What I am saying is paying cash does not automatically give you a superior bullet proof deal. You still have to negotiate, you still have to play the game. There is still rebates and kick backs. And you are out of your cash. Your funds are tied up in a depreciating item vs. paying a fee to use someone elses funds.
Leaving your funds free for other puposes.
Is it better to pay 100K up front or 5K for 20 months. There is value to keeping your money in your pocket.
I've heard of deals where the dealer prefers to finance because they get a kick backs from the bank that they won't get in a cash sale. Hence they encourage buyers to finance and pay it off. It gave the buyers a better deal because they got the benefit of the banks $$ and a better price.
I've also seen scenarios where the best price was not a cash price because finance kick backs trumped the cash price.
Maybe cash is not always king!
