Love My Ride, But Wife Says It Has to Go
Yesterday on portland.craigslist.org, one hundred and sixty-five of the “by owner” car ads contained the word “wife.”
“I bought it to make into a hot rod for my wife but after getting it home she changed her mind.??”
“I thought I would never get rid of it. My wife however has a different idea and is strong-arming me into getting a late model Lexus.”
“Wife doesn’t like it … my loss, your gain.”
“This was my wife’s fun car for the last three years, but she’s decided she wants something more ‘girly.’ Not that it’s not a great car for the ladies, but it is all sports car.”
“This is a 1998 Honda Accord. Manual transmission, 4cyl engine. It has a clean title and 192,000 miles, CA plates, we just moved to OR a couple months ago and my wife doesn’t want to drive manual so i have to sell it.”
“Reason we are sellying the car is that the wife wanted a truck, so no issues with the car.”
“I bought it for my wife and she doesn’t like it.”
“Make sure your wife is ok with this before you bring it home, it’s big, and eventhough it’s got camo paint you can see it well from the kitchen window.”
“Small dent in left quarter panel (stationary dent due to careless wife), but paint is fine and it is not easily noticed.”
“I bought it for my wife (Safety) and she doesn’t like it because it’s too big and hard for her to park.”
“Bought for wife but she cant drive it.”
“My wife rubbed the passenger side against a pole a few years back and made a pretty nice looking dent.”
“My wife was the primary driver for the past 2 years. Saying she drives like a grandma is an understatement.”
“the srvice light comes off and on but I had the code checked and its just an emitions thing most likely because someone that may or may not be my wife didnt get the gas cap on right once lol”
“We have a near perfect 1993 Wrangler 5 sp that my wife can’t drive,.”
“Truck runs strong despite the mileage, have no hesitations letting my wife or daughter leave town with it.”
“I got my wife this car about 2 weeks ago so she would go and get her lic. But she will not get it.”
“This was my wife’s daily driver, so it’s been a pavement princess and garage stored.”
“Wife owned for over 7 years !!”
“My wife was the second owner of the car and she got it 2002, her grandpa owned it before that.”
“Wife drove most of the miles!”
“Literally just purchased this rig from my friend when I was offered another rig. Wife says one must go.”
“Purchased this truck beginning of this year with plans of customizing it but wife says no plus she needs a small car so it needs to go.”
“I hate to sell this one but I have two trucks, the other is a 1987 F250 2WD and my wife says one has to go.”
“I bought this to restore myself but I probably jumped the gun with too many projects and the wife was upset with me…”
“I hate to see it to go, but I’ve got a baby on the way, and my wife is forcing me to sell all my toys.”
“Wife wants the car out of the driveway.”
“Wife says it is time to see it go so I’ve lowered the price.”
“This is my daily driver. Love it but wife said it has to go. It’s all stock inside except for kenwood Stereo.”
“I haven’t driven it for a few years because I got a company car. I finally decided (okay, it was my wife) it was a waste just sitting in my garage.”
“Has been very reliable for us for 14 years, but we have too many vehicles and the wife says some have to go.”
“I just don’t have the time or money to complete. Plus the wife says I HAVE to get rid of it.”
“4.0 liter V-6 5speed automatic. runs great! Wife says I can have only two cars so this must go.”
“My wife want the back yard back so it must go.”
“We now have 3 kids in private school, so according to my wife the car has to go :(”
“Its a great car and looks good. I just have too many cars at the moment and the wife is getting on me about it.”
“It has been a pleasure to drive and own, but my wife is pursuing opening a dog grooming facility, and so of course we have to make some sacrifices, and this car unfortunately is one of them.”
“Wife says it has to go.”
“Due to downsizing must sell the love of my life. No I’m not talking about my wife, I’m talking about my 1990 Chevy Silverado.”
“If I had the garage space, I would keep this vehicle until I died, though my wife may not approve.”
“i am selling my truck because i would rather pay off some bills so i can provide a better life for my wife and myself.”
William Foster lives in Portland, Ore.
Definitely “it’s big, and eventhough it’s got camo paint you can see it well from the kitchen window.” is the winner.
@redheaded&crazy I quite enjoyed that one, too. But the rest of these enraged me! The schluby, car-obsessed man and his uptight, fun-hating wife. Ugh. I hate it! I hate it so much!
@aeroaeroaero Yes, each one is a little peephole into a totally depressing relationship.
@aeroaeroaero agreed. the prize is: you’re a terrible person but you made me chuckle a bit? it’s a kind of grim contest.
@redheaded&crazy haha i was totally going to say that, but you already did. clear winner.
@redheaded&crazy at least the last one was nice? When I was a kid and before car stuff moved to the internet, I used to read the classifieds for my dad, who would buy and sell cars. Even when paying by the letter guys would take time out to make some crack about their wives.
@probs I had checked out by the last one, but it is definitely an improvement. Although still sad.
@redheaded&crazy it’s not a depressing relationship, just a depressing financial situation! Yay?
@Bill Fostex Yes. Makes me think how lucky I am that my wife is the one talking me into acquiring a ridiculous car for fun that I’ve been waffling on.
I think this reveals to us that all wives hate all cars. Right??
@Lauren I’m a wife & I’d get around by unicycle if only I weren’t so clumsy.
@nonvolleyball “Bought it for the wife [safety] but she says it’s too small and easy to fall off of.”
This is like every CBS sitcom ever.
@Reginal T. Squirge they didn’t have time to mention that their wives are passive-aggressive and looooooove shopping with their credit cards. I’m also going to go out on a limb and guess that some of these guys might really like beer
Don’t forget (insert professional sport that is not soccer here).
I think it is just acceptable guy code. I mean, I think the male ego struggles with “I really need the money and this car has something wrong with it that I don’t know how to fix.”
Much easier to pretend like it was his wife’s problem.
@blueblazes it’s the “acceptable” part that rankles, though.
@nonvolleyball yes. sometimes I feel bad that men can’t express their feelings. Mostly I am annoyed that the other side effect of patriarchy is blaming women for so. many. things.
@blueblazes It’s definitely not just the male ego, though.
Just as a patriarchal society pigeonholes women into certain roles, its also pigeonholes men.
As well as it being the male ego, it is the male gender role. The one he is pigeonholed into by western society.
Sometimes I think feminists forget that in order for women to achieve equality with men, there needs to be support for men to challenge the stereotypes they are pressured into conforming to (eg. the above support in the comments for the final listing in the article. Even though it conforms by the husband casting himself as provider, he still admits that selling the car is his choice due to finances, not something his wife made him do because she doesn’t understand a man’s relationship with his car machine).
Atlanta craigslist: 374 wife-oriented car ads
Dallas: 460
New York City: 97
Los Angeles: 217
Chicago: 134
@Bill Fostex I think I could use this as a tool to decide where I want to live. Weird.
@Bill Fostex Reasons Never to Move to Dallas, #4,385,998
More like reason #409856 to never be in a serious relationship, amirite? This actually reminds me of a site that a friend posted about on Facebook the other day – “shit my husband ruined.” It’s like the exact sitcom mirror of this, from the wife’s POV. Depressing as shit.