mad_machine wrote: So.. we lost cool stationwagons because people hated them, we got Minivans instead. Now people hate Minivans and we get huge gas guzzling SUVs. I am afraid to ask what is next
You can probably blame goverment regulations for both of these. :)
My mom drives an Odyssey and it can haul nearly anything. Problem is, anything necessitating a car that large usually leaves a mess (leaves, rotten wood, muddy kayaks). I would much rather have a pickup with a 8' bed and a bed cover. However, you can fit an inflatable mattress in the back with five seats up!
codrus wrote:mad_machine wrote: So.. we lost cool stationwagons because people hated them, we got Minivans instead. Now people hate Minivans and we get huge gas guzzling SUVs. I am afraid to ask what is nextYou can probably blame goverment regulations for both of these. :)
If you look at the CAFE laws, the government basically gives car manufacturers a $3500 tax credit for building an SUV/minivan instead of a station wagon. For $3500, I can see what they're on about.
i absolutely hate everything about my mom's '08 Chevy Uplander... it looks stupid... the power sliding doors that you can't manually override are stupid... the power door locks sometimes act stupid and don't work... the TPMS sensors go wonky at random times... the cruise control controls are in the wrong spot... the dvd player is a POS..
but the 3.9 has decent power and gets over 20mpg, so there's that..
I have no real use for a minivan, and I'm still tempted by the $18,999 leftover 2013 Grand Caravans at the Dodge Dealer. That is a whole lot of brand-new vehicle for under $20k!
I have used the Grand Caravans for work. They hold all my video gear and have room for three people. Even with all that weight, they still get up and move surprisingly well.
Klayfish wrote:SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: They were built for a purpose and they do it well.Exactly. It's a damn shame so many of the general population are so wrapped up in their "image" and would rather drive an SUV that has less space, handles worse, less versitile and uses more fuel. But SUVs looks better in the mall parking lot...parked next to the 27,000 other SUVs with it. So that counts for something, right??
Damn shame indeed. It's funny, I really do think 90% of the minivan hate is from moms with a vanity issue.
Anti-stance wrote: Damn shame indeed. It's funny, I really do think 90% of the minivan hate is from moms with a vanity issue.
To quote my wife: "I refuse to be a soccer mom with a minivan."
What do we do.... Have a girl in the local soccer league and another on the way with a MIL in the beginnings of failing health. A minivan makes soo much more sense then anything else...
Anti-stance wrote:Klayfish wrote:Damn shame indeed. It's funny, I really do think 90% of the minivan hate is from moms with a vanity issue.SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: They were built for a purpose and they do it well.Exactly. It's a damn shame so many of the general population are so wrapped up in their "image" and would rather drive an SUV that has less space, handles worse, less versitile and uses more fuel. But SUVs looks better in the mall parking lot...parked next to the 27,000 other SUVs with it. So that counts for something, right??
Jesus man, I'm standing right here! 
Ranger50 wrote:Anti-stance wrote: Damn shame indeed. It's funny, I really do think 90% of the minivan hate is from moms with a vanity issue.To quote my wife: "I refuse to be a soccer mom with a minivan."
Yeah... "So you want to be like every other Soccer mom with an SUV?" I don't get it...
my job has changed and I may need to deliver some hose assemblies quickly to customers - a minivan is now on my radar. Maybe Dodge? Needs to be an "*American" car if I can........
*whatever that means
Ian F wrote:Ranger50 wrote:Yeah... "So you want to be like every other Soccer mom with an SUV?" I don't get it...Anti-stance wrote: Damn shame indeed. It's funny, I really do think 90% of the minivan hate is from moms with a vanity issue.To quote my wife: "I refuse to be a soccer mom with a minivan."
To quote the wife again, "I don't like them. They are ugly and serve no purpose to me." 
