In Defense of the Minivan!

[Perknose]

This jalopnik article says it all, and says it elegantly.

Read it just for the pleasure of its written craft. Subject aside, it also happens to an example of really fine writing . . . if you're in to that sort of thing.

Example:

Second, nobody who cares what other people think about them would ever buy a minivan; it is a vehicle purchased solely by people who do not care. If not giving a shit is cool, then minivans are rock star cool. It is so uncool that it transcends coolness, going so far to the side of uncool that it comes full circle to absolute coolness. If Keith Moon were alive today, he would totally drive an Odyssey into a hotel swimming pool. I know, you’re thinking, “But dude, PTA moms aren't cool.” Slow your roll there, Chief. PTA moms don’t drive minivans. They drive Lexus RXs and Chevy Tahoes. They drive SUVs and the only reason they drive SUVs is because they don’t want to be seen in a minivan, because only PTA moms drive minivans.

Since we don't have a forum called The Literary Salon, I'm putting it here.

 

[Kaido]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4

 

[_Rick_]

Minivans are the hallmark of middle aged depression.

Maybe it's because I grew up riding in the back of one, and nothing cool ever happened.

 

[manimal]

I have way too many cars and I absolutely and unequivocally love our Sienna. I upgraded to a DVD entertainment system so the kids are happy in the back. I overcharged the AC so it blows crazy cold and I can fit my entire clan + have enough to vacation. Driving dynamics arent as bad as some say and like the article mentions I truly dont give a...

As a side note the peoplecalling miatas and boxsters girl cars are hiding their own self loathing and are probably closet Barbara Streisand fans.


Not that theres anything wrong with that..



Anecdotally the Sienna is kinda quick for a big box too!



Someone do a LFA engine swap on one!

 

[ProchargeMe]

Minivans have come a LONG way in the last decade, hell the caravan comes with nearly 300 horses now, even though vans are big that ain't too shabby. For someone with lots of kids they're great, but there's really no reason to have one outside of that.

 

[Kaido]

Minivans are the hallmark of middle aged depression.

Maybe it's because I grew up riding in the back of one, and nothing cool ever happened.

I've held off as long as possible, but we are looking into a minivan. It's just easier to throw kids & their gear in, the sliding door is really nice, you can get AWD now, the new Honda has a built-in vacuum for easily cleaning up messes, etc.

But yeah, boring.

 

[Kaido]

Minivans have come a LONG way in the last decade, heck the caravan comes with nearly 300 horses now, even though vans are big that ain't too shabby. For someone with lots of kids they're great, but there's really no reason to have one outside of that.

You're not kidding - the 2014 Honda Odyssey is boasting 28 MPG highway. That's pretty insane for a minivan! :biggrin:

http://automobiles.honda.com/odyssey/

 

[thedarkwolf]

I miss my sexy minivan. Had it 12.5 years the longest I've owned anything by about 10 years lol. It was just so worthless and handy there was no reason to sell it. Had power everything and it all worked still and it looked damn good . Perfect for hauling my dogs and mtn bikes around. I finally drove it into the ground and switched to a station wagon.

 

[skyking]

Minivans have come a LONG way in the last decade, hell the caravan comes with nearly 300 horses now, even though vans are big that ain't too shabby. For someone with lots of kids they're great, but there's really no reason to have one outside of that.

I could not disagree with you more strongly
My neighbor has a caravan that hauls plywood and compressors and miter saws and sawhorses and sheetrock and tape tools and everything else for remodel, all dry and heated and rust free and easy access through 3 different huge doors with a low floor. All for much less fuel than any truck, and INFINITeLY more convenient than a truck with a canopy.
Real world folks use minivans for just about anything you can imagine, taking the seats out and hauling a half ton of you name it all heated and dry.
The floor loading height alone makes my old back smile.

 

[bolinder]

I have to agree with the initial poster. The minivan is just too practical to pass up. Driving our second now. Debating trading the Toyota Sienna for an Infiniti QX80, but feel like I would be stepping down in practicality. I told my wife we could just buy two new minivans for the price, but she doesn't want to be a "PTA mom."

 

[ProchargeMe]

I could not disagree with you more strongly
My neighbor has a caravan that hauls plywood and compressors and miter saws and sawhorses and sheetrock and tape tools and everything else for remodel, all dry and heated and rust free and easy access through 3 different huge doors with a low floor. All for much less fuel than any truck, and INFINITeLY more convenient than a truck with a canopy.
Real world folks use minivans for just about anything you can imagine, taking the seats out and hauling a half ton of you name it all heated and dry.
The floor loading height alone makes my old back smile.

