There's been a lot of minivan talk in our house lately.Now that my car is getting up there in years, and I just passed 100,00 miles, Gilberto keeps throwing minivans out there as a great next car option. He's been trying his darndest to convince me that I need one.
But I DO NOT want a minivan.
(Hold your horses, all of you minivan owners out there, and read a bit further down. You will be vindicated.)
Here are all of the boring reasons I've given him:
1) They look like loaves of bread
2) I just don't see myself as a minivan kind of mom
3) Gas mileage isn't that great, and
4) If we have to buy a new car, I'd rather spend the money on a hybrid
5) I don't need a bunch of fancy features that I don't know I should be missing
6) We don't really need all of that extra room
7) I'm driving my car until it dies because I LOVE not having a car payment
I think they're so boring, they go in one ear and out the other. Which is a big problem.
Because I would actually LOVE to have a minivan! I drool over pictures of floorboard storage and infinite leg room in magazines. I stare at them as they pass me on the freeway. I even price them and input the cost into our monthly budget, just to see where it would put us.
But there is no way I'm going to tell Gilberto this. I need him to think otherwise.
The truth is that I'm an excellent parallel parker. I'm so good I could win awards! And Gilberto is rather impressed with my parallel parking abilities.
Impressing Gilberto with anything car related is a HUGE deal. It totally makes my day when I finish parallel parking and he looks over at me with awe and pride. I get all warm and gooey inside.
I don't really have anything else to wow him with, so I really don't want to lose my title! There is NO way I'd be able to parallel park a minivan. I've driven a friend's, and I was barely able to park the thing head on. Plus, the pick-up-and-go on that thing was terrifying. All I had to do was tap the gas and it flew forward like a large, tan missile.
If we bought a minivan, there would be no more awe and pride. Not to mention the shame of admitting that my parallel parking abilities were limited to sedans.
As of last night, though, I think I don't have to worry about my secret being revealed anymore.
I finally got to the bottom of the whole minivan push. Gilberto's thinking is that if I get a new car, then HE can get a new car. An Audi to be exact. So he can cruise around town pretending he's The Transporter.
Are there ANY grown up men out there?
Basically, I can never get a minivan, even if I was willing to sacrifice my Best Parallel Parker Ever title (which I've actually been considering after all of the hot talk), because then Gilberto would think he could get a souped up 12-cylinder Audi A8.
And believe me, he would.
So the charade lives on, and I'll continue to soak up all the awe and pride.
gas prices gas prices gas prices
ReplyDeletethey are only going to get worse, and you will miss the mileage you get in your car.
The only way it will be worth it is if you no longer have a commute - or if you have 2 more kids.
Drive the mazda until it dies and then invest in a hybrid.
besides - i will FOREVER make fun of you . . .
(see - I CAN comment)
I have Minivan hang-ups too, but the cool features on them ARE cool.
ReplyDeletePS C thinks he would be all cool like the Transporter too in an Audi. Glad I am not alone.
Check out the Mazda5. It's like a mini-minivan. Sliding doors, seats 6 (4 adults + 2 kids), gets good mileage and can be parallel parked by almost anyone. Fairly sporty, too.
ReplyDeleteIf you just can't stand even a mini-minivan, I would recommend the Civic hybrid over the Prius. Slightly worse mileage, but the interior is much nicer. The Prius' is pure, low grade plastic. The Ford Escape (if you're an SUV person) is in very short supply, due to the fact that Ford is limiting the number they build since they lose money on every one.
And tell your husband he can get any car he wants, as long as it averages 25 mpg and doesn't use 91 octane.
What minivan was that that you have the picture posted of? Is that a Sienna?
ReplyDeleteIf you can hold out a bit longer I'm guessing that they will be making hybrid minivans. I think I read that somewhere. Don't buy a gas guzzler. Trust me, I drive a minivan and I hate filling up the tank with these ridiculous gas prices.
ReplyDeleteThe minivan switch was a BIG pill for me to swallow! Believe me, I did NOT want a minivan either...but I have to admit that I do like it. Lots of room for my double stroller, groceries, boxes of diapers...all in one trip! I had a Highlander before my son was born and it was cramped. It's been great for travel too. We drove it down to Disney this past March...it was awesome! In fact, I have that silver Sienna that you have pictured on your post. It's really a good one...great safety ratings and the coolest thing about it is that the backseat windows roll down. I don't know of any other minivans with that feature. The automatic doors are a plus too. Wow! I can't believe I wrote this much about my van...I guess I really do like it! haha!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Drop by anytime! Hope I didn't scare you off from the dentist! :)