Mini-vans

[Civil Defense]

They suck.

Find a better way to tote your kids around. Your wide-ass vehicle prevents me from navigating traffic safely. For the same price, you can buy a decent mid-size car to carry your kids around. Hell, it'll even have an engine capable of driving over 45 mph.

Damn... what would all the soccer moms of the world do then?

[racinchikki]

Name a better way to tote kids around, then. One that'll fit three kids, two adults, all the groceries. One with enough space in it that the kids won't be fighting with each other - "He's touching me!" "He's in my space!" - and distracting Mom from her driving.

[Civil Defense]

Name a better way to tote kids around, then. One that'll fit three kids, two adults, all the groceries.

Two adults means one can stay home with the three kids while the other shops. Wouldn't this be the ideal solution, anyway?

If you must take everyone to the grocery store, get a Saturn. Many of their mid-size vehicles are in the $14-$16K range, and have plenty of trunk space for groceries.

One with enough space in it that the kids won't be fighting with each other - "He's touching me!" "He's in my space!" - and distracting Mom from her driving.

Hmm.. this may warrant another pit topic in the future, but suffice it to say, if you let your kids behave this way, they should stay at home to begin with.

[racinchikki]

So let's muzzle and gag the wee'uns because every small child should act like a proper adult when in public OR ELSE.

[racinchikki]

That's not to say you should allow the kids to run wild in all situations without discipline, but really, if you have two kids of comparable ages in the car together, chances are they're going to act like that.

[Civil Defense]

How about we just teach kids not to bicker about pointless stuff like "mommy, mommy, he's touching me"?

Anyway, back to the OP-- is there a good reason that people use mini-vans on a daily basis (ignoring family vacations and such)? Today I saw no less than 3 people driving them alone to or from their jobs.

[racinchikki]

And do you have a problem with pickup trucks? SUVs? Hudson Hornets?

[Civil Defense]

And do you have a problem with pickup trucks? SUVs? Hudson Hornets?

Pickup trucks, no. Generally I can see through the windows of a pickup truck to judge traffic ahead of them, whereas with a mini-van it's nearly impossible.

SUV drivers tend to drive fast enough so that I wouldn't need to get around them, anyway.

[racinchikki]

Why my mom uses a minivan on a daily basis:

1. She takes in foster kids. This means she normally has 2 or more children at a time in the vehicle. She can't leave them home because Dad works all week, so there's no one there to watch them. She has to have the children with her.

2. She likes to have the extra space in case she buys something big. Grocery shopping for a large family is much easier when you have more space than is easily afforded by the trunks of most of the cars in her price range, plus it's harder to bring home cribs, furniture and such when you have to strap it to the roof rack.

3. She bought a minivan for ease in child and item transportation, and she can't afford to buy another car for daily driving just because people might think the van's a little bit on the large side.

[Lsura]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
How about we just teach kids not to bicker about pointless stuff like "mommy, mommy, he's touching me"?

Yeah, like my parent's didn't try to keep three kids, ages 4, 5, and 8 from fighting in the back seat of the station wagon. We were disciplined. Guess what? Happened anyway. Why? Cause we were normal kids.

And I have no problem with mini vans. It's the damn SUVs that I hate. Too many people who can't handle big cars well are driving them too fast.

[Nefarious Chipmunk]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
How about we just teach kids not to bicker about pointless stuff like "mommy, mommy, he's touching me"?

Anyway, back to the OP-- is there a good reason that people use mini-vans on a daily basis (ignoring family vacations and such)? Today I saw no less than 3 people driving them alone to or from their jobs.

Here is a reason, just because you saw them driving alone then, doesn't mean that they will be all day. My mom drove a mini-van for years because she had four kids who she had to drive places. What was she supposed to do? Have a separate car that she drove when she was by herself. What a complete waste that would have been.

And as for the seeing through them to judge traffic in front of them, why don't you just stay a safe distance behind them? What do you do when you get stuck behind a big rig?

[Jack Batty]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
How about we just teach kids not to bicker about pointless stuff like "mommy, mommy, he's touching me"?

Now that's funny.
While we're at it, lets all teach our goldfish to juggle.

[Civil Defense]

And as for the seeing through them to judge traffic in front of them, why don't you just stay a safe distance behind them? What do you do when you get stuck behind a big rig?

I hate them, too, but they pay far greater highway taxes than mini-van owners do, so I can't complain. Much anyway.

Now that's funny.
While we're at it, lets all teach our goldfish to juggle.

I've seen it done.

The kid thing, not the goldfish.

