Researching Your Family Vehicle Puts You in the Driver’s Seat

Today you’re driving your daughter to her pediatrician. Tomorrow you’re also driving your daughter - and her entire softball team.   Our children go from rear-facing newborns to headphone wearing teenagers.  With different ages and different needs, purchasing a family vehicle is like a military strategy.  Safety, reliability, handling, economy and size of the cargo area, and let’s not forget ease of car seat installation, are some of the things you need to consider.  

• Safety comes first.  This is an obvious choice but often overlooked.  Vehicles are given a series of testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is how consumers and the auto industry usually measure safety. If a vehicle receives a five-star rating, you can be assured the vehicle has state-of-the-art safety features that have stood up to extensive testing.
• There is also crash and rollover tests.  These tests measure whether airbags, seatbelts and other features do their jobs.  Look at these ratings, study them, and only consider vehicles that have excelled in these areas.  You will own several vehicles in your life.  You only have one family.  
• Proactive safety.  The above mentions tests that measure how safe a vehicle endures a crash.   How about just avoiding a crash altogether?  These days many vehicles can be equipped with electronic driving aids that foster safety, lane departure war, adaptive cruise control, and a rear camera system.  While it is important that our vehicles are stable enough to endure a crash, let’s not underestimate the importance of being proactive and avoiding a crash.

• Room to Grow.  Your family vehicle needs enough room for today . . . and tomorrow.   Consider that your children are toddlers today but other than the occasional play date, they are likely not involved in extracurricular activities.  That will change. And with that extra participation in extracurricular activities, you not only are carting children more often but likely their sports equipments, musical instruments, and  extra backpacks and duffle bags.    

• Ease of Use.  Certainly not as critical as safety, nevertheless not something that can be underestimated. By law, our children must sit in car seats until they are eight years old, do not underestimate the need to have a vehicle that makes it easy for you to install car seats.
• Amenities. Some amenities, like automatic sliding doors, are important to some family, not to other families.  With a growing family, you will be doing a lot of grocery shopping and running errands.  How important is the ease of getting in and out of a car,  (Think Minivans)? Other amenities involved rear DVD systems and extra cup holders (think SUVs).  

Expressway Mitsubishi in Evansville, IN knows that you have high expectations and  we enjoy meeting and exceeding those standards.  Call us (812) 577-9048 .

_____________________________________________________________________

Sources:

https://www.autotrader.com/car-reviews/what-to-look-for-in-a-family-car-33602

http://www.wral.com/family-friendly-features-to-look-for-in-your-new-car/16493244/

http://www.parenting.com/family-time/money/10-tips-successful-family-car-buying