Am I being a selfish b@$&%£d?

Am I being a selfish b@$&%£d?

Author
Discussion

Xaero

4,060 posts

214 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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I'm a new father and thought I should get a 2 seater before the sprog comes along (not that I had the money at the time), but now I'm not in the slightest interested. I want to go out with my little man, because he's awesome, not fanny about on my own trying to get away.

That said, I'd suggest buying the S2000 now, get it out your system, and sell it later. There's no reason why not, if you sell it just before summer hits then you'll easily get your money back too.

Also you can use the money on selling that, and your Polo and get a beefy family car that looks 'normal', like an M5, Merc AMG, Volvo T5, etc, something along those lines that you can hoon around on your own and lug the family around when necessary too.

SickFish

Original Poster:

3,503 posts

188 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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PompeyM3 said:
I found when the first child arrives, there's a fair bit of stuff you need to buy, prams, cots, car seats, high chairs, nappies etc. might be worth using the bonus towards all that stuff and seeing what you have left, plus save a little towards another car a bit later on.

Of course, this all depends on the size of the bonus smile
Already bought smile theres nothing left to buy!

Muzzer79 said:
If you can afford to:

> Let your Mrs stop working, at least until the little one is in a nursery Mrs is out of work now and has been for 8 weeks

> Maintain a decent lifestyle whilst this is happening (couple of meals out every now and again, decent-ish holiday once a year, etc) so far so good we have not long come back from 2 weeks in Florida

> Save cash for the future I regularly put some aside

> Buy everything that the baby does and will need in the near future done

> Replace the Polo when you discover that it's not big enough. that is in the grand scheme of things.... obviously

Whilst blowing a valuable £6k on another car, and another £x000 insuring/maintaining it then by all means do it.

If not, don't spend a valuable £6k on a stupid car when you have more pressing priorities.
I think the covers most of the other comments too smile

Pixelpeep7r

8,600 posts

141 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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buy her something sparkly.

That'll lay the foundation nice for a future drunken automotive eBay purchase smile

Chris Type R

8,018 posts

248 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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S2000s are cheapish to buy, but pricey to insure. Running costs are not too bad - tyres & fuel are the main costs, which if it's a toy will not be too bad.

Personally, I'd put the money aside. My little girl turns 3 this week, and it's surprising how much of a dent she's made in my pocket over the last few years.

But then I did scratch the S2000 itch pre-child smile

Chris Type R

8,018 posts

248 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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SickFish said:
Already bought smile theres nothing left to buy!
laugh

Jamesgt

848 posts

232 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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Missus and I have a 16 month old and one due in a month. Pre-baby we had a z3m coupe and a Mini Cooper s. Both got sold for a Range Rover sport. Great car but incredibly boring. Despite people saying the baby takes over your life I disagree. I went and bought myself a vx220. Great fun to and from work and I've since taken my daughter out in it and she loves it. Babies are time consuming but not to the extent where they follow you to work.

Sadly the vx is going now as we only need one car. Maybe I'll chop for a c63, m3 or rs4

schuey

705 posts

209 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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Corpulent Tosser said:
The Polo will NOT be big enough.
It will. I ran a polo G40 when my first child appeared,still had it when the second turned up and only got rid due to my wife learning to drive and they wouldn't insure her on it. Now have 3 kids and until recently we could happily run around 5 up in my 182. Don't believe a word that people say when it comes to kid friendly cars,you don't need an X5!

As for the OPs question,treat yourself. Otherwise you just end up miserable and bitter when you don't see a penny of your hard earned bonus,not that I speak from experience....! hehe

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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Every argument you have from now on will inevitably end with "I'm having your baby". Give her the money. You've already sold your soul. biggrin

wolves_wanderer

12,356 posts

236 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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From experience an Impreza STI can be sold to a wife as a sensible car as it has 4 doors hehe

WinstonWolf

72,857 posts

238 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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sleep envy said:
How much and is either responsible to be an au pair?

