Why Do people Hate Minivans So Much?

[emma'smom]

We have a Honda Odyssey and we love it. We bought it after driving from Maine to Ohio with a sick, screaming baby in a Nissan Sentra....went right out the next week and made the leap into the "family mobile".

We've used it to pile in the soccer team, toss in the bikes, take day-trips with grandparents, etc. The thing I like best is that the mini-van allows for spontaneous fun. You know...those "Can we bring Sally and Suzy home with us....please?" With the van, it's easy to toss a few more kids into the mix...


Almost 9 years later it has a 140K on it and it's about time to replace it...and I can't wait to get another van.

I drive a Honda CRV as our second vehicle-- and that's the one we've started taking long trips with to save miles on the van. I hate family trips in the CRV-- it's tight, not enough room for cargo, and our two dd's sit on top of each other in the back seat compared to the room in the van.

I'm a mom---I love being a mom...someday my kid's will grow up...and I'll worry about what to drive next then!

 

[mhsjax]

We have a Honda Odyssey and we love it. We bought it after driving from Maine to Ohio with a sick, screaming baby in a Nissan Sentra....went right out the next week and made the leap into the "family mobile".

We've used it to pile in the soccer team, toss in the bikes, take day-trips with grandparents, etc. The thing I like best is that the mini-van allows for spontaneous fun. You know...those "Can we bring Sally and Suzy home with us....please?" With the van, it's easy to toss a few more kids into the mix...


Almost 9 years later it has a 140K on it and it's about time to replace it...and I can't wait to get another van.

I drive a Honda CRV as our second vehicle-- and that's the one we've started taking long trips with to save miles on the van. I hate family trips in the CRV-- it's tight, not enough room for cargo, and our two dd's sit on top of each other in the back seat compared to the room in the van.

I'm a mom---I love being a mom...someday my kid's will grow up...and I'll worry about what to drive next then!

If you love your mini van then you can drive one after the kids are grown.
I love being a mom too, not sure what that has to do with driving a van. I don't like to wear "mom jeans" either, doesn't mean I don't like being a mom.
I fully intend on driving another type of SUV when my kids are all out of the house.

 

[Nancy]

OK..so if you like driving a van..drive a van.

If you like driving a car, drive a car.

If you like driving a truck..drive a truck.

..........well, you get the picture.

Doesn't mean one likes or dislikes being a Mom. (I personally am glad "those" days are over). Doesn't mean one is a better Mom than the other. Means you like what you like and I (or they) like what I/they like. I like my minivan so even though most times it is just me in the car now I'll keep it..plus I'm too cheap to get something new just because the kids are grown.


Drive what you like..you don't have to justify it to anyone, you don't have to say your choice is better than anothers choice, it is just that..your choice. There is no right or wrong...it's a personal choice. Why do people get so worked up over words on a message board?

 

[LuvLDM]

I love my Honda Odyssey, it's not a particularly attractive vehicle but it's safe, reliable & practical.

I'm just not terribly impressed by cars in general, I just want reliable transportation at a price I can afford.


A friend just bought a GMC Acadia, really nice looking vehicle.....if I was in the market I would take a look at that one.

 

[almburr]

I wish they would get rid of the sliding doors and just have regualr doors. You have the hatch lift door on the back for cargo.

I have had both mini van and Suburban. I like both. I think I will still choose a suburban over minivan I like being up higher.

 

[Art 1]

I never heard that mini vans were "hated". You see so many of them on the road.

 

[charming23]

We had two mini vans while I was growing up and I loved them. There was only my mom, dad, and I so it was nice to be able to spread out on family road trips. It also gave us the ability to take trips with my Grandparents and everyone still had plenty of room.

My uncle used to be an anti-van person and made fun of my dad every chance he got. He always said he would never get a mini van. Well he got remarried and had kids. So one day my Aunt called and specifically wanted to talk to my dad to tell him the news that they bought one. It was fun to watch my dad tease my Uncle in return, and they now have two vans as well.

 

[tvguy]

I'm one in that thread that said I will never buy a minivan. And I won't.

To me, they are the epitome of "momdom" and are totally un-hip. I have no interest in driving one.

My 7 passenger crossover is perfect for my family ~ and it still looks cool.

