<prompt> Human: I am going to purchase a car for a very close friend of mine and could use some advice on the best option for it. Long story short, she is going through a messy divorce. Her pos husband not only was very abusive, but he is now dragging his feet with the divorce knowing she cannot afford all of the added legal fees. She is really in a bad spot financially, doesnt earn much income, is discussing chapter 13 options, and her car is in danger of being repossessed. She is a good friend and person and is very dear to my heart so I want to help her. I am just not sure the best option to take and would appreciate any advice. One option would be to pay her car loan outright, but since the car would still be in her name it could cause problems with the divorce as well as chapter 13. Plus the car has over 120k miles on it. Another option would be to take out a loan in my name and finance a new car. Her credit is shot and has zero chance of securing any decent loan rate. She would then just pay me monthly. The final option would be to just purchase the car outright in cash, and keeping it in my name until she pays me back in full. My biggest concern with this is if I am audited and the IRS sees monthly cash or check deposited into my account. How could I prove that this was not income and just a repayment of a loan? Im not going to be charging her interest, just the initial loan principle. Would this create a mess for my taxes? Just a few last things to help you get a better understanding of the situation. Im in a good position financially with very little debt to my name and an excellent credit score. Im going to use cash that I have sitting around in my checking account so I wont be tapping into any retirement funds. I have known this woman for several years and I trust her. She had been beaten down her entire life and is taking steps to improve her life like enrolling in nursing school, she just needs a break. I know she will pay me back, its just a matter of when, and its not a concern at all. Improving her quality of life is far more important to me than having an extra 15k in my checking account.  <response>: All of your options are equally terrible for different reasons. Do not do this. If you insist on doing this, buy her a beater, gift it to her, and move on. 