No matter how you slice it, you are buying a car you can’t afford. That’s why you need a loan for it.
The reason they give low or zero interest loans is that they are still making their required profit on the car at the end of the day, even at that interest rate. That’s really all it is. We all work to earn a living. Car dealers are no different. They can actually be very honest enterprises although I always consider this angle of human nature: The more money that is involved in a transaction, the greater the temptation to be dishonest.
So for 6 years, he had to make a car payment. It didn’t matter if he lost his job or his income or whatever. Every month, that payment had to be made. And if the lender “lost” a payment, they would screw him like the slut he was until he could get it straightened out.
OTOH I bought a car and I don’t have to make any payments. I paid $3,000 for my car. How much did he pay for his car? If he even paid $20,000, is he $17,000 better off than me? I don’t think so.