We have generally owned all of our cars outright. We usually just get cheap but reliables. We almost got a honda civic on a whim but regretted the loan which was from a car dealer. Luckily it was still within the cooling off period. When we worked it out the difference in loan terms between the car dealers loan arrangement and a bank were huge. So I guess that is what I would say - if you get a car loan - be careful who your provider is as it can make a huge difference to what you pay in the end.