My Ride from Minivan Skeptic to Minivan Dreams
Loaded up for an eighteen-hour trip with new puppy in tow
I can smell my mental picture of a 1980’s minivan and I don’t think I’m alone. As a child of the 80s, I experienced the first generation of minivans. I would venture to say that many of us have unpleasant minivan memories. It leads me to wonder, could this have led so many of us to sprint from the idea of a minivan and hop into SUVs in adulthood?
Although it’s been roughly 30 years since my first minivan ride, I vividly remember everything about it. I was super grossed out that I can still smell the vinyl seats and it changed my outlook on minivans for decades to come. Fast forward to today and I realized that I shouldn’t have shunned the minivan. I see the error of my ways and the beauty of minivan life.
Here’s my experience and why I now realize that I was wrong to shut the minivan out of my life for so long. My hope in sharing this is that you will not wait as long as I did to embrace the beauty that is a room on wheels.
The Minivan Was Calling Me
The year was 1990-something and I rode in a friend’s minivan with a group of girls from school. I recall it being a freezing cold winter day in Ohio. We loaded into the car and I felt like I was in a cold metal box on wheels. The carpet was dirty, the windows were fogging up from too many breathing humans, and I was hot from my heavy winter coat while my legs and feet were freezing. Although this photo below isn’t me, the look on this girls’ face accurately describes how I felt during that fateful car ride.
Photo by Lucia Macedo on Unsplash
For those of you who get motion sickness in a car, you probably can imagine the perfect combination of smells, heat, and cold that make you want to jump out of the car, imagining how you pop up on the side of the road after a perfectly executed tuck and roll maneuver after jumping from a moving vehicle…. I digress. Probably most of my discomfort was from wintery conditions and the early onset of motion sickness, but I was a kid, so, in my mind, the minivan was to blame.
Fast forward a decade or so later when it came time to invest in a larger car after having our first baby. Goodbye 2-door sedan and hello family car. Some friends encouraged me to consider a minivan but the mere suggestion was laughable to me. My immediate thoughts were that minivans were too big and clunky to drive. I imagined the smell of fast food that would absorb into the carpet and walls, adding to the grossness factor. And, I wasn’t about to forfeit my cool points (that realistically I probably didn’t have to begin with). We ended up buying an SUV, which we enjoyed for many years. It had a third row, which was nice, but had I known then what I know now, things could have been much easier.
I’m now older and hopefully a little wiser, and I can admit that I was wrong in my prejudices against the minivan, especially after we enjoyed driving around in a family room on wheels, aka Conversion Van, for my early teenage years. The only thing missing in that thing was a fireplace.
The conversion van era was a special time. These vans were equipped with large ‘captain’s chairs’, a table with cup holders, and a couch in the back that converted to a bed for when you needed your van to become an apartment. It had up-scale mini-blinds and curtains on the windows that made it feel nice and cozy. The table had cup holders to prevent spillage while you attempted to play a travel game, or watch TV, if you chose to hook one up. My husband's family even hooked up their nintendo for long car rides, way back before hand-held video games, portable DVD players, or cell phones.
These should have been the memories that inspired me to get a minivan when it was time for an infant-friendly car, but I was still too stubborn. But then, I had a glimpse of minivan life and saw “the light”.
When my kids were toddlers we took a vacation and rented a minivan. Let me tell you – it was simply wonderful and incredibly eye opening. Checking that minivan out at the rental car booth was like the moment when Peter Parker is bitten by a spider and gets powers he never thought imaginable! Thankfully, I didn’t sustain a spider bite but definitely enjoyed my new found superpower. Drum roll please…and that was the power of the key fob.
Talk about magic. With the click of a button(s), every door on the car magically opened. Picture approaching the car while the kids are running ahead. With the touch of a button, each sliding door gently glides open as if singing, Hallelujah. The kids hop through both sides of the car, while the trunk raises and greets me with a friendly hello. It was as if it was smiling and saying, “Welcome back. Let’s load up and go home”.
