Minivans: not just for Soccer-Moms
My uncle's motoring choice has always had me a little puzzled. He's got a garage full of Mercedes, Range Rovers, Hummers and a Magnum PI-style Ferrari 308 GTS that he never drives. What does he drive instead? A Chrysler minivan. Chances are you know somebody like that, too. Over at the Kicking Tires blog, the Suburban Dad makes some sense of it all.
With big seats and far reaches to the dashboard, Suburban Dad figures minivans aren't, as the stereotype goes, for soccer moms. They're for other suburban dads. That might go a long way towards explaining crossover van-utes like the Chevy Uplander. Follow the link for an interesting quick read on the rapidly dissipating American trend.
[Source: Kicking Tires]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
felipe 9:12AM (7/09/2007)
yes, yes they are just for soccer moms.
those dads are weiners.
and the Uplander was the worst pc. of doody GM ever made......it won the "the worst auto today" award if you recall.
this vehicle is the reason GM no longer makes a van.
Reply
Mr. Oak 9:23AM (7/09/2007)
Never owned one, but if Chrysler ever did the SRT-6 or 8 treatment to this vehicle, I would buy one.
In current form, they're just weenie mobiles.
You can't beat these things for vacation trips. Just being able to separate the kids (the good ones from the evil ones) makes long-distance travel much more pleasant.
Don 3:10PM (7/09/2007)
You're a tool.
You can't beat the practical nature of these vans. Nothing comes close. Nothing. Not even those fancy, schmancy Lambda triplets.
What?! 9:17AM (7/09/2007)
The crazy thing about this is that this ugly thing sold more than the equally ugly Buick Terraza and craptastic Saturn Relay.
Who was GM fooling when they tried to make the front-end muscular?
Reply
Mr. Oak 9:27AM (7/09/2007)
Filepe. The Arcadia\Enclave\Outlook is the reason and wisely so, GM no longer makes a mini-van.
Agreed though, these things are so ugly, I wouldn't even rent one.
Reply
felipe 9:44AM (7/09/2007)
no it wasn't. it was years of unsuccessful sales and buttloads of recalls.
they had the smallest share of market on the vans.
"GM and Ford are suffering heavily. Down 35.8 percent and 30.3 percent respectively in the minivan segment, GM and Ford are hoping their crossovers can woo former minivan and SUV owners alike." from:
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/27/minivan-sales-are-down-all-around-but-mostly-for-ford-gm/
lets look under saftey..we know recently the uplander FAILED horribly...(ie. no avial 3rd row airbags..at all!!!)
Lets look at the last Model 2005 Venture:
IIHS RESULTS:
Structure/Safety Cage: Poor
Head/Neck: Poor
Chest: Good
Leg/Foot Left: Poor
Leg/Foot Right: Poor
Restraints/dummy kinematics: Marginal
from here.
http://www.answers.com/topic/chevrolet-venture
sorry man, GM is out of the van business because they are crappy and the market pushed them out.
same reason they have no economy car.. only the rebadged Daewoo (Aveo)
and as my above autoblog quote states GM HOPEs to woo minivan sales from other mans. with the Arcadia line up..
thatguyoverthere 12:54PM (7/09/2007)
GMC makes the Acadia. There is no farking "r" in the name!
You know, like the National Park.
blah 9:36AM (7/09/2007)
see the euro ford s-max for family-friendly sportiness in a family hauler.
the issue w/ minivans was the image -- as the suv culture emerged, minivans didn't adapt in NA to the 'macho' image of driving a suv. i'm a fan of minivans super practical, spacious, good gas mileage and reasonable towing capacity. while i don't have a family - i don't know why parents would want to drive a less spacious, poor ergonomics, inefficient space layout and less fuel efficient vehicle for their family (unless there is a massive boat involved). may want to re-evaluate your priorities if your vanity is that important that you're willing to give up those family-friendly features for a 'not-a-soccer-mom/dad-and-we-make-a-lot-of-money-to-blow on-gas' image for a primary family transport vehicle.
Reply
mehugtree 10:20AM (7/09/2007)
well said. people who hate on minivans just can't get over the image of minivans. In reality, minivans are a much more logical choice than any SUV. Now that they are re-badging them as cross-overs, I'm sure the anti-minivan crowd will jump on them because they are "cool". idiots.
minivans rule. don't tell anyone.
frank d 1:32PM (7/09/2007)
Our minivan is the most versatile vehicle one can own.
Amidst the starting craze for SUVs, I bought a minivan. One had to be crazy to pay the same $ or more, for a fraction of the versatility, lower fuel economy, lesser comfort, ...
Travel in comfort with 4 - 7 passengers and plenty of cargo space.
No fuss with big items. I've seen plenty SUVs - up to the 'majestic' HUMMER - incapable of loading that new big screen TV at store X, that little trampoline for the kids doesn't fit (and they couldn't reach the roof - haha), a chair, a large plant ...
