Tips for Choosing the Right Family Car #CarsCom
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Cars.com. Regardless, all opinions are 100% my own.
Are you in the market for a new or used car? Purchasing a car is more than just driving off of the lot in a shiny new sports two-seater that has been your dream since a kid. You can also visit car shows such as one of many Arizona car shows to find your perfect ride.
As we grow up, we realize investing in a car is big, especially if you are starting or growing your family. Purchasing a car requires homework. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for making that purchase of your family car.
- Do your homework! Does the car fit the needs of not just you, but your entire family. Whether you are having 1 or several children, you want to make sure the vehicle is reliable, room and can hold several passengers comfortable, including carseats.
- Compare prices! price comparingOnce you have settled on a make and model you want, start using websites to find the best price for all the options you are looking for.
- Make a hefty down payment! Paying interest on a vehicle that depreciates over time is wasting your money. Putting more down on the front end of the loan will help you save money over the life of the loan.
- Don’t waste your money! When purchasing a nice family car, the salesman will try with all their mite to sell you several warranties and extra contract coverage you may not need. Check with your own primary auto carrier to see if they sell the same coverage, at a much more affordable price like GAP or loan/lease pay-off coverage. Not only will you save money, but those contract costs won’t accure interest as part of the overall auto loan.
Once you have done all the research and are ready to buy a family car, check out these tips to make sure your car seat(s) are installed properly and then take the family out for a lovely afternoon drive. Cars.com has a fabulous tutorial on installing car seats for all types of vehicles.
Every time I get my truck serviced they always ask me if I want to trade-in. I figured out why: Honda only buys back vehicles that have solely been serviced in by them.
Sounds great! We do a lot of research before buying cars because we have a big family.
Great tips!! Especially the hefty down payment and do your homework! So important!
I feel like car shopping is right up there with a dentist visit. I don’t like to do it, but anything that will help the process is much appreciated.
These are great tips and we follow a lot of them. Thanks for sharing
One tip I tell everyone here is that the police stations do inspections and installations for you with all car seats for every type of vehicle 🙂 I personally hated shifting car seats to a new vehicle and trying to figure out how it would correctly be installed.
When purchasing something; especially a big ticket item, I always do my homework
Any kind of big purchase makes me nervous, anything that can help with the process would be awesome.
One lesson we learned was when you test drive the car, make sure and check out the sound quality of the stereo system and the GPS. We like the Mazda 6 but the bose system and GPS system is terrible!
Cars.com is a great site to visit if you’re thinking about buying a car. It can be very helpful.
I wish car salesmen understood that if you want to get a potential buyer interested you don’t have to be so loud.
Great advice. Another tip is to shop for financing and get pre-approved for a loan before you go out shopping. This way you will know what you can afford to stay within your budget.
We always do our homework before a major purchase. Saves time and you know exactly what you want
Starting to look again. Cars.com will be up on our computer for another 6 months til we find the exact car. we know its out there!
Great time for these tips. I got sober almost two years ago and am in my own place now and need to get a car after the first.
Good tips I always make sure not to go with first pick on a car and keep looking then stand firm on what I want.
I will always advise people to use the online cars.com. what a timesaver!
we finally got one vehicle and now husband wants to update our 3 year old one. Back to the cars.com site!
awesome tips, I made my husband decide which vehicle would be best for us. He had to do all the research and pick the one he thought was the best. I would probably never be able to do it.
OH my gosh, it took 6 FULL months for us to finally move on a vehicle. We used a few of the various online care “finder” sites but this one helped us for sure. It is worse for us to look for a car than to get a home. I guess bc there are far more vehicles with options. Thank GOD there are sites like this. We’d have been running all over the state even more than we did!
Car shopping is right up there with bathing suit shopping. This seems like something that can help. I’ll try it next time, hopefully though it will be years from now!
I totally agree with your list of things to do before you buy a car! Especially the researching part. Actually, before I buy ANYTHING I research and compare prices. I work hard for my money, so I watch how I spend it. These are great tips for sure! God bless and Happy Holidays everyone!
I have used this service to check out cars before. These tips are important. It’s not just the looks of the car that are important.
i lucked out on my car, just randomly saw a commercial and really liked the look of it. Everything felt right at the test drive too.
We love the great tips! I hate pushy salesmen! I want what I want and nothing more! I will be sharing the tips with family and friends TY!
I have a couple of daughter who will be buying a used vehicle next Spring, and these tips are great. I have had trouble with sales people trying to sell a lemon to me .
@tisonlyme143
Thank you for sharing. We have used cars.com before. It helps for choosing the right car.
I have a daughter who will be buying a used vehicle next Spring, and these tips are great. I have had trouble with sales people trying to sell a lemon to me .
@tisonlyme143
Thanks for sharing this information with us. I think its so important to make sure you buy the right car seat for you child.
@tisonlyme143
Great tips! Thanks for sharing
Comparing prices is major for finding the right car and a better deal in the long run
Cars sure add an expense to a monthly budget.
Wonderful information in this article. These wonderful tips will come in handy when buying my next car.
I just got a new car last year and really did my research on it before purchasing
Great information here, I think its so important to finding the right car seat for each of your children.
@tisonlyme143
Great advice and thanks for sharing this information with us. I think its so important to find the car seat that is right for your children.
@tisonlyme143
Great advice! A good car is such a blessing to have.
It’s such a big purchase that doing your research is a smart idea
All of these are so true! We definitely do our homework especially with the gas mileage.
I feel like either a bigger down payment AND/OR just make higher payments a month, don’t always go for the lowest option. Also another random tip my Dad goes by, once your car is paid off save that much a month that you were spending to go toward the inevitable next one you’ll want 😉
I know when my daughter goes to purchase a car seat its probably going to be layaway, its much easier for her. So putting down a chunck of money to me is the way to go and pay the rest later on a car seat that fits your child needs.
@tisonlyme143
These are some great tips. Thanks for sharing
Good ideas. You should never buy any car without first doing your homework.
Thanks for all the tips and I will definitely remember them!!!
I have a daughter who will be purchasing over the holiday season for a car seat, I know how important it is to get the right one for the child.
@tisonlyme143
These are great tips, I think its so important for parents to know the difference when purchasing a car seat for there child.
@tisonlyme143
A car is a major purchase for most families. These tips will help families make an informed choice when buying a car.
I admot to being fairly intimidated by car buying. Thanks for the tips!
I AM in the market for a new car. This is a great site to visit.
i love thi article because its great for babysitters and moms to know . i will share this wigth my familhy and friends.
I’m looking for a new car seat and this has helped me out a lot.
Great tips!! I love that you added to not get sucked into the car salesman’s extra warranties and coverage!! Ugh!! Drives me bonkers!