[Gatopescado]

well, im not really the mini-van type guy, but i used to have one and i could put 2 race bikes in it, all the tools and fuel i needed for a weekend, cruise at 80 mph for hours and once i got where i was going, i had a place to sleep! now that i have a kiddo and wife, i wish i still had the goddamn thing!

learn to fucking drive, and it won't make a rats ass what anyone else has on the fucking road around you. maybe you need to shitcan the hamster-powered saturn-fuck and get somehthing with a higher horsepower number than your (low) I.Q. if you find getting around them too difficult! Can't see around it? drop your nuts and pass the mother-fucker or park your sorry roller-skate and take the fucking bus!

jesus h. jumped-up christ! whining about someone elses vehicle? what is your next excuse to mask your own shortcomings?

(nothing personal, i don't even know you!)

[racinchikki]

Let's get rid of semis, too, because you can't see through them to gauge the traffic in front! Then we can cripple our entire nation's infrastructure! Woohoo!

[Civil Defense]

learn to fucking drive, and it won't make a rats ass what anyone else has on the fucking road around you. maybe you need to shitcan the hamster-powered saturn-fuck and get somehthing with a higher horsepower number than your (low) I.Q. if you find getting around them too difficult! Can't see around it? drop your nuts and pass the mother-fucker or park your sorry roller-skate and take the fucking bus!
jesus h. jumped-up christ! whining about someone elses vehicle? what is your next excuse to mask your own shortcomings?
(nothing personal, i don't even know you!)

You're right, you don't. I don't drive a Saturn, nor do I drive a pair of roller skates. I drive a 2002 Camaro SS. I guess a 325 IQ is considered low nowadays, eh?

Let's get rid of semis, too, because you can't see through them to gauge the traffic in front! Then we can cripple our entire nation's infrastructure! Woohoo!

Just be glad I'm not in charge of our national transportation system.

[Xploder]

What the fuck kind of minivans do you drive behind anyway? Mine is the same width that my Mercury was. Oh. I get it. You drive behind those new Greyhound ones right? If you're driving a fucking Camaro, quit bitching and pass the fucking things.

[Scarlett67]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
Anyway, back to the OP-- is there a good reason that people use mini-vans on a daily basis (ignoring family vacations and such)? Today I saw no less than 3 people driving them alone to or from their jobs.

How do you know they were going to their jobs?

I drive a minivan. Mr. S and I (who have no kids and don't plan to) live out in the middle of nowhere. He drives the little putt-putt car to work (when he has a job, that is -- right now he's a victim of the economy). I work at home, and when I need to go anywhere, I use the minivan. We can't afford to have more than two vehicles, and since we're in the sticks, public transportation is out. Believe me, if I could use a putt-putt for running to the store or the post office, I would. AS it is, we use the car as much as possible when we're going somewhere together.

Why do we have a minivan? Because on summer weekends, I load it up with my canopy, displays, and inventory and sell my handmade jewelry at outdoor festivals. A minivan is the smallest vehicle that will hold all that, plus camping gear for overnights.

So put that in your tailpipe and smoke it.

Oh, and what say we judge drivers individually, instead of by what type of vehicle they're in? Thanks

[Civil Defense]

How do you know they were going to their jobs?

Because I can visibly see them pull into employee parking lots.

Why do we have a minivan? Because on summer weekends, I load it up with my canopy, displays, and inventory and sell my handmade jewelry at outdoor festivals. A minivan is the smallest vehicle that will hold all that, plus camping gear for overnights.

As stated, family vacations or large trips don't qualify. They're good reasons :P

Oh, and what say we judge drivers individually, instead of by what type of vehicle they're in? Thanks

Because this is the Pit, and I can generalize if I want, albeit obnoxious. :-D

[AwSnappity]

Minivans are especially wonderful when taking long trips. (Note: that is a situation when there would probably be two adults in the car.) I hate being stuck in the backseat next to my two siblings when we go for car rides that are 90 minutes or longer, and I'm 17 (don't tell me to grow up, either; it's cramped as hell back there). Minivans allow for us each to have our personal space.

[Civil Defense]

Minivans are especially wonderful when taking long trips.

Long trips aside, I don't see a practical purpose for owning one that doesn't have an alternative, and usually a cheaper one at that. But that's just me.

I hate being stuck in the backseat next to my two siblings when we go for car rides that are 90 minutes or longer, and I'm 17 (don't tell me to grow up, either; it's cramped as hell back there).

Being 17 also, it would be difficult for me to tell you to grow up.

[iampunha]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
Because this is the Pit, and I can generalize if I want, albeit obnoxious. :-D

Incorrect, but thanks very much for playing. Generalizations, unless they are made in jest, do not belong on this board except in the form of, say, 1+1=2 (except in Euclidean geometry).

