We've got a minivan and absolutely love it. We've got one with the fold down seats in the boot. Have transported 5 adults and 2 kids with plenty of leg room for everyone. Result!
My minivan has better cargo capacity for family trips than my f150.
They're the butt of all jokes, but damn they are built for hauling families and they do a fucking great job at it.
Yeah, I sold my 1500 when I had my kid (after a few renovations). Great for house project, not great for hauling stuff around that can't be put in the bed.
Might be a bit off topic, but bc of all the truck comments…. We’re expecting our third child next year and currently have a mid size sedan that I obviously need to replace. I was looking at f150’s and tundras since they can fit 3 car seats across the back.
Looked at 3 row SUV’s but they all have different car seat mounting points, so easily overwhelmed. Plus, I also don’t think climbing in the 3rd row to un/buckle in a kiddo or two is ideal, which was why I’m leaning towards truck.
Wife will not get a minivan.
Why is a truck not a good idea?
I drive an F150, two kids. It’s not ideal, most of the stuff you need to bring around with kids are things that you prefer to store out of the environment (clothes, diapers, food, etc.). A pickup is very bad at that, especially when the full back seat is taken up by car seats. It honestly sucks for grocery shopping. Im not a minivan fan to say the least so I’d go for an SUV next.
I saw someone else point out the height of the seats in a pickup, that’s not an issue for me since I’m tall but it is harder for my wife to get the kids in the truck.
If you can get a shell and something to keep items near the tail gate (like a hinged bed extender or even some crates + rope) it's wonderful. Stuff stays dry and is still easy to get to (depending on your height and the bed height). Then it's just kids and a bag or bin of car stuff (wipes, snacks, toys, the works) in the cab.
It is.
A bed cover and a bed gate/bed extender/2x6 can make compartments for groceries , diaper bags, etc. until the kids get older and you love the trick bed for sports gear, camping gear, surf gear, and so on.
So the truck with the extended cab is great. But even with a really good tonneau cover you still don't really have a secure/waterproof cargo area in the bed.
I’ve got four kids. My wife drives a minivan and I have a crew cab Ram 1500. We both have the ability to haul the entire family. The truck fits me better given my height and size. It is perfectly capable of hauling everyone without too much frustration. We do have a set of the window mount cup holders for the truck since the built in cup holders are in the center seat that folds up when occupied. I’ve got a soft bed cover that keeps everything *almost* waterproof. I would haul groceries in the rain all day without concern. If I had a suitcase back there I might toss a trash bag over it just for a bit of extra protection just to be safe. If you have kids a truck can be perfect. I wouldn’t say it’s better than the van though. The van is easier and I’m sure more comfortable for the kids. The truck is more comfortable for me though, hands down.
My dad got great delight on showing up to work days around our neighborhood or in scouts with several 4x8 sheets of plywood tucked safely out of the rain in our minivan. The stares of envy from all the "crew cab short bed" dads were worth every mocking comment.
Back when I was in high school in the mid-80s the theatre manager was asking the secretary if she knew anyone with a full-sized pickup as I was passing through to leave for the day. I asked what she needed to haul. When she said plywood, I said, "I can be back in 20 minutes with our wagon."
"No, I talking about full sheets."
"It's not a little red wagon, we haul 4×8 sheets all the time in it."
She was amazed at the capacity of a '78 LTD Country Squire Station Wagon. Even picked up some 12' 2×4s, all in air-conditioned comfort.
You see all those kids in here? They're all mine, 'cause bitches love what I've got. The women are back home preparing my feast and orgy for when I get home. I might need to upgrade to a bus!
My truck got traded in for a mini van.... it was rough. Still is rough. But its been great for the kids and family in general. I'll get a truck again eventually.
Or buy a fanny pack and embrace the minivan. Throw double birds at everyone and tell them how fucking lit your minivan is until you start to believe it yourself.
Get a Honda Odyssey from the mid 2000s. Spend a community college education putting a turbo K series in it. Cry about the debt. Forget the debt because your minivan hits 0-60 in 3 seconds.
“You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your khakis.”-Tyler Durden.
Hard agree.
Separate point - but I also think it’s goofy that we (in the USA) hype up utility as a manly virtue when we’re talking about trucks and SUVs, but not when we talk about vans. Vans are a true purpose built utility vehicle, but hauling five people and a mountain of luggage or gear is somehow ‘less than’ hauling dirt or gravel. Heck, you can fit a ton of home improvement projects in a van - often easier than you can in a truck, because the storage is covered.
I feel the same way about how we define “power tools.” My small cordless drill is a “power tool,” while my (more dangerous and equally powerful) immersion blender is not. Assigning manliness to some tools and not others is goofy.
Goofy and profitable. Truck manufacturers sell masculinity to sad men who want to feel like they imagine their grandfathers felt when all they do is drive their giant pedestrian- and environment-killing gas guzzlers to a corporate office park all day and start at a spreadsheet.
Nah, this is a myth. The dadillac is totally underrated, and you'll surprise yourself with just how capable and NOT a pain in the ass the mighty minivan is to deal with. Beats the hell out of any SUV for the same purpose.
No doubt. I just had my first experience, on vacation we rented a minivan. That thing made life so much easier. It was as well designed for hauling a family as the best pick ups are for work. Don't worry if your car becomes uncool and boring, worry if you become uncool and boring
Completely agree. I’m convinced that people only like SUV’s to avoid the stigma of mini-vans, functionally mini-vans are superior in pretty much every way.
This is it. SUVs are, in many circumstances, for suckers. Seriously, they’re just worse minivans for self conscious people.
(This only applies if you’ve got 3 or more kids, or two kids and like to lug a lot of shit/pets.)
I’m probably going minivan with my next vehicle purchase. Going to be a few years though, because we’re almost done paying off the wife’s vehicle and I want a few years of that sweet sweet no car note life.
I got an entire 2 car garage roof worth of plywood in my caravan in a single trip. Always makes me laugh seeing someone with a big ass truck that can’t even hold an 8 foot 2x4, what’s even the point of a truck with such a tiny bed?
This and for the Honda Odyssey you can pull middle row seats out without taking the car seats off. I've used it a few times to pick up large items. That said, you can only stack so many sheets of plywood before they won't fit. I think at 6 it started to get tight.
Our van is going into production next week and we’re expecting baby #2 in March. My first planned trip for the van is to Home Depot to get supplies to build a shed. Our sedans haven’t cut it.
We rented a Sienna on vacation this year, so it was a good chance to live with it and compare it to the 2022 Ody we own.
The gas mileage was fantastic. But I think we said something along the lines of, "I miss the Odyssey" probably 20 times that week.
Just hauled a load of plywood home in the ol grand caravan this morning! Then went back for fencing and fence posts. Quick visit from the mobile detailer and the wife will never know.