Got to be cheaper than nursery costs.
One has now gone through that stage, I wouldn't sell her for a million. The other one is a teenager, you'd get change from tuppence biggrin

JuniorD

8,616 posts

222 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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All I can say is that your impending baby will be far more fun, interesting, important and worthy of your time and money than any car, let alone a poxy five grand piece of pointless piss, which you won't get time to use anyway.




pinchmeimdreamin

9,831 posts

217 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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SickFish said:
> Buy everything that the baby does and will need in the near future done
No it isn't.


Birdster

2,529 posts

142 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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SickFish said:
Birdster said:
SickFish said:
Birdster said:
Hate to be the boring one.

How are the finances in general? Holidays and experiences, things for the baby and home will be much more useful and will make your life more fulfilled as a family than a new car will.

If things are good and this is money that if you didn't receive it you would't miss it I see no harm in buying the car.

How about buy the car and something nice for Mrs Fish?
Finances are above average, but by no means wealthy. We have been very sensible and we already have everything for baby. Nursery is decorated and fully kitted out etc and has already been spoilt!

The bonus is on top of my annual salary so is exactly that... a bonus.
Text is hard to detect sarcasm, but I know what a bonus is. smile

If it really is extra income not better spent elsewhere then treat yourself. You only live once.
Sorry that reads completely opposite to how it was meant, let me word it slightly differently....

I wasn't 'banking' on having the money in my financial plans so the bonus is essentially "spare" cash... for want of a better word.

Didn't mean to offend beer
No offence taken. It's hard to tell on here sometimes, hence my smiley face in case you was.

You seem to have a split opinion from the replies.

Toss a coin? smile

berlintaxi

8,535 posts

172 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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If you have predicted everything your new born will need publish a book and buy a car with the money it earns, you will be driving a Ferrari, yet to meet anyone who hasn't spent a lot more than they predicted once a child arrived.

Big change in finances over the last few weeks?

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Edited by berlintaxi on Tuesday 21st October 18:46

DJP

1,198 posts

178 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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Durzel said:
Once baby is born your priorities will change dramatically. I'd wait until after and see if you still feel the same, I'd be surprised if you do.
This^^. All day long.

You're about to have a life changing experience and all that stuff that you thought you were interested in, you probably won't be.

Bill

52,472 posts

254 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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schuey said:
Now have 3 kids and until recently we could happily run around 5 up in my 182.
Really? Don't you bother with car seats? It's a squeeze to get my three across the back seat in a Mazda 6 estate.

mighty kitten

431 posts

132 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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Invest it for your child's education , I don't want to work out what I've forked out for my daughters time at university but it would have been a lot less painful if I'd made an earlier start putting some aside . God knows what it will cost in 20years time

Troubleatmill

10,210 posts

158 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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Start a pension for your kid. A £5K initial fund is a great start.

They can retire as a millionaire.
End of sensible advice.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance...

Edited by Troubleatmill on Tuesday 21st October 19:00


Edited by Troubleatmill on Tuesday 21st October 19:05

Poopipe

619 posts

143 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
quotequote all
Corpulent Tosser said:
The Polo will NOT be big enough.
This

Buy an impreza

A proper one mind, not a watered down wrx/uk special because theyre st.

Ensure it has a massive exhaust - this will put the child to sleep quickly (it actually does - not joking)

Big boot, awd, 4 doors for easy child seat insertion/extraction, cheap enough you dont mind chocolate stains and enough suspension travel to deal with speedbumps.

You can thank me later


decadent

2,134 posts

174 months

Tuesday 21st October 2014
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I can see the desire to get something you want, I struggle with the same battle myself.

However kids are expensive; I have a 14 month old. My wife works part time and will do so for the foreseeable future. Bit of a shock when you go from 2 decent wages to one and half, for me it's the mental struggle - we only used to live off one salary and basically saved/invested the other one in our house. Now it takes much longer to get anywhere financially and I can't help but feel poorer.

I do prefer it this way though, I don't want my child in full time nursery and I certainly don't want the busy schedule we follow on the days she is at nursery, everyday.

If I earned a bonus it would most certainly get split up into paving the way for our future, maybe allow the wife to have more than a year off come the next child. However I believe some of it should go on something I like too, so I'd feel comfortable spunking 20% of it on something for myself & the rest goes on my family.