# Mini-vans **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 23, 2001, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198 "2001-10-23T23:24:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Civil\_Defense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Civil\_Defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Defense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/21 "2001-10-24T00:26:39Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/22 "2001-10-24T00:28:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Civil Defense \* > Because this is the Pit, and I can generalize if I want, albeit obnoxious. 😃 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. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/23 "2001-10-24T00:34:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Civil Defense \* > **As stated, family vacations or large trips don’t qualify. They’re _good_ reasons 😛** 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. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/24 "2001-10-24T00:44:24Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Defense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Civil\_Defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Defense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/25 "2001-10-24T00:45:43Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/26 "2001-10-24T00:49:16Z")
And I’m ranting back. Get it over it yourself, Camaroboy. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/27 "2001-10-24T00:51:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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? ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Defense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Civil\_Defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Defense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/28 "2001-10-24T00:53:02Z")
> [@](#): > > And I’m ranting back. Get it over it yourself, Camaroboy. Sounds like a great screen name, thanks. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/29 "2001-10-24T00:54:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 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. \*\* 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. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/30 "2001-10-24T00:58:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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_! ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Defense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Civil\_Defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Defense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/31 "2001-10-24T01:03:07Z")
> [@](#): > > 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 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/32 "2001-10-24T01:04:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Defense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Civil\_Defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Defense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/33 "2001-10-24T01:05:24Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/34 "2001-10-24T01:08:01Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/35 "2001-10-24T01:09:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Defense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Civil\_Defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Defense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/36 "2001-10-24T01:13:48Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/37 "2001-10-24T01:16:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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. \*\* 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!” ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/38 "2001-10-24T01:20:21Z")
**Civil Defense** , do you have a cousin named **FatherJohn**? ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Defense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Civil\_Defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Defense)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/39 "2001-10-24T01:22:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Civil Defense, do you have a cousin named FatherJohn? I don’t get it… can someone explain this to me, please? ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198/40 "2001-10-24T01:24:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Civil Defense \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > Civil Defense, do you have a cousin named FatherJohn? > > 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. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-vans/89198.md?page=3)