It seems like buying a minivan is viewed as a kind of a death knell for parents individuality… or something?
I kind of get it. Before having kids, my dream car – which I owned! – was a sporty bright red Mazda Miata soft top convertible. I zipped around in this adorable piece of machinery when I met my husband, when we went on our first dates, when we got married, and into our newlywed years.
My husbands car got totaled while we were engaged, so we entered marriage as a one car couple, and that one car was my lovely little Miata. Then I got pregnant. And OH BOY!! (For those of you who don’t know, a Miata only seats two.. and that, veeeeeeery tightly.)
A new car was an essential. With only one child at that time, we opted for the “in between” car… ya know, the one that moms pick to avoid going full mini van? We got an SUV. A Ford Escape to be exact. Not a bad car if you only have one kiddo!
Well, fast forward a few years and HEY, I now have THREE kids! Suddenly that minivan didn’t look so fugly. It looked huge, awesome, heavenly, roomy, amazing… the best things since the invention of the wheel!
Long story short, with our home refinance in September of 2017 we plunged right on in and bought a Chrysler Town and Country.
And guess what? It kind of is all those amazing things, and more! I am frikkin in love with our minivan. Here’s why:
The Magic Sliding Doors That Do Your Bidding
You hit a button. And the doors (and rear trunk!) open or close. All on their own. Omigod, say what?!?!?
With automatic sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle, you can choose one of the other for loading kids, groceries, or heck, just open both and run through like some kind of Warner Brothers cartoon character forging wide path through solid metal. It is that frikkin’ roomy.
No more whacking neighboring cars while fighting to get infant car seats in and out. No more strategically loading the kids like some kind of fleshy puzzle piece, “No, honey, YOU have to go first, then sister, then….” If someone parks too close to you at the mall, you can still slink into your van. It. Is. Amazing!
The sliding doors combined with the lower ride-height also means that your kiddos can get in and out of the van on their own a lot easier than with a taller SUV.
The Magic Disappearing Captain’s Chairs
Most minivans will give you the option of getting “captain’s chairs” for the second row seat. Our Chrysler Town and Country has second row captains chairs that collapse down into the floor and seal up to smooth, flat carpet giving you a frikkin’ ROOMS worth of floor space. I say this is a must-have feature.
We can (and already have!) hauled large pieces of furniture with this awesome chair-less space. And once we were done using it, POP those seats back up and go your merry way. No joke.
The seats are also so roomy that it provides a good “separation zone” for kids. No more “Mom, she’s touching me” shouting ad nauseam while driving?
SO. MANY. CUP. HOLDERS.
They are EVERYWHERE. Nuff said.
Minivans Are Not “Un-Cool”… They Are The New Cool!
I don’t get the whole, “I won’t be cool anymore if I drive a minivan” mindset. Seriously, with motherhood trending in our culture recently, I say mini-vans are the new cool. They are the anti-cool that video game playing was a decade ago. Suddenly it started trending and BAM, everyone wanted to be a video game geek, because being “uncool” was suddenly chic and cool.
But here’s the deal, minivans are meant for one type of person, parents. Parents with small kids. And c’mon, is that such a bad thing? Embrace it. Trick that bad boy out with fun DVDs for the built in entertainment center, stock up your thousandy and one storage modules with fun car games and pampering doodads. Make it another living space – cuz it kind of it! But don’t treat it like some embarrassment. They really aren’t all that bad!
The sliding doors are amazing. We’ve graduated to a 2 door sports car now that we don’t have kids to worry about. But before then a family car was important. Have many happy years driving it.
I will! I just got a compliment on my town and country today, haha!
I never own one but have plenty of friends that do and it’s convenient for them especially since they have kids with so much activities they fit comfortable and space enough to bring the activities supplies.
Yeah, we went on a 14 hour road trip with the kids over the holidays, and packed all kinds of bags and supplies for the trip, and it was super comfy and not cramped at all!!
I never owned a mini van but we did rent one when we had company in town and needed more seats. lol We only had one kid so we only needed the 4 door car we had at the time.
