Isn't it amazing that every family now "needs" a minivan. Now THAT's a marketing triumph if ever there was one.
Odd how for so many decades, families got by with stationwagons just fine.
In fact, some < GASP > even managed with sedans, and not even full-size ones (honest, I've seen photos).
Now I hear people at work saying "Oh we HAVE to get a minivan now... we're having a second child."
Wow, really? How much personal space do your small children need? Is opening a hatch to stow groceries a more personally fulfilling thing than putting them in trunk?
I get a kick out of seeing the guys in the supermarket parking lots driving minivans, checking out each others' rides to see who got stuck with the value pack and who got the wife to agree to the pimp-out package (chrome wheels, full tint, etc.).
They look to me like dogs at the shelter, checking out each other's cages....
Coming soon: Why we need $700 Grillmasters when our folks got by just fine with charcoal grills....
[/SARCASM]