Nowadays,
achieving adulthood often means having college debt, a burgeoning
career and perhaps even love, marriage and the beginnings of a family.
If you or your partner has a bun in the oven, there are a few things to
consider before you start cruising your local dealerships to check out a
new ride.
Plan Ahead
Have
the Talk: Whether your future has one child
or four (or more), now is a good time to talk with your spouse or partner about
just how many kids you’d both like to have before buying a new car. There’s no
sense in buying a minivan if you’re only planning on having two kids.
Of
course, plans are just that, plans, and they can change as quickly as it takes
for a pregnancy test to turn positive.
Talk
to Your Friends: Speak with friends, acquaintances
and even strangers who are driving cars that you’re interested in. Find out
what they like and don’t like about their car. Also, reach out to your
social-media networks for feedback on what they’re driving their kids around
in.
Time to Dig Deeper
Ready
to Research: Now that you know your family-car
needs, it’s time to craft a list of cars you’re interested in. From hatchbacks
to minivans, there are plenty of body styles that can work well for families
small and large. Use Cars.com’s Family Buying Guide to help you begin
the list-making process.
Reality
Check: It’s time to look at your budget
and figure out how much you can afford, whether that’s a new, used or certified
pre-owned car. Learn more about auto-loan basics, and don’t forget to include
car insurance costs in your budget.
Investigate Family-Friendly Features
Car-Seat
Fit and Cargo: Becoming a parent means days filled
with baby snuggles and cars filled with child-safety seats and tons of baby
gear. Check out our Car Seat Checks where we
examine a car’s Latch access and car-seat fit. Don’t forget that you’ll need
some serious trunk space to haul all the bulky baby gear such as a stroller,
portable crib and more.
Safety: This is a big category that covers crash tests such as
those performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (make sure
to pay close attention to the agency’s small overlap frontal crash test) as
well as features such as a backup camera, blind spot monitoring systems and
more. When it comes time to test-drive, check out cars with advanced safety
systems to find out whether they’re a good fit for you and your budget.
Rubber Meets the Road
Testing,
Testing: It’s time to go to the dealership
to see your list of cars in person. If you can, test-drive the cars you like
back-to-back and preferably over the same roads. Use your test-drive findings
to narrow your list.
Attention,
Please: During test drives, pay attention
to not only how the car drives, but also things such as step-in height, storage
areas for smaller items and where the cupholders and bottleholders are located,
and if there are enough for your needs.
Head Back Online
A
Little More Research: Now that you’ve got a few cars
you’re serious about, it’s time to do some research on the dealerships. Use Cars.com’s Dealer Reviews to find out what other
car shoppers have to say about a dealership you’re considering working with.
Find
Your Car: Whether it’s new or new-to-you,
find your car online with Cars.com’s Search tool. On
Cars.com, you can begin the purchase process by emailing or instant messaging
with the dealer. Make sure to avoid these pitfalls of car shopping
and also plan on test-driving the car you’re eyeing one last time before
signing on the dotted line.
Jennifer
Newman from car.com
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