Length of Car loans

More proof that people here don't know what they're talking about. Let's skip everything here except for the last sentence. You see, larger car dealerships actually get kickbacks if you finance. They WANT you to finance. They make more money that way. Nobody favors a cash buyer anymore. Best case, it's a wash, but any type of new car dealership will actually frown on cash buyers. In other words, you actually have more negotiating power if you finance.

Small dealerships that may not be in bed with a bank or have a company backed financial arm may be indifferent at best. I sell heavy equipment for example, doesn't make me any difference whether it's financed or not, I could care less. If I were getting kickbacks like all large dealerships are, you can bet that I'd be steering people towards financing. If they refused, it's not like I'm going to do any special favors for them that I wasn't willing to do 5 minutes ago when I thought they'd be purchasing on credit.

That being said, one thing that is related to this is trade-ins. You always have more negotiating power WITHOUT a trade-in. Nobody wants your old car. The trade in values are inflated to make you feel better but you will typically be better off by selling it yourself then negotiating without it.