Monday, April 13, 2009

Taking a caravan, upland, with my entourage to find a freestar

Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to celebrate this called life (Prince)

Today we celebrate an old friend-

We are going to have to pass on our beloved van... the van that has taken us so many places and been so good to us. It is like ending a friendship that is still going really well. But, here is the deal. She (the van) is not going to be so wonderful for much longer.
Oh the sadness of it all.
She is a 1998 Dodge Caravan.
(shhh don't tell her how old she is)


She has taken us 120,000+ miles which puts her right around 165,000 miles.
She has a few door dings and scuffs
(all from parking lots while at the grocery or running the kids)
But, she is a lovely old gal.

With that said, I must also include the fact that she will soon start costing us more money then she is worth.... sigh...

So, we have just started pricing vehicles. Uggggg. I hate that I have to be a mini-van mom. I would so love to drive a sportier mom car. My favorites are Subarus - because they are great runners, get amazing gas mileage, and you can still fold down the seats and throw in your bike, plus hey they have 4 wheel drive if ya ever need it.

Ok, but I have four kids, so there for unless I leave one at home (still illegal at their ages) I have to have a van (or Suburban, which I can't afford, and don't want).

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Where does that put us? It puts us in the car lot and online searching for what type of vehicle we want. Because I have been happy enough with my vehicle that I haven't envied any others. There was no reason for my eye to stray away from my faithful companion.

Side note: Have you ever thought about the names of vehicles - they are ridiculous, cliche like, and just annoying....
Just look at the title of this post
Anyway, we are looking now.
Needless to say, I am a little bit frustratedFirst of all most of the vans look the same. Second, man they are spendy! Third I just hate change! BUT, at the same time I am excited for a newer vehicle too. (One in which I don't have to keep the odometer covered so I don't remember how many miles are on my old girl-hoping she will forget too) And, a car payment, that is what car sickness is really from!

Lastly, I don't want to look like all the other mini-vans out ther (ha ha ha, I know - impossible) But, I think this is where we are at:

Possibilities-

Dodge Grand Caravan
(2008 has a new hood shape)


Chevy Uplander
(or Buick Terraza - basically same vehicle)


Ford Freestar


Hyandi Entourage

It would be lovely if the best one just showed up in my driveway - no decisions on my part, no test drives, no wrong choices, no questions.... but, alas that is not how life works is it?

I will keep you updated.
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In the mean time - go check this out for a good laugh, or guys for an answer to "what took you so long in the ladies room" or to "why do girls always have to go to the bathroom in twos?"
Going to Ladies Room
Make sure you go to the bathroom first so you don't wet your pants when you are laughing! :)

9 comments:

Alicia @ boylerpf said...

Will be reading the obituary pages now!! Who can keep any car name straight now? Ridiculous. I'd like a name like...cheaprunswelllooksgood. Do you think that's too long of a name for a car or minivan?

Laura Doyle said...

Hey, what about the VW Routan? Although it's actually a Chrysler/Dodge motor and platform in disguise, I suspect at least a little of the VW superior quality rubbed off in the making. I may be a little biased though...we are a Volkswagen family (Golf, Scirocco, and Corrado). : )

ps - VW names most of their vehicles after wind, in several foreign languages. (scirocco - hot North African wind that blows into Italy, Golf - Gulf Stream, Jetta - Jet stream, etc. The Routan was named by combining the word "route" with "an", the VW suffix used for European vans

http://www.vw.com/routan/en/us/

Deb said...

Yea, you're here! Missed you yesterday, for some reason your last two post didn't show up until this am.
I love our Ford Freestyle, it's all wheel drive all the time, so it's very stable. Check it out!

Jen said...

What about a bigger suv with a third row? I have a Traverse. It's between an Equinox and a Suburban. It's got a roomy third row and PLENTY of cargo room when the third row is in use. I can fit a double stroller back there!
You can also get it with captains chairs for the second row....which would be more like your van on the inside.
I love the Traverse!

Vicky said...

I haven't "picked" our vehicle for so long now, I just drive the unwanted car of the moment. But with just two kiddos its not really a problem. Do they make hybrid minivans yet? That would get my interest. We have a Toyota Prius and although its not large, it does well on the snow and the pocket :)

The "ladies room" I got in an email awhile back. Very funny!

julochka said...

i'd steer clear of the GM products in light of the precarious (carmageddon) situation they find themselves in...and why are there no toyotas on this list? toyotas last like crazy. :-) i should know, we have a 1996 carina (camry) with nearly 400,000 km on it and it's still going strong.

good luck, in any case. car shopping is never, ever fun.

Missy said...

We are about to have a ceremony here too! The 2001 Quest van has 118,000 or so miles and is ready to be put to rest! I have no idea what we torture next...

Sandra said...

All of our vehicles are that age or older! I said to our handyman once about Mark's car reaching the point of repairs costing more than it's worth. He said is it cheaper then new? That's 5 yrs. ago and the answer is....yes. Give your van a dignified send off. : )

Memories Of Mine said...

Oh I am only dreaming of a new car at the moment but mine has done a few less miles than yours has.

Have fun deciding which one to get.