Whether your current car has died a sudden and poorly timed death on the highway into work, or it’s simply time to put the current steed out to pasture, you’re thinking that it’s time to get some new transport for the family. But where do you start when there’s so much choice? Much like when buying your technology, there are certain things you should consider when buying a car. Below are a few key things you should be considering first and foremost when choosing your new family vehicle.
Safety
As this car will be charged with transporting your family from place to place, you no doubt want it to be as safe as possible. A good place to start is to see how your chosen vehicle fared in the NHTSA ratings. You should only consider vehicles that earn a five-star rating. You should also rule out cars that only have airbags for the driver and front passenger. A truly safe vehicle will have airbags all round, including curtain airbags for the windows. You should also take into account stability at speed. If you do a lot of highway driving, but you have bought a car more at home on the inner city roads, you may be asking it to perform out of its comfort zone.
Reliability
If this is the only car in the family, you will definitely need it to be reliable. Even if you have multiple cars in the household, you should factor in reliability. A car may seem like a good deal, but if they are known for gearbox failures or the water pump not working properly in hot weather, then you will be spending more money on replacement parts than fuel. You want to search for a car which has a reputation for being well-manufactured. The only costs you want to be covering are fuel and routine maintenance. There are a number of manufacturers out there who are famed for reliable cars. They may not be the most desirable models on the market, but they will work consistently.
Depreciation
Whether you are buying a new or used car, you should also factor in depreciation in your choices. If you are the kind of person who buys a car and then runs it until it completely falls apart, then you don’t need to worry about depreciation. However, if you like to switch things up every couple of years, you should definitely factor this into your calculations. Many brand new cars have very tempting finance offers to lure you in. However, most new cars lose 10% of their value as soon as they are driven off the forecourt. After three to five years most cars are worth roughly half of what you paid for them, some even less. Instead of buying new, it might be worth saving up a little longer or using a company like https://personalloan.co to finance a more expensive used car. By buying a car that is around three or four years old, you get something that is still very new (and likely still within warranty) but costs around half of the retail price. This means that the worst of the depreciation has already happened, and you stand to lose a lot less money during the course of your ownership.
Hopefully, these tips have helped you to narrow down your choice of family vehicle. It can be a tough decision to make, but by taking your time and doing some research, you are bound to come out with something that you will love for years to come.