It’s one of the biggest purchases you’re likely to make after your home. So it’s little wonder buying a new family car can be seriously stressful. Nevertheless, it’s a decision that you need to make right, find something that works for your finances and your family’s needs, and be a reliable transport method for getting to work and ferrying kids between school and various activities. So before you dive headfirst into an expensive car financing deal, it could pay you back to basics and make sure that you’re on the right track. 

Buying Pre-Loved

Society has become a lot more clued up lately on the many benefits of the pre-loved purchase – from selling our old clothes on eBay to upcycling furniture that we found on Gumtree. The financial impact of buying second-hand can be considerable. It will also put models of a family car within reach, which wouldn’t have been bought new. It’s also a sensible financial policy. New cars are a depreciating asset that usually loses a huge percentage of their value the moment they are driven off the forecourt – and most will lose two-thirds of their value after just three years.

Plus, if you have concerns about limiting your environmental impact, used could well be the way to go. Cars come with increasingly longer warranties these days, meaning a factory guarantee may still cover many pre-loved vehicles.

And when it’s time to move on from older models, reputable wreckers can help you responsibly recycle or sell parts from your vehicle, reducing waste and recouping some of the value in the process.

A great way to personalise your new car is to buy a personalised plate from myreg.com. you can move your plate to a new vehicle as you change your car. A great benefit of this is regardless of the age of your car, your number plate will never give away its age if this is an important factor for you.

Finding The Right Fit 

You could also consider going for a family car from a manufacturer’s ‘approved used’ scheme. These tend to cost a little more, but they are in premium condition. The customer experience is pretty much the same as purchasing new. Many have extremely low mileage and are covered by additional warranties as well. You do have the option of looking for a car for private sale, but it may give you more peace of mind to purchase through a reputable dealer like Affordable Cars, and you can expect assistance should your vehicle run into problems.

If you do opt for a private sale, do your research on a site like Parkers to understand what the make and model are really worth in its condition, use your negotiation skills to drive down the price, and don’t be afraid to walk away from a sale if you aren’t completely happy. Try to stick to cars that have full-service history and whose owners have clearly cared for them. 

The Dealership Experience 

All car dealerships have strict sales targets to make. This means there are usually some ways to bag a bargain like Ford Privilege offers, especially around plate change time. First, enquire about ex-demonstration vehicles – cars used by the dealership for test drives. These tend to have low mileage and are quite often guy specced up with a high trim level. However, they can be in some less popular, louder colours occasionally.

There will also be pre-registered vehicles. These are cars that have been ‘bought’ by the dealer to meet sales targets. This approach gives you pretty much all the benefits of buying a modern, fuel-efficient, safe vehicle for the family while taking away a big amount of the depreciation issue.