The vehicle I drive does not define me. If a pink tricycle would meet my needs at the right price point, I would not feel emasculated.
Although I buy most of my vehicles new, I typically keep them for at least 10 years and do not finance them. Like others, there was a time when I did finance but after payoff, I continued to pay myself. Now I can afford to buy a vehicle without a loan as long as I continue my practice of paying myself. I currently drive a 13 year old motorcycle or 14 year old car. There are some financing deals that are better than paying outright in cash, but current investments have low returns (especially when you add tax loads) so I see little incentive to do so in most cases.
Many people talk about the advantage of taking a tax deduction. I have never calculated where the deduction is an advantage over the interest you incur on the loan. At this point, I benefit from the standard deductions verses itemizing because I carry no debt.
