Common Misconceptions About Family Cars
A large volume of my clients are families looking to replace a usually worn out compact car that one parent has owned for over a decade. They usually tell me that they are looking for an SUV or crossover or even sometimes a minivan.
Most of the time, they end up surprised with options they had not even considered. Here are some common misconceptions about family cars.
1. You need a brand new car to have the safest vehicle on the road.
Actually, there are plenty of vehicles with all the latest safety technologies that are over five years old.
2. Bigger vehicles automatically mean safer.
Actually, smaller, nimbler vehicles are able to maneuver more quickly and stop in a shorter distance to avoid collisions in the first place. On top of that, body on frame SUVs and pickup trucks are not able to utilize crumple-zones with the same efficacy as unibody construction cars and crossovers.
3. You need all-wheel drive because this is Canada.
If you got by just fine in your front-wheel drive sedan for nearly two decades, you likely don’t need all-wheel drive.
4. You cannot fit two car seats in a compact or subcompact.
Now this is actually a matter of height. Sitting in front of a forward-facing car seat (like most children switch to once they are a couple of years old) is not a problem in most cars for most people. But at least three times a year I get a call because somebody has a little one on the way, and one parent is over six feet tall. Having two children in rear facing car seats in any vehicle smaller than a mid-size with parents over six feet is not pleasant. But this doesn’t mean a minivan or a full-size SUV is needed. On the contrary, midsize cars, and crossovers have been doing this job for decades and do so with aplomb.
5. You need a crossover or a minivan.
If you just want a crossover or a minivan, I fully support that. But after test drives, and comparing fuel economy, and sticker prices, many of clients with small families do what families have been doing for generations, and they buy a practical, reliable, station wagon. Generally this costs less than what they budgeted for a crossover and is equipped more luxuriously.
6. You have to do this by yourself.
New parents don’t need to spend their brief moments of free time researching cars. That’s what I am here for. Don’t delay, and don’t delay, and contact me today!
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