Minivans?

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Minivans?

  • Minivans are cool and practical.

  • Minivans are for Soccer moms.

  • Who cares.

  • Obligatory Ralph Nader option.


Results are only viewable after voting.

Flyin' Lion

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The wife and I just purchased our first minivan in expectation of our increasing familial units (daughter is due in December). I personally like the ride and the interior is HUGE by comparison to our other vehicles. Is this something that's normal or part of my emasculation?

Edit: it's a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan eX with lots of goodies (pwr everything, sliding doors etc.)
 
I'll be driving to Chester today to pick up your Man Card.
 
I think minivans get a bad rap--but if you travel a lot and have kids--you simply cannot have a better vehicle, IMHO. Better gas mileage than the big ugly SUVs and very comfortable and versatile as far as being able to move/remove seats and haul pretty much everything you want to, whether it is cargo or passengers.

We drive my MILs minivan quite often--it is a very comfy ride. Of course ANYTHING would be comfy compared to my Jeep. I have to get my fillings adjusted every few weeks because of that thing. :D
 
I hadn't voted in my own poll, so I went with cool and practical. SWMBO refuses to ride in the jeep anymore and we needed a second vehicle to lug the kid around. Plus I figure this will be more comfortable on those trips to Michigan and New Jersey.

Todd_K, I lost the man card about five years ago (right about the time I got married).:D
 
One of my friends has a van (she does not have kids) and she and her husband love it. It's got a great ride, and it's comfortable. I've never wanted a van (I have two teenagers now) except when the kids were really little and I had groceries, stollers, kids, etc. to haul in and out. At that time, I didn't have any money to buy what I wanted so I just had a used car. Now I have a bit more money, and I drive either my pickup with the king cab, or my regular car. Mini vans may be practical, but to me they are the quintessential "grocery getter".

I think a man driving a mini-van is obviously married. Kind of like the world's biggest wedding ring. The van doesn't scream "cool", it screams "family" which most women think is cool. So, it's very cool since it's so obviously not cool. That's my woman's logic- just go with it.

Just my 0.02.

Lorena
 
You'll get sick of driving it.

they're GREAT when you pack them up and hit the road, they're horrible and smushy when they're empty and you drive to work staring at those cunic yards of empty space.

We had a Town and Counrty and it was great for trips but sucked for everything else.
Wife has an X3 now, which is great for everything, but nowhere near as roomy for trips.
 
Once you get past the somewhat lame looking exterior, minivans are pretty nice when you have a family. My next car may very well be one. You can seat plenty of people and use it to haul stuff around for projects.

I'd most likely just use it for family stuff and use a smaller car for my work commute
 
I try not to run minivans over while driving my Sprinter SHC. I think of it as a two ton truck with a cover.
 
I voted "cool and practical", but I really only believe the "practical" part.

SWMBO drives a 2001 Sienna, and it's great for the kids. I personally can't stand driving it, but that's just because it is an automatic.
 
I say get a car for what you need it for. If you want to go fast and have good handling, get a sports car. If you want "point A to B" get a civic. If you want to offroad but still have cargo space get an SUV or truck. Offroad and no cargo space? Wrangler. Kids, long trips? Minivan. Small pe... ...er shoe size? Hummer. :)
I'd say you made the right choice fellow!
 
Walker-san said:
I voted "cool and practical", but I really only believe the "practical" part.

SWMBO drives a 2001 Sienna, and it's great for the kids. I personally can't stand driving it, but that's just because it is an automatic.

Glad to meet another who can't stand automatics.
 
My first car was my dads 1986 toyota minivan, stick shift. That car rocked socks. Since that was totaled for me, I got a mercury villager (also wound up getting totaled out from under me, not the best luck with cars I guess). Not as "cool" as the toyota, but definitely as practical. Now I drive a mountain bike, cooler than both, but, in many cases (including trips to the LHBS) not as practical.

- magno
 
Full size van = cool
Mini van = ballz in a jar on the dashboard

You can get teh same cargo space and ride from any SUV or good old pick up truck
 
I think minivans are pretty sweet. Back when I was doing a lot of kayaking in the mountains I always envied the people with minivans...they just pulled up at camp and started drinking beer while I was setting up my tent. Also, they didn't have a bunch of soaked crap to take home and clean up if it was a rainy weekend.

I wanted my wife to get one instead of the Saturn VUE we bought, but she wasn't going for my logic.
 
why not just go with a station wagon? You probably get just as much space (who really packs a minivan or suv all the way to the ceiling, anyway?) and better gas mileage. I don't own either, but it's just a guess.

Oh, and probably safer from rollovers too!
 
Pumbaa said:
Full size van = cool
Mini van = ballz in a jar on the dashboard

You can get teh same cargo space and ride from any SUV or good old pick up truck

Honestly, I think it's more like full size van = creepy. That's especially true if it's older and has a ton of rust - or one of those run down conversion vans.

You just KNOW there is sonething illegal going on in those things - it's just a matter of what.
 
So Flyin' Lion, I hope that clears it up for you, about a third of those polled were pro minivan, about a third anti, and about a third dont care (or Nader). Pretty decisive, right?

EDIT: seems like that third group has really taken off
 
desiderata said:
why not just go with a station wagon? You probably get just as much space (who really packs a minivan or suv all the way to the ceiling, anyway?) and better gas mileage. I don't own either, but it's just a guess.

Oh, and probably safer from rollovers too!

That Dodge Magnum is pretty F'ing sweet
http://www.dodge.com/magnum/index.html
 
We have a mini van and it gets used a lot. With 3 kids and all their friends, that thing is packed all the time.
Is it the vehicle I would choose if I could have anything I wanted? I don't think so but for our situation I wouldn't want anything else.
 
Just yesterday, my wife traded her old mini-van in on a Jeep. The mini was great when our four kids were little, but they're all grown now, and the van was about beat, and besides; There's just no way to look cool in a mini-van!
 
Yeah, that is pretty much the response I expected. I don't really consider a vehicle to be any more than something to get you around, so the "coolness" factor is of little concern. We have a smallish SUV (Sante Fe), a Jeep (not for long) and a Dodge shadow (commute to work) so the Minivan will fill it's particular role well. I also like the convenience of carrying up to Seven adults in comfort.

I realize it is not a cool vehicle, but it does serve it's purpose. Thanks to all those who responded.:mug:
 
Pumbaa, I think I saw your van :D


Anyways, I drive a minivan, and I love it. We have two kids, and it's great for hauling them on trips, we can fil it up with all our junk with no problems. When we go visit my parents, we often go camping or some other such day trip that involves gear + their two dogs, and it's nice having 7 seats. I would drive one even if I was single! So there!

Plus, it's got plenty of space for doin' it in the back. Try doing THAT in one of your two seater sportsters!
 
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