While I agree that you should not go into debt over a pinball, I would rather finance at 0% for 6 months than pay cash. I make 15% ROI on my investments on average over the last 10 years.... if I invest $6000 I can make $4-500 bucks over 6 months.

I always take cheap credit when I can... if you have enough liquid investments, it doesn't make sense to take the money out when you can finance for free.

Depends what you mean.... I have a full time job as an engineer, but also own 3 rental properties and have a good chunk of change in the stock markets. I do not actively trade stocks... I keep them in a few mutual funds, an s&p 500 index fund, and Berkshire Hathaway (let warren Buffett decide how to invest my money).

At 43 years old, my investments make more money than my employment.... and it’s been like that for the last 5-6 years. This is part of how I grow my money....I’ll use free debt any chance I get and invest.... sure there’s a chance the market goes to crap and I end up paying more.... but over the long run, I’ll win more than I lose.

I would counter that if you can't afford to finance a new pin, you can't afford to buy a new pin.

I think EVERYONE with some basic financial sense will agree that it is not smart to finance an expensive luxury item if you can't afford to buy it outright.

If you have only $2000 in savings, and want a $7000 machine, and think financing is the way to get it, then you need to re-evaluate your priorities.... go to an arcade and buy your plays $1 at a time. Even if you have $7000 in savings, and want to finance, it's a risky proposition, because if you invest it, and the market tumbles, you won't be able to make your payments. If you have >$50,000 in savings and want to finance, then use that free debt and go ahead and invest that money (or pay off other debt).

We need to remember that some people don't understand basic personal finances. My mother in law has lived paycheck to paycheck her entire life. She believes that money in the bank is money that needs to be spent, and debt is just a monthly bill. If she won $50,000 on a scratch off, she'd buy a $50,000 car rather than start paying off her $100,000 in debt. People like that should never take on debt.

Well... it's not over yet!

She does enjoy her life, and I am in no way condemning the way she lives. my only point is that some people have no financial IQ, and those people should not be taking out debt. My Mother-In-Law does not have any credit cards, and the debt was mostly built up by her husband who died almost 20 years ago (mostly hospital bills). She knows she will never get out of debt during her life time, so just lives day to day.

Probably.... but that's not the type of person she is.