Dear Publicists and such,
Please know a thing--just ONE, though in this case, two or three wouldn't hurt--about this site and its readers before sending me shit, mmkay?
Hi Greg,Oh, yes, it's exactly what you think. And more of it.Here's a story by one of our writers, John Wilson, that you can use for publication or content. If you'd rather do interviews for your own story/write-up please let me know and I'll put you in touch with the people/companies used here.
The Minivan Got Cool Again For New Generation of MomsBy John Wilson
A funny thing happened on the way to the car dealer - the minivan got cool again.Ha. Ruffle News is a random linkbaiting spamblog with five completely random search engine optimization-driven posts designed to sucker folks like blogher moms and cheap local news outlets into linking to them. Meanwhile, Lynne Thompson is also the author of The Soccer Mom Devotional, which delivers "a van load of God's truth and a sport bottle filled with laughter."Perhaps it's because people are done with the big gas-guzzling SUV or that they can get the same features for less found in a crossover vehicle (a SUV built on a car frame).
Simply put, the vehicle that put the soccer mom on the map is no longer treated like a four-letter word. And although it's still the official car of soccer-mom nation, minivans are now cool even if you're not a mom.
"I'm on my fifth minivan and I lease them for three years," said Karen Port of St. Louis. "My husband has had several Chevy Tahoes and Toyota 4-Runners, but my minivans have always had more space, comfort and even features."
Years ago teenagers that got their driver's license swore they'd never be caught in a minivan like their mom. Oh how times have changed.
"I was the mom who said she'd never drive a minivan," said Desiree Miller of Woodstock, Ga. "I now have four kids, a teen-age brother that lives with me and lots of stuff I take on road trips."
So it's no surprise that a new generation of soccer moms have taken a page right out of the mom playbook. Go with the minivan.
"The minivan is standard operating equipment for any busy mom, soccer moms included," said Lynne Thompson, author of SoccerMomBook.com. "We are a proud bunch. We nod at each other understanding each other's plight in life. We are sacrificing our time to practice what we believe - that our kids count. We want them to be successful in all areas of their lives whether it's athletic, academic, social, musical, or even spiritual - and the minivan is often at the center of it all."
Companies have noticed the "new minivan family," emphasizing coolness as much as functionality and safety. Toyota plays up its new Sienna minivan in its latest ad campaign that features the self-proclaimed world's greatest parents who proudly state the Sienna has given them plenty of "swagger." "After our second child that's when we got the Sienna minivan," says the mom in the humor-filled commercials. "It's so great, it's a lot like our family - modern, stylish and super good-looking."
Honda plans to relaunch its Odyssey van in the fall with a new design and updated features.
Car leasing Web site LeaseTrader.com even offers an online marketplace that's become a haven for soccer moms that get hooked on trading their minivans to each other. "I'm more comfortable getting a minivan from a mom I trust as opposed to shopping at a car dealer," said Joyce McNealy, a Seattle mother of two.
So don't be surprised if your daughter says she'll never drive a minivan because you know she'll change her mind when she grows up to discover just how cool it is - again.
Ruffle News is a news and features syndicate offering content for publication in newspapers, magazines, blogs and online media. For more information visit www.RuffleNews.com.
(Nods at Greg, in understanding of out our mutual plight in life.)
[can't let a brother suffer with a typo like that. -ed.]
(Nods at sausage fingers, in understanding of their plight, a tendency to type 'out' inside of 'our', thus ruining what might have been a witty comment.)
Blarg.
Although in my book, Minivans > crossovers (most, that is). Minivans make no qualms about being utility vehicles.
A (mini)minivan definitely worth considering: The Mazda5 had one just before my first kid, and it's now on the shortlist of replacement mom-mobiles post-WRXagon.
Also:
http://comics.com/f_minus/2010-04-29/
gah
I took my car in for a service the other day - it's a Ford estate so I guess that's a 'wagon' in US terms.
They were about to hand me the keys to a courtesy Fiesta when they clocked the two child seats and folded stroller.
I had to drive this monster for a whole day and my god it was awful.
The UK equivalent of a soccer mom I may be but a minivan is a step too far.