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| Cool | 29% | 103 votes | Total: 361 votes | |
| uncool | 71% | 258 votes |
Cool
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Add to FavoritesToday's version of the 'family vehicle' is definitely cool! The minivan is here and it is more than just a multi-person mode of transportation. It's basic design can fit in anywhere between "sleekly classy" to out and out right "sporty" and it's wide range of colors, shapes and sizes insure that there is one to match the personality of virtually any driver that decides to try their hand at it's wheel. Although designed to transport multiple family members, and carry all the assorted paraphernalia that a large number of individuals would bring along with them, the mini van maintains a sleek modern appearance that the station wagons of yesteryear just never could pull off.
Today's minivan is definitely an impressive looking vehicle. Although defined as the 2000's family vehicle, it maintains a class of its own as a vehicle desired by singles and couples, as much as by family units. Perhaps this acceptability as a stylish modern vehicle comes because of the minivans close relationship to yesterday's classic camping van. Although smaller in stature than the typical camping van and coming with a few less of its features, today's mini van comes with its own line of unique advantages. It can easily carry a number of individuals and their gear, yet is easily converted into bed space, should it be required on overnight trips. The modern day minivan usually comes equipped with at least one seat that folds down into a bed, and many come with the addition of a cooler or other much needed camping accessories, installed within their very roomy interior.
My daughter's minivan like so many others comes equipped with all the latest in gizmos and gadgets that technology can provide for family comfort on the road, with everything from an A-grade CD stereo system to a DVD player and multiple movie screens for the ultimate viewing enjoyment of the passengers, her van has it all. She leads me to the rear of the vehicle to show me the amount of trunk space that it comes with. From the outside, her minivan doesn't look large enough to provide that degree of trunk room, and this in addition to its seating capacity for eight. I'm impressed!
My daughter's new minivan is white with gleaming chrome accents, and sitting next to my little 1981 Mazda GLC, it definitely presents itself as the epitome of 'COOL'. A click of a button has all 5 doors opening for her convenience, and the smooth cushioned leather bucket seats that emerge into view are nothing short of the type of quality, that one would expect from your lazy boy recliner at home. The dashboard gleams with its instrument panel looking more like a jetliner's control panel than that of cars. As my daughter beams at me I can see my little car cringe in embarrassment.
I think back to when my daughter was a teenager riding with me, and she would duck down in her seat whenever we drove by someone she knew, my vehicle definitely was not cool. As a single mom the best car that I could afford at the time was an old clunker that was just a slightly better option than walking. Stalling whenever it took a mind to, choking, gasping and sputtering on a regular basis, it looked considerably more like a large boat out of water than a road worthy vehicle. Looking back now I can certainly understand how my daughter felt then.
Now with three little munchkins of her own to chaperone around she and her husband have definitely had to make a switch over to a larger more family orientated vehicle. Her new minivan is a vehicle that she can definitely be proud of. Her new minivan is definitely "COOL".
Learn more about this author, Lady Mermaid.
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uncool
It happens all the time, in parking lots across America. Women maneuvering large vehicles into parking spots best suited for sedan sized vehicles or smaller. As if that weren't feat enough, she finally wins the battle and pulls out the collapsed stroller, opens it, gets the kids to behave, situates each in the appropriate stroller slots, and as you exit the establishment, she finally enters with several kids in tow.
No matter the difference in physical features, dress or the make and model of the minivan, minivan drivers always come across as harried and overworked Soccer Moms. And it is not a very appealing look.
Hence, if you are not a harried, overworked Soccer Mom or, if you are, and no longer want to appear that way, you might seriously consider giving up the minivan.
The following are observations that might serve some well in determining whether or not driving a minivan is necessary.
1. How many kids do you have? If you have only one or two kids, you already know that a minivan is not necessary.
2. Be selfish. Even if you are encouraged to join the alternating car pool for your kids after school activities, live your lifestyle, not theirs. You might consider limiting the number of parents you partner with or searching within yourself to determine how beneificial the arrangement is for you before jumping in.
3. Let your kids walk. If they are old enough to get into the stroller themselves, and connect the complicated seatbelts, they are old enough to walk during the few short errands. Encouraging kids to walk would eliminate both the need to bring out the heavy duty stroller, and the moving storage solution that is often the minivan's floor.
4. Do it alone. Just like mother's block out time for themselves to do other things, blocking out time to run errands alone would probably be just as beneficial. Just take a look at the hours of setback caused by having to load and unload the vehicle when it can be done alone in an hour or two.
5. Consider driving a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) instead. The gas prices should be approximately the same, you can get more or less room in the SUV depending on your needs, and it looks cool.
It's not that appearing cool is the most important thing, on a mother's mind, but why the minivan right of passage? Assuming there are no quads, quints, other high multiples or in other words, a slew of kids in the picture, does having a minivan really make things easier?
Learn more about this author, Feature08.
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