If you have been looking to buy a car for your family for some time then you have probably looked into buying a used family car. Whether you have some newborns, toddlers that are growing fast, or children in high school, you will be looking to keep the costs down. You will want to complete some research, probably online, before you attempt to look for a car in your local area. This will probably depend on the style of car or van that you are after though: SUV, truck or car, and will most likely be dependent on both yourself and a partners choice of vehicle. You should be aware that you may have to compromise on the type of car that you choose though as some will be better on fuel economy, whilst other will be larger in size and more comfortable to use.
When you are doing this research you will see a number of websites that will talk you through the different stages that they have gone through to look at the different pros and cons of the types of used cars for families. You should concentrate on the main money saving aspects, such as low tax, low insurance and gas economy. Many different car companies have been working in recent year the different ways that they can increase gas economy of family cars as they know that many people want a car that is economical. Some car manufacturers have even looked at using a formula of gasoline and ethanol in a car to increase the fuel economy of the miles that it does. This process would provide owners of this type of car with a flexible fuel efficient car that will be able to do more miles to the gallon. Now, certain guidelines will need to be followed by the manufacturer, but these standards are well known and will be implemented in many used cars that you will see on the market.
When you are thinking of buying a good used family car then you should positively consider buying from one of the larger car manufacturers, as they are established and will distribute their cars and spare parts to dealers in many different areas. With these larger companies these parts are nearly available everywhere and are more common than some of the lesser known companies. This means that larger dealers and auto manufacturers tend to deliver adapters and changes to the parts to improve the efficiency of some used models far faster than the smaller regional based companies. You will therefore be able to adapt and modify your vehicle for a lot cheaper; also, when your car is being serviced you will be able to afford it.
A mini-van is considered by many to be a great used family car to have and to buy. You will be able to fit more things into it that just people – so if you are going away camping or on a short trip then you will be able to take more things with you than if you were trying to pack them into a car. You should be aware that mini-vans aren’t terribly aerodynamic, even now, but some are better than others. If you are doing research on the internet then you will be able to look and see which ones are better than others and be able to see if you have the right one in mind. If you haven’t found this sort of information then you should look at the actual aerodynamics of the mini-van when you see it up close. You should be able to see if the front is slanting upwards and the back curving downwards – this will indicate its aerodynamics and if it will be good fuel efficient used family car for you.
However, if these parts, which you will need to convert the vehicle from regular gas to the mixture mentioned above will cost less to you than an increased gas price in the long run, then you are probably best to buy the parts and convert. A very simple way of improving gas mileage is by avoiding attaching large accessories to the tyres on your car as well as large extra roll bars to the external parts of your vehicle.
There are a number of other things that you should be thinking about when you’re looking to buy a used family car. You should be checking the history of the car, to see if it has had any major repairs or replacements and what mileage the car has done in relation to the age of it. It could have been used by a sales rep to tour the country – as many have a large space to store many different things – or it may have been used by a single parent as a commuter to use around the local town and take the children to school.
When you and your family are looking at the number of used cars on the market and looking to buy a certain size you should be aware that sometimes buying a smaller car that just fits your needs could be beneficial than buying an enormous car that could slice through your monthly paycheck. Buying a smaller car that belongs to a lower insurance group will be great and it will most probably be more fuel efficient meaning that you will be paying out less each month.
Making sure that the car has been looked after and cared about in the past should be of importance to you, and you should check the history of the car to make sure of this. You want to make sure that if there has been any major changes or modifications to the car that they are ok and it hasnt been in a major collision or have any nasty surprises that could come about after you have purchased it.
Government Car Auctions
Posted under Used Car Buying Tips
This post was written by Stuart Cartright on March 21, 2009
