My wife is pregnant should I sell my truck?

I did the same thing when my first was on the way. i looked to sell the motorcycle, truck, anything that seemed like it might help. I would agree with the others that say get as far ahead as you can on payments on the truck and keep what you have.

Also, congratulations! I assume Gloria if its a girl?
Lets...Go...Blues!

 

Hey we may have a good name there in the running. We are leaning towards my wifes grandmother's name though. She is the only one that does not have a child named after her. Margaret but I think we will use a variation of that like Maggie if it's a girl.

 

Same. I don't understand the logic here. When you get a kid you need a truck way more than you did before.....or am I missing something? I realize life is different out here than how most people live...but still....

Now selling a motorcycle....that makes total sense, but selling the truck seems like 180º from how I thought when my wife got pregnant.

 

Only you can answer this question. Random people on a forum don't know your financial situation.

Having kids doesn't mean you "have" to sacrifice... but you'll want to... and not just financially, but your time and sometimes your sanity. I'm sure you'll figure out what's best for you and your family right now.

 

You could always buy a gently used 4Runner and a trailer. Easier on gas, easier to park, lower access height.

Edit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW4QDHzxusA

 

As it goes with all kids.... It only gets more expensive. But you have plenty of time before it gets out of control, so keep your truck, pay it off, and start saving for college, lol! If you sell your truck, you probably won't get back into a nice PRO for a long time. Keep it, don't sweat it. Congrats!

 

If you have enough equity in the truck to make a positive difference for your family without accumulating additional debt then it is the right decision!

congrats!

 

Congratulations. I’m in a similar boat myself. I’m expecting my first son in about a month.

I’ve learned so far:
It’s expensive
You’ll never have enough money

Keep the priorities the priorities. Roof over their heads, food in their mouths, clothes on their backs. However you do that is your business.

If you can afford it, keep the truck. Don’t give your hard earned money to paying taxes again on a purchase, or to dealers for bogus fees.

I’m not sure this applies to your situation, but do you have equity in the house? What about a home equity loan?

Try and do most of the work yourself. It’s not rocket science. Ask for all the advice you can get. This forum is a perfect place.

Once again, congratulations!

 

Congratulations!

I say dont do it. You'll regret it. But you got 5-8 months to figure it out. You'll know what you have to do when the time comes.

 

Congrates..

only YOU know what your financial situation is.
4 things I have learned throughout my life.. and things I do know is..

1- Live with-in your means... sell the damn truck

2- if you can't afford to pay cash.. you can't afford it

3- you can't borrow your-self out of debt... I've watched way to many people run down that rabbit hole

4- it's very comforting & rewarding to know everything you have is paid for

..Slayer

 

I bought my Tundra right after having my first kid. My excuse was I needed something big, safe and reliable.

So if I was you I’d keep it. Figure out a different area you can save some dough in

 

Congrats man! Being a Dad, and fully devoting myself to my family, is the single best thing I’ve ever done in life. Enjoy every moment and don’t miss a thing! I agree with a lot of what’s been said. Financially, if you don’t have to sell the Tundra, I’d say try to keep it. You already took the big depreciation hit. A couple other points I think are worth considering tho:

1. The middle rear position is the safest for a rear facing car seat. The great thing about the Tundra is you can put the base in the right way and just leave it there and still have seating for 4. Your wife (old fashioned assuming you’ll drive... sorry... not sorry) will be able to sit back there and watch the baby while you’re up front driving places. Great thing is you guys will have plenty of space for the rear facing car seat and the wife will have lots of room to stretch out back there too. Of course the flip side of this coin is it’s a long reach to check on the little one, put the binkie back in their mouth, put the bottle back in their mouth, etc when you (or the wife) is driving someplace alone.

2. It’s a long reach and a lot of climbing to put a car seat in the middle position of a wide truck if you and/or the wife aren’t tall. That can be a pain at times and is where a minivan with power sliding doors is amazing. We had Honda Odyssey when the kids were growing up and even though I’m not a minivan lover, it was great for everything we did with the family from long trips to loading the kids up at the grocery store or even taking a couple extra kids to birthday parties or whatever.

3. IMO you’re going to need a dry, clean, locking place for the baby gear when you’re going places. There’s no way around it. You’re going to have to drag around a stroller at times, maybe a portable crib, diaper bag, toys, groceries, extra clothes, etc, etc, etc. How do you feel about a cap? Or a locking fiberglass tonneau? I personally think those are the best options but storage outside of the passenger compartment is a must with a little one. I’d never put stuff in the front or back seat because in an accident all that stuff becomes a danger to the occupants inside the truck, including the baby.

