GRAND Caravan

I used to drive a Jeep Wrangler and traded up for a station wagon when my pregnant belly prevented me from adequately reaching the steering wheel. *Such* a good family solution. Jetta TDI Wagon. Tons of space. Super efficient (45 miles/gallon!!).

Perfect.

Then my babies decided to come two at a time. My sassy wagon comfortably fit my baby and potentially one sibling. However, three babies? No can do.

Welcome to the Minivan.

From the day it transported home my 5lb, 6oz-er and his hardly 4 lb brother two days later, through countless treks on the NYS Thruway/Mass Turnpike, the many many many pick up/drop offs and the deep thoughts from the cheap seats, the Grand Caravan has served well.

Routine maintenance and frequent Super Kisses could not stave off age. Last month, a chunk of the hood fell off after it rusted under a bubble. All signs indicated necessary pending work on brakes and transmission. Those were the big things. The little things that wore down over time included:

knobs fell off the left/right and front/back controls
blinker doesn't turn off by itself
interior lights only sometimes work
the passenger seat belt sticks
rear door doesn't lock
one rear power outlet "expired"

These things do not include 8 years of toting around 3 precious monkeys. Raisins, Cheerios, milk, fruit cores, juice, occasional hidden sandwich, melted crayons, crumbs and timbits ground into the interior.

The case was clear. But not having bought a car in nearly a decade made the task daunting. I'd been living with so very many (ahem) idiosyncrasies that there just wasn't one clear sign. Too dirty just didn't seem like enough.

Thankfully the fusion of luck, timing and grinding brakes led us to the VW dealership. After hearing the salesperson's mildly disparaging comments on my "classic" minivan, the decision was practically and painlessly made for us. Now I am the owner of a newer, more gadgety, fully functional, also blue MINIVAN.

Suddenly it doesn't sound so sexy. However my heated seats will warm my empty soul.