This is a collaborative post. When it comes to buying a new or used family car there’s plenty to consider. It’s a huge financial outlay so you shouldn’t rush in and get something that ends up being an expensive mistake.
Let’s take a look at some of the top considerations that should help you on your way!
Work out the finances
Before you start to think about the type of car that you wish to buy, you need to set your budget and how much you want to spend so that you only look at cars you’re actually able to buy. There’s no use in falling in love with something, only to find out you’d have to sell your kidneys to buy it.
If you have a car to part-exchange, then ring around and find out how much you can get for it. Look at your savings and how much you can afford to part with. If you’re planning to use car finance, then look at your household outgoings and work out what you can realistically afford to pay monthly without making too many other sacrifices or potentially leaving yourself in debt.
As well as the upfront price, you’ll also want to consider how much the car will cost you to run each month. Is it economical? What does breakdown cover cost? What about insurance? Get a few quotes to make sure you’re working with all available information.
If you do use finance to pay for your vehicle then you need to be aware that your car will lose value over time. GAP insurance, or Guaranteed Asset Protection insurance, literally bridges the gap in the costs should your car be a total loss after a fire, theft, accident or other similar incident. To avoid only being paid the market value for what it is worth when it is stolen, for example, GAP insurance can cover some of that financial loss. You can get GAP insurance quotes from Protect Your Family.
Petrol, Diesel or Electric?
Another thing that you’ll need to decide upon beforehand is whether you wish to opt for a diesel or petrol-powered car, or whether you might be better opting for a newer electric model. Generally speaking, diesel cars are seen as the more economical go-to if we’re talking miles per gallon. However, diesel cars are also usually more expensive to buy and to run.
Many people who consider themselves low-mileage motorists consider petrol a more viable option. If you will be mainly using your car at low speeds, then it’s better to opt for a petrol-powered car.
There are many pros and cons of electric cars; make sure you look into it as an option before committing.
Think about storage
When you have kids, and particularly if you also have a family dog, you’ll know that it’s vital to have a car with lots of storage. If your kids are small then you’ll probably need a boot which is big enough to fit in things like buggies which can take up a lot of room. Holding a baby in one hand and trying to cram a too-big buggy into a too-small car boot is soul destroying.
Once out of the buggy phase, travelling with children may not require so much storage room, however if you have teens who you may need to ferry back and forth to university with a boot full of duvets and furniture, a big car becomes very useful again.
Don’t forget that there are ways to create space; for example if you’re planning on family holidays in your car, then think about whether you might be able to fit a roof box on it rather than purchasing a huge vehicle for these occasional journeys.
Consider your seating
If you know that you’ll be using infant’s car seats, then you will probably want to to look into cars that have enough ISOFIX mountings, so that you can secure them all properly. It goes without saying that you’ll need enough seats to fit in all your kids! Most cars can fit two car seats across the back, however there are a few models which can safely fit three so this is worth researching.
If you are planning on having more children in the future, or often pick up your kid’s friends from school, it might be worth getting a larger, seven-seater car now.
Some cars such as the Kia Sorento and Skoda Kodiaq have fold down seats in the boot for occasional use.
Choose a sensible interior
When you have kids, you’ll know that they can make a bit of a mess. Even if you ban food from the car there will be crumbs and not to mention sand, even if you’ve never been near a beach. Throw in some muddy shoes and various bodily fluids and you would really do best to avoid any car interior that’s too fancy, light-coloured, or that will be difficult to clean.
A dark, wipe-clean surface like leather is so much more kid-friendly. To go the extra mile, consider using some kid-proof car seat covers to keep everything clean.