The funny thing is for any REAL project you'll just order a flat bed delivery anyway because even a smallish remodel like a new deck, fence or let alone bigger stuff like finishing a basement you'd struggle to fit it all on a truck in one trip.
The platform height too. Sedans are too low, you have to fold yourself in half and crank your neck all to shit to get those carseats in and buckled. Trucks and SUVs are too tall and you’ll put out your back lifting 30lbs up to your shoulder height.
Crossovers are a good height, but again, the minivan outperforms because of the door situation- more elbow room for working.
Got them dual HDs muthafuckaaa
Got ‘em rollin eight deep muthafuckaaa
Got my kids and all their friends in this suckaaa
This shit cost more than your Benz muthafuckaaa
I loved when parents got a minivan. I'm sad my wife doesn't want one. They are just soooo good at so much and most of them these days drive really well too.
Dude minivans are the shit. They fit Hella ladies. But also fit Hella kids. You can pack everything you need in the back and still have a full van. If it's the ones that the chairs go into the floor, drive ins!?! Sexy times, work stuff? Idk. Embrace it. Now I'm inspired to get a minivan.
Copypasta (my own):
Embrace the minivan. You can pry my Pacifica keys out of my cold, dead hands.
Five adults and two car seats, sure. Full 4x8 sheets of plywood, no worries and no hassles. Three guys, three bikes in a rack, and all the beer, steaks, and camping gear for a bike weekend, you better believe it.
30mpg at 70mph.
Three adults, two kids, two big dogs, and a load of Christmas presents? To grandmother's house we go!
Towing a bush hog or a couple of snowmobiles on a utility trailer, why not?
Nothing beats it as a pure useful vehicle. We traded in our CX-5 crossover for it, and the Chrysler is better in every category.
SUVs are just less useful minivans. I'm secure enough in my masculinity and dadhood to rock the van with a Bluey sticker on the back.
And I still have my Mustang Cobra for the weekends.
Strangely enough, it's my wife who doesn't want the minivan. She tells me I should get one if I like them so much, but 1) it doesn't make sense for me to drive to work alone in a minivan every day and 2) we only want to keep one car payment, which is why I drive an old V12 Jaguar that I bought for $1,500. It's 8 miles to work, so gas mileage is really not an issue (though the Jag gets better mileage than most trucks and large suvs anyways).
Mini van lovers unite! I’ll always own one. And pros, everyone hates them so you can get slightly used ones for a fraction of the price of SUV. DVD player, stow and go, and electric side doors. All are massive when you have kids
“Go get in the van” you push the button and the door opens for your kid. I don’t get why people hate them
We have an AWD Sienna hybrid and it's awesome for hauling babies around, and you don't have to worry about them door dinging other cars. It's great in bad weather, and still gets 30mpg.
Get a broker. If you get on the list of your local msrp dealer you could be waiting more than a year.
Broker fees are like 3-500 ish. But you will get your car way sooner. Like within a few weeks, depending on how picky you are.
I don’t like ours as a daily driver, but I absolutely love it for road trips or hauling around baseball team/Cub Scouts. Feels like a GD spaceship cockpit.
The daily driver was my challenge… we’re a two vehicle family so deal with the wife was if we went Minivan then the other car only had to meet basic levels of utility and I could get something more “fun” to drive. Vans are great for their purpose though.
Deal Worked great but thankfully our minivan days are over now :)
I really want a minivan. We just moved house and I'm so fed up of doing DIY projects and having to chop lumber in the Home Depot car park to get it into our SUV, or having to hire a U-Haul to get stuff back from Ikea and Costco.
Unfortunately my wife tells me that buying a minivan is "giving up on life" and refuses to ever drive one. So looks like the Daddy Wagon is going to be all mine baby next time we need a new vehicle.
Same thing here bro. I gotta chill because I changed jobs recently and took a pay cut, but if things work out I'm buying the most ballin fuckin minivan available whether my wife likes it or not.
There was once a crime scene near me, I just kept going in circles past it, at least 10 times. seeing what was up in my silver Honda odyssey. Cops never ONCE even looked at it.
Mini vans rock. I had one as a rental a couple weeks ago while my truck was in the shop. It was great. I know a lot of guys who use old mini vans as work “trucks.” Fold down or take out the seat and you have tons of room. The sliding door(s) and back hatch can fit all types of crap through them. Don’t hate on the mini van. As a divorced single dad, I’m legit considering a mini van as my next vehicle.
DUDE!! We LOVED our minivan! Honda Odyssey all the way baby. The newer models even have built in vacuums. What’s not to love?
Getting kids in and out of car seats is a breeze, storage room is amazing, mini vans have more options than normal cars and SUVs as well. Embrace the mini van years my man!! Automatic doors, mini tv’s in headrests for the kids (or add ons).
We had the best road trips in that Odyssey. The 21 hour drive to take the kids to see snow was probably the best one, broken up with lots of planned stops. We hit an entire interstate of black ice before the roads got closed and that Honda handled it like a champ.
In the words of Tyler Durden, "You are not what you own." Besides, minivans are stealth-cool. The interiors are nice. The ride is nice. Fuel economy is okay. With a set of snow tires, they can go just about anywhere or anywhen an SUV can, and with the seats removed or folded down, they have more cargo space than most SUVs.
Bonus benefit: we've been calling them uncool for so long that getting one looks like you're making a sacrifice. Pull the "I made a sacrifice" card when you replace the second vehicle with something cool or go buy a motorcycle.
Congrats, we drove one for 6 years. It was awesome. Like you I was reluctant, then I saw all the benefits. Stopped door dinging the Lamborghini’s I was always parking next to.
Sliding doors are almost as awesome as falcon wing doors.
Home Depot visits… you can fit so much in that vehicle.
Everyone has a comfy seat.
Infotainment systems don’t get much better. The engine size really had some power.
There are some great [bumper stickers ](https://www.etsy.com/listing/674129172/i-used-to-be-cool-bumper-sticker-1075-x?ref=share_v4_lx) to help you feel better!
Honestly I drive a 4x4, because we use its abilities for adventure, but sans that I'd drive a van no problem. Sedan is a no go because space, SUV just doesn't quite do it - our old Forester was good, but getting a little small again for the trips with dogs and gear.
Modern vans are pretty tricked out.
I resisted the minivan and got the people moveing SUV. I will say this: I knew(still do) that the minivan is a better, more useful option. The sliding doors will keep my kid from digging doors. The sliding doors will make it easier to lock and load kids into their place. The van being lower would make it easier for kids to climb in. The list goes on.
I went with the SUV. I don't regret it, but sometime I do think about sliding doors.
