Anchor: Lots of Americans, you know, you are one of them, dream about owning a shiny new car. But before you spend your hard-earned cash on some hot wheels, you definitely want to hear what personal finance guru Dave Ramsey has to say. As you know, he is a syndicated radio talk show host and the author of the best selling book "The Total Money Makeover"
Hey, there, good to see you, Dave

Dave Ramsey: Good to see you.

Anchor: So, we never ever buy a new car?

Dave Ramsey: Well, I am like everybody else, I am a boy, I like new cars, but they go down in value like a rock. I mean, Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine says you lose 60% of the value in the first 4 years, the worst car accicdents happen on the show room floor.

Anchor: Oh, and the minute you drive it off the show room floor, of course the value plummets right away, right?

Dave Ramsey: All right. Sure it's the wheels break the curb, you know, you really have to change, you know.

Anchor: Oh my god, so maybe not a wise use of your money. What about employee discount for the cars?

Dave Ramsey: Well,certainly it's pulled people back into that and 0% interest before that, but even then, you got to consider by the time you get it home, you've still lost money. So, a wise use of your dollars, unless you've got just piles of cash, is to really pay cash for a high-quality 1 or 2 or 3 year- old used car, let someone else take the butt-kicking on depreciation.

Anchor: Oh, you have done it then break it down with a lease payment, it sounds / reasonable, what about leasing a car? Come on!

Dave Ramsey: We call it a fleecing. You know, Consumer Reports says it is the most expensive way to operate a vehicle, (OK.)because in fleecing, what you've done is to quit asking "how much", (ok), now, you just asking "how much down, how much a month" (mm, right)and when you start asking that, you are gonna live in endless payments the rest of your life , and again, like I always say, you tie up your most, your most powerful wealth building to ,which is your income, with no car payments , you can have some money.

Anchor: Alright, now, tell us about how to buy a used car then, you say that's a way we go, right? how, how used is used?

Dave Ramsey: Well, it depends on how much money you have. (Ok). And, you should pay cash. Again, grandmother's rule: If you can pay cash.I can't believe this guy's said I pay cash for a car. Look, just for a short period of time, drive like no one else, so later you can drive like no one else. The average Car Payment in America is 378 dollars over 84 months right now. Wow. If you took that and invest it from age 25 to age 65 in a mutual fund, you'll have 4.4 million dollars.(Holy pal! All right.)Hope you like the car.(All right.) so, let's take that money, set them in a cookie jar, pay cash for a little used car, and then move up, and then do it again, and then move up and work your way out.

Anchor: Ok, And how do we, how do we move up? So we are saving money, ok so we are buying our niceresolvable car right, for cash, then we are putting away money each month for a nicer car? (Pay yourself a car payment.)

Dave Ramsey: Pay yourself a car payment, (all right) and then you've got 4000 dollars every 11 months or so.

Anchor: How do we know how much we can afford?

Dave Ramsey: You should never have vehicles, cars, boats, trucks, sedan and their sisters that add up to more than half your annual income. Cause then you got too much tied up and things are going down in value. It's the most expensive thing we buy, but it's all about prestige. I mean, we spent a minimum amount of money to impress somebody at the stoplight we'll never meet.

Anchor: I Know, it is a big ego buy, isn't it? It really is. (It really is.) All, right, what about people who are afraid of getting stuck with problems if you buy a used car, you know, it is a lemon.

Dave Ramsey: Well, that's an old car dealer's myth. I mean, really, if you buy a car from 50s to 60s, that might be true, but the cars that we build today, are fabulous cars. And they've got a lot of life in them, used to if you had one at 60000 miles , it is about to fall apart. Now it's got 260 thousand miles if it is about to fall apart, they got a lot life in them. And you can get services like car factory, you can check the history of the car, make sure you're getting a good car, have your mechanic check it, there are good cars out there.

Anchor: All right, let's take a look at your tips here, just by way of your views, so, you said, don't buy a new car, unless you are rich.
What, what's rich?

Dave Ramsey: Well, usually you need at least a million bucks,(ok)I mean the bottom line is can you lose 20,000 dollars and not miss it?

Anchor: Wow, I don't think anybody can say that. All right, you say, don't lease a car ever ever ever? Never. Nerver? It's never a good deal. Ok, buy a car that is 2 years old or more. Why is it 2 years?

Dave Ramsey: Again, becasue that is where the most of that appreciation, most of that value lost in the first two years.

Anchor: Ok, pay cash.

Dave Ramsey: Absolustely, always. Because, then you have that control of your earned money. We get in the thing of all the money goes out and all the money comes in, all the money goes out, only the names that changed your protecting in this otherwise.

Anchor: Save up for that better car, all right, great advice as always, thanks a lot.

Dave Ramsey: Thanks. Don't forget we are gonna be on 60 Minutes Sunday night.

Anchor: I hey, man. I was just get ready to say that. Oh, dear, I am sorry , ( you're always doing my job)I am sorry, Don't forget you can see more of Dave Ramsey on 60 minutes this weekend, good to see you.

Dave Ramsey: Thank you.