On Monday morning, we got a babysitter (no daycare because of President’s Day). We headed down to Roxbury with all of Adam’s research. And we test drove… minivans. Two specifically: the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey. The first thing you need to know is I hate car shopping. The last thing you need to know is I hate car shopping.
Both minivans drove just fine. They’re not stunning cars (Adam thought I was kidding when I complained, “The dashboards are ugly!” but really, who wants to look at an ugly dashboard?). Adam kept asking which I liked better, but honestly, they were really about the same. We had our checkbook in hand, the old car ready for a trade-in, and were mentally prepared to walk out with a new car. The prices were within about $500 of each other.
The Honda salesman seemed to be too busy to give us much time. The Toyota salesman, however, was breathing down our necks. “You don’t need leather seats. Just do what I do: Don’t allow any food or drink in the car for any trip under three hours.” “Oh, okay, you can get the LE and simply add leather.” “You won’t need to move that seat very often–it doesn’t matter that it doesn’t slide.” “I got kids, too, and this car is perfect.” He kept disappearing to do God only knows what. Took forever. Adam tells me that’s a sales technique, that they like to make the customer wait because then the customer becomes impatient and wants to make a deal quickly. Didn’t work on me.
I told the sales guy, “Listen, we’ve got a babysitter at home. We have to leave soon.” He dawdled. He disappeared for a bit. He returned with a sales manager. He thought he had us reeled in but he didn’t get that I was serious. Minivan or no minivan, I was thirty minutes from home sans br*east pump. “We’ve got to go,” I told him. He smiled and leaned back in his chair to negotiate some more. Finally, I’d had enough and I picked up my bag. “You’ve got to understand. I’m a breastfeeding mama and in about five minutes, I’m going to be in a world of pain, so we’re leaving now.” I’m a little sorry now that this was one of those rare moments when I actually censored what I said, because what I meant was, “Hey, jerk! My b*oobs are about to explode!”
And since we didn’t walk out with the minivan, it’s given me lots of time to rethink my minivan position and I believe I’m over it. Really, it shouldn’t be such a leap. I already drive a station wagon, albeit a station wagon I love (a 2002 version of this). I so love my car. Love, love, love. It’s a beauty of a car. And yet… I must find but another to love. The Audi has two points against it: One, a convertible infant car seat in the rear-facing position renders the front passenger seat unusable, so Adam and I will not be able to travel with our children together until Sweetie Pie is both over one years old and twenty pounds. Two, the warranty on the Audi is up soon. Right now the full warranty covers all service. The thing is, the Audi actually goes in for quite a bit of service. And it won’t be economical to keep it. So I need a new car sooner or later. And let’s face it: the minivan just makes sense now.
Here we are in limbo. What do we get? An SUV so there’s room for car seats (and if we do that, a hybrid tops my list)? Another, larger, station wagon? The minivan? Chuck common sense, decide the kids really never need to leave the house, and go for the Boxster? The biggest argument that I can see for the minivan is it means I don’t have to test drive any more cars. (Did I mention I hate car shopping?)
The only response is the Scarlett O’Hara one: I’ll think about it tomorrow.
My wife told me that “over my dead body, will I ever be seen driving a mini-van”. Well, the body is not dead and she is driving a mini-van. The test drive went exactly like you said and she walked out of two dealerships before finally allowing me to buy one… The key to winning over her mood was as follows:
* rear parking assist (so we don’t hit anything while backing up and being distracted by two kids).
* two automatic remote control side sliding doors so she can hold both kids hands walking and hit the remote without ever having to let go of any hands.
* 16″ tires and a suspension package that must be approved by NASCAR (I know it is a minivan, but still…).
* 6 CD changer with DVD entertainment center (how did we ever grow up without watching The Wiggles, Bob the Builder, The Doodlebops, Little Einsteins, etc in the car? I was so deprived. It is amazing I made it through college – though it might explain some grades?)
* Cloth interior (even though the van had every other bell and whistle known to mankind – try finding that config at a dealer – 2 in our 2 county area). Apparently she felt better about the wear of cloth and hated the leather feel during the winter/summer with our other car.
Some advice I got that I now know was sound:
1. For the second row make sure you have bucket seats as opposed to a bench. It is harder, but not impossible for the kids to hurt each other that way. In our model, the kids sit further apart from one another that way. We also had more room to walk around in the vehicle when you need to pull over and “straighten people out”.
2. Make sure the heater/AC actually has a seperate blower/fan that directs air to the second and third rows / back of the vehicle (option on some models). It really helps the kids in the second row and guests in the third row and Dad when he crouches in the very back during grandparent visits (when the whole family goes anywhere).
If there is an extended length model, get it. Don’t ask why. You will learn to use every inch of the vehicle, which by the way is very handy when you open the rear hatch and use the back as an emergency diaper changing table. After all, you have a son, too.
You will wonder how you ever lived without a mini-van. And one dark night, you may even leave home driving it without a disguise on 🙂 Good luck!
Yes, bucket seats in the middle. The automatic doors and tailgate are a bonus. We don’t have the rear parking assist but I find that it’s much easier to back up than my old jeep was. There are more windows and you sit higher. I just love having all the space and being able to configure seats or put them away when I need to.
You’ll fall in love with it really quickly. Plus now that Sydni has friends we have extra seats for them and it enables me to trade carpool weeks with other moms!
If we ever get a minivan, it’s the hubby’s car and I *will* get my Vespa. The hell if I’m dashing around town in a minivan. *pout*
hehe…good luck.
Two sets of relatives drive Honda Odysseys, and they really love them. Personally, I’d go with the hands-off dealership, in any case. 🙂
Roni, You could do what my wife did… Buy your ideal car first and get all the options the mini-van doesn’t have… then “give it” to the hubby when you get the mini-van… Remember, “what’s yours is yours and what’s his is yours”. Then take it on any moments notice when you want to get far away from the rest of the family. It works for my wife. You too will be assimulated. hehehehe.