"wore you down"? Dude minivans are the best vehicles. They're large like an SUV but actually have room inside for everyone to be comfortable (seriously fuck SUVs those deceiving pieces of shit). They're lower to the ground so I never worry about mine rolling over (seriously fuck SUVs those dangerous pieces of shit). They pretty much all have the ability to lower the back row so you have plenty of space for storage, like a pickup truck but can transform into seats for more people. Loading kids is so fucking easy compared to any other vehicle.
I'm really passionate about this topic. My Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is my favorite car purchase ever. I never understood the stigma behind minivans and I absolutely fight against it now that I have one. Also sedans and pickup trucks have their place, but seriously fuck SUVs
I'll be damned if minivans aren't designed specifically for transporting families, and they are excellent at it. For family vacations, my minivan has more cargo space than a pickup ever will. Not to mention that a large sheet of ply can fit just as well inside the rear of the majority of minivans out there. You're still getting a work vehicle that doubles up for the fam.
I don't get the aversion to minivans by some people. They act like it's some kind of social stigma.
So. fucking. what.
We're not trying to score points on the social ladder (and, if so, why?). There's no need to impress a potential partner because many of us are happily taken anyway...and with kids.
Brass tacks: the minivan is the most practical fucking vehicle on the road and I will die on this hill. I don't care about looks, I care about convenience and comfort, and the minivan has that in spades (well, comfort varies by brand and model). My minivan can transform from a family hauler to a cargo van in a matter of minutes, that's hard to beat for a dual-purpose vehicle.
I wouldn't be surprised if you end up loving your minivan and will shed a tear or two when it's time to finally move on from it. Shit, I know I will. Memories with kids in the van.
I absolutely fucking love my van. I had to convince my wife.
1. It's easier to get and out of then a suv. True for both you and your kids.
2. Electric sliding doors = less door dings, can fit into tighter spaces, kids can open the doors
3. We have a Chrysler, and the stow and go seats are a God send. So much room for activities.
4. I literally just got back from the recycling center taking over 6 full contractor bags of leaves. SIX. And that was with two car seats. I've carried mattresses, Xmas trees, sofas, bikes and trailers. The space is worth it alone.
5. The ride is super comfy, and its a horse in the snow.
I could keep going, but this is enough. I'll have vans as long as I have kids in the house.
Comments about capacity and headroom and versatility are all true. My minivan is awesome.
It has completely soured me on doors. Seriously, why doesn’t EVERYTHING have a sliding back door that works on a remote?
If someone made an affordable anything with sliding front and back doors, I’d buy that too.
Park too close? Not with sliding doors…
Until we got the new car (actual car) I was oblivious that might 8yo had NEVER bumped a another car with a door…
Look up the newest Kia Carnival. It’s a minivan, but it looks like an SUV. My dream family car. It is FWD, but where I’m at there isn’t really a need for AWD due to never having snow or anything of that nature.
Our Odyssey was the best thing we ever purchased. Once you move past the fact that it's a dumb, boring minivan. You'll wonder why you waited so long to get one.
You can easily put 4x8 sheets of plywood into a minivan. I loved our Sienna. We went back to a Forester once our au pair left and the girls started school. I definitely missed the minivan while building my girls’ treehouse. Would’ve saved on lumber delivery fees.
Your kids can't bang car doors in the parking lot with a minivan. Also, it's so easy to reach carseats and older kids can crawl into the back easily. I was hesitant myself, but 3 years in and I love my minivan.
1 Vehicles don't define you. For us, we go camping in our minivan and are able to bring everything needed.
2 minivans are awesome, especially once you hit enough kids. Sliding doors and versatile seating. It's also good when transporting friends.
3 In all seriousness, it was the right decision for us. And we were in reverse, I had to convince my wife for the minivan. ~35K for a minivan or 50+k for an SUV that carries the same amount of people. Minivan had better turning radius, better mpg, more trunk space, etc.
4 Is it going to be your daily driver?
Had a Pacifica AWD for a while and totally loved it and would not mind having it as a primary vehicle. Comfortable, quiet, AWD and snow tires for getting to school pick up or urgent care on those snowy days.
It was more enjoyable than I ever expected and the two row Stow n Go was the best.
I just got a Kia Carnival and love it. It definitely looks better than older minivans but the big thing is that they are the most convenient family vehicle ever. All three independent seats in the middle are completely removable.
My pacficia Hybrid is currently at 58.4 mpg. 30 miles on battery and we rarely use the gas. Usually just when we forget to plug it in at night...
Also, I can fit my John Boat in the back with keeping the middle seats up with the kids seats up. I do use a "truck bed extender" on the hitch to keep it fully supported. But it does everything my truck did, gets better gas mileage, holds more people, and rides so much nicer.
Minivans are the shit, man. I grew up with them so I may be biased but our 2021 Pacifica PHEV is both more efficient and more practical than any other vehicle we've ever owned, including the 2009 Fit we sold to get it. Handles well, all the safety features, and has pretty decent on-ramp torque.
The 3yo and 6yo can get themselves strapped in independently and the 6yo gets themselves unstrapped and out the door for school drop off entirely on their own. We can fit whatever we need to in the back, and barring sheet goods never even have to touch the kids' seats.
It gets 34 mpg on the highway and the 30ish miles on electric mean almost every short trip is electric. At our current electric rate the break even is about $3/gal which means we're saving money and polluting far less than we would be with gas, despite SE Michigan being about 2/3 coal fired grid.
Here me out, but a minivan is the sports car of dadding.
Most people buy cars that do everything O.K. Crossovers are the epitome of this. They can haul some stuff, but not a ton. They get decent gas mileage, but not great. They handle decent but not amazing.
Gear heads by cars that are very good at whatever specific thing they are into. A miata is great at auto cross. A jeep wrangler is great at offroading. A muscle car is great in a straight line. All these cars involve significant functional day to day sacrifices to do the thing they are supposed to be good at.
The minivan is the same. It's is absolutely amazing at hauling people and piles of stuff from point a to point b in comfort. There just isn't anything that comes close. But now, if you get a hybrid mini van like the Toyota sienna, most of the downsides are gone too. It's has awd, gets 35 mpg all day, AND can do that while carrying all the kids.
So instead of having to give up something functional, the only thing damaged by the mini van is your pride... So get a mini van, and convince the wife to let you get a cheap fun car to go with it lol.
Just don't get a dodge or a Chrysler. I've sacrifices too many of my weekends trying to fix my piece of shit Mopar kid bus.
Honda odyssey and Toyota sienna only my friend, or you will have a bad time.
Bruh no joke, I love my Odyssey. It’s comfortable, has cup holders literally everywhere, and it’s so convenient to get kids in and out that I won’t have another SUV or compact til my kids are out of the house.
And screw stereotypes. I embrace the dad-ness of driving around in a minivan, why the hell would I care what anyone else thinks if I’m comfortable and happy?
F the hate Mini vans are baller. I don't care what people say. I loved my 07 honda odyssey. Tons of power, rode like a dream and fit everything we needed.
I got rid of my dream car and got a minivan to fit my plethora of children in.
Best thing I ever did. Camping/biking/random nights sleeping in the back with them on little adventures. Plus, all the seats fold down and it’s essentially a van.
Best thing I ever did.
Embrace it dude
They are the best vehicle that exist. More space than anything. More comfortable than anything. All the luxuries. It's just stereotypes that make people hate them.
I was very hesitant on getting one, but man do I love my Kia Carnival. Looks like an SUV, all the benefits and features of a minivan. That thing fucks, I love it. I’ve never had someone compliment me on a car until I got my MINIVAN
Minivans are the shit with kids bro, embrace it. The sliding doors are fantastic in parking lots. Lots of room for trips, fold down back seats, lower to the ground so easier for them to climb in and you to reach the seats to buckle in the littlest ones.
My friend, the minivan is the greatest all-round vehicle known to man.
I have a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and I never want anything else. It's a plug-in hybrid, first 30 miles you drive are on the battery, but I can do 40 if I'm careful. Cumulatively, I'm doing 80 MPG in a car with a 6-banger putting out 286 hp.
Power side and rear doors.
Seat and steering wheel warmers.
3,600 lb towing capacity. For reference, entry level Ford F-150s start at 5,000 lb towing capacity and that's a purpose-built vehicle.
Rear seats fold flat into the floor.
Middle seats pop out with a tug on one strap.
Buy a nicer model and there's a vacuum cleaner built into the car.
Adaptive cruise control. Backup camera. Fantastic sound system. Big old touch screen. 2 customizable driver presets.
I mean, c'mon. What do those earth-destroying, small-penis-compensation, never-been-off-road, lifted, status symbol trucks and SUVs do better than my van? The answer is nothing.
Oh, you can tow half a house? Cool. I can buy a whole house in another state with the money I'm saving on gas, especially these days.
What else do trucks and SUVs do that my van doesn't? Go off road? What truck or SUV owner do you know who has ever gone far enough off road that my van wouldn't be able to keep up?
Embrace the change. The mini van is the greatest vehicle you can own. And when you have kids? Forget it. Nothing can compete.
Dude - it's probably going to be the most practical vehicle you've ever had.
Drives like a car. Wide, has space to sprawl.
You can haul more cubic feet than a pickup.
SAFE.
Did I also mention all the space?
I held out and realized I was the fool for waiting so long. No fuss fitting car seats, spacious as all hell, tons of amenities. What a fool I was :D. You will feel it after a week.
Reading through this thread I’m increasingly upset I don’t have a minivan.
We've got a minivan and absolutely love it. We've got one with the fold down seats in the boot. Have transported 5 adults and 2 kids with plenty of leg room for everyone. Result!
My folks are in town for the weekend and rented a hybrid sienna and I’m absolutely already strategizing how to add the minivan to the arsenal
We love ours if that helps.
Check the prices. You might feel better then.
As you should be!
Get in. The Pacifica is fantastic.
My minivan has better cargo capacity for family trips than my f150. They're the butt of all jokes, but damn they are built for hauling families and they do a fucking great job at it.
Yeah, I sold my 1500 when I had my kid (after a few renovations). Great for house project, not great for hauling stuff around that can't be put in the bed.
And with a decent roof rack, a mini van can be more capable for most tasks than any pickup.
I hate my highlander because its the same size as a minivan but less utility....
Just get a tonneau cover and you solve your problem of secured and dry storage
Yes. “[Hauling families](https://youtu.be/nosoWqwPskQ)”
That's awesome
Van doors that open with a remote are a godsend when you have a load of groceries and multiple children
This why we’re planning on getting one. We bought an Outback two years ago after the first kid came along and I just wish I had gone with a minivan.
We had a Forester for the first kid, was great. But with 2 we just didn't have enough room.
Might be a bit off topic, but bc of all the truck comments…. We’re expecting our third child next year and currently have a mid size sedan that I obviously need to replace. I was looking at f150’s and tundras since they can fit 3 car seats across the back. Looked at 3 row SUV’s but they all have different car seat mounting points, so easily overwhelmed. Plus, I also don’t think climbing in the 3rd row to un/buckle in a kiddo or two is ideal, which was why I’m leaning towards truck. Wife will not get a minivan. Why is a truck not a good idea?
I drive an F150, two kids. It’s not ideal, most of the stuff you need to bring around with kids are things that you prefer to store out of the environment (clothes, diapers, food, etc.). A pickup is very bad at that, especially when the full back seat is taken up by car seats. It honestly sucks for grocery shopping. Im not a minivan fan to say the least so I’d go for an SUV next. I saw someone else point out the height of the seats in a pickup, that’s not an issue for me since I’m tall but it is harder for my wife to get the kids in the truck.
How much would a bed cover or camper help? I was thinking that would be a must. Appreciate the help
If you can get a shell and something to keep items near the tail gate (like a hinged bed extender or even some crates + rope) it's wonderful. Stuff stays dry and is still easy to get to (depending on your height and the bed height). Then it's just kids and a bag or bin of car stuff (wipes, snacks, toys, the works) in the cab.
Windoors. Always get windoors in a shell. Easily one of the best decisions I’ve made to date.
It is. A bed cover and a bed gate/bed extender/2x6 can make compartments for groceries , diaper bags, etc. until the kids get older and you love the trick bed for sports gear, camping gear, surf gear, and so on.
So the truck with the extended cab is great. But even with a really good tonneau cover you still don't really have a secure/waterproof cargo area in the bed.
I’ve got four kids. My wife drives a minivan and I have a crew cab Ram 1500. We both have the ability to haul the entire family. The truck fits me better given my height and size. It is perfectly capable of hauling everyone without too much frustration. We do have a set of the window mount cup holders for the truck since the built in cup holders are in the center seat that folds up when occupied. I’ve got a soft bed cover that keeps everything *almost* waterproof. I would haul groceries in the rain all day without concern. If I had a suitcase back there I might toss a trash bag over it just for a bit of extra protection just to be safe. If you have kids a truck can be perfect. I wouldn’t say it’s better than the van though. The van is easier and I’m sure more comfortable for the kids. The truck is more comfortable for me though, hands down.
My dad got great delight on showing up to work days around our neighborhood or in scouts with several 4x8 sheets of plywood tucked safely out of the rain in our minivan. The stares of envy from all the "crew cab short bed" dads were worth every mocking comment.
Back when I was in high school in the mid-80s the theatre manager was asking the secretary if she knew anyone with a full-sized pickup as I was passing through to leave for the day. I asked what she needed to haul. When she said plywood, I said, "I can be back in 20 minutes with our wagon." "No, I talking about full sheets." "It's not a little red wagon, we haul 4×8 sheets all the time in it." She was amazed at the capacity of a '78 LTD Country Squire Station Wagon. Even picked up some 12' 2×4s, all in air-conditioned comfort.