I show up at store x and even the lumberyard. 4x8 sheets of material. No problem. 10 foot lumber/pipes/... No problem.
Fuel economy is better than SUVs. Not as great as some gas sipping sedans, but there are US sedans that have the same numbers. Without the comfort and space versatility.
No problem to tow an average compact trailer or small boat.
While a minivan is not for everybody, everybody is impressed by the versatility of our van when they're driving along on a trip and/or ride along to pick up that new front door for their house ;)
A the lumberyard or DIY big box stores I frequently get big eyes from new people loading. "You don't have a truck?" Nope. I have 4 cubic yards of cargo ... and I don't even need to leave the tailgate open like most trucks to haul a bit of drywall or lumber. "I didn't know you could do that, that it would fit just like that ..."
Naysayer 9:38AM (7/09/2007)
"He's got a garage full of Mercedes, Range Rovers, Hummers and a Magnum PI-style Ferrari 308 GTS that he never drives."
Let's see: he's got enough money to afford all these nice cars that are meant to be driven, and never drives them. So instead he goes out and drives a minivan. Sounds like a true car guy. After all, only the coolest people have garage queens and roll around town with a vagina-mobile.
Your uncle is a loser with a very small dick.
Reply
FThorn 10:33AM (7/09/2007)
A doctor from my neighborhood (this guy http://tinyurl.com/2esk8z and ttp://tinyurl.com/yq9fw7) has many Jags, a semi+trailer painted with the Jag logo to haul his jags, and a house which is just a shell, and is really a garage full of jags.
What does he drive? An old Chevy beat up truck with a bumper sticker that says "My other car is a Jaguar".
gwballin 12:19PM (7/09/2007)
Naysayer,
I'm going to offer you a bit of advice. Study hard in your last two years of high school and maybe, just maybe you can actually get into a college (probably not a good one since your attitude would turn off the admissions people during your interview, but I'm sure there are lots of community colleges that would be willing to take a chance on you). Study hard in college and maybe, just maybe you can find yourself in a career that will allow you to afford a car (don't get too greedy, its got to be one more than you have now). Hopefully that will suppress your jealousy and desire to insult people.
Naysayer 12:37PM (7/09/2007)
gwballin:
Let's see here. Graduated high school with top honors. Entered top 20 engineering college; graduated with a degree in computer engineering with honors. Got a job right out of graduation. Will go back for a doctorate soon.
Oh, and jealousy? I currently own a classic Porsche 911 along with a Solstice. Bought them both with the money I get from my job. Also, I'm currently going to invest in purchasing a '69 Camaro and restore it in my garage and, you guessed it, drive it along with the other two. Every day. Unlike that guy's uncle.
Sorry to dissapoint, but thanks for playing! Even though you lost, you can always try again!
500 12:49PM (7/09/2007)
Naysayer,
The uncle with all those nice cars who drives the minivan anyway sounds like a very confident man. You know, one who doesn't feel the need to compensate for anything by driving a car that looks like a peni$ on wheels *cough*(Porsche 911, Solstice)*cough*
Naysayer 12:50PM (7/09/2007)
And before you fire back a "PROOOOVE IT UR LYING11!" comment, here are the cars in question:
[url]http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/4548/proofhh6.jpg[/url]
Your move.
gwballin 4:15PM (7/09/2007)
You are the one making dick jokes out of jealousy and then make up stories so we don't think you are a high school punk. By my score, you are the one loosing, but you are still young. Take my advice and by the time you are an adult you can put the low point of your moody adolescence behind you.
Naysayer 4:27PM (7/09/2007)
Well, it's good to know that you're very ignorant. Oh no, someone has a negative opinion on the internet! They used a no-no body part! They must be seven years old! It's a fact!
Despite your best psychic efforts, they have failed you yet again. I'm the one being honest here. If I had the time, I could post the titles to the cars, my diploma, my driver's license - hell, I'd let you come over to my house and drive them. Maybe you're the "high school punk" that's looooosing. Fascists like you are the reason why websites are censoring people's honest opinions. If you dont like it and get offended by it (which apparently you are), then get out.
Boyd 4:38PM (7/09/2007)
i like how you're calling Naysayer a highschool punk when you're the one with "ballin" in your name. Who's the highschooler here?
gwballin 5:06PM (7/09/2007)
Naysayer,
Fascist? lol, glad you are taking my advice and studying - that ought to put you in 11th grade actually a little older than I thought.
And by the way, when you get older you will learn that pictures on the internet that can not be independently verified is not proof of anything but I can definitely see how it might work when trying to impress your high school friends.
Boyd,
g- first initial
w- middle initial
ballin- last name
I didn't come up with it so I can't take credit, but it is just so easy to remember (it being my name) that I continue to use it. And for the record it is pronounced bal-lin not ball-in.