This post is ironic. I'd say you're not very good with money yourself if you think the best option is to pay off a car. With any decent credit, you can get a ~4% or less interest rate. The stock market historically returns about 8%+ on average.

Essentially if person A pays their car off in one lump sum, and person B takes a loan out with the minimum monthly payment, and invests the rest into the market, person B will hypothetically on average come out financially ahead of person A over a timeline.

You can't just insult some other guy if you don't know what you're talking about lol. I get what you were trying to get at though, there are so many people that finance cars they shouldn't. Also, I'm sure that Bezos and Zuckerberg both love fast nice cars like most guys, however they're extremely public figures and their companies performance and public perception rests partially on how they present themselves in public. So it's smarter for them to be somewhat more modest with cars, not because they're "trying to save money" those guys have so much money no car will have any impact on their finances whatsoever. It's public image. Ask yourself this, would you like Amazon more or less if you constantly saw Bezos driving around in a Bugatti throwing money out the window? Even though we know he has it, we'd subconsciously like them less and their legacy might take a hit if they act like that. It's more acceptable to buy epic houses than whip around the streets in some Lamborghini.

On top of that, people who buy those sorts of cars are generally buying it for two main reasons. One, we all love engineering and epic cars that go fast, and two, they're buying them as a status symbol to let people who don't know them that "Hey, I'm successful" etc. Well... the ultra famous ultra wealthy figures you mentioned don't need any sort of material status symbol. People know they're rich and powerful by the flood of cameras following them, their security, and their face alone. You can see Zuck in a 2001 Kia and you still know he's ultra powerful and rich. They don't have any inner need for the cars.

Anyway, onto insulting others acting like you know more than you do

edit: for the record I think I recognize your avi and know you as a good poster, agree with most things you say. If I'm remembering right.

You need to work on your math. If you buy a new car you can expect a 10% depreciation hit the moment you drive it off the lot. Then, another 10% over the course of the year. Plus, your 4% financing. Your 8-12% doesn't make up for that arse raping.

Please prove me wrong though. I'd love to feel better about my younger idiotic vehicle purchases.

I swear in every car thread there's always some potato hurr durr financing cars is a poor decision, nice cars are a waste of money blah blah blah

its ok to want something nice for yourself if you can afford it, it doesnt make you an idiot or bad with money

brb shopping at the thrift store, only buying store brand food, driving a 1993 chevy beretta, using a nokia 3310 cheapest cell phone plan, never going out to eat or drink, living in a windowless basement apartment to save on rent, never having kids save money, no more dates either save that money, only entertainment will be free books from library and antenna tv

brb money saver masterrace now

Yes

Chads usually drive a Silverado or similar.