Back to school is a busy time for students and parents alike. Does your car have what it takes to make it through the school year? What about your student’s car? If your daily driver has had a maintenance light on for the last twenty thousand miles, it may not be school-year-ready. What should you look for in a back to school vehicle?

Reliability

Reliability is the most important feature in a back to school vehicle. As a parent, you can’t afford to have your car stall out in the school pick up line or breaking down on the way to football practice.

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If you’re shopping for your student heading back to school (or even college!), it’s doubly important that they have a vehicle that safely gets them from point A to point B — if they don’t have a reliable car, they definitely won’t be able to drive home to visit as often!

Cargo Room

If your college freshman is moving into the dorms they’re going to need some way to haul all of that stuff. A hatchback or SUV will make move-in day even easier. Bonus points if the vehicle has a hitch you can use for a little U-Haul trailer!

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Even as a parent or teacher preparing to head back to school, extra space will come in handy. Baseball bats, science fair projects, and who-knows-what-else won’t get themselves to school!

Fuel Economy

One of the worst parts of back to school season? Traffic. Whether you’re sitting in the school drop-off line yourself or just stuck behind a school bus, that time you spend with your engine idling is wasting precious gas. Give yourself a boost by driving a vehicle with good gas mileage.

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For college students heading to their new home, fuel economy is even more important! Your broke student doesn’t want to fill up their tank any more than they have to, and you don’t want to send them any more gas money than you have to. The more miles they can get per gallon, the better it is for everyone.

Safety

This is a given, but important anyway! For parents, nothing is more important than their child’s safety, whether they’re riding to school with you or driving themselves. Of course, you hope an accident never happens, but if it does, you want them to be protected.

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Recommended from McLarty: The 2017 Ford Escape

The 2017 Ford Escape checks all of our boxes with features like Auto Start-Stop that supports fuel economy, a roomy cargo area with a towing hitch that can haul up to 3,500 lbs, and a 5-star Crash Safety Rating from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Association. The entertainment technology in the 2017 Ford Escape is a pleasant bonus – Sync 3 gives you more voice-activated control than ever before.

Ready to find your Ford Escape? Look no further than McLarty Ford, the #1 Ford Dealer in Arkansas. Head on over to McLarty Ford at 4400 Landers Road in North Little Rock or give them a call at (855) 981-4130. For the month of August, McLarty Ford is offering $3,900 cash back and 0.0% APR financing for up to 72 months on select 2017 Ford Escape for qualified buyers.

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McLarty is so confident that they can offer you the best deal, they offer a 110% Price Difference Guarantee — if you find a lower price, they’ll refund you 110% of the difference.

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