A Comprehensive Guide To Buying A Family Car

You and your spouse have enjoyed the carefree early years of marriage and the freedom to come and go as you pleased. But from the moment your first little bundle of joy arrived, the sense of responsibility kicked in. Choosing a car for a family is a serious business, from ensuring its safety on the road to budgeting for all your needs. With this in mind, we have put together an all-inclusive guide to buying a family car.

Budget

There are several aspects you need to take into account regarding the budget for your new car. This can be divided into upfront costs, ongoing costs, and unexpected costs. The obvious upfront cost is the purchase price of the vehicle. Ongoing costs include insurance, fuel, and routine maintenance. Plan to stick to the scheduled maintenance periods to ensure that your vehicle is always at its best.

When buying a second-hand car, and depending on its age and mileage, you can assume that parts will need replacing from time to time. Another unexpected cost is repairs from damage or an accident. This will vary according to your insurance policy and how much is covered and your policy excess.

Use this affordability guide UK to determine the monthly repayment amount you can afford on a car. If you are trading your old car in to get a new family car, you will get a lower offer from the dealership than if you sold the vehicle privately. Call a couple of car dealerships and ask how much they will give you for that make and model. These figures may vary from the actual amount you get paid, depending on the condition of the car. You can get information on getting a car loan here.

Safety

Safety is a non-negotiable feature in a family car. With daily trips to school, play dates, and extracurricular activities for the kids, getting parents to work and back, weekly grocery shopping, and family outings, your car is going to be on the road a lot. So, you need peace of mind that it has been fully tested and complies with the highest standards.

The Euro NCAP rating provides a measure of up to five stars for all vehicles. Don’t settle for a car that does not have a 5-Star Euro NCAP rating. Crash tests have been carried out, and onboard safety items are assessed before a score is given.

Space And Comfort

Space and comfort are important considerations. Decide how long you will keep the car before trading it in and what it must provide for you and your family in that time.

While your children are babies or toddlers, you may need less storage capacity than with older children whose sports equipment has to be fitted in. Boot space should ideally be able to hold a minimum of 300 litres for a family car and all their luggage. Fold-down seats will extend this capacity further.

A third row of seats may seem like a good idea until you try to cram your teenagers and their friends into this space, which is better suited to tiny tots. Do you plan to extend your family? In that case, a seven or eight-seater SUV might meet your needs.

Reliability

A fairly new model of car will tend to be more reliable than an older one. The latter may have had several different drivers over the years and is more prone to wear and tear repairs. Check the mileage as well. If this is high, even on a newer car, you can expect more maintenance or breakdowns.

Keeping The Family Car Clean

The last thing you want when you come to trade in your family car is indelible stains from years of children eating and drinking in the vehicle. If the car has lots of nooks and crannies, it will also be harder for you to keep it clean. Look for a car with leather or dark seats that are easier to wipe down and hide the spillage. After all, it is a family car, so some messes are unavoidable.

What Will Your Car Run On?

A diesel engine is more suited to a vehicle that frequently travels on motorways than one that is mostly confined to town driving. Diesel fuel costs will be manageable. Maintenance costs will be higher for a diesel engine if it operates mainly at low speeds for short distances. In that case, a petrol-powered, or electric car is more suitable.

ElectriX provides information resources on electric cars, such as how far you will go on a charge, how to find a smart charger for your home, and insurance options. All this is brought together in one site to save you from having to do protracted searches to get the answers you want.

One Car Or Two?

If you and your spouse work far from home, have different starting and finishing times or need to travel during the day for work, it may serve you to consider buying two cars. You may decide to hang onto your existing vehicle for the spouse who does the most travelling on the job. The new car you purchase will be the family car and this needs to meet all the criteria already discussed. In this instance, there won’t be a trade-in amount to lessen the cost of buying the family car.

New Car

There are many advantages to getting a brand-new car. It has no previous owners, some of whom may have driven it badly, and it has never been involved in an accident. Apart from it being in excellent condition, you can arrange to have additional features added before you take possession of the car. Tow bars will allow you to hitch a trailer and provide extra storage capacity. If it doesn’t have parking sensors, these are safety features you may want to include. Also, check for baby or child car seats and always comply with the law in this regard.

With a new car, you may have a choice of colours. White cars are touted to be the safest on the road, and black cars are the least safe.

Driver Comfort

When you have narrowed your options down to a few cars, spend some time just sitting in the driver’s seat while the vehicle is stationary. Adjust it to the height and distance from the steering wheel that is most comfortable for you. Now test the gears, handbrake, and floor pedals. Is everything within easy reach? Do you feel fully in control, or do you have to wiggle around to perform these movements? Check all the mirrors and that you have clear visibility around the car.

Test Drive the Vehicle

You will need to test drive the vehicles you are interested in. Follow these test drive guidelines to make sure you have covered all your bases. If you are allowed to, take the car to your home and make sure that it will fit in your garage. See if the baby’s pram and other equipment can be easily stowed. No matter how well a vehicle fits your checklist, the test drive will tell you if you will be happy driving it.

Buying a car is an investment. Having followed all these steps, you will be confident with your final choice.

Disclosure: This is a featured post.