There is no perfect car out there for families. There is only the perfect car for your family in particular. What this means is that everybody has different ideas of what perfect is. Every family has different needs so what works for my family may not work for yours and vice versa.
It takes some preparation to be able to settle on what is going to be the right car. It starts with evaluating your needs and wants. You may think that you can just go to a dealer and drive off with the perfect car. The reality is that you should go to a dealer like a Ford dealer in Waxahachie TX if that’s where you live, or even online, with a list of must-haves and ideas on which cars fit your criteria.
In this article, we will go over the things you should be thinking about so you can zero in on the right car.
Take it slow
A car is a major purchase and is usually only second to your house purchase in terms of money. This means that you shouldn’t just run into the decision without first making sure it is what you want and need. Take some time to get the information that you need to be confident that this is the actual best car for your family.
This is exactly the reason why you shouldn’t visit my any car dealers until you have a list of the things that you are looking for. It’s even a good idea to have a list of the cars that fit your criteria and go to the car lot to test drive only those specific cars.
The idea is that you should have the car well beyond the length of the loan so it should be one that suits your needs.
Think about your lifestyle
What is it that your family likes to do and how does your car fit in? In other words, think about how you will need to use the car based on your lifestyle and what you’ll need for it to work. Do you camp a lot? Do your kids play lots of sports? If the answer to these two questions is yes, then you need an SUV.
An SUV will provide you with plenty of passenger space as well as a generous cargo area for a lot of gear. You could also consider a station wagon if you don’t like the idea of a big SUV that is not as good on fuel as a traditional car.
But, if you need to go offroading to get to your favorite campsite then a station wagon is not going to cut it. You’ll need something like an SUV or even a pickup with a cab to be able to clear any obstacles on an unpaved road that you could face.
If you only plan to drive kids to school and commute to work then you have your choice of just about any car that is available and fits your other needs. Take some time to consider how you’ll use the car and it will be clear which type you need to go for.
Safety features
You have some precious cargo in your car so you need to protect them. The safety features are going to be something that takes on added importance when you are traveling with kids in the car. Make sure to check the safety ratings of the car that you are thinking about to make sure it is going to be as safe in an accident or bad conditions as you need it to be.
Aside from the safety ratings, you want to look for safety features. There are features that some cars come with that make it safer to drive and easier to avoid an accident. For example, you can get cars that will alert you if there is a car in your blind spot so you don’t blindside somebody when changing lanes.
Some cars even have automatic braking if they sense that there is a car stopped ahead of you and you aren’t ready to brake in time. Since most accidents happen in parking lots, the rearview camera to help you get into and out of parking spots is something that will come in very handy.
Fuel efficiency
When you have a family, your budget is very important. There are some months when it is a struggle to get to the end of the month with the money you have budgeted. This is why fuel efficiency is extremely important when you have a family.
You’ll definitely need to consider how you will be driving the car to settle on the type that will give you the most fuel efficiency. For example, if you are doing a lot of highway commuting and then buzzing around town with the kids, you’ll need something that will sip gas. Generally an SUV is going to get you less mileage, but if you need the space and are only mainly doing short trips then it won’t matter much if you could get better mileage with another car.
You may also want to consider a hybrid car or even an electric one if you really want to make sure that you are getting the best efficiency possible to keep your fuel costs down.
Reliability
When you have a family you rely on your car far more than a couple or single person without kids does. This is why it’s so important to check the ratings for the reliability of the car you are interested in.
Even if it has a good warranty that will cover most repairs, that only saves you money and doesn’t much help you if it is frequently at the mechanic. Pick a car that will not need to be repaired frequently and will give you many years of service with regular maintenance. There are many forums where you can read what people are saying and get real-world ideas of what is a good car and what isn’t.