My Dad use to tell me never go beyond 36 months on a car note, but the last new car he financed was in the 1960s. After that, he only bought used cars for cash, which is what I have done since the late 1990s (the last new vehicle I bought was a 1996 Ford F-150).
My kids are in their late 20s and have never owned a new car or had a car note. They all own their own homes though.
The BOOK says to owe no man.