Van Wilder

Can you pinpoint the exact moment you went from being a hip singleton to a still-kinda-hip soccer mom or dad? For one Reuters writer it was the moment he traded in his two-door Saab 900 for a new Honda Odyssey. He, like many new dads, thought of his new car as a death sentence on wheels. "My minivan was grey. It was the exact color of a tombstone," he writes.

Sound familiar? Try not to be so glum. Don't think of it as driving a rolling juice box. The minivans out on the market today are way cooler than they were for our parents, when the only options were standard or automatic. Many minis are now outfitted with GPS systems, voice activation devices, and MP3 players. And if you're not quite ready to make the jump, some so-called crossovers, like the new Dodge Journey, have room for up to seven people with optional third row seating without looking too clunky. If you've purchased a family vehicle lately, let us know how you're enjoying it (or whether it really is that bad.) [Reuters]