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The Minivan Wars: Moms Who Love Their Minivans Speak Up
Yesterday we brought you to the front lines of a battle raging in our school drop off lanes and mall parking lots. The Minivan Wars. We met with the rebel front - moms who told us about why they would rather drive pretty much anything besides a minivan. Their arguments were compelling.
Today we hear from minivan loving moms who have drunk the Soccer Snack Kool-Aid, and lived to tell the tale. They answered my query in overwhelming numbers. They also sported such a consistant story line, that I initially felt they were either members of a bizarre cult, or truly on to something .
While the Anti-Minivan Moms had a real knack for poking fun at the van drivers, the Pro-Minivan Moms seemed to take this in stride and had no problem poking fun at themselves. They were nothing if not good sports. Their message to moms everywhere?
Time to Get Over Ourselves
When it comes to moms who love their minivans, the politics are still at play, but priorities have shifted. For most of these women, it was a shock to find themselves at the wheel of their minivan. How did they get there?
I Always Said I'd Never Be That Mom
None of the Minivan Moms even bothered to make the argument that minivans are cool. But being cool with an aching back and angry elderly inlaws contorting themselves around a stroller in the third row of your SUV, was not their idea of cool either. Nor was leaving a trail of door dings or making multiple trips to ferry the entire family to a single destination. There was a common lightbulb theme amongst the Minivan Moms. Each and every one who responded had experienced an Oprah-like "Aha" moment. They'd all had some event or experience that changed the way they felt about the dreaded mom-mobile. Shari Schmidt reconsidered her vow to live her life Minivan free during her first holiday season as a new mom.
"I resisted owning a mini-van until our first Christmas with infant twins. Do you have any idea how much stuff it takes to get them out of the house for a few hours? And then we had to bring all that stuff home, with the Christmas presents?"
Courtney Hemperly, a 25 year old mom, does not worry about being cool anymore either. Unfortunately it was an couple of accidents that made her see the minivan light.
"I never thought I'd be "that mom" crusing around town in the minivan! But after my husband rolled my trendy-mom SUV and I saw the damage it did, I vowed to put my daughter in a safer car...I bit the bullet and bought a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan... Last month I was hit head on by a Suburban and walked away from the accident which totalled my 6 month old minivan. The firemen who pulled me out said if I had been in a car with a shorter "nose" and not had the knee area airbags... I would probably have lost my legs...Just last week I bought a new Chrysler Town and Country! I may not look so cool driving around in my Soccer Mom minivan but I am comfortable and safe and that's ok by me!"
Mirror Mirror On The Wall
Laura James could hardly believe it when she first found herself in a minivan,
"I was one of those moms who resisted the minivan for four years. I was nearly in tears when my husband suddenly brought one home. Now I'm old, I thought - I've got my mid-life Chrysler!"
Are we using our rear view mirrors like Snow White's stepmother used her mirror? Do we foolishly use our cars to validate our youth, beauty and vitality? Elizabeth Rodgers seems to think so. She summed it up.
"The families who think they are too cool for minivans are mere sheep: they have accepted the family focused marketing for minivans and they still like to think of themselves as young, unmarried, unencumbered by children, too cool for school people."
This is probably true for me. In my mind I am eternally 27, and could sleep in, pop out to the movies, go shopping for expensive impractical shoes and have one too many drinks at any time. The view in my rearview mirror is really quite awesome and possibly a lot more fun than days with 3 am feedings, feverish toddlers and ordering films on demand so I don't forget to return them to the video store again.
It was at this point in my research that I pulled over to the shoulder of the road and pondered if I was cutting off my nose to spite my face by considering driving an inconvenient vehicle so that I could live (if only in my mind) in the trendier past. Was my rearview mirror betraying me?
Elizabeth had another thought for me that I found oddly comforting. She argued that minivans were not the issue so much as marketers.
"If we saw commercials of 20 year old men with their wetsuits rolled down to their waists, throwing their surfboards into the minivan after a sweet AM surf session, all sandy and carefree and buff, you can bet that minivan purchases would increase. I've always been mystified as to why minivans are not marketed this way. It's so obvious...The utility of the minivan is beyond compare to the SUV. Once the SUV has a stroller in it, you are hamstrung."
Jenni Hilton seems to agree that SUV driving Moms may be deluding themselves.
