Your family car does a lot of important jobs. It transports you all to and from work, school, shopping trips, vacations, doctors’ appointments, and much more. Any car that fills this role has to be pretty special to help you get everything done and keep your family safe at the same time. You can use the vin decoder to find out if there were accidents or other problems which could affect safety issues.
When you’re shopping for a new car, safety and functionality are top priorities. You want all of the latest features and protections, but you also have to factor in finances. To help you get the most bang for your buck, here’s a step-by-step guide that will help you through the car-buying process and ensure that you find a car that fits all of your needs.
1. Determine Your Budget
First, you’ll need to consider your finances and decide how much you can reasonably spend on car payments and monthly expenses. Taking out a new long-term loan is a major decision for families with other bills and expenses, so you’ll need to be mindful of what you can afford to spend. Estimate how much you need for a down payment, monthly payments, maintenance costs, and insurance fees. If you have those numbers ready to go, you can narrow down your vehicle options and find one that won’t break the bank.
2. Consider the Size
The first step in finding your new vehicle is choosing the appropriate size. Compact cars, SUVs, and trucks are often distinguished by style preferences, but most families have different needs and uses that smaller cars can’t accommodate. For families with multiple children, vans and SUVs are popular options. Not only do they offer more seating room and packing space, but their size makes them safer to drive overall. Large trucks may also be an option, but you’d be sacrificing passenger space in the cab in favor of loading room on the bed.
Larger vehicles also have the benefit of pulling campers or RVs for weekend trips, transporting large sporting gear, and offering seats for friends and family to ride together. Consider your habits and aspirations and choose a vehicle that can cater to both!
3. Figure Out Features
Now that you have an idea of what size and type of vehicle you’re interested in, you can narrow down your options further by creating a list of preferred features. If you’re buying a new car, you can seek out models outfitted with most or all of the newest tech features. These systems are designed to boost car safety and lower accident rates, which will make you and your family feel more secure.
Having small children in the car can be enough of a distraction for drivers, so convenience features are great for family vehicles. Look out for models that are Bluetooth capable or have programs that easily pair your phone with your car’s display. Being able to make hands-free calls, play music, and see your maps and saved locations without touching your phone will help you drive better and cut down on multitasking.
4. Research Safety Ratings
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issues five-star safety ratings on all newly released vehicles in the market, so you can reference their database to see how the vehicles you like are ranked. The ratings are determined by crash data, which allows you to get a better and more practical outlook on how a vehicle performs in the worst-case scenario. They also post timely recalls on vehicles with manufacturing defects and issues, so you should clear your choices with that list as well.
5. Compare & Contrast
Don’t hesitate to shop around for the best deal out there. Frugal parents love to look for deals on groceries, clothing, and other big items, so your next car should be no different. When you have narrowed down your search to a couple of potential vehicles, make sure to compare and contrast different dealerships’ deals and prices to get the best value. You may also want to preemptively research insurance rates for your particular model to make sure that you’re prepared for the expenses to come.
Now that you have a good guideline of the car-buying process, you can do a bit of research and find the perfect vehicle for you and your family. There are plenty of great options out there, but your family deserves the best and safest one!