Here's Daniel mid-trip on the way to Florida - with the wireless headphones watching a DVD. When I saw him in the mirror, I was shocked at how grown up he looked - he looks like he's practicing his "teenage face" here!
We tried REALLY hard for almost four months to NOT get a new car. But let's be honest - we were miserable! Aside from the convenience factor, how smart is it actually to have the car tied up on the other side of town all day, while a mom and two kids (one an infant) are left "stranded" at home? Angel used to be able to walk to the grocery store in the Radio Flyer wagon - not possible with an infant in tow, or in the 95-degree heat of Central Georgia Summer. And the one time Jason needed to see the doctor on a moment's notice, it threw our day into chaos (my job is incredibly flexible, but during those specific scheduled class times, that flexibility drops to zero). Plus, the Vibe broke down twice this Summer - leaving me (David) scrambling for a ride to work. The Vibe is a spacious and capable little wagon, but not for a growing family of four!
So, we struggled all Summer, going back and forth, weighing an endless list of pros and cons. Who wants another car payment, after all? We were "getting by"... did we really need this luxury, especially with furloughs looming (they arrived - 6 days with no pay for this year alone). And if we didn't buy a big enough car this time, what would happen if another Baby Biek showed up - we knew we'd have to buy a "10-year-car". Not many people I know think about their personal lives on that kind of time-scale.
Finally, one Sunday, after hours of research on the Internet, and after a disastrous three hours spent at the local Honda dealership ($22,000 for a 4-year-old Pilot with 50,000 miles? Really?), I headed out to the big Toyota dealer in town, armed with a dossier of printouts from the Internet (Edmund's TMV price report, etc.). The salesman drove me in a golf cart out to the row of Siennas - no 2009 models in sight, although the Internet had listed one in their inventory. They had lots of choices, but only two models had the DVD entertainment package. For some reason, this is not a popular option on Siennas in the Southeast. Well, we found one and the sticker was easily $5,000 more than Edmund's price. I was ready to walk. I had the guy work up the sales figures and give me their best price. $2,000 disappeared. Then I happened to notice the VIN number on the sales sheet - the model we were working on was a 2009 (there was an 09 in the number). I pointed it out to them, and a lot of scrambling and shuffling ensued. The salesman and sales manager rushed out to change the sticker on the window, and I met them out there - I offered them $500 below Edmunds price and told them I'd take it off their hands immediately at that price. They agreed! Another $3,500 knocked off the price. We had bought a minivan! Yikes!
Finally, one Sunday, after hours of research on the Internet, and after a disastrous three hours spent at the local Honda dealership ($22,000 for a 4-year-old Pilot with 50,000 miles? Really?), I headed out to the big Toyota dealer in town, armed with a dossier of printouts from the Internet (Edmund's TMV price report, etc.). The salesman drove me in a golf cart out to the row of Siennas - no 2009 models in sight, although the Internet had listed one in their inventory. They had lots of choices, but only two models had the DVD entertainment package. For some reason, this is not a popular option on Siennas in the Southeast. Well, we found one and the sticker was easily $5,000 more than Edmund's price. I was ready to walk. I had the guy work up the sales figures and give me their best price. $2,000 disappeared. Then I happened to notice the VIN number on the sales sheet - the model we were working on was a 2009 (there was an 09 in the number). I pointed it out to them, and a lot of scrambling and shuffling ensued. The salesman and sales manager rushed out to change the sticker on the window, and I met them out there - I offered them $500 below Edmunds price and told them I'd take it off their hands immediately at that price. They agreed! Another $3,500 knocked off the price. We had bought a minivan! Yikes!
The van was an integral part of our Florida vacation just a weekend later - a pure pleasure ride with all sorts of amenities. We think the Vibe could fit inside the Sienna!
Back in class, a few weeks later, I was giving an introductory lecture on human development and the segmentation of the lifespan, including the concept of a "social clock", and I found I had a new example to give - "the minivan phase". I sheepishly confided to the class that we had just crossed this new threshold into "real adulthood" and several students asked in a very defensive way, "what's so wrong with minivans"? "Everything!", I said, and explained about the social cues that minivans signify and talked about the significance of the minivan in the shared developmental histories of the Gen X cohort (soccer moms, latchkey kids, bland suburban life, divorce and being shuttled between parents). The minivan looked foreign in our driveway a lot longer than a new car usually does - every morning, it was sitting there, shining, waiting for our self-re-definitions as responsible, adult, no-longer-even-pretending-to-be-cool parents. We're there now.
Back in class, a few weeks later, I was giving an introductory lecture on human development and the segmentation of the lifespan, including the concept of a "social clock", and I found I had a new example to give - "the minivan phase". I sheepishly confided to the class that we had just crossed this new threshold into "real adulthood" and several students asked in a very defensive way, "what's so wrong with minivans"? "Everything!", I said, and explained about the social cues that minivans signify and talked about the significance of the minivan in the shared developmental histories of the Gen X cohort (soccer moms, latchkey kids, bland suburban life, divorce and being shuttled between parents). The minivan looked foreign in our driveway a lot longer than a new car usually does - every morning, it was sitting there, shining, waiting for our self-re-definitions as responsible, adult, no-longer-even-pretending-to-be-cool parents. We're there now.
Daniel actually put the new license plate on (they call them "tags" down here - a use of the language that just sounds grating).
2 comments:
Awww! I am jealous! LOL! I have wanted a Sienna for years. We have a Kia minivan and it is pretty crowded on vacation with 2 parents, 4 kids and grandma. Yikes! Don't tell my kids about dvds in minivans though. We like them to enjoy the free view out the window. Have fun with your sweet ride.
Blessings,
Dawn
We hear you about the DVD - we only use it on long trips... 450 miles of pine trees and billboards on the highway don't always make for an interesting ride! So you've got a minivan too, huh? Must be a requirement at some point for families to get one...
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