He Racked Up $70K Debt On A Dodge Hellcat, Then Landed A $250K Settlement. Dave Ramsey Calls It ‘The Wildest Thing I’ve Ever Heard.’ Here’s Why
A 21-year-old from Kentucky found himself in a situation that sounds almost unreal. He had racked up $70,000 in debt tied to a Dodge Hellcat he bought at 18, made a series of questionable financial decisions, and then suddenly received a $250,000 settlement after being accidentally shot with a 3D-printed firearm.
When Andrew called into “The Ramsey Show” recently, he wasn’t asking how to clean up the debt. He wanted to know if he could avoid paying it altogether.
“I’m wanting to play the waiting game,” Andrew said. “I don’t want to pay it off. I just want to let it fall off on its own.”
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Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey didn’t hesitate. “No, honey. You owe the money,” he replied.
The story quickly took a turn that even Ramsey admitted caught him off guard. Andrew explained that he was shot by a 14-year-old using a 3D-printed gun, which resulted in a $250,000 settlement from the child’s mother’s homeowner’s insurance policy.
“That’s the wildest thing I’ve ever heard,” Ramsey said. “You got shot by a 3D-printed firearm. This is fascinating.”
But despite the unusual circumstances, Ramsey stayed focused on what he saw as the real issue: Andrew’s approach to responsibility.
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The $70,000 debt stemmed from the Dodge Hellcat Andrew purchased. He later sold the car without paying off the loan and without properly transferring the title.
Ramsey’s advice was simple and direct: Use the settlement money to clean up the debt immediately.
“When you get your $250,000, you write a check and you pay the people that you owe because you screwed them,” he said.
Andrew asked if he could try to settle the debt for less. Ramsey said that’s possible, but only if the intent is to resolve the debt honestly.
“Call them up and say, ‘I need to settle this debt. What will you accept?’” he said. “And whatever they tell you, write them a check.”
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The conversation quickly moved beyond numbers and into something deeper: character.
Ramsey pushed back hard on Andrew’s idea of waiting for the debt to disappear from his credit report.
“If you want to become a wealthy person that changes your family tree, you have to become a person of extreme integrity,” Ramsey said. “Quit doing crap under the table… and quit looking for a shortcut on everything.”
