Nov 12, 2026 · 6 min
Dave rejects a 27% title loan for custody legal fees
"So Broke I Want To Take A Loan Out Against My Car"
The episode weighs a financially painful but potentially safer way to fund legal help without adding destructive high-interest debt.
- 1A 25–27% title loan could turn an urgent custody dispute into a deeper financial crisis.
- 2Selling an $11,000 car and buying a $2,000 replacement could free roughly $9,000 for legal fees.
- 3A firm attorney budget and deliberate spending limit can prevent legal costs from financially devastating the caller.
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Dave contrasts a $25–27% title loan with selling the caller’s $11,000 car and buying a $2,000 replacement.
The brief
A caller facing a custody dispute considers a vehicle title loan to pay legal fees, but the proposed 25–27% interest rate makes the financing itself a serious threat.
Dave’s alternative is blunt: sell the $11,000 car, buy a $2,000 replacement, and redirect the roughly $9,000 difference toward legal help.
The advice also includes shopping for attorneys and setting a firm spending limit, recognizing that an open-ended case could financially devastate the caller.
The episode’s central lesson is that a budget can make a painful choice deliberate: sacrifice an asset rather than compound the crisis with expensive debt.
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