Mom's Limo. Or Why I Love My Minivan!

I've never been anti-minivan. When I turned 16 and began to shop for my first car, I would have LOVED to buy a minivan to haul my friends to the mall or to the beach. Unfortunately, because of the high price of new AND used vans, it took me another 4 years before I became a minivan owner.

My husband and I owned a 4 door Ford Taurus and a 3-door Hyundai Excel when we learned we were expecting our third child. Suddenly, we HAD to buy a bigger vehicle, something that would accommodate three car seats, plus all the cargo that kids require. Our quest for the perfect van began. (No pun intended.)

We visited the LA Auto Show and checked out all the models of minivans, including the concept cars. We knew what we were looking for. Something with bench seating in the second and third rows, and all the basic equipment that comes in handy. We left the Auto Show undecided between the Toyota Sienna and the Nissan Quest - however, the Quest seemed to be more in our price range.

In April, we finally went out to buy our van. We went to Foothill Nissan and came home with a 1997 Nissan Quest XE, with just 34,000 miles on it.

What I LOVE about my kiddie limo -

*Room for the car seats! In the middle bench I have my two daughters rear-facing car seats, and in the back, my son gets to spread out all his toys on the back bench while safely seated in his booster seat.

*Tinted windows in the back! No more screaming and crying "The sun is in my eyes!" and no silly-looking sun guards.

*All the basic equipment I wanted - power locks, power windows, AM/FM radio with cassette, NON-smoking package (no cigarette lighters), great air-conditioner, tilt steering, etc.

*Comfortable captain's chairs with arm rests. Great for Mom and Dad on those long drives.

*Removable floor mats. Easy to remove and clean!

*Great gas mileage! We easily get 20-25miles per gallon.

*Lots of cargo space. Room enough for a Graco DuoGlider Double Stroller to fit comfortably in the rear!

Is there anything I DON'T love about this van? Just one thing. Since it's an older model, it doesn't have the dual-sliding doors that I'd love. But we're planning to upgrade, *wink*.