Five Things to Consider Before Purchasing a Family Car

Today’s post is written in partnership with Esurance. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Are you in the market for a new family car? Read below for the Five Things to Consider Before Purchasing a Family Car!

Our current family car, Black Beauty, has been with us for over a decade. It was actually my husband’s car out of college. From road trips to Mackinac Island during our dating years to the drive home after our wedding, BB has been a part of some of our fondest memories. I still remember my husband rolling up to the hospital entrance and carefully placing our tiny babes in the backseat as we rode home together for the first time as a family of 3 (and then 4). We’ve been lucky that throughout these years, BB has held up with minor maintenance.

Needless to say, we’ve racked up over 250,000 miles and she needs a rest. Since we haven’t had a car payment in years, we’re trying to be mindful of shopping smart to save money without sacrificing some of our must have features in a family car. The most important factor is doing our research in car options. As we dive head first into the search for our new family car, these are the things we are thinking about before finalizing our purchase. 

1.) Third Row Seating

With two car seats, we need an optional third row for extra seating when we have family or friends ride along with us. We have it in our car now and it’s a feature we can’t live without in our future family car. We live near both sets of grandparents, my brother and SIL visit home often to see the kids and we have friends with kids our age. Even though it’s not all the time, we need a third row option for those times we’ll have extra passengers. We haven’t yet decided if we’ll be going with a van or an oversized SUV, but it’s something that we’ll be cognizant of as we browse car options.

2.) Trunk Space

Trunk space is a huge need for our family. In addition to the baby/kids’ gear, we have two dogs that we road trip with throughout the year. Add in our weekly grocery shopping trips? Trunk space is definitely an important feature for our family car. And duh, Target is my mecca. I need all the room for all the things from Target.

3.) Gas Mileage Efficiency

We know that we’re going to be buying a gas guzzler just based on the fact that we need a bigger, oversized SUV or Van. But, even in these car categories, we’ve found that there are significant differences in gas mileage efficiency. This will be the number one factor that we’ll be mindful in addition to the monthly car payment we may be taking on. We’re hoping to find something that won’t break the bank at the gas station, while providing the space and safety we need for our family.

4.) Safety Rating & Features

From safely fitting multiple car seats, to side air bags and overall safety ratings and features; this is a very important factor in how we’ll decide on our next family car. Being parents of small children, we want to make sure that we’ve done our due diligence when it comes to car safety.

5.) Optional Kid Friendly Features

We’ll definitely need Automatic start and keyless entry, as they are features we use daily with our current car. Cup holders in second and third row seating and sun shades are also optional features that make life with kids much easier. Some optional things that we’re considering for our next family car is a built-in DVD Player and/or some sort of entertainment for long car rides.

What are some of the features and must haves that you need in your family car?

From quote to claim, Esurance is working to help you make smarter, more efficient choices with your home and auto insurance. Using state-of-the-art technology, they offer a seamless online and mobile experience along with intuitive tools that help take the hassle out of insurance. If you’re in the market for new insurance, be sure to check out Esurance.

Five Things to Consider Before Purchasing a Family Car

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I’m JeeYoung – Consultant, Content Creator, Chaos Coordinator. I’m a work at home mom to 3 boys in Metro Detroit.

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  1. Great tips. Trunk space is a must for any family car. This blog post is very helpful and informative. Thanks for sharing.

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      Thanks for reading!

      Posted 12.13.16
  2. Maggie wrote:

    Such a good article! You’re spot on with the trunk space! I bought a new Jeep Renegade earlier this year, and didn’t consider trunk space. Needless to say, total bummer. My Elantra has more room!!

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      Yes! Couldn’t live without trunk space!

      Posted 12.13.16
  3. beth wrote:

    Thanks for the tips! We are in the market as our family expands from two to three little ones – all in car seats!! Which car did you go with?

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      We haven’t finalized yet but we are leaning towards the Toyota Highlander or a van!!

      Posted 12.13.16
      • LP wrote:

        We tried out a Toyota highlander and we found the third row incredibility uncomfortable, among other things we didn’t like. Have you tried it out yet? A comparable option we preferred was the Honda Pilot. Another option we preferred over the highlander was the Toyota Sequoia. The gas mileage wasn’t great, but did check lots of other boxes. If you go van, we thought the Honda Odyssey was super dreamy compared to the Toyota Sienna. Good luck with your search and I can’t wait to see what you’ll pick since we sound like we’re in the same boat!

        Posted 12.14.16
  4. Trunk space is such a must! I would love to have automatic start too, such a good feature!

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      With our cold winters and hot summers, I couldn’t live without it!

      Posted 12.13.16
  5. I’ve always been very low maintenance when it comes to cars. This is actually my first car with power locks and windows hahaha so now I’ll never go back. But I do love my SUV for space since I have 2 kids. The back turns into diaper changing space which is super convenient!

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      Yes! I use the back for a diaper change all the time!!

      Posted 12.13.16
  6. Shay wrote:

    Great tips!! I would say our wish list for the family car is extemely similar! We don’t have third row seating in our current car and I think when we car shop for our next car- this feature will be at the top of our list!!

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      Yes third row seating is a must for us!

      Posted 12.13.16
  7. Belle wrote:

    Love this! Third row seating and kid-friendly features are a must have for us!

    Belle | One Awesome Momma

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      Def must haves for us too!

      Posted 12.13.16
  8. I bought a brand new car while I was pregnant. Not thinking about any of these facts! Pregnant moms totally need to read this before buying a car because third row seating and trunk spacing seem like a life-saver!

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      I’m glad we had the big car because I wouldn’t have thought of these things before kids either!

      Posted 12.13.16
  9. Melissa wrote:

    It is so crazy all the things you have to think about when you have kids! Thanks for sharing these great tips.

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      So many things to think about after babies!

      Posted 12.13.16
  10. Leighann wrote:

    Wow! 250,000 is a long way! Right now, I have a 4 door Wrangler, and my husband and I LOVE Jeeps, but we might eventually replace his pick up. He’s a little on the tall side and carseats don’t fit well in it. We definitely have to consider the size of the backseats, as well as leg space in the driver’s seat for him. On top of that, trunk space! I hope you find a good deal on your next vehicle!

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      My husband wants a keep so bad!!! Maybe in retirement lol! Thank you! Hopefully we find a good deal!

      Posted 12.13.16
  11. We just got a new SUV this week! LOL And being spacious and a lot of storage room is most important for us as we love to take road trips and we have 3 kiddos so we needed the space. Also, because I’m in the car running the kids places so often, it was great to have a bluetooth addition so I could make calls and receive them without picking up my phone!

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      Can’t wait to be on the other side! Car buying is not fun haha

      Posted 12.13.16
  12. chanel wrote:

    Third row seating is definitely a must! Since we only have two kids, we mostly keep that row down to make more space in the trunk!

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      Yes total must have for us!

      Posted 12.13.16
  13. Jessica Hughes wrote:

    We recently got a new family car and took all of these into consideration. Safety was my biggest concern so we went with a Mazda CX5 and I am so in love with it!

    Posted 12.13.16
    • JeeYoung wrote:

      My husband has that on the list! Thanks for the rec!

      Posted 12.13.16
  14. val wrote:

    Great list! I have a Tahoe now but am wishing I had a Suburban (longer/bigger/more trunk space) – and I’m considering a minivan for doors that open with a button and no swinging them open. Decisions, decisions.

    Posted 12.13.16
  15. Leigh wrote:

    Great tips! We are planning on buying a new car soon so I will keep these in mind =)

    Posted 12.14.16
  16. Spot on! We have a small SUV that’s SO not big enough for us and all of our ish! lol

    Posted 12.14.16
  17. Kari wrote:

    Great tips! We recently purchased a new car and went from having a 2 door to a 4 door expecting to still have the car when we start having kids.

    Posted 12.17.16

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