Here's some ammo for your argument. The cost of owning a car is astronomical, much more than people think. Some factors that people don't consider in when evaluating the cost of car ownership is depreciation. Every year that goes by, your car depreciates in value -- that's a cost to you since you're losing your initial investment.

Here are a couple of articles on the subject:

http://www.seattle.gov/waytogo/carcostworksheet.htm
http://www.sightline.org/daily_score...sing_gas_pain/
http://www.sightline.org/daily_score...-depreciation/

The take away here -- by selling your car, you're saving your family thousands of dollars per year, in insurance payments, license tab renewals, fuels costs, depreciation, etc. For an average car, we're talking a couple of thousand dollars per year at least. Now ask yourself, does spending on a bicycle that you want, help you maintain this lifestyle with one less car? Your purchase, be it a Raleigh, a less expensive Globe City, or a fully decked out custom ride, will probably pay itself off in less than a year of car ownership. Try explaining to your wife the true cost of car ownership and the savings your bike riding will provide your family and see where that gets you towards your goal of a nicer ride.