Friday, June 30, 2017

Choosing The Best Family Car


Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.


Ever since, I want a big van for our family. Since we are living 5 hours away from our hometown, I want a comfortable travel for my family every time we want to go home. Comfort is just one of the many important things to consider when choosing the best family car. Let me share some tips.

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Budget

When choosing a car, first thing to consider is the budget. If you don't have enough budget, there's no way you can find the best family car. First set a realistic budget for a new car and decide whether you want to buy a new car or pre-owned car. If you opt for financing, determine how much budget will comfortably allow you to pay for monthly amortization. Consider also in your budget the cost of car insurance. Remember to stick with your budget when it is time to choose and shop.

Usage and Needs

After setting a budget, you need to consider what car you want and will suit your needs. Take in consideration how many you are in your family and account also for the additional member of the family you still have plan for. Consider also what and how will you use your new car. If it will mainly be used for your daily travel to work or you have plan of taking lots of long road trip.

Safety

For a parent like me, safety is on the top of list when choosing the best family car. Choose a car that is well-equipped with standard safety features like side-curtain airbags, stability control, traction control, anti lock brakes, blind-spot notification systems, and other. If you have little children consider a car model that has LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system for installing car seats. Do research on testing statistics to find the safest model within your budget. Look for the crash test statistics also.

Research

Once you determine your budget and usage/needs, you can do research first before going to the car shop. If you have a prospect car in mind already you may directly go to the manufacturer sites, or digital automotive platform like Cars.com. Cars.com is one of the largest digital automotive platform that connects consumers with local dealers anytime, anywhere. You can do research and compare cars, find local dealers/sellers, calculate loan payments, find your car's value, sell or trade your car, and more. They also have comprehensive set of research tools and the largest database of consumer reviews in the car industry.

In researching, consider also car's fuel efficiency and performance. Doing research beforehand will already give you ideas on what car brand and model that will best suit your needs and budget.

Test Drive

After doing the 4 steps above and you have a short list of cars, it's time to go to the car shop or show room. It's better to bring your children with you and if you have stroller and car seats too to make sure they fit. Check the safety features including the latch system for easy installation of car seat. Consider comfort while inside the car especially during long road trip, and the convenience like how easy you can get in and out of the car. As for style, choose a car that will fit your lifestyle.

Those are some tips when choosing the best family car. Buying a new car is not as easy as buying groceries. It requires a lot of thinking and research but this will ensure many happy miles travelling with your family.

Any other tips when choosing the best family car? Please share.
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