 

Congrats on the baby! As everyone says, keep the truck. It would be more stress trying to get out of it and into something else and most likely less reliable. What you can let go of is being a Blues fan lol. Go Lightning!!

 

Congrats! Kids are great. To answer your question, it's really impossible for anyone here to tell you without knowing financial details. It's always better to not have a car payment, no matter what people say. You can always find a much cheaper used vehicle, and even if you need to make some repairs along the way you'll still be way ahead of paying off a new(ish) truck. And when I say "used", I don't mean a 2-year-old truck that you'll save a few thousand on over new. I'm talking 5-10 years old with some miles on it that'll save you a big chunk. I have a 2010 double cab with 2 car seats (1 rear facing) and there's plenty of room for the kids. A crewmax is obviously more ideal, but there are some good deals on double cabs out there. Congrats again!

 

Sell kid

buy new truck

 

Going to want a crewmax with kiddos

 

Congrats. I just did the opposite, bought a 2020 crewmax on New Years Eve, sold my 4Runner privately and then picked up the Tundra a week later, drove it home and then went to the hospital the next day for the birth of our first child. Probably not the best timing but so far I’m loving the truck (not as much as my new daughter) and I’m sure it’s only going to come in more and more handy as she gets older.
No one knows your financials so do what’s best for you. I will add that about 7 years ago I was trying to clean up some debt and get my financials in order and came very close to selling/trade in my ‘07 4Runner that I bought used and still had a loan on it, for something cheaper. In the end I didn’t do it and I’m glad I didn’t. I ended up refinancing to free up a little cash, still paid it off and then drove it payment free until last month when I sold it for $7000... those Toyota resale values are no joke.

 

No. Keep the truck. Sell the wife.

I kid. If finances allow try to keep the truck.

 

Depends how n a lot of things. Are you upside down on it? How is you income to debt? Health Insurance coverage?

I don’t buy new vehicles anymore. I did it twice in my 20s. The depreciation is stupid. If you do buy a new one, you really should keep it a long time. You can save a hell of a lot of money by buying used.

If you spend money modifying a vehicle, it’s not invested. It’s simply spent on a depreciating item. A house will likely appreciate in value if you chose location wisely.

 

We bought ours a week after my son was born. Had a paid for 06 Super duty extra cab 4wd and set up like I wanted. The extra cab sucked with a baby. Bought a used 13 crewmax 4wd in 2015 and love everything but the mpg. I don't have to dd drive it so I'm fine. Just to give you some vehicle size comparisons. We also have 18 4 runner and Camry. The 4 runner will pull 18/20 mpg, the Camry 38/40. Out of all 3 of them the tundra has the most cabin room as far as seating. My wife sat behind me on the test drive and kept telling me to let my seat back. It was. Son can't seem to reach my seat on the truck yet, he can the Camry and 4 runner to the point I have put towels on the back of them. I got bad news on the house, you will never catch up. We need to completely redo ours, hasn't and probably won't happen. I intended to change the floors but with a trycyle and ride on toys, it's a waste of time. I'm going to let him be a kid for a few more years and then tackle it and work down the list. We are vehicle poor but our last few should last us for a long time. I also bought a 99 Ranger regular cab and made it my me truck. It's old enough not to worry about scratches and dents but has no rust, 103k, and everything works.

 

I also did the opposite, buying my Tundra around the time my wife and I started thinking about trying for our first. But I was previously driving a two door compact and camping with my wife's Corolla wasn't working with just the two of us, let alone a family. We also recently sold our condos and bought a house. So there were a lot of reasons we wanted a truck. (Ever try to haul eavestrough in a Kia?)

That being said, we were able to pay cash for the truck, which obviously makes our situation different than most.

 

I second the motion on selling the kid. Can use that money to pay off the truck and fix up the house. Keep the wife, so once you have everything paid off, you can finally have a kid to keep...
All kidding aside, congrats on the news! Maggie sounds like a beautiful name. I'd say focus on what the wife is driving, cause she will be the one driving your daughter around.
Do what you can to keep the truck, but if it's going to strain yourself financially to where you have to work too much to make payments or you have to choose truck payment over diapers, sell the truck. It will suck and you will regret it, but there will be other Tundras out there in the future.
Maybe focus on working on the house Johnny Cash style...one piece at a time, instead of tackling a huge project all at once.
I will second the Odyssey on being an amazing family hauler. And if you do need to sell your Tundra, you can fit ALOT of building materials in the back of the van with the seats folded down/taken out.
Good luck with your decision...Make sure your wife is on board for this, cause you don't want any resentment a few years down the road when you say "Well, I sold my Tundra..." and she says "I told you not to...."

