Courtesy of Rudolf Stricker
A friend recently posted this on Facebook:
Hey guys! Who has an SUV that they love – with a third row? Do you have a V6 or a V8 and how much does it cost to fill up the tank when you’re on E? Make and Model, please. 🙂
I know my friend is a parent, and I had a hunch about what this post means. I responded with this:
Hey, maybe you should check out a minivan!
To which my friend eventually came back with this:
Oh my gosh. You guys have really confused me. But there is one thing I know for sure – I will NOT be getting a minivan! 🙂
Bingo, my hunch proved correct! My friend is looking for everything offered by a minivan … as long as it isn’t a minivan! It’s the classic aversion to … getting old: an oath that says one will never drive a minivan. Happens so often that there ought to be a name for it. Minivans? They’re driven by soccer moms and PTA dads! Lame-o!
Except they’re not. Minivans are awesome family cars. They’re awesome cars for road trips. My parents drove theirs all across the country the past few summers and never once felt cramped. My family couldn’t get along without ours. The only thing a minivan isn’t too good at is parking in tight parking spaces. That said, an SUV isn’t a good fit there, either.
When Kelly and I got our minivan, I was the one who embraced it first. It is so much roomier than our Volvo wagon was. The Captain’s chairs in the back are quite comfortable. It has an entertainment center built in. Also, the doors automatically open, which makes it great for the school’s carpool line. Most importantly, the width of the seats makes it easy to carpool multiple kids around. The Volvo couldn’t compete.
The folks who just can’t accept that they’re now part of the “minivan market” just need to come to terms with that. It marks an unforgettable stage in parenthood: one that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Those kids will be driving themselves around before you know it (and if they’re driving your minivan they’ll likely be driving it safely).
Those who still can’t embrace their inner minivan driver should remember this: you’re not fooling anyone by buying a almost-minivan!