5 golden rules for buying your first family car

Posted in Family.
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Buying a new car can be a daunting experience, especially if you’ve just gone from couple to family.

So what do you really need to know about choosing a first family car? And how can you avoid being stuck with a loan or a car that doesn’t truly suit your gang?

Choosing the right car for your family – and driving it off the lot – is a piece of cake if you follow these simple and sensible rules.

1. Check the boot size

What could be more frustrating than finding yourself needing to buy a smaller pram because you didn’t check the boot space in your new set of wheels?! Ba-Bowwww!

Instead, be a clever cookie and test your pram in the boot long before you sign on the dotted line. It’s also a good idea to make sure the child car restraints you use fit neatly, and that your child/children are comfy in the back seat.

Do you have a dog? Make sure there’s room for them too!

2. Use a car loan broker

Not keen to do the legwork and find the best car loan for your family? Perhaps you simply don’t know where to start or you feel a little queasy when dealing with financial folk? Loan brokers are here to save the day.

A broker like Savvy Car Loans can help you avoid the stress of talking to multiple lenders and applying for loans.

Not only that, they can also help you to secure a loan that really fits your family’s budget and circumstances.

Family with new car

3. Make sure the car is optimised for safety

New cars come with more and more brilliant safety features, so if you’re choosing between a few different models be sure to weigh up those potentially life-saving add-ons. Take the time to check the ANCAP safety rating of any car you have your eye on – ANCAP is Australasia’s independent vehicle safety authority and five stars is their gold standard, so look for those stars!

Air bags and car seat tether points are pretty standard, but you should also check for other features like reverse parking cameras, lane departure warning, auto emergency breaking and blind spot monitoring which all make for safer driving.

4. Research, research, research

There are a tonne of review sites online now, so be sure to do your research and get primed to choose wisely.

Learning more about the car’s strengths and possible shortcomings – things such as fuel economy, comfort, performance, onboard technology, space and value for money are all important considerations.

Make sure that you test drive the car you’re planning on buying to really get a feel for that prospective set of wheels, too.

5. Make sure it fits all over

There’s no point in buying a small car if you’re planning on growing your family. And there’s no point buying a giant SUV if you mostly just head to the shops and back and have a tiny garage.

Ask yourself some hard questions about where you’ll be going, where you’ll park, insurance costs, how much you have to spend and what you’d like to splash out on fuel each week.

Then choose a car that really aligns with your budget, lifestyle and family.

Happy trails! 

This is a sponsored post for Savvy, leading car finance broker & 2018 Feefo Gold Trusted Service winner.

 

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