do not worry about it, do not micromanage it. Especially the score provided by Credit Karma because it's the useless Vantage Score.

Pay as much as you can as quickly as you're able.

I'm assuming the goal is to minimize current and future costs.

If so, pay off car, do preventive maintenance, drive like a grandma.

(Air quote) "sign up" with the 3 credit agencies directly. Those air quotes are because you have to create an account with them to see what they already know about you.

They all have ways to provide you info for free, including email notifications of changes- and they also all employ dark patterns to get you to pay them money, which you don't need to do. As offensive as their practices are, they are the source of truth, best to engage directly with them.

In my experience, Amex is the most helpful of the card issuers in terms of free connections to credit monitoring services (a layer on top of the 3 agencies). If you have an Amex card you can look into this. But would advise direct accounts with each of the agencies.

Yeah i agree. Just strange how this time they didn't offer mtm right away cause they did that last year. I assume maybe in 13 month they will send the same email about rent increase. Hopefully by then I will own property

Thank you for your advice. Always asking questions and negotiating should be done when to comes to rent.

I like personal capital. It gives a pretty nice dashboard, but may not be quite as advanced as what your looking for.