So generalizing about every single minivan driver based on the three you saw is not only a bad generalization, it is ignorance.

We fight that here.

[Scarlett67]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
As stated, family vacations or large trips don't qualify. They're good reasons :P

They're not vacations, nor are they usually long trips. But they are for business. (Check my tax return for the mileage deductions.) I trust that when you pull me over so I can justify my choice of vehicle to you, you'll be satisfied?

And I thought you were looking for good reasons.

[racinchikki]

No no no, he's looking for reasons that he can shoot down with illogic so he can continue to disparage people based on their choice of vehicle. Duh!

[Civil Defense]

No no no, he's looking for reasons that he can shoot down with illogic so he can continue to disparage people based on their choice of vehicle. Duh!

Calm down.. the Pit is a place to rant. I ranted. Get over it.

[racinchikki]

And I'm ranting back. Get it over it yourself, Camaroboy.

[BiblioCat]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
Find a better way to tote your kids around. Your wide-ass vehicle prevents me from navigating traffic safely. For the same price, you can buy a decent mid-size car to carry your kids around...

What if you have more than three kids? Sedans only have room for five.
Minivans aren't any wider than most regular cars, and definitely not as wide as some of those big-ass SUVs.
How do you know all those people going to work (alone in a minivan) didn't just drop off their four or five kids at school and the sitter's?

[Civil Defense]

And I'm ranting back. Get it over it yourself, Camaroboy.

Sounds like a great screen name, thanks. :P

[Derleth]

Originally posted by Civil Defense

Calm down.. the Pit is a place to rant. I ranted. Get over it.

No, a rant has style, form, and logic. You just threw up bad generalizations and petty anger. Now clean it up before someone with talent sees it.

[Kamandi]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
I drive a 2002 Camaro SS.

Well you won't be able to get three kids, a dog and a week's worth of groceries in that!

[Civil Defense]

Well you won't be able to get three kids, a dog and a week's worth of groceries in that!

Sounds like a challenge ;-)

[Scarlett67]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
Generally I can see through the windows of a pickup truck to judge traffic ahead of them, whereas with a mini-van it's nearly impossible.

Hey pal, if the only way you can see traffic ahead is by looking through my windows, maybe you should back the fuck off so you're more than two feet away from my rear bumper. I'm already doing 60 in a 55 zone, so go speed on someone else's ass!

Tailgating makes the baby Jesus cry.

[Civil Defense]

Hey pal, if the only way you can see traffic ahead is by looking through my windows, maybe you should back the fuck off so you're more than two feet away from my rear bumper. I'm already doing 60 in a 55 zone, so go speed on someone else's ass!

You're not the problem. The problem folks are the ones who do 45 in a 65.

[racinchikki]

The problem folks are the ones who are driving too closely behind the people in front of them, not matter WHAT the speed is. You should pass them if they are driving that slowly, and if you can't see around them to gauge oncoming traffic in order to pass it is because you are FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY.

[Kamandi]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
Long trips aside, I don't see a practical purpose for owning one that doesn't have an alternative, and usually a cheaper one at that. But that's just me.

You're just a dumbass, too. But being 17, you'll likely grow out of it.

Nobody buys a minivan if they don't need the fucking thing. They're not exactly show cars, y'know? Which one do you think would get you more pussy: your Camaro or a minivan? Minivans, however, are ideal for many, many uses.

So if every minivan owner needs it for some trips but not all, what do you suggest they do? Buy a different vehicle for every occasion? Minivan only for long trips and shopping, pickup truck for Home Depot, compact car for commuting to work, Camaro for picking up hookers? I'll need a bigger garage. And a bigger paycheck. Everyone doesn't get their car from their parents, y'know.

[Civil Defense]

You're just a dumbass, too. But being 17, you'll likely grow out of it.

Gee, thanks.

Nobody buys a minivan if they don't need the fucking thing. They're not exactly show cars, y'know? Which one do you think would get you more pussy: your Camaro or a minivan? Minivans, however, are ideal for many, many uses.

I wouldn't know which would get me more pussy. Would you?

Camaro for picking up hookers? I'll need a bigger garage. And a bigger paycheck. Everyone doesn't get their car from their parents, y'know.

Your overall tone suggests that your generalized idea of those who drive Camaros intend to pick up hookers and score pussy. I thought we discouraged generalizations?

And I didn't get my car from my parents, either, if that was your implication.

and if you can't see around them to gauge oncoming traffic in order to pass it is because you are FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY.

