Unlike when you’re still single, choosing a family car is often more challenging as you need to consider more factors. Aside from ensuring that the car fits your preferences, you also need to think about your family’s safety.
The number of vehicles available today is another reason why choosing a family car is tough. Should you pick a car that offers more safety features but is way too expensive for your budget? Or should you prioritize looking for budget-friendly options first? You’ll likely have these questions on your mind once you decide to buy a family car. The information here will also help your decision: How the USA Is Paving the Way for Sustainable Mobility 2023.
To make the process easier, follow these four tips to choose a car that’s perfect for your family:
Consider Your Budget
Before you find a reputable vehicle dealer in your area, think about your budget first. This process is often straightforward if you pay cash up front. Determine the amount of cash you have, and then look for a vehicle that doesn’t exceed that amount.
Things can get complicated when you’re going to buy a family car through a loan. With this, you need to look into several financing options and check interest rates and length of payment. When applying for a loan, it’s best to make a sizeable down payment (at least 20%) of its value. This may qualify you for cheaper interest rates and may help you avoid paying several fees.
Whether you’re going to pay in cash or through a loan, remember that there are other costs involved in the purchase. When creating a budget, you need to add fuel costs, auto insurance costs, maintenance, and registration.
Determine What You Need The Car For
The ‘perfect’ family car varies per family—the ideal vehicle for one family might not be the same for another. To choose the perfect family car, determine how your family will need the car for.
For example, if your family is very active, choosing a larger vehicle to fit all your equipment might be ideal. If you don’t have any plans to expand your family soon, consider looking at smaller cars or compact sedans.
Aside from your family’s size and lifestyle, assess the seating and storage capacity that your family needs as well. How frequent the family travels and the weather conditions during those trips are also important considerations.
Look At The Safety Features
All your time and effort will be useless if your chosen family car doesn’t have the essential safety features. How can you drive comfortably if you’re frequently worried about your child’s safety in the backseat? Would you even bother using the car if you know it’s unsafe for the little ones?
The perfect vehicle for your family offers at least these safety features:
- Backup camera: A backup camera is a must for family cars as this prevents accidents when you back up or park. Driving can get hectic, and this feature can help you see things you might miss.
- More airbags: Look for a vehicle that offers more than just front airbags. There are now vehicles with built-in side-impact and knee airbags. The more airbags the car has, the more you’ll feel safe.
- Crashworthiness: This refers to the vehicle’s ability to keep a driver and passengers safe after a crash. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or IIHS regularly conducts crash tests. It gives vehicles a rating based on a four-level scale: poor, marginal, acceptable, and good. Choose a vehicle with a good rating in rollovers, rear-impact, offset-frontal, and side-impact.
- Compare Different Models
Even if you found the best family car, don’t buy it yet unless you’ve visited other dealerships in your area. Dealerships vary in promos and discounts, so buying from the first you come across may mean missing out on better deals.
Once you already shortlisted several makes and models, visit dealerships in your area and out of town. Make sure to schedule a test drive with your family so everyone can give their opinions. Test driving is necessary to compare options and assess if the car you’re eyeing meets your and your family’s expectations.
The More Informed You Are, The Better
Besides being an important and expensive investment, the car you’ll choose can affect the day-to-day living of your family. They’ll likely experience stress and inconvenience if you choose a vehicle that’s unsafe or too cramped.
Own the perfect family car by following all of the tips listed in this article. You won’t have problems narrowing down your options if you’re already informed when you decide to buy a family car. Knowledge is power when it comes to car-buying!
