Don't pay off the student loans in advance. I had a similar amount and I paid it off over 20+ years at somewhere between $100-$150 dollars a month. It really is not going to impact you that much, especially decades later when you're earning way more.

I imagine it this way. Imagine if someone assembled 20k from your earnings over 20 years. That's quite an assembly of capital and a decent interest rate. You might as well do something with it you can't otherwise do because you're never going to get a 20k loan with 4% interest ever again (credit cards? LOL) except maybe a new auto loan or a mortgage.

Inflation in US is somewhere between 5-6%. That's hardly hyperinflation.

I think the makers of these movies are aware of these cliches. They keep on making them because that's what a lot of the audience wants to see

I personally wouldn't do it based purely on financials. Every time you go to dealership or make a transaction there's a lot of financial 'friction'. The dealer has to make a profit so they sell at a bit higher and buy at a bit lower. And you have to pay for taxes, dealer fees, doc fees, pre purchase inspections, etc... If you add all of that up, it adds up.

From a purely financial perspective I make as few car transactions as possible. It's a different story if you just don't like your current car or whatever. But purely from dollars perspective I wouldn't