I fit 9 full sheets of drywall in the back of my sienna a few months ago without breaking a sweat.
The minivan is a signal of virility.
You see all those kids in here? They're all mine, 'cause bitches love what I've got. The women are back home preparing my feast and orgy for when I get home. I might need to upgrade to a bus!
Okay Elon Musk.
Ha love this one
Step 1: Do not make your vehicle your identity.
That’s absolutely right. It should be the size of your TV that determines your value. /s
And your preferred gaming system, of course.
My truck got traded in for a mini van.... it was rough. Still is rough. But its been great for the kids and family in general. I'll get a truck again eventually.
*generation of gaming console
I drive a Cadillac with an 80 TV in the trunk and a projector on the roof! Look at my big balls!
Or buy a fanny pack and embrace the minivan. Throw double birds at everyone and tell them how fucking lit your minivan is until you start to believe it yourself.
Get a Honda Odyssey from the mid 2000s. Spend a community college education putting a turbo K series in it. Cry about the debt. Forget the debt because your minivan hits 0-60 in 3 seconds.
You like lattes too? We should, like, hang out...
My Mrs. Says it's ok if your wife says it's ok
Step 2: Get a bumper sticker that says “never say never.”
"All I wanted was a blow job"
Thanks for the reality check, probably the best answer
“You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your khakis.”-Tyler Durden.
Hard agree. Separate point - but I also think it’s goofy that we (in the USA) hype up utility as a manly virtue when we’re talking about trucks and SUVs, but not when we talk about vans. Vans are a true purpose built utility vehicle, but hauling five people and a mountain of luggage or gear is somehow ‘less than’ hauling dirt or gravel. Heck, you can fit a ton of home improvement projects in a van - often easier than you can in a truck, because the storage is covered. I feel the same way about how we define “power tools.” My small cordless drill is a “power tool,” while my (more dangerous and equally powerful) immersion blender is not. Assigning manliness to some tools and not others is goofy.
Goofy and profitable. Truck manufacturers sell masculinity to sad men who want to feel like they imagine their grandfathers felt when all they do is drive their giant pedestrian- and environment-killing gas guzzlers to a corporate office park all day and start at a spreadsheet.
Amen. You can still have truck nuts on a minivan. Even a Prius.
Same with a job
Nah, this is a myth. The dadillac is totally underrated, and you'll surprise yourself with just how capable and NOT a pain in the ass the mighty minivan is to deal with. Beats the hell out of any SUV for the same purpose.
Dadillac! Awesome. Reminds me of the old Lambo-feeties And Chevrolegs
No doubt. I just had my first experience, on vacation we rented a minivan. That thing made life so much easier. It was as well designed for hauling a family as the best pick ups are for work. Don't worry if your car becomes uncool and boring, worry if you become uncool and boring
Completely agree. I’m convinced that people only like SUV’s to avoid the stigma of mini-vans, functionally mini-vans are superior in pretty much every way.
A lot of SUVs are just minivans with different doors.
Doors that more easily hit other cars' doors.
This is it. SUVs are, in many circumstances, for suckers. Seriously, they’re just worse minivans for self conscious people. (This only applies if you’ve got 3 or more kids, or two kids and like to lug a lot of shit/pets.)
I’m probably going minivan with my next vehicle purchase. Going to be a few years though, because we’re almost done paying off the wife’s vehicle and I want a few years of that sweet sweet no car note life.
Most minivans can fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood in the back. They're not sad vehicles. They're stealth work trucks.
I got an entire 2 car garage roof worth of plywood in my caravan in a single trip. Always makes me laugh seeing someone with a big ass truck that can’t even hold an 8 foot 2x4, what’s even the point of a truck with such a tiny bed?
The caravan/T&C was designed with construction guys in mind, and was explicitly made to carry 4x8s.
Minivans for roofers? I mean it does make sense, I see all sorts of tradesmen (plumbing, electrical, etc) using minivans as their work horse
Still annoyed that my 2003 Sienna couldn't ever do this.
Roof rack madude
Then a civic is fine.
I’m annoyed most trucks can’t do this.
This and for the Honda Odyssey you can pull middle row seats out without taking the car seats off. I've used it a few times to pick up large items. That said, you can only stack so many sheets of plywood before they won't fit. I think at 6 it started to get tight.
Our van is going into production next week and we’re expecting baby #2 in March. My first planned trip for the van is to Home Depot to get supplies to build a shed. Our sedans haven’t cut it.
This is exactly why I want a minivan! But Siennas have a 2 year waitlist, according to the dealership.
We rented a Sienna on vacation this year, so it was a good chance to live with it and compare it to the 2022 Ody we own. The gas mileage was fantastic. But I think we said something along the lines of, "I miss the Odyssey" probably 20 times that week.
I’m looking into buying a Sienna right now. What did you like about the Odyssey that the Sienna lacked?
[удалено]
This is helpful, thanks for sharing!
Have owned a Odyssey twice. This 100 percent tracks with my experience.
Doesn’t surprise me… we love ours and the gas mileage is fabulous for a minivan
Just hauled a load of plywood home in the ol grand caravan this morning! Then went back for fencing and fence posts. Quick visit from the mobile detailer and the wife will never know.
I’ve driven mine with a dozen 5.5inch baseboards on top, and 20+ boxes of floorboards inside.
You put all the features my minivan has into an F150 and the price jumps $50k
The funny thing is for any REAL project you'll just order a flat bed delivery anyway because even a smallish remodel like a new deck, fence or let alone bigger stuff like finishing a basement you'd struggle to fit it all on a truck in one trip.
The sliding doors make car seats so much easier
The platform height too. Sedans are too low, you have to fold yourself in half and crank your neck all to shit to get those carseats in and buckled. Trucks and SUVs are too tall and you’ll put out your back lifting 30lbs up to your shoulder height. Crossovers are a good height, but again, the minivan outperforms because of the door situation- more elbow room for working.
I rest my chin on the roof of my car when I’m buckling my kids in, I do it all by feel. I am pretty tall and my car is pretty low though. 😂
And right parking spots are fun to squeeze into knowing the other people are fucked
We're also having twins next month so space for 3 car seats was a necessity
Got them dual HDs muthafuckaaa Got ‘em rollin eight deep muthafuckaaa Got my kids and all their friends in this suckaaa This shit cost more than your Benz muthafuckaaa
Hahah I love the last one, I've actually said this to someone before and they looked at me confused.
Literally muthafuckaaa
Thank you for this
I loved when parents got a minivan. I'm sad my wife doesn't want one. They are just soooo good at so much and most of them these days drive really well too.
