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Buying a family car at Clongskeagh Motors

Things to consider before purchasing a family car

There are a lot of factors to consider when buying a family car, and requires a decent amount of research to ensure you choose a car that is perfectly suited to your family needs. Read our top tips for purchasing a family car at Clonskeagh Motors below.


1. COST (NOT JUST THE CAR!)


There are two types of costs that you need to budget for when purchasing a car: upfront and ongoing. A few costs to consider are:

  • The upfront cost of the car, whether it be the whole cost upfront or a finance deal
  • Finance repayments - If you've taken a personal loan, or dealer finance, you'll need to factor in repayments
  • Annual Road Tax
  • Insurance
  • Servicing
  • Other spending such as new tyres, repairs and valets

It all adds up considerably, so make sure there’s some breathing room in your budget.

2. FUEL

All families use their cars in different ways, so think about how you'll use yours. Will it be primarily driven at low speeds in an urban environment on the school run? Then it's advisable to stay away from diesel-powered cars, as they don't suit low-speed, low-mileage driving over longer duration, meaning potentially large maintenance bills. In that situation, you're better off sticking with modest petrol power or, if the budget allows, perhaps a hybrid or pure electric vehicle. However, if your family car doubles up as a commuting vehicle with time on the motorway and over, say, 20,000 kilometres a year, then diesel power will keep your fuel bills down.

3. SEATING

The number of kids you have will have a big influence on your car buying decision. If there's just one child in the family, the majority of Honda models will suffice. However, once you have three or more kids, a lot more consideration is required when selecting vehicle options. That doesn't necessarily mean full seven-seat cars, though, as there are plenty of Honda vehicles with five seats that have wide, separate rear chairs that do the job just as well.

SEATING

4. SAFETY

It's really important that you don't skimp on safety equipment, whether you're buying new or used. If going for a new car, check the list of standard safety equipment in detail and then look at what's on the options list - and invest in anything that is likely to keep your family safe. Honda prides itself on car safety ratings that show we make vehicle safety a priority. In the Honda 2019 model range, Honda SENSING is standard across most of the range. Find out more about Honda SENSING here.

SAFETY

5. FINANCE

There are many ways to finance your new car - cash, credit union/bank loans, PCP or dealer financing options. Clonskeagh Motors have a number of great financing deals on offer, see more information here.

6. CONSIDER HAVING MORE THAN ONE CAR

It's very easy to get caught up in the process of trying to find a car that has to fulfil many roles in family life, when the solution might be to have more than one vehicle in the household. So for the school runs, perhaps a relatively cheap petrol/electric/hybrid model would suffice, while some parents that have a daily commute to work might need something more suited to long distance driving.

7. INTERIOR TRIM

Something parents often forget about is whether the interior trim is suitable for family life. It can get messy with a young family! We'd advise parents to always go for dark upholstery (including leather trim as it's easy to clean!).

INTERIOR TRIM

8. OPTIONAL EXTRAS

When buying a new car, you can specify the car exactly as you want it. A few optional extras that would suit parents would be parking sensors, factor fit tow bars for bikes, roof rails, and perhaps model specific child seats.

OPTIONAL EXTRAS



Whether it’s heading to sports practice or off on a road trip, reliability, performance, space and safety are imperative in a family car. The Honda family car range has all four in spades. 


Contact Clonskeagh Motors today on 01 2694477 for more information on the latest range of award-winning family cars such as the world's best selling SUV CR-V hybrid.



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