I'm the complete opposite. I don't care what a vehicle looks like, I care about whether it does the job I need it to do. And I keep cars until my needs change, which explains why I have had just 3 vehicles in the last 37 years (basic commuter car to start with, family car, and now that the kids have cars of their own, back to a commuter car).
I have nothing against minivans, we inherited one when my mother in law passed away. It had 90,000 miles on it, and was 3 years newer than our Suburuban which also had 90,000 miles on it. It seated 7 with a little luggage room. The Suburban seats 9 with lots of luggage room. The minivan got 15 miles to the gallon, the Suburban 9 mpg. The minivan smelled of cigarettes, the Suburban has never been smoked in. We kept the Suburban and sold the minivan. It's 1987 and it is still our family vehicle. Cheaper to fix it than buy a new one.

 

[ilovepcot]

I'm glad I have no need for a mini van but am glad they're available for those who do. I don't like the way they handle...too slow and sluggish for me. I've driven 2 seater sports cars for over 8 years now and plan to continue until I'm no longer able to get in and out of one.

 

[DeaverTex]

We're on our second Subaru Forester and adore it. The minivans we looked at way back were all noticeably underpowered and sluggish, and many had some bad handling characteristics. We've got nearly the room of a minivan, all-wheel drive (which has been a great comfort on more than one occasion), good mileage, and the darned thing looks cool, too.

We don't hate minivans, but Mrs. Tex and I have just never really seen ourselves as minivan people, and with only one child (who's in his own Scion now) we haven't had to destroy our self-image.

 

[ilovepcot]

We don't hate minivans, but Mrs. Tex and I have just never really seen ourselves as minivan people, and with only one child (who's in his own Scion now) we haven't had to destroy our self-image.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

My husband fits into the "minivans aren't cool! I'll never drive one!" crowd. That just means that I'm trading in my Prius and he can keep his Honda Fit when I buy my minivan in the next few months.

We like to do outdoor activities with the kid and two 90 lb dogs often, which means that the dogs get crammed into the back of the Prius hatchback, and the jogging stroller or hiking backpack (and the show shoes, hiking gear, etc. on top of that!) gets wedged into the other half of the back seat. We have another child due in May, which will take up the "gear" part of our car.... which means we'd be stuck taking two cars in order to go anywhere with the kids and dogs. Blah. Not happening.

We can't figure out a smaller vehicle that will fit all our stuff and family members, and I'd rather have a minivan than an SUV. DH wants an Outback, but I still don't think it would have enough room. I love my Prius, but I'm looking forward to trading it in for a Quest or Odyssey!

 

[teacherlisa1978]

I was always one of those I'll never drive a minivan people. I learned to drive in one, my family had 4 while I was growing up. So for me, it was what my parents drove-so there's no way that can be "cool" right?

Well I've had a big change of heart. I have a Suzuki grand Vitara and we are bursting at the seams. We have a 20 month old son and a basset hound and we do lots of camping and road trips. I wanted an Acadia or Traverse with captain's seats but the prices are too high. So I've come around. A minivan is perfect. Tons of cargo space even if we have another child and strangely what sealed the deal is the dog. With bad backs bazaars shouldn't be jumping in and out of vehicles and now with our son it's ridiculously complicated to get everything and everyone loaded and lift the dog in and out. In a minivan she can safely get in and out on her own and ride on the floor. It's everything we need and we are buying a used one this summer. It's down to a Quest, Odyssey, or Sienna. I did decide I had to like how it looks and those pass my own personal looks test.

 

[bumbershoot]

As my DH always tells me, once you get a woman up, you will never get her back down, and I have to agree with him.

What does that mean?

This was my biggest pet peeve when shopping for a stroller. Tons and tons of negative reviews based on how something fit in the trunk of their little car. I care more about the comfort for the kid and how the thing handles, not if it fits in the back of your Prius.

If you can't get it into your car to take somewhere, it doesn't matter how comfortable it is for the child or how it handles, since you'll never use it. Talking about how it fits in certain cars is VERY important. I used to have to nearly disassemble the jogging stroller on the rare occasions I wanted it accessible (after two popped tires taking local walks with it, I realized you NEED sidewalks, not dirt sidewalks with blackberry bushes growing wild, for walks leaving directly from the house we were in), because it simply was too big for the car we had at the time.

I dislike them both equally. I've managed to raise two kids and have a dog without "needing" one. I'd much rather have something more environmentally friendly.

"More environmentally friendly" is relative, though. We have a Grand Marquis now, and it gets a little above 20 mpg. That's awful, right? DH's old car, an early 90s 2-door Sundance Duster, got about 15. One would think that our car would be worse than a smaller car, but it's just not true.