My mistake was that even after having this privilege for a week-long vacation, I still denied my inner truth. I wanted a minivan but still held on to this stigma. I saw the light but put on my sunglasses to try and block for almost 10 years.
The Moment Arrives
Time continued to pass by and now my kids are teens. Our SUV was doing weird things like making whistling sounds while on the highway and was starting to fall apart. It did its job for many years and it was time to make the next car purchase decision. After much deliberation, we finally took the minivan plunge and here’s why –
All of our family members live over 15 hours away. We travel a lot and it would be nice to load up the car comfortably and go, instead of always buying flights.
We are in our sports era, where we need to haul kids and their stuff, lots and lots of stuff.
We have great car-pool friends to and from school and need more space to load up kids.
We host family and need to haul everyone to and from the airport comfortably.
When hosting visitors, it would be nice to bum around town without needing two cars.
Taking all of this into consideration, the room on wheels seemed to be a great option. We haven’t looked back in the rear-view mirror since that pivotal purchase with any regrets. Minivans have come a long way. There are many bells and whistles that make car rides very pleasant like extra leg room and seats that recline. There’s little wasted room, a plethora of cup holders, and an impressive number of phone charging stations.
We can seat eight people comfortably, and when it’s only the four of us traveling long distances, each kid gets their own row. They set up camp with blankets, pillows, devices, and snacks. Because the trunk is super deep, all of the bags and luggage fit behind the seats, leaving us the rest of the car to stretch our legs. You can tell that there have been many focus groups that have helped design the latest models and they’ve taken it to the next level.
Of course, there are the extras like the TV screens, mini-fridge, and vacuum. These models weren't available when we were shopping during a chip shortage, but could you imagine the possibilities?
I’ve come to realize that there are phases of minivan life that can be applied anytime and to embrace the milestones of parenting that can be accompanied by a vehicle that meets your needs.
Minivan Milestones
Need More Arms, Please: 0-10
The name of the game is STUFF. So. Much. Stuff. You are carrying diaper bags, pumpkin seats, toddlers, their bags, your bags, vacation gear, and somehow - more bags. If only you had an extra appendage to help you. With the latest key fob technology, controlling the doors is at your fingertips, literally. You can pop everything open as you approach the vehicle and close everything as you walk away. Think chairs for soccer games, coolers for snacks, and loading groceries.
Luxury Chauffeur Services: 11-16
Load ‘em up. Now, you’ve become a full-time personal driver service. You’ve embarked on the daily journey around town picking up and dropping off your kids and their friends. You’re carpooling to school, sports practices, and sporting events. When we say it takes a village to raise the kids, imagine bringing the villagers and their stuff where you need to go! You pop open that trunk and pile up the backpacks and gym bags. You load the car with snacks and water bottles. Your kids snuggle up with blankets and pillows for the ride.
The U-Haul Years: 18-25
We’re on the cusp of the U-Haul years. Rumor has it that the minivan’s next task is to load up for the frequent moves. Next on the horizon is college dorm gear, twice a year, for at least four to six years. We will also look forward to apartment moves. We may need to invest in the turtle or a hitch depending on how intense this gets. Only time will tell.
Ride in Style
For those of you who poo-pooed the idea of a minivan - much like I did, I’m here to say, give it a test drive. Rent one during one of your next vacation and take it for a spin. It’s not as scary as it was in the 80s and 90s. Technology has revolutionized the car ride with all the bells, whistles, and extra leg room. Our van has traveled to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico, and Colorado, not to mention countless trips around town. You can get comfortable, hang out, chat, snack, sing, connect, and catch some of your favorite shows and movies on the road. Thanks for reading…and don’t worry, you reading this and learning more about minivans can be our little secret and I still think you’re cool.
If you take the plunge or already have, I hope you enjoy your living room on wheels – where every seat is the best seat in the house.
