![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about minivans, and would know how adamantly against getting one I have been forever. They are the ultimate in uncool and square. They are the Mom Jeans of the vehicle world. And just because I'm a mom doesn't mean I need to act, dress, or drive like some stereotype of a mom.
Though to be fair, I would drive a giant station wagon without any problem. I still kinda miss that Caprice wagon of my parents' that I drove in high school or college, and I suppose that also says Mom, but for some reason that's different in my mind. The few folks who still make station wagons do not make them like they used to. They're not big enough.
And this brings us to my dilemma. With our pursuing adoption now, we will be a family of four (plus large dog) soon enough. For day to day trips, we can fit all right, except that Beezley can't fit in my car at all, and it's tight with Beezley in John's car. For any kind of road trip, however, it's barely comfortable with the three of us. Add in a fourth and a ton of baby equipment, it would be impossible. And forget trying to take the dog anywhere with us ever. So the end result is that we need one bigger vehicle.
John's Element seems to be the natural choice to trade in. It's had few problems, but my Matrix has had absolutely none. The Matrix is also better on mileage.
But back to what to get. I was completely enamored with the Highlander and thought for sure that would work out. I'd much rather have a bigger SUV than a minivan, after all. Then I looked at pictures of the Highlander interior. Three rows of seats, but then no storage area. Not going to work for us. And anything bigger than that is just too expensive (the Highlander was really too expensive anyway) and horrible on mileage. And frankly, I'm sticking with Honda or Toyota, for the most part, because they do last forever, AND I can get the All Wheel Drive that we feel is non-negotiable.
So yesterday I (gulp) looked at minivans. Oh, it hurt my pride badly to even look at them online, but I do admit that they are so practical. And for what you get in a minivan, (sigh) you just can't compare with any other vehicle without paying tons more money. Stupid minivans. I wish they didn't make so much sense.
Though to be fair, I would drive a giant station wagon without any problem. I still kinda miss that Caprice wagon of my parents' that I drove in high school or college, and I suppose that also says Mom, but for some reason that's different in my mind. The few folks who still make station wagons do not make them like they used to. They're not big enough.
And this brings us to my dilemma. With our pursuing adoption now, we will be a family of four (plus large dog) soon enough. For day to day trips, we can fit all right, except that Beezley can't fit in my car at all, and it's tight with Beezley in John's car. For any kind of road trip, however, it's barely comfortable with the three of us. Add in a fourth and a ton of baby equipment, it would be impossible. And forget trying to take the dog anywhere with us ever. So the end result is that we need one bigger vehicle.
John's Element seems to be the natural choice to trade in. It's had few problems, but my Matrix has had absolutely none. The Matrix is also better on mileage.
But back to what to get. I was completely enamored with the Highlander and thought for sure that would work out. I'd much rather have a bigger SUV than a minivan, after all. Then I looked at pictures of the Highlander interior. Three rows of seats, but then no storage area. Not going to work for us. And anything bigger than that is just too expensive (the Highlander was really too expensive anyway) and horrible on mileage. And frankly, I'm sticking with Honda or Toyota, for the most part, because they do last forever, AND I can get the All Wheel Drive that we feel is non-negotiable.
So yesterday I (gulp) looked at minivans. Oh, it hurt my pride badly to even look at them online, but I do admit that they are so practical. And for what you get in a minivan, (sigh) you just can't compare with any other vehicle without paying tons more money. Stupid minivans. I wish they didn't make so much sense.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-01-11 12:51 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-01-11 02:07 am (UTC)From: