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Over the course of his long career, radio personality Dave Ramsey has noticed several indicators of Americans’ financial status.

One of these indicators, he said on an episode of The Ramsey Show, could even possibly predict whether a middle class family could manage to break out of their income bracket and become wealthy.

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At least, that is what he told Micah, 24, from Washington, DC, when the military man called in during the episode looking for financial advice regarding a potential car purchase.

Micah said he earns $80,000 a year. He already owns a car worth $13,000, but is tempted to purchase a new sports car — a Nissan 370Z — for $30,000 in cash. He admitted this is purely an indulgence and that the new car would be for “play.”

However, he called Ramsey to find out if he should invest the money instead of splurging on a vehicle.

Ramsey’s advice was simple: say no to the second car. As for his reasoning, the finance guru pointed to something he’s noticed over the years: “The way you know someone is going to stay middle class is when they have two very nice cars — that are obvious [sic] $500, $600, or $700 payments — sitting in front of a middle class house,” he said.