@missile : my buddy just learnt that lesson on his Maserati Grecale Trofeo!
@SQ5_NW : yep everyone's situation is different. I once had it where I took delivery of a new car and a buddy was going to buy my old one. There were a couple of weeks where I owned both. As I had a flexible mortgage with some equity, the price difference went on that. Mortgage rates are about the lowest and many people have the facility to do this. It's a cheaper way of funding a car purchase than the dealer schemes and they could do exactly what I've done. I always think those that do the manufacturer schemes must be the most flush as they're throwing more cash into the car and especially those that replace every 3 years and are effectively paying top depreciation all the time.
When I was young I saved for our first car. During the ownership of it I was still saving so that I had more money and the px value to pay for the next one. I only bought what I could afford. I've just carried on doing that. Effectively I put money aside monthly like others pay for finance. The benefit for me is I can be flexible when I want to and I'm not paying interest. In fact I'm earning interest or investing it for some better return. That seems the cheapest way. We also hold onto cars longer than many as we're fairly low milage. All personal specifics that work out best for us.
People make their own choices with how they spend, buy and prioritise, etc. My comment above was just highlighting one possibility. It doesn't suit all of course.
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