My first 3 cars were bought used and for cash. My next 7 cars, trucks, or vans were purchased new using loans, and were paid off well ahead of schedule. My current car was purchased very gently used....it was bought new by the prior owner 8 months before I bought it, and it had been sitting on the dealer's lot for 4 months.....the prior owner didn't like it for some reason, and traded it in. The original sticker was $18,475 (give or take a dollar or two), I got it for $11,000 plus my 11 year old Mitsubishi.....and I was happier than you could imagine! I got a very low interest rate on a car loan, so I used that and left my money in an account that was making better interest.
I don't see myself buying new anymore.....I'll stick with the gently used, and will pay for it in which ever way seems that makes the most sense at the time.
........Oops, just remembered that my first new truck (one of the seven new vehicles), was paid for with a cash settlement from a van that I totaled out...........