 

1) It's ungodly the amount of room you need for kid stuff. As they get older, then it's sports equipment, friends, etc. You'll need the Tundra room. Trust me.
2) House remodel projects never end and you'll never have enough money. When you are finally finished it'll be time for updating it all.
3) Having a solid reliable truck is gold.

 

Sell the house and get a RTT
Congratulations on your first child

 

I spazed out over finances before my son was born. Wife had a Tahoe and I had a crew cab duramax, both with hefty payments. In an effort to get rid of debt and free up cash we traded both off on and used the equity to purchase a used Avalanche. We then payed cash for an inexpensive car for the wife. After a year of listening to the wife complain about the car and loading unloading kids I caved and agreed to sell the car and get into a Honda minivan with a reasonable payment. In the meantime, determined to not have another payment, i continued to fight with issue after issue with avalanche I was driving. 6k in repairs last year with at least another 5 or 6 on deck, AFM issues with 2 collapsed lifters and transfer case going out. So, I started looking for something with proven reliability. This brought me to Toyota. I am blown away with roominess of the crewmax and it couldn't be easier to load and unload car seats and all the other stuffs that come along with transporting lil ones.

To get to the point, babies aren't nearly as exspensive as you think they are. If it isn't a financial strain to keep your truck, hang on to it. You will likely miss the roominess and convince of loading up a car seat through the giant rear door. Buying older used vehicles can be a crapshoot and you likely don't have any issues with your current vehicle. Congratulations and good luck with your decision.

 

As someone who just got a new house, it is far far far more expensive than you can even imagine. Whatever idea of a budget you have multiply it by 2 and thats how much needs to be spent lol.

That being said, I think stick with your truck if it's paid off. If your interest rate is high, and you have a ways to go, maybe trade in your truck for a cheaper SUV with low interest so you can focus on the house. Trucks are never an investment, but a house sure is. Congrats buddy!

 

Home Owner + Truck is a must if you're handy and can do the work yourself.
Depending on how involved you are with your child, finding time to work on the house becomes extremely difficult. If your wife will be a stay at home wife and she's strong enough to not ask for a break and you to help out, you can probably find the time to do work and improvements around the house. It was 50/50 for me. I managed to build a floor to ceiling built in bookcase, 10' patio farm table, assemble 12 patio chairs, install garage outdoor side lights, multiple fixture upgrades around the house, reroute irrigation system, convert exterior patio light to a conduit system with two weather proof outlets; coordinate for contractors to install new garage door, new pavers at side of house and new artificial grass all in the last year. Home projects are never ending, especially if you have an older home. So yes, a truck can still be very useful. If you don't plan to do the work yourself, I don't think a truck is needed. A sedan can easily suffice. If you're sure you want more than one kid maybe plan for the future and get a SUV where you can still move/carry medium sized items still and have room for the kiddo(s) and their gear.

My .02 cents. If your child will be at home care don't worry about reading on.
If you plan to put your child in daycare from an early age, try to bump up to a better health care plan with a slightly lower copay. We initially put our son in daycare at 4 months old because both my wife and I are working professionals. First week our kid got pink eye. 2 weeks later he got his first cold. Getting sick repeated about every 3 weeks eventually getting bronchitis. We even tried two daycare's which is difficult to find with such short notice. Finally at about 8 months old, we decided to pull our son out of daycare. Between daycare cost and hospital bills we ended up just doing at home care till he gets a little older, actually saved money this way. Rarely gets sick. We have #2 coming next month so #1 will probably end up going back to daycare soon since his immune system is probably stronger by now but man, when your child gets sick, those are some LONG nights...to weeks.

 

Teenagers will more than make up for that.

 

Sell it and buy a first gen. It's all the joy of being married with all the spare money for a raunchy affair. Unless you're like me and you spend enough monthly that you could have just gotten that more expensive truck that your wife made you pass up. Almost like it was planned this way

 

Wow, a lot of votes for keeping her. Can't say I am surprised this is a tundra forum after all. I worked very hard to get the tundy and dont want to sell her. I will just wait and see how everything pans out.

I'm definitely going to need a camper shell, as the dog is getting kicked out of the back she will need a place to be