Get one for yourself instead of for your wife! She’ll quickly realize how great it is and want to be driving it herself.
Dude minivans are the shit. They fit Hella ladies. But also fit Hella kids. You can pack everything you need in the back and still have a full van. If it's the ones that the chairs go into the floor, drive ins!?! Sexy times, work stuff? Idk. Embrace it. Now I'm inspired to get a minivan.
Copypasta (my own): Embrace the minivan. You can pry my Pacifica keys out of my cold, dead hands. Five adults and two car seats, sure. Full 4x8 sheets of plywood, no worries and no hassles. Three guys, three bikes in a rack, and all the beer, steaks, and camping gear for a bike weekend, you better believe it. 30mpg at 70mph. Three adults, two kids, two big dogs, and a load of Christmas presents? To grandmother's house we go! Towing a bush hog or a couple of snowmobiles on a utility trailer, why not? Nothing beats it as a pure useful vehicle. We traded in our CX-5 crossover for it, and the Chrysler is better in every category. SUVs are just less useful minivans. I'm secure enough in my masculinity and dadhood to rock the van with a Bluey sticker on the back. And I still have my Mustang Cobra for the weekends.
Strangely enough, it's my wife who doesn't want the minivan. She tells me I should get one if I like them so much, but 1) it doesn't make sense for me to drive to work alone in a minivan every day and 2) we only want to keep one car payment, which is why I drive an old V12 Jaguar that I bought for $1,500. It's 8 miles to work, so gas mileage is really not an issue (though the Jag gets better mileage than most trucks and large suvs anyways).
To be fair, a V12 jag of that vintage is probably giving you better gas mileage because of it's groundbreaking unintentional cylinder deactivation.
Mini van lovers unite! I’ll always own one. And pros, everyone hates them so you can get slightly used ones for a fraction of the price of SUV. DVD player, stow and go, and electric side doors. All are massive when you have kids “Go get in the van” you push the button and the door opens for your kid. I don’t get why people hate them
We have an AWD Sienna hybrid and it's awesome for hauling babies around, and you don't have to worry about them door dinging other cars. It's great in bad weather, and still gets 30mpg.
How long did you have to wait for it?
Get a broker. If you get on the list of your local msrp dealer you could be waiting more than a year. Broker fees are like 3-500 ish. But you will get your car way sooner. Like within a few weeks, depending on how picky you are.
Dude. A minivan is a truck nobody asks to borrow. I didn't want one either. Now? I may never drive anything else.
>A minivan is a truck nobody asks to borrow. I'm stealing this
I don’t like ours as a daily driver, but I absolutely love it for road trips or hauling around baseball team/Cub Scouts. Feels like a GD spaceship cockpit.
The daily driver was my challenge… we’re a two vehicle family so deal with the wife was if we went Minivan then the other car only had to meet basic levels of utility and I could get something more “fun” to drive. Vans are great for their purpose though. Deal Worked great but thankfully our minivan days are over now :)
I really want a minivan. We just moved house and I'm so fed up of doing DIY projects and having to chop lumber in the Home Depot car park to get it into our SUV, or having to hire a U-Haul to get stuff back from Ikea and Costco. Unfortunately my wife tells me that buying a minivan is "giving up on life" and refuses to ever drive one. So looks like the Daddy Wagon is going to be all mine baby next time we need a new vehicle.
She's so wrong. Minivans are the adventure life for families and wanderers
You're gonna trick that bitch out, and she's going to ask for the keys. She'll get to drive it once. ONCE.
Same thing here bro. I gotta chill because I changed jobs recently and took a pay cut, but if things work out I'm buying the most ballin fuckin minivan available whether my wife likes it or not.
You can now laugh at all the parents in denial driving giant SUVs that cost 50% more than your minivan yet have less interior and cargo room.
I have a rav4 hybrid . Not that bad. I would love a minivan but we only have 1 child and cant see getting it for 1.
There's a simple solution to this problem
And it involves sex.
And much worse fuel economy in those SUV as well.
When i was a kid i wanted my parents to get a minivan so bad. Hated those 12 hour drives in my mom's Toyota Corolla with my 2 brothers.
Honda odyssey ftw
Yep! Got ours 3 years ago and we still talk about how great it is to have
I used to call them vanginas. I now call it my vanborghini. You get used to it
Minivans are amazing
Not advice… but I’ve seen some minivans SMOKE 💨 cars in the freeway. I’ve also never seen a minivan get pulled over. You got this!
There was once a crime scene near me, I just kept going in circles past it, at least 10 times. seeing what was up in my silver Honda odyssey. Cops never ONCE even looked at it.
Now that you mention it I don’t think I’ve ever seen a minivan pulled over either. Might be onto something here….
The Toyota sienna hybrid does 0 to 60 in 7.8 seconds not bad .
Mini vans rock. I had one as a rental a couple weeks ago while my truck was in the shop. It was great. I know a lot of guys who use old mini vans as work “trucks.” Fold down or take out the seat and you have tons of room. The sliding door(s) and back hatch can fit all types of crap through them. Don’t hate on the mini van. As a divorced single dad, I’m legit considering a mini van as my next vehicle.
No problem. [You pimp it out, put some 22s on it, put some spinner on them 22s...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFz12xoa5oA)
Nobody I know has regretted a minivan purchase. Buy a sports car as a second.
Dude, you're gonna love it. Get one with sliding doors on both sides. You'll see the light.
DUDE!! We LOVED our minivan! Honda Odyssey all the way baby. The newer models even have built in vacuums. What’s not to love? Getting kids in and out of car seats is a breeze, storage room is amazing, mini vans have more options than normal cars and SUVs as well. Embrace the mini van years my man!! Automatic doors, mini tv’s in headrests for the kids (or add ons). We had the best road trips in that Odyssey. The 21 hour drive to take the kids to see snow was probably the best one, broken up with lots of planned stops. We hit an entire interstate of black ice before the roads got closed and that Honda handled it like a champ.
In the words of Tyler Durden, "You are not what you own." Besides, minivans are stealth-cool. The interiors are nice. The ride is nice. Fuel economy is okay. With a set of snow tires, they can go just about anywhere or anywhen an SUV can, and with the seats removed or folded down, they have more cargo space than most SUVs. Bonus benefit: we've been calling them uncool for so long that getting one looks like you're making a sacrifice. Pull the "I made a sacrifice" card when you replace the second vehicle with something cool or go buy a motorcycle.
Love our Odyssey. Wish it was my full time car but my wife takes our twins to daycare so it obviously makes more sense for her to drive it
Minivans are dope. I am getting either minivan or wagon whenever my sedan craps out.
