Buy the Right Car for a Road Trip With These Expert Tips

Some of my fondest memories of are of my family road trips. I vividly remember a trip we took from Los Angeles to St. Louis, Missouri.

We visited Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, the Painted Desert and Monument Valley. I still look back on that trip and remember it as my best summer as a child.

We took our family trip in a Nissan mini-van, which gave us the space and comfort necessary for several weeks of driving.  The bottom line, your car is very important!

Are you going on a road trip and are wondering which vehicle will best suit your needs. It can be a tricky choice! There are lots of options available, and choosing one can become a headache if you don’t know what to look for. So follow the tips below, and find the perfect fit!

Set a realistic budget

The budget that you set yourself should be indicative of not simply the cost of the car itself, but also if you can afford the upkeep. For example, even if you can afford a brand-new Mercedes SUV, you have to ask yourself if you can afford it. Maintenance and service, and keeping it road-ready (especially seeing as you will regularly be using it for long journeys) may cost a lot of money. Therefore, you should set up an initial budget that will cover the purchase and develop a secondary budget after considering the cost of upkeep.

My recommendation is to save money on the car, and instead use some of your budget for the fun activities you will surely want to do. After all, it’s not the driving that makes a road trip the memory of a lifetime, it’s the experiences outside of the car.

Think If You Want New Or Used

Once you have come up with your budget, you will have a better idea if you will get a new or used model. If your budget allows for it, then a new model might be preferable, but if not, you can still get really nice new cars for a fraction of the cost. You can shop around to see what is on offer, and this Audi dealer recommends speaking to a sales team, who can advise you which might be the best direction for your particular circumstance.

Nonetheless, it will ultimately be up to you what the best choice is, and if you feel like you can get more cars for your money by buying pre-owned, you should go for that option or vice versa.

Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/YJQCsA0lXKQ

Imagine How You Might Use The Car Daily

You may be considering the car for road trips only, but you will certainly need it for every day life too. Therefore, any decision you make should be based on this consideration. For example, a Ford Mustang may make a great road trip vehicle, but will it make sense when you are sitting in traffic on the way to work?

The type of trip also dictates what type of car to get. Are you going camping? Hauling a trailer? Brining mountain bikes? Then these are all things you will need to consider.

Fortunately, you still have lots of options that are fun, practical, and perfect for almost any situation. You just need to do a bit of research and see what’s available.

Ensure That You Have Enough Interior Space

It doesn’t matter if you are going on a trip by yourself or with several friends; interior space should be a priority for you. This extends to the seating options, layout, and amount of space for luggage and supplies. Nothing will ruin the experience of road trip faster than sitting in a cramped vehicle for hours on end.

Pro Tip: consider getting a storage box for the top of the car. Although they can decrease your MPG, they save a ton of space for you and your family inside the car.

Make Comfort A High Priority

In a similar sense to interior space, you need to ensure that any car you end up with is a comfortable space to be in. Although your passengers should be well-seated, this point primarily extends to you as the driver. In reality, this means high-qualities seating, a great driver layout (i.e., you can reach everything safely), and perhaps even heated or cooling seats. When it comes to the overall experience, it should have decent climate control and lots of optional extras. Some things to consider include:

• A great in-car entertainment system
• Climate control for rear passengers
• Lots of storage space for drinks and snacks
• Charging ports for electrical devices

Make Sure It Is As Fuel-Efficient As Possible

So now you arrive at the obligatory fuel economy section! Nevertheless, this is arguably the most crucial factor to take into account, especially as the cost of fuel continues to rise and shows no sign of slowing. You must balance the power you need to get to your destination comfortably with fuel efficiency. 

Although an electric vehicle might seem like a good idea for saving on fuel, the need to recharge the battery every several hundred miles will certainly be frustrating. Also, if you’re traveling in rural areas, or through the mountains for example, then charging stations are likely non-existent. A good compromise is a hybrid vehicle.

Buy One That Has A Low Depreciation Rate

This final point isn’t related directly to road trips per se, but it is still an essential factor to note. If you choose a pre-owned model, this won’t affect you quite as much (but you should still keep it in mind), but if you choose a new model, you will need to think carefully as each car and model have different depreciation rates. 

Luckily, the re-sale value of cars is exceptionally high at the moment due to inflation. In fact, my brother recently sold his Subaru for more than he bought it for!

Buying a car is a fantastic experience, and the fact that you will use it on road trips is even more exciting. If you follow some of the tips in this post, you’ll be able to find a vehicle that’s perfect for both your trips and everyday use.