Either that, or the mom driving the hulk of steel in front of me is swerving back in forth into various lanes because she's busy telling her kids to leave each other alone.

[racinchikki]

Originally posted by Kamandi
So if every minivan owner needs it for some trips but not all, what do you suggest they do? Buy a different vehicle for every occasion? Minivan only for long trips and shopping, pickup truck for Home Depot, compact car for commuting to work, Camaro for picking up hookers? I'll need a bigger garage. And a bigger paycheck. Everyone doesn't get their car from their parents, y'know. [/b]

That would be awesome! I could have an '84 Wagoneer and a '97 pickup truck for hauling stuff, and a '61 Nash Metropolitan for driving around looking cute in, and my '88 Z-24 for everyday tooling around, and a '55 Hudson Hornet for getting groceries (MASSIVE car, HUGE trunk), and a huge Mercury convertible for stylish road trips...

Of course, I'd need to win the lottery several times, and buy an airplane hangar to park my cars in.


Kamandi, you also have an excellent point about minivans being Cars of Last Resort. It's not like people stand in the car showroom saying, "Y'know, that there Intrepid is a mighty sporty car, but that Caravan? THAT's sexy! Gimme two!"

[iampunha]

Civil Defense, do you have a cousin named FatherJohn?

[Civil Defense]

Civil Defense, do you have a cousin named FatherJohn?

I don't get it... can someone explain this to me, please?

[AwSnappity]

Originally posted by Civil Defense

I don't get it... can someone explain this to me, please?

I believe FatherJohn was a poster who did nothing but complain about SUVs.

[racinchikki]

FatherJohn used to post threads all the time bitching about SUVs... I never kept up because I was bored with it... run a search for his username.

[Xploder]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
I guess a 325 IQ is considered low nowadays, eh?

Yeah. I have a 12 inch dick too.....

[Civil Defense]

FatherJohn used to post threads all the time bitching about SUVs... I never kept up because I was bored with it... run a search for his username.

I believe FatherJohn was a poster who did nothing but complain about SUVs.

Poor, poor man...

Yeah. I have a 12 inch dick too.....

My implication wasn't that I have a 325 IQ; had you read the prior post you would've understood what I was referring to.

[Scarlett67]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
You're not the problem. The problem folks are the ones who do 45 in a 65.

Oh, pray enlighten us. What is the minimum difference in speed at which it's OK for you to tailgate someone? Would you be tailgating me if I were doing 65 in a 65? How about 60? What if it's dark, or rainy, or icy, or foggy? Is it OK with you if I go slower because I'm watching for deer? Or maybe I'm leaving enough following room (foreign concept, I know) between me and the guy in front of me, who happens to be going slower than YOU'D like. Or maybe I'm going 5 mph under the speed limit because I've got time to kill and I'm not in such a big damn hurry. Deal with it.

And if Soccer Mom is swerving because she's hollering at the kids, that's reflective of her driving skills, not the car she's driving. She'd probably be doing that in a sedan too, if she doesn't have enough sense to watch the road. So stay back A SAFE DISTANCE until it's safe to pass, if you're in such a hurry. Or call the cops on her for reckless driving. But don't blame the vehicle.

I suppose next you'll tell us she shouldn't have kids at all, because they inconvenience you?

[Civil Defense]

I never said tailgating was EVER acceptable.

[Xploder]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
My implication wasn't that I have a 325 IQ; had you read the prior post you would've understood what I was referring to.

MY apologies. Guess I missed that in my haste.[/b]













I still have a 12 inch dick though

[iampunha]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
Poor, poor man...

It's the Pot-Kettle World Tour on a stop in Chicago, everyone!

Gather 'round for autographs! Pot does the dancing, Kettle sings the song and gets the girl!

::clapclapclapclapclap::

[Civil Defense]

MY apologies. Guess I missed that in my haste.

It's cool..

I still have a 12 inch dick though

Psht. Is that ALL?

[iampunha]

Originally posted by Civil Defense

Psht. Is that ALL? [/b]

That's his dick's dick.

His real dick drives a minivan.

[racinchikki]

Originally posted by Civil Defense
I never said tailgating was EVER acceptable.

Well, since most of your complaints seem to stem from what sure as hell sounds like following too close... Can't see through their windows to gauge oncoming traffic? You're following too closely! Back off! Afraid she might be weaving back and forth while yelling at her kids? If you think it's an immediate danger, you should Back Off and not follow so closely! Pissed that she's going too slowly? First of all, what the hell are you in so much of a hurry for? And secondly, pass her - and if you can't because you can't see around her, it's because YOU'RE FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY!