A Malaysian man recently shared a story online about a friend whose financial decision ended up straining their friendship.
According to the post shared by XUAN, the friend earns RM1,900 a month, but after deductions such as EPF and SOCSO, his actual take-home pay is only around RM1,400 to RM1,600.
Suddenly excited about buying a car
One day, the friend excitedly told their group chat that he was planning to buy a car.
At first, everyone assumed he had already calculated his finances carefully, perhaps after saving some money or getting help from family.
However, when they asked about his budget, his answer raised some concerns.
He said as long as he can afford the monthly instalment, it’s enough.”
The friend explained that the monthly instalment would only be about RM500, and confidently insisted that it wouldn’t be a problem.
Friends tried to warn him
His friends quickly became worried and began explaining that owning a car involves far more expenses than just the monthly instalment.
They reminded him to consider fuel costs, insurance, road tax, tolls, maintenance, servicing, and even unexpected costs like accidents or fines.
With RM1,500 take-home pay and RM500 for a car loan, that’s already one-third of his salary.”
Despite the warnings, the friend remained confident and brushed off their concerns by declaring “Can one lah.’”
According to the man who shared the story, the tone made it clear that his friend wasn’t really calculating the costs but simply taking a gamble.
The real reason behind the decision
Later, the group found out why their friend was so determined to buy a car.
Apparently, his girlfriend had been pressuring him, saying it was embarrassing for a man not to own a car.
His girlfriend said it’s embarrassing for a man not to have a car.”
The repeated comments made him start doubting himself, and he eventually felt that his girlfriend might be right.
Although his friends were uncomfortable with the situation, they felt that it was ultimately his personal decision.
Asked friends to lend him money
Things took an even stranger turn during a meal together.
The friend also casually mentioned something that immediately caught everyone’s attention: “If this month is a bit tight, can you guys lend me some money first?”
At that moment, the group suddenly realised something troubling: he hadn’t even bought the car yet, but he was already planning to borrow money.”
His friends began imagining what the future might look like if they agreed to his request, with the OP stating:
“If he couldn’t afford the instalment, he might borrow money. If insurance was due, he might borrow money.
“If the car broke down or tyres burst, he might borrow money again. In the end it would look like it’s his car, but actually all of us would be paying for it.”
End of friendship
Despite the concerns raised by his friends, the man eventually went ahead and bought the car. Unfortunately, the financial pressure from maintaining the car soon made life difficult for him.
To make matters worse, his girlfriend later broke up with him.
The man who shared the story added that the dinner where his friend asked to borrow money ended up becoming the last time they met as friends.
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