Usually these people buy full sized econo vans but I can see how you could use a mini van for the same stuff, only you'd have to take the seats out.

 

[_Rick_]

MPVs are where practicality is at.

Scratch that.

The French only invented the MPV because this was too practical for some:

 

[skyking]

Usually these people buy full sized econo vans but I can see how you could use a mini van for the same stuff, only you'd have to take the seats out.

yes and the econovan moniker is also a huge misnomer. They drink gas like crazy.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

My first car was a Plymouth Grand Voyager. That thing was a beast. I could fit all my friends for a trip to in and out in high school. Take a mattress in the back for when I went camping with my girlfriend and her friends I could move all my shit, without having to bother the guy with the truck.

The Voyager was pretty epic all things considered. 3.8l V6 that could hurl that monster down the road pretty quickly. It had 2 AC units, one for the front and one for the back. A decent stereo.

 

[Leyawiin]

Knew a girl out of college in our little gang who bought a Honda Odyssey when she got her first teaching job. All of us laughed and asked why she would buy a family rig like that when she's single. "Because I always want to be invited when something's going on". She ended up being right. She always got invited on movie nights, going out to restaurants and clubs, concerts, amusement parks, days at the beach, etc... It got nicknamed the party wagon and it actually drove pretty well.

 

[nerp]

I am very much wanting a minivan and will likely buy a new Caravan outright when my car is paid off.

 

[Gillbot]

Minivans have come a LONG way in the last decade, hell the caravan comes with nearly 300 horses now, even though vans are big that ain't too shabby. For someone with lots of kids they're great, but there's really no reason to have one outside of that.

I'd rock a Town & Country/Caravan again in a second. With the Stow-N-Go seats, I could haul more in it than I can with my truck and Leer capper. With all the seats up it was easy to fit in 6 people (4 adults, 2 kids) and you could squeeze in another kid easily or adult if you needed to.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Bring back the Chevy Astro.

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

As Skyking said. I've used a dodge caravan for painting out of for years. I take all of the seats out but the 2 fronts, build shelfs to hold my various tools, and put 4 ladders on the roof racks. Then I've got another one with the 4 captain chairs and a bench seat for hauling workers around in. Can very easily seat 5 adults comfortably. This also gives me the versatility of two vehicles so I can do more than 1 location at a time.

 

[Kaido]

Knew a girl out of college in our little gang who bought a Honda Odyssey when she got her first teaching job. All of us laughed and asked why she would buy a family rig like that when she's single. "Because I always want to be invited when something's going on". She ended up being right. She always got invited on movie nights, going out to restaurants and clubs, concerts, amusement parks, days at the beach, etc... It got nicknamed the party wagon and it actually drove pretty well.

Had a friend like that - he bought a Subaru wagon (before any of us knew that wagons were cool) and he ended up being the man whenever we'd want to get to all get together and hang out. Made it practical to throw 5 people together without needing to amputate your legs off afterward, especially on long distance trips :thumbsup:

 

[Charles Kozierok]

Great article. Love to see people doing what they want rather than what they think other people want.

I can see living out of a minivan ... I've done it for a week before, and even done it with our Outback which is pretty small for that. If we didn't have to deal with weather and rough roads here we'd probably own one as they are quite versatile.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I don't get the appeal of a minivan at all. Sure a full size V8 suv gets somewhat worse gas mileage but it has upsides, like the V8 and the fact that it's much less likely to make you lose the will to continue living.

 

[EagleKeeper]

I don't get the appeal of a minivan at all. Sure a full size V8 suv gets somewhat worse gas mileage but it has upsides, like the V* and the fact that it's much less likely to make you lose the will to continue living.

Full size SUV will barely exceed the capacity of a Full mini van.

The minivan will have better handling; probably better gas mileage and easier parking.

All which are better for the soccer Mom not the status Mom.

 

[hans007]

i don't understand the minivan hate honestly.

i figure if i was being forced to drive a large unsporty vehicle to begin with like say a giant SUV, then whats the difference.

why even care about the "coolness" of your vehicle if all you need is a large one. i don't even understand why people think SUVs are cool.

i suppose if i had a kid or for some reason or other needed the space, it'd be either a wagon or just give up and get a minivan if i needed even more space.

SUVs and crossovers are like, a fat girl trying to wear hot girl clothes. there is no middle ground, you are still fat.

 

[dud]

I can remember a time when people (yes, women too) would talk about real cars ... muscle cars with real engines in them that you wouldn't be ashamed to be seen driving in them. Now we gush over the most sorry of "vehicles" like minivans and the Kia Soul.

It was a time when men were men and women were glad of it.