Could A Second Car Help Your Family?

There’s no doubt that running a vehicle is expensive. That’s why, for many families, they have a single car. It means they only have to pay one set of taxes, insurance, and the general running costs. Figuring out who gets the car when can be a bit of a juggling act, but it’s manageable.

However, there comes a point where managing with just a single car might not be sufficient. The most pressing reason is when your kids are of an age to learn to drive. If you want to cut the cost of driving tuition and take them on the roads for yourself, then that means the family car is going to be monopolized for that time.

The other reason is far more basic; the point you realize that running a schedule with two cars is almost impossible, especially if one parent uses the car to commute. You can juggle things back and forth for awhile, but eventually, the need for a second car becomes pressing.

It Doesn’t Have To Be Expensive

If you find yourself reaching the conclusion that a second car is an inevitability, then you might immediately be worried about the expense of it. While a brand new car might stretch your budget too far, opting for a new car instead could cut the costs to a point you can manage.

Rather than having to find the money for a single upfront payment, it’s always worth investigating auto loan for a used car for 84 months – that gives you a huge amount of time to spread the cost over. With the monthly payment relatively small, you might find you soon break even in what you save on the cost of bus, rail, and taxi fares alone.

It Can Be Safe

While some things can and do go wrong with used cars, if you’re smart when buying, then you should be able to avoid the most common problems. There are plenty of guides that can help you ensure that your family remains safe and that the car you buy is going to last, including this Used Car Buying Guide from our friends at Auto City.

It Can Save Your Family A Lot Of Hassle

While the expense is always an important consideration, it’s always worth remembering all of the benefits to the financial outlay. If you have more than one child, then there will come a point where each child with have a different activity scheduled at the same time. It happens; there’s not much you can do about it. If the family car is already taken up with a work commute, trying to navigate different appointments with your kids is going to be a nightmare of public transport.

The most important thing to ask yourself when considering this: can we manage without a second car? Or are we more likely to cut corners, miss out on travel opportunities, and just spend a lot of money on alternative transport if we don’t buy one? If you find the answer to the second question is “yes” then – finances allowing – this is definitely a route you need to investigate.

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