You folks likely have never heard “Hey, Little Minivan” by the Austin Lounge Lizards, a spoof of the Beach Boys’ “Fun Fun Fun”.
http://www.lyricsmania.com/lyrics/austin_lounge_lizards_lyrics_18379/

The major complaint seems to be that minivans are ‘ugly’. Only when you don’t compare them to cargo vans. Or Hummers. Or most SUVs. In fact, other than actual sports cars, most American cars, including hybrids, are plug ugly look-alike boxes on wheels– they even make the Rambler and Pacer look stylish, because they at least had personality, which was the VW bug and bus’ sales point. The Toyota Scion takes the box look to an extreme.

If Detroit could make cars with the high-tech, great mileage of the 2000s hybrids, with the sharp styling of about 1957-75, auto plants wouldn’t be going on layoff. Europe and Asia have proven that small can be beautiful. But we just don’t get it.

I’ve had four Chrysler Corp. minivans (2nd and 3rd generation versions) over the past 14 years, and I love them. Plus, it is my opinion that they look pretty “cool” in Sport trim (with the alloy wheels, monochrome paint, and rear spoiler - though nobody will mistake you for Kyle Petty…)

Chrysler Corp. minivans get a bad rap for quality that I think is not completely deserved. Yes, they have some particular issues (transmission and window motors), but they are not alone in that regard.

Decent looks, good fuel economy, fantastic people/payload carrying options. That’s cool in my book.

nothing wrong with minivans. my only bitch is the honda odyssey. seems only obnoxious people drive them. women talking on the cellphone to their neigbor trying to decide whether to put mustard or catsup on thier kid’s weiners, cutting in and out of traffic. i would like crunch each one of them with my big gas guzzling suv.

right on waldo

“They probably lost favor to the SUV because in many ways an SUV can hold a lot of stuff and passengers”.

Our Sienna is much roomier than SUVs I’ve seen. The Explorer only has two rows of seating. With the Sienna set up for two rows of seating (the third row stored), the cargo area on the Sienna is much larger. With the third row up it’s not much smaller, and you can carry extra passengers. Perhaps a gigantic SUV would be bigger, but why spend all that extra money (up front and long-term in gas), just to have a behemoth that most of the time isn’t being fully utilized? Most people could get by with cars. With the money you save you can rent a pickup from Lowe’s or Home Depot for 50 bucks the once every 3 months you need it.

Hate ‘em. They’re just station wagons with more head room to me. Probably a lot of a mini-van’s uncoolness comes from it’s name. It’s a MINI van. Like a Mini Cooper. Only chicks should be driving cars that are labeled MINI-anything. They could have come up with a better name. I mean come on. The SUV existed long before the term “SUV” did(Ford Bronco, Toyota Land Cruiser, Chevy Blazer, etc), but once they got a cool name like “SUV” in the early to mid 90’s, their popularity exploded.

Also, there are certain vehicles that just scream “STEREOTYPE”. Camaros belong to mullet haired rednecks. PT Cruisers and Convertible Sebrings belong to middle aged women whose children have finally moved out of the house. Hummers belong to egotistical jerks. Minivans with soccer ball stickers on the back window go to mommies. That’s just the way it is.

That being said SUV’s coolness is long gone, and won’t return unless gas dips back below $2 a gallon (read never). You can’t give them away, because the average Joe can’t afford to put gas in them any more. My neighbor was just out car shopping, wanted to trade in his F150 truck. They wouldn’t give him hardly anything on the trade in. It’s a two year old $25,000 truck and they told him they’d give him $8,000 for it. Also, he told me that the Ford dealer had a deal going on at the time that cracked me up. If you bought an Excursion, you got a free Ford Focus with it!

I love my minivan! I think part of the problem with the current Chrysler minivans is the last redesign a year or two ago — UGLY!

Yeah, the stereotype is uncool, but that stereotype and the people who believe them make me laugh.

You usually hear the negative comments coming from either:
a) a holier-than-thou hipster into indie music and expensive coffee (you minivan days are coming, son); or
b) a big pickup-truck driving dissing soccer moms (no further comment required); or
c) a MILFy Escalade, Denali or Armada driver who says she “needs the extra space” and “would never drive a *minivan*” (whatever. Define yourself by your possessions much?)

Like most things, it’s a personal choice and I’m happy with mine!

We bought a toyota previa in ‘92 to get room for two car seats and a booster seat. AWD and 20-21 highway mpg at 75+ with full load. Today, 350,000+ miles later (and with no major drivetrain work), the kids drive it with no fear of dinging it or messing up the carpet. Even better, we still use it for the long family road trips, particularly when our older kids are home from college. Last week, we drove a 1500 mile loop with all the “kids” and luggage. Still getting decent mileage. Goes great in snow.

Granted, nowhere near as much fun to drive as our old Toyota Supra Turbo or the Z4, but difficult to conceive of a more utilitarian purchase. Not the type of car for everyone, but nicely fills a substantial niche in the market.

forgot about one more stereotype…. Corvettes scream MID LIFE CRISIS! Nothing irks me more than a 60 year old man driving a Corvette 10 mph under the speed limit.

Oh for goodness sakes, Kurt! A minivan? All it is is a miniature school bus. They ride like trucks, offer nothing in the way of driving excitement, and you can get a real nice, practical ride for the family for about the same amount of money. Have you ever tried a Volvo V70 wagon or their XC90 SUV? They offer an incredible value, safety for the family, and most importantly, driving pleasure. The American family has gotten smart. They’ve gotten away from the Wal-Mart quality Caravans for real cars. Try one, you’ll never go back.