And no a truck doesn't scream soccer mom as much as a mini van.

That's in your area/life/world, though. The person you were responding to, who mentioned a Suburban, might feel that way because SO many of her fellow parents in the area drive Suburbans in the same way others drive minivans! Just b/c it's not true in your area doesn't mean it's not in hers.

Drive what you like..you don't have to justify it to anyone, you don't have to say your choice is better than anothers choice, it is just that..your choice. There is no right or wrong...it's a personal choice. Why do people get so worked up over words on a message board?

I suggest you read the post that this sprang from, and see the reaction of the original poster there when people responded with "check out the minivans"...

We're on our second Subaru Forester and adore it.

Sigh...that's the sort of car we really want. Wanted to buy one, too, when we got our Marquis. But we were at the mercy of financing, and Chase said that they would only finance the Marquis, not the Subaru. Sigh.





I dislike the outside look of a minivan, especially the traditional, pointy nose, looks like it'll tip over, design.

But I like the interior of the ones I've been in. And my aunt has an older Odyssey, which is very utilitarian...she can take out all the back seats and she has a HUGE amount of space for moving stuff! Way more space than when we borrow a friend's SUV for moving purposes...

I'd get one if I needed one. Though if it was a minivan vs a Nitro, it would be a tough decision. We rented a Nitro and fell madly in love with it.

 

[Becky2005]

I like driving my van better than DH's car. I see the SUV/AWD cars that are out now and they look like smooshed down mini vans..or a cross between a mini van and a station wagon..so not sure why they are cooler other than saying you drive an SUV and not a mini van.

I'm glad to see it's not just me! I'm thinking it's the cross-overs you are talking about. The first time I saw a commercial for one I instantly thought "HEY...it's a station wagon with a new name!"

I have 4 kids -- a mini-van is a neccesity -- I actually wish mine was a little bigger...we got a carvan - not a grand & this was before Stow & Go was even an option. LOVE that idea though. It's nearly impossible to get all our groceries in the car if all the kids are with me. Maybe we just buy too many groceries.

I had a Firebird when my daughter was born & I was never so glad to get rid of that for a 4-door car...attempting to get a car seat in & out of a 2-door car was a huge pain.

I grew up with a station wagon though & was over the moon when my parents bought a van (and this was no mini-van -- it was a full size van). I no longer had to be the kid forced to sit on the "hump" seat since I was the youngest & shortest. I actually learned to drive in the van.

 

[Squirlz]

Mini vans are safe and efficient and serve their purpose well. I have no idea how large SUVs gained a reputation as cool vehicles. Real car people laugh at things like Escalades and Navigators. You're driving something based on a pickup truck. Me, I have a station wagon that goes 190 MPH.

 

[gm]

All I can say is been there and done that and never want anything to do with one. I hauled my 2 kids in one and now in my 40's I see many new families with young kids in them and say whew glad I am done. Now all I see is rows and rows and rows of large suvs when I pick up dd from high school. Its like a never ending cycle here in TX first everyone starts with minivans and than move to suvs when their kids get older. I am happy with my little honda 2000 car but admit a big car to see past the car in front of me would be nice.

 

[deedeecee]

The minivan haters I have known, have all mentioned 'image' when they talk about how they'll never drive a minivan. Not cool enough.
Well, I'm driving a minivan because it suits my needs at the present time. And when I'm ready for a new car, I will probably downsize to a much smaller car because it will suit my needs at that time.
I try not to let the opinion of others dictate what I drive. Being cool is not something I aspire to.

 

[tasha99]

I have nothing against minivans, but I would worry about them not handling well in bad weather.

 

[Wadecool]

We're on our second Subaru Forester and adore it. The minivans we looked at way back were all noticeably underpowered and sluggish, and many had some bad handling characteristics. We've got nearly the room of a minivan, all-wheel drive (which has been a great comfort on more than one occasion), good mileage, and the darned thing looks cool, too.

We don't hate minivans, but Mrs. Tex and I have just never really seen ourselves as minivan people, and with only one child (who's in his own Scion now) we haven't had to destroy our self-image.

My first car was an 82 Subaru 4x4 wagon and I have owned several over the years, I agree they are great cars. As I posted earlier, no one is more shocked than I am at how much my opinion of minivans changed after we purchased one.

In any case, I guess I should consider myself lucky that my self-image isn't tied directly to the type of vehicle I drive.