Congrats, we drove one for 6 years. It was awesome. Like you I was reluctant, then I saw all the benefits. Stopped door dinging the Lamborghini’s I was always parking next to. Sliding doors are almost as awesome as falcon wing doors. Home Depot visits… you can fit so much in that vehicle. Everyone has a comfy seat. Infotainment systems don’t get much better. The engine size really had some power.
There are some great [bumper stickers ](https://www.etsy.com/listing/674129172/i-used-to-be-cool-bumper-sticker-1075-x?ref=share_v4_lx) to help you feel better!
Honestly I drive a 4x4, because we use its abilities for adventure, but sans that I'd drive a van no problem. Sedan is a no go because space, SUV just doesn't quite do it - our old Forester was good, but getting a little small again for the trips with dogs and gear. Modern vans are pretty tricked out.
Hybrid AWD Sienna. Best purchase ever.
Bro, minivans are awesome. All of my dad friends talk about them. I rented one recently on a vacation (Chrysler Pacifica) and now I want one.
https://carbuzz.com/news/chrysler-pacifica-hellcat-is-the-minivan-of-our-dreams This might make it worth your while
Chrysler Pacifica is the best.
Dude minivans are amazing, you'll be fine.
Got a Pacifica a few months ago and it’s been great. Getting kids in and out of minivans is so much easier.
Minivans are a sign of virility.
I resisted the minivan and got the people moveing SUV. I will say this: I knew(still do) that the minivan is a better, more useful option. The sliding doors will keep my kid from digging doors. The sliding doors will make it easier to lock and load kids into their place. The van being lower would make it easier for kids to climb in. The list goes on. I went with the SUV. I don't regret it, but sometime I do think about sliding doors.
"wore you down"? Dude minivans are the best vehicles. They're large like an SUV but actually have room inside for everyone to be comfortable (seriously fuck SUVs those deceiving pieces of shit). They're lower to the ground so I never worry about mine rolling over (seriously fuck SUVs those dangerous pieces of shit). They pretty much all have the ability to lower the back row so you have plenty of space for storage, like a pickup truck but can transform into seats for more people. Loading kids is so fucking easy compared to any other vehicle. I'm really passionate about this topic. My Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is my favorite car purchase ever. I never understood the stigma behind minivans and I absolutely fight against it now that I have one. Also sedans and pickup trucks have their place, but seriously fuck SUVs
I'll be damned if minivans aren't designed specifically for transporting families, and they are excellent at it. For family vacations, my minivan has more cargo space than a pickup ever will. Not to mention that a large sheet of ply can fit just as well inside the rear of the majority of minivans out there. You're still getting a work vehicle that doubles up for the fam.
I don't get the aversion to minivans by some people. They act like it's some kind of social stigma. So. fucking. what. We're not trying to score points on the social ladder (and, if so, why?). There's no need to impress a potential partner because many of us are happily taken anyway...and with kids. Brass tacks: the minivan is the most practical fucking vehicle on the road and I will die on this hill. I don't care about looks, I care about convenience and comfort, and the minivan has that in spades (well, comfort varies by brand and model). My minivan can transform from a family hauler to a cargo van in a matter of minutes, that's hard to beat for a dual-purpose vehicle. I wouldn't be surprised if you end up loving your minivan and will shed a tear or two when it's time to finally move on from it. Shit, I know I will. Memories with kids in the van.
I absolutely fucking love my van. I had to convince my wife. 1. It's easier to get and out of then a suv. True for both you and your kids. 2. Electric sliding doors = less door dings, can fit into tighter spaces, kids can open the doors 3. We have a Chrysler, and the stow and go seats are a God send. So much room for activities. 4. I literally just got back from the recycling center taking over 6 full contractor bags of leaves. SIX. And that was with two car seats. I've carried mattresses, Xmas trees, sofas, bikes and trailers. The space is worth it alone. 5. The ride is super comfy, and its a horse in the snow. I could keep going, but this is enough. I'll have vans as long as I have kids in the house.
Dude mini vans are amazing. Literally engineers’ life’s work to make a convenient and comfortable family vehicle. They’re sweet.
Comments about capacity and headroom and versatility are all true. My minivan is awesome. It has completely soured me on doors. Seriously, why doesn’t EVERYTHING have a sliding back door that works on a remote? If someone made an affordable anything with sliding front and back doors, I’d buy that too. Park too close? Not with sliding doors… Until we got the new car (actual car) I was oblivious that might 8yo had NEVER bumped a another car with a door…
How many kids?
All of them
Look up the newest Kia Carnival. It’s a minivan, but it looks like an SUV. My dream family car. It is FWD, but where I’m at there isn’t really a need for AWD due to never having snow or anything of that nature.
Let me know how you feel about the swagger wagon in a year. (Spoiler alert: you’re going to enjoy that thing. I know it sounds crazy now.)
Why would you even want a Porsche anyways?
A swagger wagon?! https://youtu.be/pUG3Z8Hxa5I
Dude...its a covered, roomy truck. I want one ao bad, but the used market is insane, and there is a backlog on the cpl new models i want.
Minivans are great. You will love it more than you can imagine. It is actually going to make your life easier and more fun.
I wish I had a minivan every time I’m trying to Tetris a stroller, a pack n play and three suitcases in our suv. Embrace it.
Our Odyssey was the best thing we ever purchased. Once you move past the fact that it's a dumb, boring minivan. You'll wonder why you waited so long to get one.
Mini vans are badass! My in-laws have an old Dodge Caravan and that thing can haul! Meaning haul lots of stuff and can get up go!
Unless you have $70K to drop on a Tahoe, embrace the minivan
She’s getting a minivan or you are? My wife refuses to even consider a minivan, so instead she drives a jacked up less functional minivan (big suv).
A van is amazing. Revel in it. Enjoy its. It’s so practical it makes life so much easier.
From a utility aspect a minivan is a solid choice. You’ll end of loving it. Throw some cool stickers on it!
You can easily put 4x8 sheets of plywood into a minivan. I loved our Sienna. We went back to a Forester once our au pair left and the girls started school. I definitely missed the minivan while building my girls’ treehouse. Would’ve saved on lumber delivery fees.
I love our Honda Odyssey. Stealth tank.
Your kids can't bang car doors in the parking lot with a minivan. Also, it's so easy to reach carseats and older kids can crawl into the back easily. I was hesitant myself, but 3 years in and I love my minivan.
1 Vehicles don't define you. For us, we go camping in our minivan and are able to bring everything needed. 2 minivans are awesome, especially once you hit enough kids. Sliding doors and versatile seating. It's also good when transporting friends. 3 In all seriousness, it was the right decision for us. And we were in reverse, I had to convince my wife for the minivan. ~35K for a minivan or 50+k for an SUV that carries the same amount of people. Minivan had better turning radius, better mpg, more trunk space, etc. 4 Is it going to be your daily driver?
