this.
i think the main problem is people buy cars that are too expensive for their budgets. car notes are not supposed to hurt. if you cringe everytime you pay your car note, you can't afford it. people also don't factor car insurance and maintenance as part of your monthly car payment. i have an account for JUST those things. i have a certain amount of money taken from my check every pay period and it's enough to cover car note, insurance, and maintenance. car note and insurance are on auto draft, so i never even see the payments. the rest of the money just stacks up in that account until i need an oil change, alignment, or any other maintenance done. it's a fool proof system.
i pay $398 a month for the VW (other 2 cars are paid off) and $288 a month for insurance on 3 cars (2 on full coverage and 1 on liability). the shyt gets paid with ease....
Just because you can afford it, doesn't mean it's a smart financial investment.
) so now i have 2 paid off cars on deck whereas before, i had 2 carnotes on deck 
. so i agree, you should always have at least 1 paid off car in the stash. but why should i deny myself the experience of driving a nice vehicle (especially one that i can easily afford) because of what MIGHT happen? what if everything goes right and all is well? i tend to look at the glass as half full....
The car I had before this one I had for about 8 years. It was paid for, but as with any car it started having problems. It was cool until the transmission started slipping. So in 2010 I got me a 2008 Chevy Impala. It's not the best but it is reliable and I'm only paying $225 a month on it. I'll have it paid off this year. But once I had the taste of not paying a note, I wanted back A.S.A.P. 
I said that when I get another car that I pay a note on I want to have it paid off within 2 years of purchase.
