Talk me into getting an SUV over a minivan

In My Humble Opinion
21

Really!
I drive my wife’s mini van with no problem. And if any ever gives me a problem or makes a comment, my first question “so you like paying extra in gas and purchase price just to look good?” Second question is what is wrong with you letting other people that you have little connection with say what you will drive. And lastly everyone knows “Happy wife, Happy life. Unhappy wife, unhappy life!”

Advantages of mini van gas millage. more room to carry stuff and people. Keeps it value longer.

Advantage of SUV. Get bigger engine, tow stuff. Can go off road better.

22

I would find yourself a 12- or 13-year-old boy to take on your SUV test drives and see how he likes the back seat(s). Eventually your kids are going to get bigger and they will want their own seats, legroom, etc. Minivan will be the one for that.

I drove my friend’s Town & Country (minivan) around one day to pick up some furniture for her. Not only were there all these spiffy controls as well as the dual-side easy-open doors, it also fit 3 dressers in the back!! Thing is HUGE. And the seats are super easy to configure and yes it’s totally easy to get kids in and out.

My brother has a Rav-4 with two kids. Fits the kids just fine but he can’t haul shit in there when he’s got any kids/car seats. My friend with the Minivan hauls EVERYTHING with two kids (or one).

When they go on trips with his SILs and their 4 kids (6 kids total) they always take the SIL’s big van.

One or two kids is fine for an SUV but I can’t imagine anything but a minivan for 5.

23

What about something like and Volvo XC90 or BMW X5 that can do both duties?

But unless you are doing relatively serious off roading, or are into skiing I’d be all for the minivan.

For most “camping” it won’t need a 4WD to access the campsite

24

Drove a minivan for years, then our kids grew up and moved out, and we bought an SUV.

Dollar for dollar, a minivan will give you more space and more cargo room. Sure, you can get a Suburban that will be bigger, but you’re talking more money. The minivan will almost certainly give you better gas mileage.

If you’re hauling three or four kids in a carpool, that sliding door in a minvan is going to be a godsend. The one advantage to the smaller SUV (and it’s an important one for my wife!) is a higher seating position.

About the national parks? How about if you rent a nice, big, manly, SUV for a week, and keep one of your sedans for the rest of the time when you don’t need a monster?

25

I acknowledge that mini-vans have their place and they are great vehicles for their intended purpose. However, I do think that they are emasculating even for some women oddly enough and that is not a trivial concern. I do judge people by their choice of vehicle just like the vast majority of Americans do. It may not be fair but that is the way things work from everything from clothes to housing choices. The OP would be setting her husband up for sometimes unspoken ridicule among his peers if he has to drive a minivan as a primary vehicle.

I already made a compromise to buy an SUV when my kids became old enough to need more room. My preferred vehicle is still a BMW sedan but that isn’t practical right now and I will go back to that in a few years. I made myself a promise a long time ago that I was never getting a mini-van and I have kept it. It isn’t because the vehicles are bad themselves. It is because every one of them that I have ever been in has been like the nastiest preschool holding cell that you have ever seen. Old and dried up snacks are in every crevice and they always have a weird smell. No thanks.

This is my least favorite saying in the world and the one I refuse to abide by. It is the main reason I got a divorce. That made me unhappy in the same way that winning the lottery and declaring every day as National Pie Day would make me unhappy. That is, it is the best thing ever. Even my ex-wife has enough style to avoid mini-vans and she never insisted that I should get one myself. Her new vehicle is a BMW X5 and it can carry as many people as you need unless your last name is Dugar.

Vehicle styles are very important to most men even if they aren’t into cars much otherwise. The equivalent for a woman would be that you start buying completely utilitarian styles of clothes because they can cover your body just as well but cheaper.

26

I feel like I’ve wandered into an episode of The Sopranos circa 1999. Are there really still people who ridicule their peers because they drive a minivan? Are minivans a symptom of homosexuality? One would think the opposite would be true. How fucking insecure would you have to be for that to be an issue?

Conversely, I don’t believe there are any huge SUVs or full size trucks on the road that aren’t driven by tiny suburban housewives or very short men compensating for their tiny penises. I mean maybe an exception exists somewhere but that describes 99% of the population. Even if I had an actual use for a Tahoe or something I think I would rather get something else out of sheer embarrasement lest I be mistaken for one of these people.

27

I was thoroughly confused by this thread until I realised that a US minivan (something like a Citroen Grand C4 Picasso) is not the same as a UK minivan (Vauxhall Combo)!

28

For several years we owned a Sienna and a Matrix - the Sienna was “my” car of the 2. IMO, for everything except off-roading, the minivan is simply more practical than the SUV. We bought our minivan when our 3 kids were getting older. The headroom and leg space in a minivan - captain’s chairs our 2d row, exceed most SUVs other than the biggest. And you can’t even compare the cargo space. Fold down the rear row, and you can slip a washer or dryer in there. For moving, taking a kid to college, or even a long trip, there is no comparison. I also personally prefer the sliders on a minivan, especially in crowded parking lots. The Sienna was very short, easy to park, and got great mileage.

If you are only going camping once or twice a year, I’d suggest you consider renting an SUV for those occasions, and drive the more practical car more often. Of course, the opposite argument would be to rent a minivan when you took your kid to college, etc.

We test drove the Volvo XC70. Really nice (tho pricey) car. But my wife and I concluded it would be selfish for us to enjoy those front seats while cramming our growing kids into the back bench.

One potential consideration - if you plan on using a roof rack, check out the max weight. I recall our minivan had a relatively low max - once you put an enclosed carrier up there, you had to be mindful of what you put in it.

