Tuesday morning, we drove to Kansas City (four-hour drive--thankfully, my MIL took the kiddos for the day) and bought a Plymoth Voyager we saw in the paper. Our bank was going to give us a loan for $2000, but while we were in the parking lot waiting for the owner of the van to get there, the guy from the bank called and said the loan didn't go through, because we don't have "enough credit" (but we own a house?). We pretty much figured we wasted our gas money getting there (the guy already said he couldn't finance), but Dale called his dad, on the off chance he'd loan us a few hundred. This is a guy who wouldn't even cosign for us to get an apartment a couple of years ago, and now we were going to ask him for actual money. I was not feeling good about it. But, the stars must have been in our favor or something, because FIL said he'd give us the cash when we came to pick up the kids...wow. So, we just wrote a check, and told the guy not to cash if for another day or two (lmao). I can't believe how well that went. As luck would have it, 20 minutes out of town i hit a nail or something, and had to buy a new tire...but, so far, that's the only thing we've had to replace on it It's so weird...I knew this day was coming (a third carseat will not fit in our Subaru), but every time i load the kids up in that thing, i think...omg...i'm turning into one of my mom's sisters. I always said i'd never drive one of these things. Course, i always said i'd never have three kids either but things change. The gas mileage isn't bad (about the same as the Subaru), so at least that's not a source of guilt, and it's awefully comfortable...but still...a car seems to tell so much about a person...i don't want to be "one of those moms" you know?
Hehe...next thing you know, you'll be carpoolin with the neighbors and toting soccer equipment around! Seriously, though. I think if you spiffy it up maybe with some bumper stickers and whatnot-you won't feel so "soccer mom"-y. Just personalize it and make it the coolest minivan ever.
yeah... you can make curtains or something, they are also very comfy for the kids in the summer, and kool seatcovers Don't worry, stay yourself, and don't see the car as a too big simple. Big families just need big cars. ;-) (we were four kids at home, and had VW-Bus when we were all too big to fit in a regular car all at once! damn that was a kool car!)
I just recently became a "mini van mom" and at first I really hated it, and missed my car. But now I don't think I could drive anything else. In fact right now it parked because it needs some repairs, and I miss driving it. We have been cramming 3 carseats in my car, and every time I get in the car I so miss my van. mainly because that the pasenger seat has to sit strait up and to close to the dash board baecasue there is a rear facing carseat behind it.
Congratulations on your new van! We had a van when my ds was a baby and we loved it. Then I got really burned out on it and switched to a wagon. But we only have two kids so it is the perfect size for us. I like all the suggestions for making it your own. Enjoy it! And watch out for nails!!
Im envious! I want a van soooo bad!!! I have 3 kids and Im driving a pontiac bonneville (which says NOTHING ,btw, of who I am lol ) But we got a great deal on it. I also think the ideas are great on personalizing it! And totally make it cool! And being comfortable is way better then being squished so congratulations !
I am glad the money sitch worked out. What a hassle. I hated getting a minivan, too, but with the number of children we have, what were we supposed to do, put one on the roof? We've had minis for more than a decade. I would love a VW bus, but they are too expensive, and you have to be a mechanic to have an old one, and although Bear is good at a lot of things, he is not a mechanic. So we are stuck with a 10 year old Dodge Caravan. But it works. Enjoy your cool wheels, Mich. Blessings, Maggie
Yep, I'm a mini-van mama too. With my twins in car seats and my oldest in a booster, we couldn't fit all of the seats across the back of our previous vehicles. So, we ended up having to get a minivan to seat them all safely. We got an awesome deal. It was a 2002 Chrysler Voyager with next to no miles on it, mint condition because it was rarely ever driven, and a very reasonable price tag. Course, it always helps to know someone.
The one thing I DON'T like about the minivan is that there is hardly any cargo space! I can barely fit my double stroller in the back, and when grocery shopping, I have to pile all of the groceries where ever I can fit them in. Sometimes I miss trunk space. But all in all, it was a good buy, especially because I rarely drive it either. For the most part, it stays parked in our garage. We tend to stay more around the homefront or within walking distance.
oh man...i'm loving this thing more and more every day, haha! I do have some good stickers i'm going to put on there; i think Dancing Bears are a nice theme for a kids' van The space along the passenger-side sliding door is perfect for groceries (i'm one of those people that has to go several times a week, so i probably don't buy as much at once as most). And, what better excuse for having pink fuzzy dice and bright-colored window shades? Hehehehe! It's all for the kids I'm also trying to figure out how i can make some of those cool bags that go on the back of the seats, to throw toys and stuff in. Any ideas? I'm thinking just a piece of fabric, with a draw string on the top to tie it around the head rest, and some big pockets sewn on. Or maybe just one big bag, like a laundry sack? I dunno, help me before i start cutting up some nice fabric, lol.
Hey, I have a Plymouth Voyager too. Does yours have the peeling paint on the hood and the roof? Mine is terrible. Mine's a '95. I think there was a recall on the paint at one time or another. I got some big hippie looking flowers and put on the back. I also got a few peace signs and a Flower Power sign that I put in the side windows. My husband put a little test tube on the dashboard that has a big yellow sunflower in it. And I got tye dye steering wheel cover and seat covers on ebay. I have more of the flowers but so far I've been afraid to put them on the rest of the car. A little bit at a time I think so no one is too shocked. I've thought about curtains but I don't want to cut down on visability. Have fun decorating. Kathi
those test tubes are great! I had one in my first car! i planned to decorate it really kool, I wanted to make seatcovers out of the fuzzy fabric in yellow for the seats and cowspots for the headrests, but unforunately I never had time. Now I don't have a car, since I live in the city, and here everything is in walking distance.
i've got a 4-inch section of paint that's peeling, between the right headlight and wheel well, but i think that was probably the result of a nasty dent. It looks bad, you can see the metal rusting underneath, but it's the only noticable blemish on the outside. I do love how easy the thing is to see out of...when we had to get the tire changed, my husband was worried i'd have trouble backing into the crowded parking lot--i told him no problem, if i have a trouble manuevering, i'll see where i went wrong before i hit anything, and start over, haha!
A friend of mine got one of those huge "shaggin-wagon" vans and I was trying to find a "if this vans a'rockin', don't come a'knockin'" sticker to covertly stick on it-but alas, I couldn't find one.
