‘You’re A 24-Year-Old Man,’ Dave Ramsey Tells A Caller Who Blames His Parents For Taking Out A $80K Car Loan
A routine call into “The Ramsey Show” quickly turned into one of the more uncomfortable segments listeners have heard in a while.
The caller, Noel from San Antonio, said he was 24 years old, had two kids, and was thinking about buying a multifamily property to start building wealth. Before getting into real estate, he wanted to know if he was at a good point in life to make that move.
That’s when personal finance expert Dave Ramsey asked about his finances.
Noel admitted he has a car payment of $1,200 a month and owes $80,000 on the vehicle. He said he makes about $60,000 a year, though he recently received a job offer that could push his income into the $80,000 range.
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Ramsey stopped him immediately.
“You should wait,” Ramsey said. “You should get your debts paid off. That car payment is out of control.”
‘An Extreme Car Crisis’
As the details came out, the situation looked worse than it sounded at first.
Noel clarified that the $1,200 figure was his monthly payment, not the total balance. He said the car is currently worth about $40,000, meaning he is roughly $40,000 underwater. He also admitted he rolled around $30,000 of negative equity from a previous Chevy Equinox into the deal.
To make matters worse, his grandmother co-signed the loan.
That was the last straw for Ramsey.
“Let me, as kindly as I possibly can, say that’s insanity,” he said. When Noel said he didn’t want to get this vehicle, Ramsey interjected with, “Yes, you did, you got the vehicle, and you’re 24, and you were sober and you signed the note.”
Even when Noel said his parents pressured him into buying a newer, more reliable car because he has two kids, Ramsey shut it down quickly.
“You’re a 24-year-old man,” Ramsey said. “Your parents don’t force you to do anything.”
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Co-host Rachel Cruze jumped in as well, pushing back on the idea that Noel had no choice.
“‘My parents forced me. I had to.’ These are pretty extreme statements,” she said. “You didn’t have to do any of this, and you could get a reliable car for $10,000.”
The hosts were especially concerned about Noel’s grandmother, who would be responsible for the loan if he fell behind.
“I’m so scared for her right now,” Ramsey said. “No, I really am. This is not going to go well, sir.”
He went even further, calling the deal “legalized fraud” and blasting the dealership for approving such a loan. “The finance manager at this dealership should be put in jail,” Ramsey said. “They took an old lady and put her on as a co-signer.”
Noel said he bought the car about eight months ago and that it has already lost roughly $10,000 in value.
“You don’t need to be talking about buying any kind of house,” Ramsey said. “You have an extreme car crisis on your hands.”
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The Advice Was Simple, Even If It Hurt
Ramsey’s guidance was straightforward: sell the car, even if it hurts, and focus entirely on cleaning up the mess.
He told Noel to act like he makes $40,000 a year, not $80,000, and throw everything at the debt. If the higher-paying job comes through, Ramsey said that money should go straight toward fixing the car loan.
“Take care of your grandmother by clearing the car,” Ramsey said. “Because it’s going to land back in her lap if you don’t straighten it up.”
The segment highlighted a common problem: big financial decisions made without a clear plan, often under pressure from family, salespeople, or fear.
That’s where structured financial guidance can make a difference. Services like Domain Money focus on helping people slow down, look at the full picture, and make decisions that actually fit their income, goals, and responsibilities instead of reacting in the moment. A short conversation with a professional can sometimes prevent years of expensive regret.
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