Dialogue -

He: "A new car? Why? Your car has only 185,000 miles on it! Can't you wait until it makes 200,000 miles? Do you know how much these brand new cars cost? They cost more than we paid for our first house in Westbury!"

She: "I'll tell you why I want a new car. The other day while I was getting gas, a teenager offered me $50 for the car on the spot. It was very degrading. Besides that, inspection is coming up and I doubt whether it will pass. It's silly to put more money into an old beat-up car."

He: "It's better to fix the car for $500 than spend $25,000 on a new car. As long as it gets you from point A to point B, that's all you want. Who wants to keep up with the Joneses anyway? Our neighbors respect our thriftiness even though they have made some slightly derogatory remarks."

She: "What are you saving your money for? How many more cars are you going to buy in this lifetime? And, besides, the new cars are safer and you get better gas mileage. You know the price of gas is going up. It will save us money in the long run."

He: "The insurance will go through the roof. Every month I will regret buying that new car. You won't feel safe parking it anywhere. You will be afraid of getting a scratch on your brand-new car."

She: "The people at work will think we are destitute and ready for the poorhouse if we don't get rid of that old jalopy and spring for a new car."

He: "I can take the slings and arrows of nasty people. Why can't you?"

She: "I don't want to be an object of pity and derision. You never were this cheap when we were dating. Money was no object. When and why have you become this tightfisted miser? Even the kids say they don't want me riding in that old rattletrap."

He: "OK, OK. You have shamed me into it. Next week we will make the rounds of auto dealerships. Be gentle with my pocketbook. Those car payments are due every month! Enough already, turn out the lights! Let's go to sleep!"