Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey Or Amish Buggy

We are actually going to succumb to the inevitable. It is time. I so wish for an alternative, but short of a houseboat on wheels, there is none.

I have to admit, the minivans are quite nice these days. They practically bake fresh bread. I just have a super aversion to them, as it was what I trained on for my driver's permit. And, yes, it was "my ride" if I was ever lucky enough to figure out more than 10 reasons why I needed to take the only family car and drive 30 minutes toward civilization.

It may also have something to do with the fact that on my way home from failing my driver's test, in my first a fit of road rage I thought I could pass a team of horses pulling an Amish buggy around a curve, closed in by 3-4 foot snow banks. I got side by side with the buggy, in time to see another driver hugging the corner a little too fast in the lane I was using to pass. Did I mention the snow banks? It could have been super ugly with horse flesh everywhere. Instead, I managed to gun it, with my mother helplessly screaming a prayer to God in the passenger seat, and the dude went into the snowbank to avoid collision. Aren't you thankful I didn't pass my driver's test? That episode is in my top 10 Hall of Shame moments. Especially the fact that we couldn't stop anywhere to apologize to the guy. I knew he was alright because of the expression on his face after he hit the bank. He might of been injured, but he still had A LOT of fight in him. Because of the giant snow banks, I just had to keep driving.

Don't worry, I'm a stellar driver now. Not one speeding ticket. Just a car accident where I turned left in the wrong lane and a car full of innocent old Mennonite women nailed my giant Chevy truck.

Any hoo....I digress...So we've checked out both, and neither of us can decide. Well...I like the spruced up Toyota Sienna because of girly things...neat steering wheel, nice little button to close the doors (no pulling on a handle), the seat just fits my tushie better. He, of course, is leaning toward the Odyssey because of more man-ly features...more horsepower for maintaining some sense of dignity and smoking past other mini vans on the highway, lots of buttons and gadgets, better navigation system.

On Friday, we buy it just in time to slap on headphones over our children's ears and hope for a quiet ride to the beach minus the irrate screaming baby confined to a car seat for 8 hours. But which one???? Perhaps the better question is which one would help our family survive if I ever manage to get back in Lancaster county and at the mercy of creepingly slow Amish buggys, snow banks, and other drivers like...myself.

No comments: