Minivans get no respect. They’re the Rodney Dangerfield of the vehicle world: plucky vehicles that can haul loads of people or stuff, drag boats or campers behind, and still get no respect. It can be overt or subtle. You’re probably guilty of disrespecting a minivan at one time or another—I know I am and I drive one! Think about it—you’re pulling up to an intersection with a red light, you have a choice of lanes and there’s a minivan stopped in the center lane, a Honda sedan in the inside lane, and a Cadillac in the outside lane. Who do you get behind? Of course! The Honda! You don’t want to be behind the minivan because the driver will likely be driving too cautiously or singing songs to the rearview mirror, right? Ugh, so frustrating! And the Caddy likely holds some elderly people and will go 10 mph under the speed limit, so the Honda is the correct choice. Bueno!
Drivers of minivans themselves treat the vans as utility vehicles, despite all the leather and “wood” trim features. Your stuff gets tossed into the rear storage well willy nilly, scratching the plastic sides, your dh spills oil on the carpet as he takes it to be recycled at the auto store (Yeah, thanks dh! Remember how the van was only 6 months old when *that* happened?), carseats leave marks on the seats(!), there’s a permanent kid odor inside, oh, the list goes on and on.
The worst disrespect for me is in the parking lot. Because it involves other people touching my van. My van is covered, literally covered, in dings and scratches, and paint chips because other people have knocked against my minivan. Granted, my kids have to bear some responsibility because they swing their backpacks into it sometimes or ride their bikes a little too close in the garage, but I’ve put the fear of MOM into them, lol, and they’re careful around our cars. I was driving to my mom’s house last weekend to pick up my dog (my mom dogsat for us while we were on vacation over Christmas) and I pulled into a McDonald’s for a break. The parking lot was packed, but I managed to find 3 empty parking spots away from the building, so I pulled into the middle spot and tried to park evenly between the lines (OK, have you figured out my little personality quirk yet? ;)). As I bent over to tie my shoes, I felt the van shudder (heard it too) and I looked out my window to see that the lady in the SUV that had just parked in the spot to my left had let her door fly open into my van. She saw me, casually reached for her door to close it a bit, then went on about her business. What a Georgia Peach she was! She didn’t even say “Sorry!” or anything and it did leave a nice white mark—I got out and looked while she and her dh were still in their car. Talk about my poor van being disrespected. I’m sure that wherever they were going to that day, they got a flat tire for the karma they got from that :D.
Dh’s SUV, which is a year and 3 months older than my van, doesn’t have nearly the dents in it that the van does and he parks in a parking garage at work (eh, a designated space, but still) and we drive his car for errands since it gets better gas mileage than the van. I can let you know if my luck changes because my van’s days in our family is numbered: we’re trading it in for something that is not a van ;). Just watch—this will be the week that someone decides to crash into it. I do have that kind of luck.
So share your stories! Have you noticed this discrimination against your family minivan? Is it a magnet for flying doors and keys and backpacks?
I’m with you. I LOVE my minivan…and I’m a guy. Much better than any SUV or any other vehicle you care to mention.
I also get the constant abuse for choosing to drive one, but guess who is called when a bunch of people need to be hauled or something has to be moved and it’s raining.
coincidence? nope, just an awesome vehicle.
I grew up envious of kids lucky enough to ride in minivans… and loved it when I got to go on girl scout trips in our troop leader’s minivan.
I always wanted a minivan… I love mine… and yet, I see constant discrimination… I don’t get it?
They’re roomy, the sliding are great because the kids can’t hit the car next to us when they work them themselves, and they get about the same mileage as a large sedan.
As gas prices run higher, I just have one question… where are our hybrid minivans?
Aw, I made fun of our minivans, but we always called them our “apartment on wheels”. There’s something to be said about the inside space minivans have and the sliding doors can’t be beat! But they are to the 2000s what station wagons were to the 1970s ;).
I love mini’s I want one so bad, for the very reason you explained it’s usefulness, I don’t have kids of my own but do babysit sometimes- when I tell others that my next car will be a minivan, they look at me like a have 5 heads. Oh the awsomeness of sliding doors, the third row, often car-seat friendly they are. Why be dissin the mini?
Oddly enough, it’s my SUV that looks like it was used as a soccer goal. My SIL’s Ody, which is three years older than my Pilot looks SO much better than my poor “car”.
I also try to be well-centered in my parking lots and I am very conscientious about my doors NOT hitting the vehicles next to me-even the minivans. :o) I won’t let my 4 yo open his door until I am standing there to run interference.
I don’t even have a minivan, but since the Mazda 5 has sliding doors, people often call it a minivan (with derision, of course!) Mine got a nice big dent in the door before it was even a month old. Looks like someone rode a bike into it?
Funny thing about my car is that while adults still scoff and turn up their noses, kids think it’s a sports car for kids. They see the sliding doors and think “That’s for me!” but the short size and “zoom-y” body style make them ask “Does it go really fast?”
My best friend’s 4-year-old says: “Debbie, your car is MUCH faster than my mommy’s van.” (We both drive like little old ladies.)