We bought the dog and a the kid a mini van!
It's huge, it's boat-like, it's fuddy duddy and I feel like I've given up on style. But it has a DVD player, and a really cool stereo. And a remote starter. So that slightly makes up for it. I just wish I could be more excited about it, I'm a very optimistic person, so it's weird to be down on something like this. Everyone is telling me that I'll love it when I need to haul something, but I sorta liked not being able to haul anything, because I had a cool car! I really do feel blessed to be able to get a bigger vehicle. There are so many people in my city that can't even afford food, let alone any type of vehicle, and here we have an almost new van and I'm poo-pooing it because it's a van. It's just a tough transition. It's like the month I found my first grey hair, I just felt old. I feel even older now. I'll get over it. Too bad a box of hair color can't make my van make me look younger. Any one else ever had the minivan blues? |
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| I think most Moms that have to move into a mini-van feel it takes their youth away. I raised 4 children and never bought a mini-van, but I now drive one because I have 3 dogs who like to go in the van. lol You'll adjust once you see how easy they make your life with all the stuff that baby needs. Grocery shopping is so much easier. In my van Violet lays across the back seat. China sits on the floor or sits on the 2nd roll of seats. (our seats stow into the floor so we only keep one up) and Asia usually sits in the passenger seat next to me. The mini-van has really worked out for us. I wish I would have gotten one when my kids were younger. Enjoy. Oh my mini-van also has the dvd player on the roof, but the dogs don't know how to use it. lol |
| I went from a Jeep to a mini van as it was impossible to fit 6 big dogs into the Jeep unless one upright stayed home. The mini van is as nimble as the Jeep, more powerful!!, but yes, a pain in the tooter to parallel park (like I don't even try anymore), and my "tooter" loves the heated seats in the winter. OK, I'm old and no longer need the off road capability of the Jeep nor the horrendous service bills that comes with 4 wheel drive. ( Jeep = just empty every pocket) My very hip brothers looked down their noses when they saw what I was driving (their judgemental attititude is what drove me 500 miles away) but the van is PERFECT for us and even drew looks of envy from fellow tail gaters whose vehicles did not allow them to reverse the back seats and sit, under cover, when rain began. I've yet to find anything that I could not haul. |
| I never had a fashionable car - so I guess my pain was less! As a teen I drove one of my parent's cars - either the Buick LeSabre (a really stunning butterscotch 2 door with a white landau roof!) or the red Ford pickup. I loved the pickup! In college I had a big boat - a Chevy wagon.  After a couple crappy cars when we 1st got married, I got a real nice little wagon. But with twins girls, then a son and we had multiple dogs even then - it soon was apparent we had to upsize! I was so happy with my 1st minivan, so we got a 2nd, then a 3rd! All were Dodge/Chrysler and all got over 250,000 miles with no issues. They hauled kids, dogs, exchange students, and whatever else needed moving. We camped, road tripped and ran many, many runs into town and back with farm supplies, groceries and all that stuff. Letting everyone have enough space and no bickering was one of the best things. And this was in the 80's and early 90's, so no DVD players - but power windows and locks were great! Now I have my Element and I love it - but another minivan was considered when I was shopping....but the girls told me I was due a more fun car!  |
It happens to the best of us.  I actually love my minivan. I have a newer model Honda Odyssey and it's got every feature I could possibly want. We haul 3 active kids and 3 giant dogs around, mostly in the city, so we needed to get away from our Suburban and it's crazy 12 mpg. I get about 22 in the city, 27 on trips and it's much easier to maneuver. Once I had kids, I went from a Jeep Cherokee to a Suburban to a Volvo wagon and am now on my 3rd minivan (would be 2nd but one got totaled in a wreck). The minivans are the most bang for the buck, and have the most usable space for sure. |
| Before the advent of minivans, my first "married" car was a Volvo station wagon. (premarriage was rather like Dawn's assortment tho I did sneak in an MGB for 3 years) The Volvo was our camper/cargo/dog hauler. We put over 250,000 miles on it....but our dogs outgrew it. One StB, one OES and one Sibbie was it's limit. DH slobbers over the new Odyssey commercials but I assure him mine is fine and we don't need all the electronics for the backseat dogs. |
| I never got a mini van til my kids were older LOL It wasn't for them, it was for the dogs, mainly for going to dog shows. I felt the same at first, I never thought I'd drive a mini van LOL I must admit though I love my caravan. It's 10 years old now and has had a few issues but with almost 300,000 kms on it I expected that. I'd definitely buy another one when this one kicks the bucket. |
| Andrea, Congrats on your purchase. Probably bought the best mini-van out there. And that purchase supports both Canada AND the U.S. Awesome!!! I guess I don't fit in to the mold on this forum. I only own one vehicle with more than 2 doors. '99 4wd Blazer. Bought used as a winter/dog vehicle. All the rest are 2 doors. And 2 of those are just 2 seaters. Love my stylish 2 door American muscle cars with RWD, V-8 engines, and manual transmissions. |
| Never fear ladies, you'll get another cool car when the kids are grown. That's why you see (many) ladies my age driving the sports coupe!! I could never understand it, but nowI so get it. I love my MINI. Your day will come too. |
| Yeah Mark, who doesn't! Alas, time comes when the knees and back say, "You want me to sit down there on the roadway??...and expect me to get out gracefully? " and your left arthritic knee says, "Clutch, smutz......your days of power shifting are over sista!" Older friend drives a new orchid colored V8 Mustang convertible. A lot of truck drivers have been disappointed when she passed them....blonde hair.....and wrinkes. Even funnier when she drives her son's Ferrari......yeah, they are car people. I still get misty over a nice throaty V8. |
