Buying a new car can feel like a major achievement, especially when your income is doing well.
However, one woman recently shared how a long-term car loan became difficult to manage after her commission-based earnings suddenly dropped.
Bought an X50 after working for six months
In a viral Threads post, user @alyzzaamenia said her income and commissions were coming in consistently when she first started working.
Feeling financially comfortable, she decided to purchase a Proton X50 after just six months on the job. At the time, the model had reportedly only been on the market for around two months.
She admitted that she felt proud of the purchase and saw it as a sign that she had succeeded.
The car came with a monthly instalment of RM1,100 under a nine-year loan.
Income dropped a year later
Unfortunately, her financial situation changed about a year later when her income fell significantly.
What initially appeared to be an affordable monthly payment gradually became harder to manage.
She said she first fell behind by one month, before the delay eventually stretched to two months. Each time the payment was due, she felt increasingly burdened by the commitment.
Despite having no credit card debt or personal loans, she said the single car loan alone was enough to make her life financially difficult once her income became unstable.
Allegedly needed RM15,000 to surrender car
At one point, she contacted the bank and said she wanted to surrender the vehicle as she could no longer afford it.
However, she claimed she would still need to pay approximately RM15,000 even after giving up the car.
With limited options available, she decided to continue making the monthly payments despite struggling to keep up.
“Until today, I’ve learned my lesson,” she wrote.
Advises others not to plan commitments around their best income
Following the experience, she advised those earning commissions or other irregular income not to base major financial commitments on the highest amount they have ever earned.
Instead, she suggested calculating commitments based on the lowest income they could still reasonably survive on.
She noted that someone might be earning well today, but there is no guarantee that the same income will continue the following year.
She also urged those who are already feeling squeezed by their monthly payments to seek help early rather than waiting until the debt becomes unmanageable.
Netizens share similar concerns
Her post resonated with many Malaysians, particularly those working in sales or commission-based roles.
One commenter said people in sales should prepare savings covering at least six months of commitments, as their monthly earnings can be unpredictable.
Another said she had considered upgrading from a nearly fully paid Myvi to an X50 but decided against it after thinking about her job security and family responsibilities.
Others shared that they preferred continuing to drive older, fully paid-off vehicles rather than taking on another long-term loan.
As one commenter put it, commission income can be dangerous when a loan is approved based on a person’s best-performing months, while the repayment remains fixed even when their earnings fall.
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