5 Things to Consider When Buying a Family Car

Since I was not born with a silver spoon, I grew up using public transportation if I need to go to school, work, and even travel. I have no problem with commuting so even when I’m already earning, I have no plan to buy a car.

But things change when I got married and pregnant, my husband wanted to purchase a car for our family. At first, I don’t like the idea because I know that a car is not an investment, it is an additional expense because we have to spend money on gas, toll, parking, insurance, and car maintenance.

A car may not be an investment but there are so many reasons why we need to purchase a family car. First, we live in a province so it is not easy to commute, there is no taxi, Uber, or Grab here so you have no choice but to ride a tricycle, jeep, or bus. Having a car saves us time in commuting so no more waiting time. If you ride a jeepney, the driver will not leave the terminal if there are still vacant seats so you have no choice but to wait.

Next, we don’t need to worry if we have medical emergencies because we can go straight to the hospital. And of course, we can use the car for our travel trips, our family loves to travel and it is convenient to travel if you have your own car.

But buying a car is not as easy as 1,2, 3, there are so many things that you need to consider before buying your family car. I will share with you some of the things that we consider in choosing a car.

Budget

Money is a very important factor in buying a car because this will affect your decision. The first thing that you need to ask yourself is "How much can you afford?"Are you going to buy a used car or a new car? I still remember, 10 years ago we only purchased used cars because our budget is limited. Fortunately, we were able to use that car for more than a year before we replaced it with a new one.

If you have old, broken, or damaged care, consider selling to a site like this or trading them for cash. Yes, turn your junk into cash, it would be an additional budget for your new car.

Needs vs Wants 

There are so many beautiful cars on the market just like a sports car but of course, you need to consider the needs of your family. If you have a small family, the sedan would be nice but if you have a growing family, vans, AUV or SUV is a good choice.

Research 

Now that you know your budget and needs, it is time for you to do some research. Cars are not cheap so it is significant to do your own homework. Take time to research, ask friends or families for suggestions or feedback and check for videos and reviews. The Internet would be your friend because there are tons of sites that offer reviews just like Cars.com. Whether you are looking for used cars or new cars, this site will help you in giving testimonies, reviews, or videos.

Visit Car Dealer 

After doing your research, it is best to visit a car dealer so you can see the different models of the car, you can check the interior and exterior and if you are lucky, you can also do test driving. We did this last month because my husband can’t decide on his car. So we went to the car dealer and check the model. It is best to see the car models up close, sometimes photos are not enough. The visit helped my husband in making his decision so we have to say goodbye soon to our present car.

Features 

My husband also considers some features like size, performance, fuel efficiency, trunk space, safety, and other features that will make our ride comfortable. Size is important because we have limited parking space at home. Performance, fuel efficiency, trunk space, and safety are significant, especially since our family loves to travel. We need to make sure of our protection and safety on the road.

Buying your first family car is exciting but don’t let your emotions control you. Do not rush in purchasing, just take your time because the car is expensive. Sometimes it takes weeks or months before you can have your car because they need to order it, especially if the color that you want is not available.