A car has two types of cost. Operation and maintenance are one. Capital cost is the other.
Capital cost is how much it depreciates while you own it. Plus interest...even if you pay cash, because that cash isn't invested.
If you buy a new $38k car and sell it for $20k in three years to buy another, your capital cost was $500 a month plus interest on the $38k. About another $100 a month ( which declines each month). Those costs apply whether you pay cash, finance it or lease it.
If you pay $38k for a car and sell it for $8k 15 years later, it only cost you $166 a month plus the interest.
The key to spending less on cars over time is how long you keep them. Not whether you pay cash or borrow or lease.
And, of course, the numbers make vastly more sense if you buy used since the depreciation hit is vastly less.
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