Buying a new car {with kids}

My husband and I just bought a new van about two weeks ago. It was time. I had been driving the same one for about 8 years and I was ready for  a change.

When I was looking into what I wanted in a car, I went back and re-read my Dad’s book about buying a car & getting a great deal (he has the best tips!). I do a lot of research for everything. I researched the schools before we moved, I researched preschool, I researched jobs, I researched car-seats and I researched cars.

Here are 5 things to look into when buying a new car:

1- How long has the brand been around?
Take a look at your car brand and see how long it has been around.  Go for one with a great track record.

2- Do you know anyone that has this car?
I always like to ask real people for their opinions. Do they like it? Has it lasted? Have they had any issues?

3- Did it pass crash tests?
Check out the crash tests- you want a car that has great safety ratings for kids in the back seat.  This is the most important thing to me.

4- Does it have features that you want?

I wanted a rear seat entertainment system this time around. We travel quite a bit, so having this just makes it SO much easier to go on long trips. I felt like it was a little extravagant, but one time someone told me “You pay for convenience” and in this case- it was worth it!   It was hard to spend the extra money on this, but so worth it to me!

5- Do you love to drive it?

You have to be comfortable, so remember to take it for a test drive before making any final decisions… and then give it 24 hours to think about it before making the purchase! (I do this with any BIG financial decisions!)
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Volvo Cars of North America. The opinions and text are all mine.

more posts you might like: