A word about minivans

They're boring, yes. Street cred? No. Versatility and comfort, though, far outweigh the uncool factor. Hell, with all the SUV's out there now, I feel like I'm the rebel. If you want to put your image before carting around a load of kids and cargo comfortably and with as few headaches as humanly possible, cross minivans off your list. If you want to lug around kids, stuff, dogs, and possibly even tow a small trailer, all the while enjoying comfort and safety, come into my parlor.

I drive an '05 Toyota Sienna XLE. I love it. You will have to pry it from my cold dead fingers. 6 adults can have an enjoyable time riding in this vehicle. My husband, our three kids, and my niece and nephew can fit in easily and without much fuss. And it has surround sound. My house doesn't have surround sound. It has 17 airbags, for Pete's sake! The carpet is stained, the leather has taken quite a beating, and there is an interior odor that I can't quite put a name to. Oh wait, it's called "kids."

Frankly, though, people expect minivans to be treated in this manner, and Toyota built the Sienna to gracefully handle this abuse. I've got almost 60,000 miles on this thing and I still love it. It's boring, but the point of it's entire existence is to make my life easier. How can you not love that?

Anyway, I plan to start driving of the new minivans, specifically the Chrysler Town & Country and the Honda Odyssey.

Enjoy your weekend!