Comment by mdip | Hacker News Reader

Comment by mdip | Hacker News Reader

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I suspect that the Nomad II would not have done as well as the first Dodge Caravan for the same reason that Minivans don't do well, now.

Stigma. It looked too much like a Station Wagon.

When I was a kid, the neighbors had a Caprice Classic Station Wagon with the third row backward facing seat. As a kid, I guess I loved the novelty of looking at the people behind us for some reason. My dad was buying a new car and I told him he should get one of those to which he replied "I'd never buy a station wagon."

To him, the station wagon was the "Soccer Mom" car; a car that -- driving it -- would have made him feel old, I guess[0]. I was surprised to hear the same sentiment about Minivans as I got older. Everyone saw them as a symbol of being tied in suburbia with a litter of kids. So they buy SUVs/crossovers, some of which are classified, ironically, as a Station Wagon.

Incidentally, I've owned a Grand Caravan. It was my favorite non-convertible car. It was like driving my living room, except that my couch doesn't have air conditioned or heated seats.

[0] I have all of zero enthusiasm about the car I drive. My first car was a convertible. Ever since ditching the convertible, I don't really care what I'm behind the wheel of.

This stigma is so weird. My first car was Plymouth Voyager and I loved that I can haul a bunch of friends on a hike or I could do a road trip and comfortably sleep in it. My friend had Mazda MPV which was 4x4 and even better.

Now being older I love my minivan because I can fit my family and a ton of stuff. Sliding doors are great in tight city. Drives perfectly fine, it's not a racecar but it actually handles better than many SUVs.

My dream car is Mitsubishi Delica. It's very popular in Georgia (the country) because of the tough mountainous land. I've seen it run circles around jeeps and SUVs.

I am sad this segment of cars is disappearing.

I chuckled when I saw the main protagonist in TV show Ozark being overly attached to his Honda Odyssey. That man knew the real deal.

It comes down to the kind of car person you are, I think.

You're either someone who prioritizes the car they buy based on how others will perceive you (and how you will perceive yourself when driving it) or you're someone who sees a car as a means to an end.

I realized I was the latter when I bought my first car. After telling the salesperson the model I wanted, his first question was "What color do you want?" I went into a car dealership knowing the exact model/options "level" I wanted (V6, Leather, Convertible, Keyless, etc), I knew what I wanted the dealer to add (Remote Start, mostly) ... and I knew exactly what I was willing to pay given the two purchase options available to me (cash with a large incentive or 0% financing). At no point had I thought about the color. After shaking off the momentary embarrassment, I sarcastically quipped: "The cheapest color".

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