"When a man opens the car door for his wife, either…

“When a man opens the car door for his wife, either the car is new or the wife is” is a jocular line that has been printed on many images. The saying has been cited in print since at least 1959 and is of unknown authorship.

6 July 1959, Minneapolis (MN) Star, pg. 19A, col. 5:
Minute Smile
HOWARD VIKEN OF WCCO: “When you see a man open a car door for his wife, you can be sure either the car or the wife is new.”

15 December 1959, Logan (OH) Daily News, “Letters to the Editor,” pg. 3, col. 3:
When a man opens the car door for his wife, either the car is new or the wife is.
(...)
HAL SPANG

21 March 1974, Jewish Advocate (Boston, MA), “Nice to Meat You!” by “Uncle Miltie,” pg. 9, col. 5 ad:
When a man opens the car door for his wife, you can be sure of one of two things: either the car is new, or the wife is.
(Shafran’s.—ed.)

Google Books
Comedy Writing Step by Step
By Gene Perret
New York, NY: Samuel French
1982
Pg. 60:
“Any time you see a man open a car door for his wife, either the car is new or the wife is. “

Google Books
A Treasury of Humor:
Thousands of humorous stories, jokes, anecdotes and one-liners, up-to-date and categorized for ease of use
By Lowell D. Streiker
Peabody, MA: Hendrickson
2000
Pg. 210:
When a husband opens the car door for his wife, either the car is new or the wife is new. —Carol Rumsey

Google Books
Take My Wife:
523 Jokes, Riddles, Quips, Quotes, and Wisecracks About Love, Marriage, and the Battle of the Sexes
By Hugh Payne
New York, NY: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
2008
Pg. 53:
When a man opens the car door for his wife, either the car is new or the wife is.

YouTube
Jokes - If a man opens the car door for his wife, you can be sure of one thing: either the car is ne
jokesus
Published on Sep 15, 2015
Joke :
If a man opens the car door for his wife, you can be sure of one thing: either the car is new or the wife.

Google Books
3000 Jokes, 2997 Laughs
By Mike Haskins and Stephen Arnott
London, UK: Portico
2017
Pg. ?:
If a man opens a car door for his wife it means one of two things: either the car is new, or the wife is.

Twitter
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When a man opens the car door for his wife, you can be sure of one thing, either the car is new or the wife is.
2:55 PM - 11 Sep 2017