We did it. We bought a minivan.

Well, 6 short months after we paid off our Chevy Equinox, we traded it in and bought a Toyota Sienna, yes

a minivan. Despite the fact that we bought used, had a trade in, a chunk of cash, and a good interest rate (half of what we had with the Chevy), we still ended up with the same monthly payment that we paid for 5 years. Now we get to go through it again. And to top it all off we are now minivan owners. We are guzzling more gas, we are the family on the highway with the glare of Curious George from the DVD player shining through the window, the unpredictable speed shifts and a pile of bikes in the rear. We are they typical family, 2.5 kids and a dog, the typical family that inevitably buys a minivan despite what they thought were their better senses. However, we now have leather seats that clean nicely, 12 or more cup holders scattered about the cabin, numerous pockets, two glove compartments, and automatic side and rear doors. We have the DVD system mounted mid-cabin, hookups for video games, connections for phones and music, and even real outlets for real plugs. And we have space! So much space. For all our STUFF. In addition, our little Penny dog doesn't have to sit on the floor in the front by our feet when we are travelling. She actually has her own domain. So yeah, we bought a minivan, but we also bought into the family thing, and they work pretty nicely together I must say.