Will the dream (car) become reality?

Dear Dave,

I’m 49, single, and I’m debt-free except for my home. I just found my dream car from when I was a kid. It’s a studio-accurate KITT car from the old television series “Knight Rider.” It’s a replica, not one of the cars they used on the show, and the price is $52,000. I make $120,000 a year, plus bonuses. My net worth is a little over $1 million, including home equity, 401(k) and about $110,000 in liquid savings. Part of me is a little hesitant to buy it, because of how hard I worked to save up the money. What do you think? Can I afford the car?

Matt

Dear Matt,

This is so cool, man! If I remember, the car in the original “Knight Rider” series was a modified 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, right? I’m a car guy, so trust me, I understand what you’re feeling right now. I love shiny things with wheels that make lots of noise.

But, I’ve got to be honest with you, man. Right now, $52,000 is a fairly big chunk of money in your situation. Here’s what I’m measuring this against, and I’m going to use a burn-the-money-in-a firepit scenario. If you use $52,000 to start a fire in your firepit, are you going to feel it financially? Does your life change dramatically? Maybe not, but you’d be down to about half of your liquidity.

And, we’re talking about a very unusual collectible here. By comparison, I’ve got a buddy who collects cars, and he’s got one that was actually used and driven in the Tom Cruise movie “Days of Thunder.” I’m afraid the resale value on the car you’re talking about – because it’s a replica – would be pretty small. And that might be a problem in terms of any valuation of it in the future.

Can you “afford” it? Technically, yes. The only thing is the price represents a large amount of your savings. Still, it’s not going to cause you to go bankrupt, especially with your income and overall financial situation.

So, when it comes right down to it, you can blow $52,000 and still be okay. You’ve worked hard, saved big and earned it. Enjoy your KITT!

Dave