With one kid, I would prefer a smaller SUV.. but with little ones, this van is a Godsend! lol
Minivans are definitely so cool, especially when you have kids. I feel like they make life easier for the parents.
Happy day!
http://www.fashionradi.com
yup!! haha… they don’t look do fugly as they used to just a decade ago!
I think mini vans have all sorts of awesome perks, and if you have multiple kids, it sounds like the best option. 🙂 Totally NOT un-cool.
RIGHT?!??!! hehehe…
I don’t have a mini van, but they are comfy to ride in! Very spacious too!
Yeah, with all the traveling we like to do, it’s AWESOME!
Perfect family car 🙂
I agree!!
You’ve definitely convinced me, haha!
Have a lovely day 🙂
Rosanna x
Yessss!! Persuasive blog post for the win! 😉
We love minivans and are going that route!
Ohhhh, which one are you getting???
I never rode a Miata and it must be tight, but for single people with no children, then very nice 🙂 About minivans, guess what, I looove them! Place for so. many. cups. 🙂 Just perfect! And enough space for so many more things! And the separation room for kids is so good! I think it’s a great purchase, makes life much easier – and believe me, I don’t have kids and still, that would be a good car for me! Hope you have a lovely week!
DenisesPlanet.com
You NEED TO ride in a Miata, at least once in your life! SO FUN!!
Hahaha this post was so funny. Mini vans can be quite useful even for people without kids lol
Allie of ALLIENYC
http://www.allienyc.com
i LOVE that video! lol
I’ve never though of minivans as being uncool. They actually see quite practical. I’ll probably never have one since I don’t drive and I live in NYC where parking is impossible.
Oh man, I drove in NYC once and ONCE was ENOUGH! LOL!
A mini van sounds perfect for a family with kids!
Funny post!
xoxo
It is! And thanks! <3
You’re so right, Gingi! I felt like minivans scream old, but they’ve really changed them now to be these magical modes of transportation, kids or not. Kudos to you for finding the perfect one that fits your family! Hugs…RO
I am glad they are finally making them look more sleek and appealing these days! haha
I’m waiting until they make an SRT Hemi minivan.
….hmmmmmmm……
Haha, my best friend just got a minivan for her family and she swore she’d never get one, either- but she loves it!
-Ashley
They are nice, once you ride in one!! haha
The stereotypes for minivans are soccer mom cars, but they’re actually really powerful! Have you ever raced a minivan? The only reason I wouldn’t want to own one is simply because I don’t like driving large cars!
I have NOT tried to race a minivan, but now I kinda wanna try… lol!! 😉
I’m not a car person, and when I was a kid, I was so happy my parents upgraded from a station wagon to a mini van so I could finally have some room, ha ha.
I remember making that switch too!! THE FREEDOM!!! 😉
my first car was actually my mom’s minivan! i have such a soft spot for vans, because they can fit so many things and people. and now that i have a smaller car, parking feels like a breeze because i’m used to the van (;
That is the ONE thing I miss… zipping in and out of traffic and parking with ease!! *longing sigh* 😉
I have never owned a car but am looking at converting a van into a liveable driveable mini home for trips. I never thought there was any shame in owning any kind of car but people used to make fun of my parents for driving volvos haha. The van sounds like an aweome people mover and having kids, kind of a necessity!
I don’t get the car shaming either!! And why pick on Volvos? What wrong with them..?!?! lol..
Minivans are awesome! I always rented them when I lived in Florida to take road trips with visiting family. After hearing all the horror stories of kids dinging doors of parked cars with traditional doors – sliding doors are perfect for that stage in childhood!
Oh man, the dinging car doors struggle is REAL… I am soooo happy with our van I can’t even…
Too funny! I made it through twins with a Volvo station wagon. Drove it until it died! My son was so sad since he had inherited it! There won’t be a next time, but I think I’d much prefer a van over a giant monster!
Yeah, these new vans are getting to look sexy too! 😉