Datsun310Guy wrote: my job has changed and I may need to deliver some hose assemblies quickly to customers - a minivan is now on my radar. Maybe Dodge? Needs to be an "*American" car if I can........ *whatever that means
I would love to be able to use that line: "I'm in a hurry and need to deliver this hose assembly..."
Whatever you want to call it, man. Pizza with extra anchovies, whatever...
Ranger50 wrote:Anti-stance wrote: Damn shame indeed. It's funny, I really do think 90% of the minivan hate is from moms with a vanity issue.To quote my wife: "I refuse to be a soccer mom with a minivan." What do we do.... Have a girl in the local soccer league and another on the way with a MIL in the beginnings of failing health. A minivan makes soo much more sense then anything else...
Here's what you do: buy a Honda Odyssey, put conservatively styled18" wheels with 235/55R18 Michelin Pilot Super Sports on it, add H&R lowering springs and a Cherry Bomb Glasspack and then drive it yourself. Don't forget the WeatherTech floorliners either; a must have in a minivan.
In reply to Mmadness:
Even better: Odyssey with an Accord coupe 6 spd conversion... 
Datsun310Guy wrote: my job has changed and I may need to deliver some hose assemblies quickly to customers - a minivan is now on my radar. Maybe Dodge? Needs to be an "*American" car if I can........ *whatever that means
Ford Transit Connect with Focus ST drive train.
Mmadness wrote:Ranger50 wrote:Here's what you do: buy a Honda Odyssey, put conservatively styled18" wheels with 235/55R18 Michelin Pilot Super Sports on it, add H&R lowering springs and a Cherry Bomb Glasspack and then drive it yourself. Don't forget the WeatherTech floorliners either; a must have in a minivan.Anti-stance wrote: Damn shame indeed. It's funny, I really do think 90% of the minivan hate is from moms with a vanity issue.To quote my wife: "I refuse to be a soccer mom with a minivan." What do we do.... Have a girl in the local soccer league and another on the way with a MIL in the beginnings of failing health. A minivan makes soo much more sense then anything else...
Fine, I'll post it if you won't.
The only thing I dislike about Minivans is the awful mileage.... why doesn't Honda put the Accord Hybrid setup in? Or better yet, Toyota put the Camry Hybrid setup in?
A van that would return 30mpg in town would rock.
Then again, new Odysseys sticker for nearly $50K, so I'm not going to be touching one anytime soon anyway.
My wife and I both said we'd never get a minivan, so we bought a RAV4 as our practical kid hauler. Just before #2 was born, we bought our Odyssey. And once we had #3, it was truly a necessity for us. If I could only keep one of our current vehicles, it would be the minivan. They're extremely practical get good mileage for their size (especially on the highway), and our Odyssey once hauled two kids in carseats, and a drum to drum Ford 8.8" solid rear axle 
ProDarwin wrote: The only thing I dislike about Minivans is the awful mileage.... why doesn't Honda put the Accord Hybrid setup in? Or better yet, Toyota put the Camry Hybrid setup in? A van that would return 30mpg in town would rock. Then again, new Odysseys sticker for nearly $50K, so I'm not going to be touching one anytime soon anyway.
Fully loaded they do. Base is around 29.
mtn wrote:ProDarwin wrote: The only thing I dislike about Minivans is the awful mileage.... why doesn't Honda put the Accord Hybrid setup in? Or better yet, Toyota put the Camry Hybrid setup in? A van that would return 30mpg in town would rock. Then again, new Odysseys sticker for nearly $50K, so I'm not going to be touching one anytime soon anyway.Fully loaded they do. Base is around 29.
COUGH, COUGH
I'll stick to my crappy Caravans at $21k, if not less then that number.
Did you say Caravan?
dj06482 wrote: My wife and I both said we'd never get a minivan, so we bought a RAV4 as our practical kid hauler. Just before #2 was born, we bought our Odyssey. And once we had #3, it was truly a necessity for us. If I could only keep one of our current vehicles, it would be minivan.
Same story here rav4 then van.
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