Minivans are typically pictured as something for- soccer moms or families. They are built to safely accomidate up to 8 people. Not for high speeds. sports cars - on the other hand - are built to look cool, seat about 2 or 4 people, and can have amazing horsepower. but my family owns a minivan and we call it Nacho Car - cause its salsa red. get it - heh heh - oh never mind. from my opinion minivans are cool.

Some of us don't give a sweet dang what our "image" is. We're happy to drive the most capable vehicle on this planet. Minivans will be around for a long time despite people believing that it’s "uncool" to have a family style vehicle. Minivans are an excellent buy and drive like a dream. A whole generation along with the media planted the idea of the minivan being “uncool”. Sorry guys, minivans are here to stay! The fast growing Korean automaker Kia has just launched its "all-new" Sedona minivan. If some folks enjoy being packed in like sardines in a tiny glob of metal that's their choice but don't knock what you haven't tried - long live the minivan! :-)

Minivans are uncool for a bunch of reasons, here goes: 1) They are a box with wheels, the polar opposite of a sports car, no aerodynamics, no rumble, no performance, no flashy colors, no appeal! 2) They're practical, name another car in the history of the auto industry that was both practical and cool...okay maybe one or two but thats about it, those cars are definately the exception! 3) No individuality, they all look basically alike, just think of the profiles for the Oddessey, Sienna, Sedona, MPV, Venture, Windstar, Grand Caravan...Mechanically, sure they are not all equal, but really, do any one of these vehicles look any better or worse than the others, not to me, they all look the same. 4) They symbolize the end of your youth & the beginning of your "responsible" years. Run a poll of people under the age of 25 asking "If you could be given any car that retails for less than $30 000, which would you choose?" Would any minivan make the top 10 ...the top 50, I don't think so. And don't hand me the arguement that this question is for anybody, not just people under 25. Last I looked, most people in their 30's aren't going around gushing about the relative coolness of cars, it gets mentioned & thats about it. 5) People buy these cars because they need them, they have kids, tons of groceries, new things for the house, they need the space. Today's "Mom & Dad" own these cars. Through history the Station Wagon & the big boat cars of the 60's & 50's necessary for the family of the day have never been cool...hell the covered wagon even fits this category (think...Michael Landon going from Bonanza to Little House on the Prarie) Mom & Dads vehicle is NEVER cool. This is just My opinion, hope its Useful!

To be honest, I had no idea that mini-vans were considered 'not cool'. Next, SUV's will be not cool. Hey, I had a mini-van and it served it's purpose at the time, now I don't need all that extra space, but do need added seating, so I bought an SUV that serves it's purpose just fine. What is cool, is that people get what they need to fill their personal needs and conveniences. Who cares what's cool or not when it comes to personal preferences? That's why there are so many choices out there on the auto market.

I have 6 children and asked 4 of them what they think of minivans - the overwhelming response was "Ewwwwwwwwww". One child says that if we got a minivan, she absolutely would not drive it other than to go to Lake Michigan with a carload of friends, IF she could wear a disguise. I like them for long trips since kids can lay down and there's still room for luggage. But for teens and those in their 20's that don't have a litter of kids, the minivan denotes responsibility, safety, old people (those of us in our 40's +), etc. I have yet to see a minivan pull up to a sporty car and rev its' engine as if to say "want to race?"

Keeping in mind that I am currently without a car and would love to have transportation of any kind, including a three wheel bike with attached baskets, a mini van isn't uncool for me. But around here they are uncool because lots of folks (NOT ALL OF THEM!) driving them seem to think minivan equals driving priveleges the rest of us don't have. Examples: parking/stopping wherever, even if just for a few minutes. Cutting you off (one woman said because she had kids in the car and getting somewhere was more important for her. I still don't know what that means.) But I think it's sometimes a people with money/and or credit kinda thing. (envy?) Either way, to some, image IS everything. But for me, with gas prices, I'll think I'll go for the bike...

Because people are stupid. Minivans are practical vehicles. Practical vehicles are a sign that you don't have enough money to buy an impractical toy and adorn it with useless stuff. You don't want to convey that sort of image. That's not cool. The less practical the vehicle, the cooler it is. Get in a Dodge Viper, go shopping, then figure out how to load your purchases in there AND afford to refill the (now empty) gas tank now that you spent your money on other stuff. Impractical, but you LOOK cool! And it also means you got $80,000 burning a hole in your pocket; even cooler!! When you consider that cool involves 5-inch muffler tips, 4-inch drop kits, kilowatt steraos, and big-screen DVD players, uncool isn't all that bad. I am not going to install a lift kit in a Monte Carlo just so I can ruin my gearing and handling by mounting 32-inch rims either, no matter how cool that is. Some would argue that the Scion xB and Honda Element are minivans. Heck, the only difference between a mini-van and a mid-sized SUV is that SUVs have hinged doors and not sliders. Same frame, engine, etcetera... Replace the slidng door(s) with hinged ones, rename it, and you got an SUV, and SUVs are uber-cool!

Haha First of all, Minivans are only as uncool as you let them be. I am 19, and one of the cars I have to drive a lot is a minivan. Its green and it has leather interior. Other than that, it doesn't have much. Whenever my friends rag on me for driving the mini van, i just remind them of what I can use it for. It has a spacious back, Ideal for road trips or just like making it a place to chill out (i've put carpet and bean bag chairs in the back sometimes). I also figured out to peel out hardcore in it. Bottom line, mini-vans are uncool because the people who usually drive them are moms. They look passive, but you dont have to let them be passive.

Minivans are uncool because they are so unsexy! Seriously, have you ever seen a REALLY hot mom driving a minivan? No. Really hot moms drive Cadillac Escalades. They go to the grocery store in their tennis skirt and flirt with the pool boy. They go to salons and shop at Forever 21. Minivan mamas are resigned to their place in life; they are frumpy, wear sweats, hair in a messy ponytail. They use Suave shampoo and Ivory soap. Wait, don't freak on me, minivan moms, this is the image. I AM a minivan mom and I LOVE my van. I love that I can open the automatic door from a mile away (I have a '99, there's only one automatic door), I love that I can go back and change a diaper while my husband drives down the interstate (hypothetical, people: don't call social services), I love that I can configure the seats in all kinds of ways to accomodate my stuff. I wouldn't trade in my uncool minivan for anything in the world right now. Maybe in a few years when my kids are alot older, or I have a midlife crisis and get a pool boy, but not right now. www.iusedtobecool.com