Making an upgrade to your car usually tallies with a change in your lifestyle. When you are getting by with a coupe or hatchback as your family car, but now you’ve got to get a proper grown-up car for your family, what do you need to think about?
The Maintenance Package
You may think that buying a cheap car is the way to go, but when you are taking the kids here, there, and everywhere, it is vital to find a vehicle that doesn’t just suit your needs, but also comes with the essentials like maintenance, you don’t have to worry about fixing up the car or learning how to change tyres. There are many Volkswagen servicing packages that come with models like the Golf Estate and the Tiguan and it is one less thing for you to think about. When you start to consider what you need in terms of buying a car, sometimes it’s easier to lease. Usually, when you pick a car that you lease, it comes with numerous perks, all for a monthly fee.
The Comfort
When we pick a car that is for a growing family we may just look at boot space, but we’ve got to think about making the journey as comfortable as possible for us. If we’ve got children screaming in the back and we are cramped up against the wheel it doesn’t make for a pleasurable journey, and if we sit in an uncomfortable position for years on end, it’s only going to cause us problems further down the line. Think about headroom and legroom, but also make sure that, if you’ve got baby car seats installed, you have room to actually drive the car properly.
The Safety Reviews
It’s easier than ever to see just how safe a car is. All you need to do is go on the Euro NCAP website and find the vehicle you have got your eye on. The great thing about the Euro NCAP results is that they consider so many different components. Ideally, you would be looking for a 5-star review, but sometimes if a car gets 4 stars, it is because it’s narrowly missed out on something that may not actually factor in your considerations anyway.
Speed or Economy?
These days you can get both. But by now you know what sort of journeys you are making. You may very well be working at home at the moment, in which case you are not using the car as much. But if you plan on making a lot of journeys up and down the country when life returns to normal, it’s a good idea to get something that is economical but has a bit of power behind it. A 1.5-litre engine is usually the best of both worlds.
Making the switch to something more practical doesn’t have to mean turning your little speedster into a boring vehicle. But if you are changing cars, safety has to be a priority, but that doesn’t mean you should skimp on the good stuff!
