Barb,
Charlie is at a very vulnerable point, but he needs to think long term. Once he finishes his school he's looking at joining a ship's company and deploying, likely for an extended period of time. Anything he buys now is going to have to be stored while he is deployed. If he doesn't make other arrangements, any car that he buys is going to be sitting in a parking lot near the port with minimal security. Same for other things that he cannot take with him on the sub, he's going to have to find a home for anything he own's when he gets orders to a ship's company. While it is tempting to buy a car, that is probably not the smartest approach, given his needs and short term future. Charlie would be a lot better off to keep his material possessions minimized, and keep it pared back for now.