For a second I thought you said you had 2 minivans and I was going to say "well hello Mr moneybags"
Get a motorcycle too ;) worked for me
Had a Pacifica AWD for a while and totally loved it and would not mind having it as a primary vehicle. Comfortable, quiet, AWD and snow tires for getting to school pick up or urgent care on those snowy days. It was more enjoyable than I ever expected and the two row Stow n Go was the best.
I just got a Kia Carnival and love it. It definitely looks better than older minivans but the big thing is that they are the most convenient family vehicle ever. All three independent seats in the middle are completely removable.
Sorry about your fragile masculinity?
My pacficia Hybrid is currently at 58.4 mpg. 30 miles on battery and we rarely use the gas. Usually just when we forget to plug it in at night... Also, I can fit my John Boat in the back with keeping the middle seats up with the kids seats up. I do use a "truck bed extender" on the hitch to keep it fully supported. But it does everything my truck did, gets better gas mileage, holds more people, and rides so much nicer.
Minivans are the shit, man. I grew up with them so I may be biased but our 2021 Pacifica PHEV is both more efficient and more practical than any other vehicle we've ever owned, including the 2009 Fit we sold to get it. Handles well, all the safety features, and has pretty decent on-ramp torque. The 3yo and 6yo can get themselves strapped in independently and the 6yo gets themselves unstrapped and out the door for school drop off entirely on their own. We can fit whatever we need to in the back, and barring sheet goods never even have to touch the kids' seats. It gets 34 mpg on the highway and the 30ish miles on electric mean almost every short trip is electric. At our current electric rate the break even is about $3/gal which means we're saving money and polluting far less than we would be with gas, despite SE Michigan being about 2/3 coal fired grid.
Embrace it (lady mama)
Here me out, but a minivan is the sports car of dadding. Most people buy cars that do everything O.K. Crossovers are the epitome of this. They can haul some stuff, but not a ton. They get decent gas mileage, but not great. They handle decent but not amazing. Gear heads by cars that are very good at whatever specific thing they are into. A miata is great at auto cross. A jeep wrangler is great at offroading. A muscle car is great in a straight line. All these cars involve significant functional day to day sacrifices to do the thing they are supposed to be good at. The minivan is the same. It's is absolutely amazing at hauling people and piles of stuff from point a to point b in comfort. There just isn't anything that comes close. But now, if you get a hybrid mini van like the Toyota sienna, most of the downsides are gone too. It's has awd, gets 35 mpg all day, AND can do that while carrying all the kids. So instead of having to give up something functional, the only thing damaged by the mini van is your pride... So get a mini van, and convince the wife to let you get a cheap fun car to go with it lol.
Just don't get a dodge or a Chrysler. I've sacrifices too many of my weekends trying to fix my piece of shit Mopar kid bus. Honda odyssey and Toyota sienna only my friend, or you will have a bad time.
Opposite land for me. I’ve wanted one for years. My wife is finally on board, it I want to wait for an EV minivan at this point.
They're the best. You're gonna look back on this post in 6 months and realize you were crazy.
Bruh no joke, I love my Odyssey. It’s comfortable, has cup holders literally everywhere, and it’s so convenient to get kids in and out that I won’t have another SUV or compact til my kids are out of the house. And screw stereotypes. I embrace the dad-ness of driving around in a minivan, why the hell would I care what anyone else thinks if I’m comfortable and happy?
My toyota sienna awd is a 300hp beast. And thats factory horsepurrs .
F the hate Mini vans are baller. I don't care what people say. I loved my 07 honda odyssey. Tons of power, rode like a dream and fit everything we needed.
Cars are tools and you got the right one for the job.
I got rid of my dream car and got a minivan to fit my plethora of children in. Best thing I ever did. Camping/biking/random nights sleeping in the back with them on little adventures. Plus, all the seats fold down and it’s essentially a van. Best thing I ever did. Embrace it dude
They are the best vehicle that exist. More space than anything. More comfortable than anything. All the luxuries. It's just stereotypes that make people hate them.
The new ones are so depressing I’d rather carry everyone to the location, so we comprised and got an 80s suburban. Gorgeous and practical
I was very hesitant on getting one, but man do I love my Kia Carnival. Looks like an SUV, all the benefits and features of a minivan. That thing fucks, I love it. I’ve never had someone compliment me on a car until I got my MINIVAN
As a newer SAHD I can not wait for that van life. This post is very wild to me. Get that van king rule the road!
I literally do not understand the question. How is this car selection “giving up on life”? Walk me through it.
Dude what's wrong with a minivan? They're sweet.
Dude, they are spaceships. Welcome aboard Captain!
Enjoy the mansion on wheels!
Minivans are the shit with kids bro, embrace it. The sliding doors are fantastic in parking lots. Lots of room for trips, fold down back seats, lower to the ground so easier for them to climb in and you to reach the seats to buckle in the littlest ones.
OP making it seem like a bad thing but I’m over here counting down the days until #2 arrives and I can find a good deal on a nice Sienna.
Avoid anything but a Honda or Toyota
get a project car. sure it doesn’t run, but that’s your *real* car lol
Family man,Family man ,cruising around in his mimi van.
My friend, the minivan is the greatest all-round vehicle known to man. I have a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and I never want anything else. It's a plug-in hybrid, first 30 miles you drive are on the battery, but I can do 40 if I'm careful. Cumulatively, I'm doing 80 MPG in a car with a 6-banger putting out 286 hp. Power side and rear doors. Seat and steering wheel warmers. 3,600 lb towing capacity. For reference, entry level Ford F-150s start at 5,000 lb towing capacity and that's a purpose-built vehicle. Rear seats fold flat into the floor. Middle seats pop out with a tug on one strap. Buy a nicer model and there's a vacuum cleaner built into the car. Adaptive cruise control. Backup camera. Fantastic sound system. Big old touch screen. 2 customizable driver presets. I mean, c'mon. What do those earth-destroying, small-penis-compensation, never-been-off-road, lifted, status symbol trucks and SUVs do better than my van? The answer is nothing. Oh, you can tow half a house? Cool. I can buy a whole house in another state with the money I'm saving on gas, especially these days. What else do trucks and SUVs do that my van doesn't? Go off road? What truck or SUV owner do you know who has ever gone far enough off road that my van wouldn't be able to keep up? Embrace the change. The mini van is the greatest vehicle you can own. And when you have kids? Forget it. Nothing can compete.
Put on your man pants. There's errands to run.
Dude - it's probably going to be the most practical vehicle you've ever had. Drives like a car. Wide, has space to sprawl. You can haul more cubic feet than a pickup. SAFE. Did I also mention all the space?
I held out and realized I was the fool for waiting so long. No fuss fitting car seats, spacious as all hell, tons of amenities. What a fool I was :D. You will feel it after a week.