Full disclosure - I actually recall driving my brandnew minivan home from the dealer. I was stopped at a light next to an attractive young woman. For a second, I thought something along the lines of, “Yeah, she’ll probably check me out in my brandnew car” before realizing that in my 30s and driving a minivan, I was INVISIBLE to young women. :cool: Similarly, I remember years earlier, walking down a beach, tightening my abs as I checked out the ladies, before realizing that the baby on my shoulders spitting up into my hair made me similarly invisible.

Tell your husband to grow up and welcome this period of his life. I drove my minivan to golf, martial arts, rock concerts… Sure can’t recall a single instance where any of my friends suggested anything uncomplimentary about my vehicle. And if they did, I would have laughed it off or told them to fuck off. It was paid for and got me and my family/stuff where we wanted to go. Which is what mattered most at that point in my life. What is really cool IMO is doing what is best for myself, and not worrying about how other folk will judge me for my choices.

I’d suggest the best balance would be a minivan and something smaller and sportier - maybe a small wagon/hatch like a Golf or Impreza.

29

If you buy an SUV, you are a horrible person. If you buy a minivan, you have given up on life. Why not just get a station wagon? The Merc E-class and Volvo XC70/90 seat 7.

30

Jeez. seriously people. Is your husband so insecure in his manliness that driving a minivan will reduce him to a quivering mass of goo in front of his more manly friends?

Buying a vehicle that you will use every day based on “something we do once or twice a year” is just the wrong way to go about it. For those trips to the park, rent something that fits the level of offroad you need. That way you don’t have to live with the shortcomings the rest of the year.

SUVs, as a general rule, do NOT handle well, or least not compared to a similarly sized and loaded minivan or car. Almost every parent who drives an SUV would really have a better experience in a minivan, but the automakers have done a great job of building up a macho-cool factor into the SUV market.

OP, it sounds like you want the convenience of the sliding doors of a minivan. So, get a minivan. It will be a better fit to all the day to day chores of being a parent.

31

Your vehicle needs:

Congratulations, you just described a minivan.

Google:

4WD minivan towing

If your husband insists that it will invalidate his man-card to drive a minivan, tell him to buy a motorcycle.

32

Anyone who insists on a 4WD vehicle because he goes on an unpaved road once a year is basically a fucking baby and should turn in his man card.

33

Make sure it has wood paneling on the sides!

34

I’ve got four kids. I sold my BMW 3-series sedan to buy my Honda Odyssey. And I feel no less a man. Weird.

FYI OP. With most minivans and mid-size and larger SUVs, there are multiple seating configuration that will have you able to haul between 5 to 9 people. Where I truly notice the difference is how much other stuff you can fit into a minivan with all those people. I take the kids camping and on other week-long vacations. There is no way, short of a Chevy Suburban or Yukon XL, that I could pack all them and the gear into an SUV - most do not have the rear storage space. With the minivan, I get to play Tetris packing it all in - it’s a blast!

Get the minivan.

35

Bolding mine. You may think all you want, but that does not mean you are in any way correct. I am a man, with a growing family, and often have ‘van envy’ when I see some of my friends driving the newer mini-vans. Many of my man friends, especially the ones who seem to posess greater than average intelligence and decision-making abilities, seem to share my opinion.**

Not really sure how that issue is only limited to mini-vans. My SUV can get preety nasty in between deep cleanings, resembling what you might consider “the nastiest preschool holding cell”. Good job on keeping your promise, though. You are fortunate enought to value image over practicality. For those of us who value practicality over image, we couldn’t care less what others think of our vehicle choices. That is, ulness you want to start paying my car note!

Another example of “Just because you say it does not make it true”

OP-Just get the damn van. I wish I did instead of my 2013 Pathfinder. I love the Pathfinder, but drool at nearly every mini-van I see. The usable 3rd-row, extra storage room, increased gas mileage, better resale, better drive, easier access, etc. As soon as I financially able to do so, the SUV is going away and I am getting an Odyssey or Sienna. BTW, we go camping frequently, and I have never had the need for 4WD or higher ground clearance, but I am ALWAYS wishing I had extra room.

36

Her husband already said that he didn’t want a mini-van though. Someone has to argue on the poor guy’s side. It is hardly a rare viewpoint.

37

The XC70 only seats five. The Volvo XC90 does have third row seating, but that is an SUV. The Mercedes seats 7, but there won’t be any storage. That might work if you only need the extra seating a few times a year, and on occasions where you won’t be hauling stuff. Wagons have for the most part been replaced by minivans, SUVs, and car based cross-overs.

I’ve owned SUVs and I don’t think that they drive any better than a minivan. None of them will be particularly nimble vehicles. As for the cool factor or the manliness factor, I don’t think that what you drive really affects your sperm count.

38

Hm. The old XC70 had available third row seating. Shame. Wagons have been replaced by minivans, SUVs and crossovers because buyers are stupid. If you have five kids, sure, get a minivan. If you’re the OP and there are only four of you, occasional third row seating is exactly what you need; compromising everything else about your vehicle to get that extra seating is idiotic.

39

We have a Honda Odyssey minivan and my wife and I both love it. The sliding doors, as mentioned by others, are awesome when you’re relying on your 5 year old to open his own door without hitting anything. Actually ours has automatic doors, but that is not standard on all trim levels.

And if you need to haul a serious load of stuff, you can fit more in it than in a big SUV when you fold down the 3rd row and remove the 2nd row.

40

“I drive a vehicle that was purchased with the comfort of my 4 children in mind” is emasculating? His dick works just fine. How is this emasculating?

And who wants to be friends, acquaintances or an underling to someone who judges you by your car? Good lord.

Seriously do you think they are sold this way? With the crumbs and weird smell? Or do you think if the same people with the same family had an SUV that it would be magically spotless and smell like the day it rolled off the factory floor?