| Congratulations on your new car! You will LOVE it! I got one last year to fit my two dogs and all their gear and ours. I felt like you did too...sort of fuddy duddyish. But, I love the Van. Its roomy ad comfortable and fits everything we need. I put all my dog stickers on it and even got vanity plates that were dog related. You will love it too. By the way...I always said for my 5oth birthday I was going to buy a 2 seater Mercedes Benz convertible...I got a White Dodge Caravan instead! Ha ha... |
| I miss the v8's too, only car that came close to fun for me was the '69 dodge charger my husband had when we got married. With 3 kids already that soon progressed to a station wagon and then a van. The van was nice, besides kids, dogs and groceries it also hauled engines when the boys were into that phase so all in all it wasn't bad. Now we have a kia rio cinco (I know not American but was cheap) and a suburban. The fur-kids fit in the kia but Tripper takes up most of the seat. He's lucky Butch is so easy going but it's a sight. |
Quote: only car that came close to fun for me was the '69 dodge charger my husband had when we got married. Was it orange with a big number 01 on the side?? |
SheepieBoss wrote: Yeah Mark, who doesn't! Alas, time comes when the knees and back say, "You want me to sit down there on the roadway??...and expect me to get out gracefully? " and your left arthritic knee says, "Clutch, smutz......your days of power shifting are over sista!" Older friend drives a new orchid colored V8 Mustang convertible. A lot of truck drivers have been disappointed when she passed them....blonde hair.....and wrinkes. Even funnier when she drives her son's Ferrari......yeah, they are car people. I still get misty over a nice throaty V8.  Great post! Well when I get to that point in life, hopefully they'll have drugs to dull the pain in my back & knees. Or maybe that's what the Challenger is for. Up a little higher than most sports cars and a big 'ol wide seat.  |
ICH wrote: ..... '69 dodge charger........ AWESOME car. One of my favorites. Probably one of the best designs to ever come out of any auto manufacturer. And I'm not even a Chrysler person. Would love to have one. |
SheepieBoss wrote: Quote: only car that came close to fun for me was the '69 dodge charger my husband had when we got married. Was it orange with a big number 01 on the side?? Gotta love the General!! |
| No, not the general but lots of fun. |
| Oh you guys, you've all just made my day! This is exactly what I needed, a group of people rallying for the awesome-ness of minivans! I think my minivan Grinch heart just grew 2 sizes bigger, and just in time for Christmas too We went to West Edmonton Mall today, don't know if anyone has heard of it, it used to be the biggest mall in the world, but to us Edmontonians it's just a big mall that has everything, so we go often. It's known for it's insane parkades, so now I've had my first tight parking experience, I had to three point it out of the stall! But I was relieved to see how many other minivans there were, it was pretty much all vans except for some trucks and SUVs. And I'm really liking being up higher, it brings me back to my Chevy Blazer high school days! So in a way I feel a bit younger when I'm driving it! And, we're going to get a real Christmas tree this year, but weren't really sure how to get it home. Well, problem solved now! Thanks again, I'm really getting excited about it now Oh, and we totally bought from an American car company on purpose. All I can say is, that Japanese winters have nothing on an Edmonton, Alberta, Canada winter! Brrrrrr! Our Mazda took forever to heat up, it's just not built for Canadian winters! The side mirrors even warped in the cold! The Dodge minivan warms up fast, and nothing is warping in the -20 Celsius weather so far! (that's -4 Fahrenheit, and no, it's not the coldest it gets. We had -19 Fahrenheit here a couple weeks ago  ).Thanks again for all the encouragement, I think the transition is going much more smoothly now! And I'm very glad to hear that I'm not the only one that got a van for our dog! Maybe now I can convince my hubby to let me get another OES |
got sheep wrote: I never had a fashionable car - so I guess my pain was less! Sounds about like me My Dad would have disowned me if I'd had anything but Swedish or German vehicles (used - very used - of course. Lucky for my budget most of them go forever) After my first SAAB, I had my first and last Volvo sedan. Then I got my first Volvo wagon and apart from a brief stint with a Golf diesel - loved that thing but not a lot of room for an OES in it, yes, only one back then, hahahaha - I moved on to a series of Volvo wagons. I still have one, but two years ago my father insisted it was time for a mini-van (Him: "When are you coming home to visit?" Me: "Can't. Cant fit all my dogs in the wagon".) Next thing I knew I had a Town & Country - also very used, of course. No where near as reliable as my Volvos. But when it's behaving it is now my vehicle of choice. Ah, the things & critters you can haul around in that little boat.  So convenient. And I love sitting up high for a change of pace. Since I've always been more practical than fashionable I felt no loss of prestige driving it around. I've never longed for a sports car or anything like that. It's transportation: it should run well, be safe and be able to haul whatever I need. As long as the dogs in it look good, that's all the "fashion" statement I need to make. Speaking of, off to groom... Kristine |
I went from a sporty 2door, fire engine red Saturn to a Ford Windstar. I'm on my 3rd one now (actually this one is a Freestar) & love them. The big joke around here is I have a seven passenger van than can ride 2 people. The rear seat is one of those that folds down in & that's where it went the day we brought it home. It's never seen daylight since. I haul 3-4 dogs at times so I have 3 crates up in the van. I LOVE sitting up higher & my days of "climbing down into or rising up out of" a fashionable car are long gone. The only thing missing is the speeding tickets I used to get with the sporty car!  |
| Does anyone use a seatbelt type of restraint in their vehicles for their dog/s? I worry about Sunny becoming a torpedo in an accident. For both her safety, and for our daughter's safety, I think we should harness Sunny in somehow. Anyone have any brands/types that work well? Or is a gate thing across the back just as good? We don't have anything right now. |
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