Posted on 06/19/2009 10:24:33 AM PDT by qam1
The Minivan Celebrates 25 Years
Picture the American automotive landscape without the minivan. There was a time that no such vehicle existed here, although it's difficult to imagine. Chrysler invented the front-wheel-drive minivan that debuted in the fall of 1983 as the 1984 Dodge Caravan and the Plymouth Voyager.
Here's the story that led to the creation of this entirely new type of vehicle. As much as the minivan continues to be one of the most important vehicles on the road (over 500,000 minivans are sold in the U.S. each year), it's lost a lot of luster to the popular SUV. Where most people think minivans have become dowdy, we'd prefer to think that they're preparing for their comeback.
Try to imagine (or just remember) life in the 1950s, 60s or 70s. During these decades, families ran daily errands and took driving vacations in sedans and station wagons. Remember broad front bench seats that enabled a sedan to carry six? Or how about those rear-facing seats in the "way back" of huge wagons? Like the third rows of some current SUVs, those jump seats were the penalty boxes of the ancient automotive world, but they did enable full-size wagons to whisk up to eight passengers out Route 66 or down I-75.
During the 1970s, a new trend emerged that gave drivers another option. Families began customized full-size vans to take advantage of their commodious size.
Liabilities followed each choice. Sedans were just dull. Station wagons handled like more ponderous versions of the land-yacht sedans they were based on. Full-size vans drove even worse than the stations wagons. Full-size truck mechanicals underpinned vans of the day, resulting in poor handling. Furthermore, early vans featured awkward interior configurations highlighted by huge engine enclosures between the front seats......
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.aol.com ...
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I bought a 1996 Plymouth Grand Voyager in 1999. When my car bit the dust, I bought my wife a new full size van and took the minivan as my own. One day at a trade show, I met a guy who worked for Chrysler on the minivan platform. I told him I hated him. He asked why and I told him that try as I might, I just could not kill the minivan.
I hated that thing with a passion, but...I could put my bikes, kayaks, camping gear, plywood, fence posts or whatever else I wanted in the stupid thing.
I sold it with 198,000 miles.
I thought this might be about the A-Team van.
“I pity the fool”
My wife doesn’t like minivans because it is so windy around here, and minivans tend to blow around. I got her a 1994 Chevy Caprice wagon with the “way back.” Between rear facing car seats, and not being allowed to put kids in the front because of the air bags that can’t be switched off, the would be nine-seater can deal with as few as five.
Speaking for myself, I miss the broad bench seats of yesteryear. They were MUCH more comfortable than the buckets and split benches of today.
I had a 4-door pick-up and my brother had a minivan, he said he wished he had a pick-up and I traded him straight across even though my pu was worth more.
My youngest son calls it a Goobermobile. My oldest son and his family borrow it all the time and my granddaughter has asked it she can drive it when she gets her license.
I was overseas (Pacific and the far East)in the 70’s and saw many “mini” vans made by Toyota or Datsun. I don’t see where everyone says that Chrysler invented them. Maybe for the US Market, which is Toyota’s and Nissan’s poor marketing.
“time that no such vehicle existed here,”
They are nothing more than a taller station wagon.
I have a 2000 Town & Country. It's never had engine or transmission problems. I just wish the latches and handles weren't so flimsy. Who's bright idea was it to make a car door handle out of plastic?
Those are good points, but try getting your mini-van over South Pass (Between Lander and Farson in Wyoming) during a blizzard.
SUVs have a purpose, and they fill that purpose well. When you actually NEED a 4x4 which can haul 6+ adults while towing a load, your mini-van won't be on the list.
America’s Most Useful (But Unloved) Product?
The minivan? And all along I thought it was toilet paper!
When we got married I asked my husband to promise me he would never force me to drive a minivan unless all other avenues had been utterly exhausted. Just the idea sounds deathly to me.
“become more dowdy”
??? They always were and always will be.
“those jump seats were the penalty boxes of the ancient automotive world”
Bull. They were for kids - actually, who had a “seat”? We just sat on the platform in the back and thought it fun.
“Between rear facing car seats, and not being allowed to put kids in the front because of the air bags that can’t be switched off, the would be nine-seater can deal with as few as five.”
And these !#@$#@$#$ moron safety-eco NAZIs wonder why SUVs (and minivans, FTM) are so popular.
I wonder how people “carpool” with others’ kids, when you have to have a damn booster seat (never mind the other monstrous things) for each. What a pain in the !@$@!
Being how tiny Jap cars are (and even worse then), I can only imagine how useless those things were.
Well Chrysler listened to your concerns and started installing transmissions that will not live past 90K. Now you can set your watch by them.
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