<prompt> Human: So, my wifes parents are not good with money. Her mom is newly retired and her dad is a bus driver. They are both really sweet people and my wife is very close to them. The problem is, theyre horrible with money. Theyve already filed BK a few years ago but they have a home and, as far as I know, theyre current on the mortgage.They have 2 cars. A piece of shit beater and a Rav 4 thats been in the shop too many times. They are very hard on their cars. The beater is not going to make it past a few more months. Her dad wants to give up the beater, take the Rav 4 and buy a car for his wife. Last night, he asked my wife for help. I dont know the extent of the help he needs but I suspect he will ask her to co-sign on the loan or simply be the only person on the hook.I have great credit, she has very good credit. When we started dating, her credit was shot but I taught her how to manage her credit and now shes doing very well. We both make good money but we both have over 50k in student loans. Were living in a condo which is in my name and I bought prior to our marriage. We both lease our cars.I was just hit with all this in the morning today and Im trying to figure out the best way to do this. I want to help but I want to do it in the safest way possible. We have enough in the bank to buy a car without a loan but I dont know if thats the best route. Honestly, I would rather her dad get a shitty loan on his own than pitch in. I guess my question is, what is the safest way to go about doing this? Its going to happen so no need to convince me otherwise but I want it to happen in a way where were not getting ripped off and to minimize the risk to our credit.I thought about just buying a car and having her dad make payments to us but she insists that her dad would be more responsible if he was getting billed by a bank. However, I dont want to risk our credit in case he defaults. Would a used car be a better purchase than a new car? Should I look at Carmax or a certified pre-owned Toyota or Honda? What would be a reliable reasonably priced car? 10-12k would be ideal. We can get financing through my credit union at about 3 which is pretty good but again, Im not sure if thats the best route. Ive never been in this situation and I want to make sure we can do it right. At the same time, I do not want to be leaned on every time her family has a financial issue.  <response>: Go Google cosigning for parents or lending money to parents. There is NO safe way to cosign or do anything else. The only 3 safe things that you can do are:- Convince them to buy a car in cash- Refuse to help them- Give them a lump of cash as a giftNo matter what, you CANNOT BE on any kind of loan documents. You cannot cosign, you cannot do anything, because your in-laws will destroy you and your wifes financial situation without blinking an eye, without a 2nd thought. You and your wife are each others family now, and your wife needs to look out for YOU over her parents. If she isnt willing to enforce that boundary and not risk your future for her parents, then counseling and a post to rrelationships is in order.It sounds like your in-laws currently have 2 cars. I would get them signed up for Credit Karma, which is free. Be there 100 with guidance and advice, and 0 with co-signing or gift giving. Empower them to fix their own credit so that they can get their own loans. Help them shop at credit unions or join one once their credit is above 660, and preferably above 700 or 720. Honestly, while they want newer cars and theyre hard on their cars, maybe they just have to learn not to be. If I give a baby a toy and he breaks it, I dont keep rebuying him the toy. I let it be broken, and the baby needs to learn not to be destructive. Whats your plan for your leases when they expire, turn them in? Are they economical and reliable models? Maybe you help them fix their credit, and then you let them buy out the lease if you were just going to do so anyway. They can pay off the lease and drive it another 15-20 years without issue. They will know the full history. Also, being PF, the obligatory: STOP leasing. Especially with 50k debt. Get yourself a positive net worth before you reward yourself with renting a new car and living above your means. Unless you did it through leashackr or something where youre paying 120 a month for some amazing vehicle, in which case, I apologize. 