- Kelly Stumpe, known as The Car Mom, regularly posts reviews of family cars to Instagram.
- Stumpe told Insider that many parents, particularly first-time moms, rush into buying the wrong vehicle.
Buying a car for a family can be daunting.
Beyond the all-important factors like safety ratings and reliability, there are countless features to consider that can make a big difference on the road. These include seating arrangements that fit your needs (and potentially your car seats); storage space for all the kid gear you regularly haul; and perks for back-seat riders like charging ports, built-in sun shades, and extra vents.
Even after you find the right car, your needs could change as your family grows.
That's why Kelly Stumpe, a former car salesperson who runs the educational car-buying site The Car Mom, often advises families to lease vehicles instead of buying.
In the past, "Leasing was so big and it was something I always recommended for growing families, just for the simple fact that you don't know how quickly your family's going to grow," Stumpe told Insider in an interview. "Typically, I'm a big fan of leasing for growing families or just delaying the purchase as often as you can."
Why young families should delay car purchases
Pre-pandemic, leasing accounted for about 30% of all new vehicle retail sales. But leasing popularity has since declined, now making up only about half that, or 15% to 20% of new car sales.
Car shoppers have become more sensitive to higher prices amid the economic slowdown, and many are holding onto their vehicles for longer.
But for growing families, using the same car for a three-year period — the length of most leases — might make more sense than buying, Stumpe said.
"Parents, especially first-time moms, might upgrade their Corolla to a Hyundai Santa Fe and they think this is it. What families quickly find out is family needs change very quickly," said Stumpe, who regularly posts family car reviews to her 422,000 Instagram followers. "I had three kids in four years. The car that worked in 2019 versus the car that works in 2023 are significantly different. I was driving a Nissan Rogue in 2019 and now I'm in a Ford Expedition."
Stumpe said families often rush into buying a car that they are hoping to drive forever.
"So many people try to buy that ride-or-die family vehicle before their first child thinking they're going to keep it for forever," she added. "They just do not realize either how many kids they want to have, how quickly those kids are going to come, and how much room kids actually need."