Tips and Tricks for Families When Deciding on a New Car
Getting a new car is exciting! Not only are you getting something nice for yourself, but more importantly, it’s something that your entire family is going to use often so it’s important that you do your research and make the right choice.
Because this is an investment that you’re probably going to be living with for years down the road, there are some tips and tricks that you and your family may want to keep in mind before making it final.
1. Reach Out To Car Other Enthusiasts
Whether you’re a car enthusiast yourself and really want to get into the specifics, or you’re on the other end of the spectrum and aren’t really sure where to start, reaching out to various online communities of people that are passionate about cars could point you in the right direction.
The creator of Auto Guys Land, for example, made the blog specifically so that people that share the same interest in cars could connect and give each other advice. Alternatively, you could look at public forums and see what others in your area are looking at and which cars they’re interested in.
Finding a community that seems to fit you personally, where you can not only read interesting and relevant materials but also ask questions specific to your situation could be a great first step to finding a new family vehicle that you’re all going to love.
2. Size And Use
One of the first things you should consider when looking for a new car is how big the vehicle needs to be. Of course, that will first and foremost depend on the size of your family.
Is it just you and an SO? Do you have pets? Kids? If you have children, how many do you have, and how old are they? What will you be using the car for?
Is it a vehicle you’ll drive daily to go to and from work, pick your kids up from school, and the like, or is it more of a second family vehicle that you can lend to your teen to drive around?
Do you plan to use it for vacations? If so, what kind of vacations do you like to go on as a family? If you like to go sightseeing and explore different cities, for example, you may want to look for a car that’s suitable for city driving.
If, on the other hand, there might be some off-roading and camping in your future, you might want to look for a more rugged vehicle that can perform well on various types of terrain, and that can accommodate the extra gear you’ll need to bring.
3. Gas Mileage And Affordability
Affordability is often a concern, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find an affordable vehicle that’s reliable and gets good gas mileage. If the most important thing to you is budget, look for cars with high sales volume in your area. They’re likely more popular for a reason—because they’re easy on the wallet.
On the other hand, if your family is on the go a lot, you might want to look for something that’s more fuel-efficient. For example, hybrids or electric vehicles (EVs) can get good gas mileage but still have room for your family and all their gear.
If you need to drive long distances often, it’s recommended that you find an EV with a large enough battery pack to accommodate your travel needs.
4. Resale Value
When it comes down to it, though, resale value is probably one of the most important factors in your decision when it comes to getting a new family car.
After all, cars are expensive investments that you’ll be keeping for years down the road—so if something happens and you can’t keep it anymore, you want to make sure you get as much money back out of it as possible.
Fortunately, you can find excellent resources online that provide the estimated trade-in value of vehicles. You can also look through a used car dealership’s current inventory, as they usually have up-to-date trade-in value estimates.
While they might not be 100% accurate, they can give you a good idea of what your car is worth when the time comes to make the decision whether or not to sell it.
It goes without saying that safety is incredibly important when it comes to getting a new family car as well.
Researching different safety features, along with the 4 other tips already mentioned—talking to knowledgeable people, thinking about how you’re going to use your new family car, finding the right price, and taking resale value into account—will help ensure that you get a vehicle that not only is safe but also reliable, and that your family will be able to get the most out of it.