Why I Will Never Drive a Minivan

People tell me it’s inevitable. I say not. Because I have a truck.

No, I will never drive a minivan, and it’s not because I’m so tied to the need to feel like a young and hip mom. I just find my truck so much more practical.

A) Who cares about sliding doors. I need that back door!

I find it so much easier for kids to get in and out of the car when those sitting in the middle row can use side doors, and those sitting in the third row can enter through the back door. Separate entrances for everyone! The third row on minivans is not easily accessible through the trunk door.

B) No, I don’t want to move a seat to access the third row. And no, I don’t either want my kids to be able to easily access the rows where they’re not sitting.

When I rented minivans with two middle bucket seats (and middle access to the back row) on almost every family vacation, my kids would be out of their seat-belts and running in between the rows to bother the too-easily-accessible siblings. And when minivans have a bench instead, it’s way too annoying to have to fold down that middle seat (never mind pushing forward a side seat…those mostly have car seats and boosters) and climb over to get to the back!

C) I love the flexible trunk space.

When my car is not filled to capacity with kids, folding down one, two, or all three seats to expand the trunk to one smooth, flat continuous space is effortless. I find that continuous space so much more functional than the “dip” that minivans have in the back. And yes, don’t let anyone ever tell you there’s less trunk space. Luggage which fit easily into my car on the way to the airport in my truck didn’t fit so easily in the rental minivan when we reached our destinations.

D) Trucks can grow with you as your family grows.

Minivans are all the same size. Trucks, though, come in all different sizes to suit your family’s needs. When you have less than three kids, there are trucks with small back rows in the trunk for the occasional carpool. There are seven-seater trucks with full-size trunks for the next stage, and my current truck is an eight-seater. What’s next after the eight-seater? There are extra-long trucks that have large trunks even when all the seats are up.

What happens when a family grows beyond six kids? Well, they wouldn’t fit in a minivan then anyway!