A Malaysian woman expressed frustration after her mother compared her to a younger person who managed to buy a car despite earning less.
In a post that received over 14,000 views, the woman explained that she earns a relatively modest salary and lives in Kuala Lumpur.
As she does not believe she urgently needs a car, she usually travels by MRT and occasionally books a ride.
She added that Kuala Lumpur’s traffic congestion was another reason she had little interest in driving.
However, her mother reportedly compared her to a 21 year old who had already bought a Perodua Myvi despite earning RM1,900 a month.
That person is only 21 years old and already owns a Myvi. They can afford it with a RM1,900 salary, but you earn over RM3,000 and still cannot afford one,” her mother told her.
The comparison left the woman feeling hurt, especially as she had repeatedly explained why she was not ready to take on the financial commitment.
She added that she did not understand why her mother kept comparing her with the other individual.
Netizens say she made a wise decision
Several netizens reassured the woman that choosing not to buy a car was financially sensible, particularly when public transport was already sufficient for her daily needs.
One commenter pointed out that owning a vehicle involved more than paying its monthly instalments.
Other expenses such as parking, maintenance, road tax and insurance would also need to be considered.
Another netizen praised her for carefully thinking about the consequences before committing to a car loan.
Others agreed that driving in Kuala Lumpur could be costly and stressful due to traffic jams and expensive monthly repayments.
Some also shared similar experiences of being compared with others by their parents.
Despite feeling upset, the woman appeared to take the comments positively and jokingly said that her mother would only realise she was “limited edition” if other people praised her in person.
