If you're starting a family or in the process of expanding your family, then you need to think about your car.
Chances are you and your family will be spending a bit of time in it daily as you ferry back and forth from home to daycare/babysitter's house or to grandma's house and shopping.
If you're planning on taking local holidays, you will be spending even more time in your car.
As such, there are a few things you will need to consider for your family's safety and comfort.
Here are some things that we suggest you consider when buying your family car:
What size?
Having a snazzy and cute little hatchback was a nice idea when you were single or when there was just you and your spouse. But you will have to give it up once you start having kids because there won't be enough space if your car is small.
When the word “family” pops up, think B-I-G.
Will the car you want have enough space for everyone? Are you planning on having two or three children? Do your parents or in-laws stay with you? Do you have a helper? Count everyone and be honest because you don't want to buy a Honda City for your family of three and then realise you forgot to count your in-laws and the helper.
Remember that children need to be seated in child car seats. If you are planning on having three then your car needs to be able to seat your spouse and the three car seats … or, you will need two cars. An option is to explore better family planning so that one child is a bit bigger and can sit on the booster seat while the other two are in their car seats. Still, you will need one seat belt for each so make sure you have enough for everybody!
Boot space
Once you have kids, factor in carrying the stroller in the car boot. If you have more than one small child, that'll be a double stroller. If you live in an apartment don't forget you'll need to store your shopping trolley in there, too. And, if you're planning on road trips for the next five to 10 years, you'll need to store your luggage in there, too!
Don't be surprised if you start eyeing those big MPVs (multi purpose vehicles).
Safety features
This is the most important aspect of your car-buying mission. What sort of safety features does the car offer? How many airbags and where (more on this later). Is there an ABS (Anti Lock Braking System) or anti-skid system? How about a child safety lock?
Make sure the car you buy has enough safety features for your family. This is one element that should never be compromised.
Airbags
While airbags are great and most people think more airbags are even better, exactly where are the airbags? Find out because the type of child car seat you have or intend to buy can depend on where the airbags are. You don't want your child in a forward facing car seat if the airbag is going to impact her and wedge her between it and the seat. This can crush your baby!
If you need to, take all your child car seats with you when you're going for a test drive and make the sales agent install all of them and then explain where the airbags will be and how safe your child will be then. Don't be embarrassed to ask. They want that sale and so they will do it, no matter how long it takes.
Weaknesses
Make sure you do a web search on the car before you buy it. Find out the problem areas that users complain about. There is usually at least one or two weaknesses. If the car you want is cute but has a tendency to overheat … reconsider buying it because you don't want to be caught on a Saturday afternoon in a traffic jam in Kuala Lumpur with your three children screaming in the car and find your car has overheated and stalled.
Service centre
This is not a priority but still could be a factor in the long run. The car is great ... but where is the service centre? As parents, you don't really have the time to drive 20km from your home to go to a service centre that is so far from your home. Also ask other users what the customer service at the service centre is like.
Seat material
If you're getting a car with cloth seat covers, go for a darker colour. The children will spill food and drinks. Your car seats will be stained. There is no way you can train them not to. This is inevitable. Just accept it and get seats with darker covers.
Otherwise opt for leather seats - any spills are easy to clean by just wiping.
In-car entertainment
This is entirely up to you. Some parents prefer to have it as it keeps the children occupied for the duration of long trips. Some say it's okay as long as it's not above or near the driver. And some just don't like it. This one is up to you, as long as it's not too distracting for the driver. Take note of how hidden or exposed the unit is as it would attract thieves. Also take note of whether your children will be able to reach the unit and fiddle with it – higher chance of them breaking off parts or spoiling the unit, etc.
Conclusion
When you decide to go shopping for a car, take the family along. There are things that your small child might notice that you might not. The car might be too high for him to climb into or the back area might be too small.
Talk to other parents, too. Nothing so helpful as the experiences of others who have gone down this path and have tried or are using the car you're eyeing.
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