A good place to start is determining your budget for this new addition to your garage. It’s smart to err on the side of caution and to be prepared to put down as much as possible for the lowest monthly payment. Keep in mind that family cars are primarily utilitarian vehicles rather than style conscious beauties. Almost everyone in search of that best family car is well served buying a used vehicle. A car that’s just two years old has already taken the majority of the depreciation, while still looking new and sometimes, still under warranty.

Once you’ve determined the amount of money you want to pay, start looking around for a make and model you like, which lines up with your budgeted amount and will accommodate your needs. If you’ve got a couple of toddlers, perhaps a sedan that gets good mileage will do the job. A four-door will cost less to insure and make getting kids in and out easier. Load the groceries in the trunk. On the other hand, if you’ve got a couple of kids in middle school with lots of friends you ferry around to school events or sports classes, an SUV might turn out to be your best family car of choice.

When you’ve narrowed your choices down to two or three preferred makes and models, get online and visit websites with consumer reports on those vehicles. Consider safety features, crash test safety reports, fuel economy and reliability when making your final decision.

Visit the Kelly Blue Book(R) site and see what they list as fair market value for that car. Note that amounts will be given for various conditions, such as excellent, fair and so on. Mileage figures in as well. Options, such as power windows, leather seats and air conditioning are listed separately with values to add on to the base value. This information gives you valuable negotiating power when you go to buy.

If you’re not able to put down a substantial amount of cash, give your bank a call to see how much they’re willing to lend on a vehicle of the year, make and model you’ll be buying and on what terms.

Now you’re ready to hit the classifieds and find that best family car – for your situation.

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