"They are basically driving a reshaped minivan in their supersized SUVs. Denial isn't just a river in Egypt!"
Slide Me to The Moon
Not all Minivan Moms are as self actualized as Elizabeth or Jenni, and not all of them picture hot surfers driving their vans. But that does not stop them from adoring their rides. Most of them are in it for the practicality, and have accepted this lot. Which is why, when asked what colors they chose, the standard response is "the one that hides the most dirt". When asked what they have done to pimp their vans out, more than a few Minivan Moms laughed and replied "Clean the Floor Mats?".
My sample pool was split on conveniences like DVD and Navigation but they were all in agreement that power sliding doors were the bomb. Elizabeth raved about this,
"SUVs are difficult to get into and out of. The automatic sliding doors of my 2005 Toyota Sienna were the deal maker. I would not even look at a minivan without automatic doors. Have you ever lifted a 40 pound child into an SUV? It sucks for your back. It's great for my chiropractor."
Space to stretch out and superior safety and gas mileage (over a large SUV) were also cited often as the payoff for driving a vehicle that some consider uncool. Door convenience and these comfort and safety features were the spark that ignited most of the mom's minivan love affairs.
Jennifer Gabler was suprised, like many moms at how much she loved her minivan
"When I was first married and had my first child, I said "I will never drive a minivan." At that time, driving one would have meant that I had sold out and was a suburban non-professional middle aged mom... However, practicality and embracing new and different aspects of my life have made me a proud owner and driver of a minivan. I now hate to drive any other vehicle and will only drive minivans...The automatic sliding doors are the best feature."
Love The Van You're With
Karen Putz unabashedly loves her minivan. She says
"I drive a Honda Odyssey and that baby is the love of my life, after family, of course."
Jenni Hilton feels similarly - she told me,
"I love my Kia Sedona! It took a little adjustment from my VW Jetta, but now I love it."
Still some moms are a little more dubious about their minivan love. They feel their cars are perfect for them right now, and thus they've made the commitment to love and honor their minivans. But possibly only till lease end when they part.
Of her complex relationship with her minivan, Lori Dolnick shared,
"Every time I think of getting rid of it - I'm taking six kids to an art class or filling it with boxes or helping a friend move something. I don't want it and then it proves so useful - I love it again.A mini van is a choice of need so I don't really worry about what people think. They see my van and my kid's art hanging from the rearview mirror and they think "mom". That's ok by me...When I don't need it anymore - I'm getting something smaller - but not so small that it won't hold my golf clubs."
Jill Hart agrees,
"I never, ever wanted to drive a minivan. I vowed to do anything and everything necessary to avoid the dreaded van. Then my daughter started kindergarten...suddenly those automatic sliding doors made sense. I definitely won't drive one forever, but for now...I love my minivan."
Joelle Gropper Kaufman may have found the perfect solution. She loves her minivan but looks elsewhere to meet her occasionalneeds for a smaller sportier car.
"So - I know that minivans are patently uncool. They are truly practical, responsible family transportation vehicles...Us parents satisfy our sports car side with the other car...the one we don't need to drive the kids."
My interview subjects left me with so much to think about as I made the decision about what car to buy for our family of six. Tomorrow I will share with you what we bought. In the meantime, I leave you with a few words on the SUV vs Minivan question from comedian Jeannie Tate. No matter where you stand, If you have never seen her video series filmed in a minivan, you are missing out!
Read Part 2 of Minivan Wars: Moms Against Minivans
in | by Ciaran Blumenfeld | Editorial | Permalink |
Tags: Choosing Car, Family Car, Love, Minivan Wars, Minivans, Moms, SUVs
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Previous Reader Opinions...
I agree about the sliding doors. Imagine coming out of a store in a rain storm with three kids acting like they are "melting" a la Wicked Witch. I just pop a button and shuffle all three kids in. There is also enough room in the van that I can climb in and get the little ones secure while not getting wet myself.Posted by: finnaryn | July 10, 2008 8:02 AM
I have no problem with minivans for people who actually need them and have the people to fill them. But my mom is 60, hasn't had kids living at home in years, and continues to buy them just because in her mind she's still a 35 year old woman with 4 kids to carry around. She's paying the price at the pump!Posted by: Monica | July 14, 2008 8:21 AM
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