There are people who rail against “the minivan”. They see it as a representation of all things suburban, uncool, ADULT.
I am NOT one of those people. I love the minivan. I used to consider myself a bit fancy as my first minivan was an import with a sunroof, snazzy leather seats and every power option… until the power window got jammed and the power seat would randomly start reclining. Haunted? I traded it in for a “brand-new” (ok, year-old) good old fashioned Dodge Caravan and never looked back.
Benefits of a minivan:
- All the room! Get in (easily – no climbing), get out, have a party, bring your friends, bring the dog, never squish.
- Versatile. Who needs a truck? Fold down the seats and my van has moved more furniture than our giant truck!
- NO blind spots. The benefits of driving a square box with no sexy curves. You can see everything, always.
- Cupholders. Still there’s never enough. I think I have 16 in mine.
- Here is the number one benefit of a minivan. SLIDING DOORS! You don’t have to worry that a child is going to swing open a door and bash someone’s car, and even in ridiculously tiny parking lots you can squeeze into tight spots and slide right out!
Minivans are tragically underappreciated. On our recent trip, my husband “treated” me to an upscale minivan. When we arrived, we were told… there are no minivans. However, they provided us with a “CUV”. Which is fancy-speak for a $55,000 minivan (pictured above).
Drawback of a minivan:
- Your children ride in it.
The beautiful not-a-minivan was covered in chip crumbs, marred with greasy finger prints and scented with a vaguely earthy-dirty smell (how did my kids get grass stains on their pants in the desert?) after just a few hours.
I’ll stick with my true minivan for a few more years!