Times are not as easy as they once were. The current economic climate has caused many individuals and companies to cut their cloth accordingly and cut costs with it. One of the first things that companies have cut, also doing so under the green pretext that many are working with nowadays, is the company car. If you still have to take out clients, drive to and from work, or make business trips, you’re going to have to get yourself your very own business car. So what do you need to look out for? What is going to make your life easier, keep your wallet heavy, and still be smart enough that you can ferry clients around within?
Comfort
You are going to be in this car a lot, especially if you make a lot of business trips. Remember, too, that you have to get back behind the wheel on weekends and holidays, too – this will be your family car as well as your company car. It has to be comfortable, therefore. Not everyone has the same taste in comfort, however, so make sure you test out each and every car before you buy. Do you prefer harder seats? Does it have air conditioning or a CD auto-changer? Whatever home comforts you feel you need, make sure that the car you’re going to buy has them: you’re going to be using it enough in all likelihood. Not only do you have to think about yourself, but how about your family, too? Do you have young children who need ferrying around, or how about a dog? As this car is not just for the week, you need to make sure it is comfortable for everyone on every occasion: it should be versatile and easy to convert.
Choosing a Comfortable and Practical Car for Work and Family
| Comfort for Everyone | This car will need to be comfortable for everyone, as it needs to look and feel good enough for your customers. |
| Impress Clients | It’s no good just pleasing your family if your next client gets in the car and turns his nose up. No, it’s very important to make sure that whoever gets in the car will feel at home and be able to relax. Some of the best cars for this are modern saloons and estates. |
| Flexible Seating and Upholstery | With folding seats and comfortable upholstery, these cars allow you to transform them from a family car into a work saloon quickly and easily. You can ferry Mr. Adams to the airport before driving to pick little Molly up from school without batting an eyelid. |
Cost Efficient
As a company car, you’re going to be using this vehicle to commute to work every day. Not only that, but you’re going to use it at weekends too, to take your children out or to drive to the country, while the car will also need to go holidaydao. All of these points point to fuel efficiency. Some companies still offer a percentage of your petrol bill for your work-related trips, but most will not do so for your commutes. Not only does the car have to cost little to run, but as you’re buying it yourself, it should be relatively cheap to purchase too. Luckily, if you’re purchasing for yourself, you may have more leeway in what you can buy than your company allows you. One possibility is to go second-hand. With second-hand cars, they will often come cheaper but have higher running costs – the older they are, the more problems they’re likely to have.
So it’s a good idea to research not only the reliability of the car – it’s no good buying a cheap Alfa Romeo if it’s going to break down every ten minutes – but the cost of spare parts and the like. Sometimes, you will be able to pick up cheaper parts on certain cars, as, remember, you have to look after all the maintenance yourself.