What are your considerations in purchasing a family car? Are you planning to avail one for your own family even if we are still in the midst of this pandemic? Do you have any specific brand or car type being considered? Different families, different situations, different things to consider, thus different answers.
Considerations When Getting A Family Car
Budget
The first thing our own family has listed is, of course, the budget. Are we capable of paying for a car in cash? Be it a brand new or a used one, budget is at the top of our many considerations. There are lending companies and banks that we can resort to if we decide to loan an amount we can use to avail a car on an installment basis. However, during this pandemic, finances have been most challenging.
Because we are planning to find the best family car within our price range, we should also include a sum set aside for car maintenance, fuel allowance, and insurance. For our family, this is the first thing on our list since as I have mentioned, during the start of the pandemic, our finances have been a challenge. We have refrained from browsing vehicles to avail as we are very much aware of which we can afford. Along the way, we halted the plans of availing of a family car, and other much more important needs were prioritized.
Parking Space
Ample space for family car parking should also be taken into consideration. This has been an issue with some who failed to consider this important matter. Even if we have all the budget in availing the car of our dreams, if we do not any space to park it, I think we somehow failed with the plan. Having prepared a parking space for your new car is evidently an act of a responsible and considerate car owner.
Insurance
Insurance for me is a necessity. Insurance is an example of something we need but does not want to use. Right?
This consideration is not just about car insurance, the car owner has to be insured as well. Vehicle insurance has always been considered by car owners – it puts you in a much better position as a car owner. However, many seem to have failed to avail themselves of their own life insurance and focused more on the car.
Your car insurance will surely offer financial protection if any accidents or any unfortunate incidents happen and of course, your life is a lot more important than the vehicle, so it is best to ensure you have your own life insurance as well. There are plenty of financial institutions that offer car insurance, and there are top companies for life insurance too. You may also reach out to your trusted Insurance and Financial Advisor for you to be guided in availing the best plan according to your needs.
Safety
If you have been well-prepared for the things to prioritize, then another thing to consider and check is the car features – safety features to be exact. Let me include here the fact that the designated driver of the family car you might be availing of should already have a professional driver’s license. As for our family, the husband has one. Our elder daughter also wants to learn how to drive, it is indeed an important life skill. For now, she delights herself with online car-driving games.
While the car company does provide a certain level of safety to the passengers and for the car, it is always good to go the extra mile to provide additional security. There are a lot of gadgets and tools to protect your car while you are not around it anymore. Amid the rising car theft in almost all parts of the world, deploying some of the security measures won’t be too expensive. One such good device for car security is the GPS Tracker. It provides live tracking and other useful alerts to keep the car safe.
Other safety features should include airbags, seatbelts, lights, brake features, stability control, and emergency brakes and there are modern cars that feature pre-collision technology. As mentioned, different families have different considerations and levels of car feature priorities. Locating teen drivers, helping prevent car theft, or easily getting help during emergencies, are just some of the many things we can check when considering car safety – important ones, I must say.
Car Dealer
Sometime before the pandemic, we considered finding a used family card instead – a car that is being offered for sale by the owner himself. However, those who prefer getting brand-new cars will surely look for deals offered by car dealers. There are plenty of car dealers out there. You got to check their website, reviews, location, how long have they been in the business, services available, reliability, and their customer service too. These are the things you can check, so go ask and shop around.
There are many other things we can take into consideration when buying a car that I may have not included here. Having said that, the best thing to do is to plan and do research. It may be just a car for some, but for us, it’s an investment we want to keep, value, and use for a long period of time – again, it’s a family car.