[onewhippedpuppy]

I don't doubt your numbers, but all are based upon short term ownership. In the case of my wife's truck I expect we will own it 5+ years, unlike myself she isn't prone to frequently switching vehicles.

Mental masturbation and warm fuzzies - perhaps so. But here's what I know. I have the titles for all of my vehicles, and can do whatever I damn well please with them. If I lose my job I don't have car payments to worry about. And frankly, I don't like owing people money. It's an old-school mentality, but I tend to think of things in this light - if you don't have the cash for it, you can't afford it. My house is my only debt because it's simply not practical to save enough money to purchase a house, but if I had a financial windfall I would pay off my house before doing anything else. All I can do right now is finance significantly less than what it is worth in today's market. Conservative? Sure, but being conservative also never landed anyone in bankruptcy. Being overly leveraged, on the other hand......