Accept whispers, I sell cars “down” motorbikes when gas prices hit a record

Up to now, I have sold the car that the couple loves very much for 2 months. This is an extremely difficult decision, dozens of times more difficult than the decision to buy a car that we made a full year ago. As I gradually return to normal, I want to share my story so that someone out there is in the same situation.

In April 2021, my family accumulated 350 million dong and had an apartment, so we should consider buying a car. Having obtained a driver’s license for a long time, plus the fact that more and more friends buy cars around, I am also very excited about this. My wife is not supportive but not completely against it, saying that the family is about to have a baby so it will need a lot of expenses.

I thought it was simple and wanted to be equal to my friends, so I settled on the B-class sedan of the Korean brand. Including the cost of rolling the wheel, getting the number plate and installing a few more accessories is a round of 500 million, a bank loan of 150 million with the intention of paying both principal and interest in the next 1-1.5 years.

It must be said that the feeling of owning a car is great. I feel more confident in the eyes of friends and colleagues, every time I return to my hometown, I also see pride in the eyes of my parents on both sides as well as brothers and neighbors. Of course, the couple is also very happy because they have a car to pick up each other, especially when my wife’s belly is getting bigger and bigger.

In mid-2021, my wife gave birth to her first daughter and of course the expenses in the house are increasing. However, at this time, I still live in the “pink color” of having a car because of the moderate level of travel, the gas price is very “easy to breathe”, and at the same time, the little grandchild has grandparents and grandparents taking turns to take care of Hanoi. .

But the later, the more pressure on the shoulders. My wife’s salary is calculated by product, only paying the minimum insurance, so when she is on maternity leave, she almost loses her income. In addition, the Covid-19 epidemic also became more and more complicated in the following months, causing money to decrease. Meanwhile, raising children is more expensive and also has to “raise” more cars.

When I first bought a car, gas was still low, so the cost was moderate. After that, the price of gasoline continuously peaked to 25,000-26,000 VND per liter, so this amount alone is more than 2 million per month. Parking in the basement of the apartment building costs 1.5 million per month, plus that license to send at the office. Including maintenance, maintenance is “all out” 5 million for cars.

Raising children 5 million, “caring” 5 million, monthly payment of principal and interest 7-7.5 million (according to a 24-month loan package, the balance is gradually reduced), other living expenses in the house are about 9-10 million . The financial burden on me is growing, especially when income cannot keep up with the increase in prices and living costs.

Seeing that the situation was not good, I gradually switched to motorbikes, saving gas and parking money at the company. However, still lose the car deposit at home and have to pay the principal and interest from the bank. It is calculated that even when “putting a mat” on a car, it still “flys” 2-3 million per month. But at that time I did not have the courage to think about selling the car when I bought it less than a year ago. What will friends, colleagues, parents, neighbors in the countryside think?

I stressed for a long time because of thinking and economic pressure, but then I confided in my wife. Then we came to the decision to sell the car, accept a loss, and try to put the negative thoughts out of our heads. Before that, the husband and wife also talked to their parents on both sides, just telling the story because we had already reached an agreement.

Seeing me riding a motorbike, friends and colleagues also asked. At first, I avoided it, but then I said straight away that I sold cars. The same goes back to my hometown, I also said that I needed money to do business, so I sold the car, every time I took a passenger car to my father’s side, my mother’s side. In my ears, there are probably whispers, taking a motorbike to meet a colleague, I am somewhat self-deprecating, so I always try to avoid it.

But when I came home, seeing my wife and children grow up every day, I gradually gave up that negative thought. I found that it is not a problem to return to riding a motorbike, the important thing is that my children can shop for good items, my wife no longer has to be eager to go back to work early to earn money, every month no longer has to receive a message of interest payment…

Cars are a vehicle that families should aim for, which I always agree with. But when I have experienced it, I think that it should only be owned when it is appropriate, both in terms of usage conditions and financial ability. What kind of bike we ride is only part of people’s eyes, so it doesn’t matter if we took a car yesterday, and now we return to a motorbike.

Perhaps there is no whispering in my ear, but if there is, the sound is mainly my imagination. Just think that a car is just a vehicle, as long as it serves you well, makes your family safer and happier, because then all whispers will disappear.

According to Dan Tri