[WOBBLY BOB]

on the plus side, they’re cheap and widely available.

our 1991 Caravan went 250k before it was totalled in an accident.

[the invisib1e hand]

Most dangerous vehicles on the road. Outrageous rollover risks. Don’t drive over 35 mph.

[LibFreeUSA]

... with ‘Soccer Moms’ too?

[Noumenon]

"In marketing campaigns featuring heavy-metal theme songs, rapping parents, secret agents in cat masks, pyrotechnics and even Godzilla, minivan makers are trying to recast the much-ridiculed mom-mobile as something that parents can be proud—or at least unashamed—of driving,"

Or living in. Down by the river.

[FateAmenableToChange]

I hate my wife’s minivan with a passion. Part of that is due to it’s being a dodge, part is due to the look of the thing. As one hippy wanna-be car reviewer noted in a review of SUVs and minivans introduced at the Detroit auto show 7 or 8 years ago, a SUV looks like an aggressive, snarling predator while a minivan stood on end looks like a pregnant woman in a flowing skirt. I like aggressive.

All that said, when 3-gun season rolls around, it carries 4 rifles, 2 shotguns, 2 pistol range bags, 2 add’l pistol cases, 4 suitcases, a case of bottled water, a cooler, 6 ammo cans, the dog, and the kids, easily. A comparable sized SUV does not.

[brownsfan]

I don’t understand people, never will. When I had young children, it was all I could do to buy a minivan. And when I could finally afford one, I felt extremely fortunate to own one. They are great vehicles.

[mockingbyrd]

we have a minivan. We could afford it and afford to fill it up every week. End of story.

[redgolum]

We have a nice used Buick “crossover” that is a minivan in all but name.

The only thing I don’t like is it lacks four wheel drive. Winter’s in the Midwest require at least one four wheel drive vehicle where we live.

[Venturer]

I had 3 Chevy Astro Vans, drove them all over 200,000 miles.
The lady I sold one of them too has over 500,000 miles on it , and it’s still going.

Chevy decided to replace it with the Venture. A piece of crap that spends more time in the shop than on the road.

[stayathomemom]

I've been driving a minivan since 1985. We had our first two for 11 years each and have leased the last two. I never did understand the appeal of an SUV. The couple of times we rented one, they seemed to guzzle gas and were not as functional and roomy as the minivan.
I've done the majority of a local move from one house to another using one and they were great for moving the girls to and from college. When the girls were little and we traveled to visit family from our home in the UP, a porta-potty fit in nicely and came in very handy!
The stow-and-go feature for the seats has been great! After I had a bad fall a year and a half ago, I spent most of the summer in a wheel chair. A wheel chair fits in the back so easily! I use that feature all the time now to get my 93 year old mother out and about.
The sliding rear door behind the driver's seat also enabled me to stow my walker conveniently behind me during my recovery period, and I was therefore able to drive myself to physical therapy! What a sense of freedom that gave me!

[Inyo-Mono]

The SUV's cherished dirt-eating, boulder-climbing feature was generally unneeded by suburban parents. For that matter, it was greatly exaggerated.

Most folks out here in the rural West buy SUVs to get around on paved snow covered mountain roads in Winter, not for off-roading. In over 40 years of off-roading I have yet to see a Ford Explorer on the trail. It is all Jeeps and 4 wheel drive pick up trucks.

[jagusafr]

1993 Ford Aerostar and 2001 Toyota Sienna - both workhorses for my family, even if my wife IS now ready to get out of the minivan zone.

Colonel, USAFR

[Macoozie]

My 10 year old Jeep Cherokee XJ will drag your minivan over the river and through the woods and on to Grandmas house.

Not under warranty? Buy some tools and fix it yourself!

Minivans are for wussies.

[Rinnwald]

We’ve got two minivans and an SUV, among other vehicles.

The Expedition is wonderful. For a large, luxury vehicle, it has great capabilities. A few seasons ago, during a kid’s snow derby in the Cascade Mountains, I tried to get it stuck. I was intrigued by a patch of rolling, unplowed, ground. Other dads were around for extraction if I got into trouble. No problems! The thing ground through grille-high snow and got me back to the road.

However, mostly the SUV sits. We just moved, and the older minivan (Dodge Grand Caravan) has been a Jack-of-all-trades. I’ve been using it as a pick-up truck to the dump, cargo hauler, and bus. We keep taking the seats in and out, in, and out, people, cargo, people, cargo. I was shocked when the riding lawn tractor fit.

As far as image projection goes, I’ve found I can be a snarling predator in any vehicle I drive. But mostly, I’m just a nice guy.

[Fresh Wind]

Dirt track minivan racing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_395TMhnSg

Not too much different from Saturday afternoon in the mall parking lot.

[NeverForgetBataan]

I aint ever buying a milfvan...er, I mean minivan.

[4buttons]

They’re not so “mini” anymore- big, dumb, pregnant looking things. They were far more practical 15 or more years ago.