Venture

I'm about to buy this. At first glance, maybe a minivan doesn't excite you and I understand, because I used to be just like you. Now, with three kids and one more on the way, a van is a necessity.

The best part is that last Friday, while bringing our current van to the dealer to see how much he would give us on a trade, the alternator stopped working. Lovely.

Many people think that minivans are boring, but I would like to contend that they are not. Let me list for you the six most exciting factors about owning a minivan.

1. You can put the noisiest or smelliest kid in the far back (which is an additional 5-6 feet further away than in a standard car).

2. Minivans have a pocket or pouch for everything.

3. If I ever buy a canoe, the handy roof-rack will allow me to transport it to the river. (I'm hesitant to try that with the Miata).

4. The new hatch-back comes with 14% more hatch.

5. State Troopers rarely pull over a mini-van. (When we're driving too fast, they mistakenly assume we're responsible drivers who might just be having an off moment.)

6. This new van comes with rear air-conditioning (which is much better than the kind of rear air that used to fill our old van.)

So there you have it. I'm making a wise purchase.