My new ride
"When's the soccer game?", one of my squadmates asks. I have just parked my white minivan in the parking lot of the police station and am heading in for briefing. My fellow officer catches up with me and continues the light-hearted insults. "How many kids do you have -10?" "How many soccer balls can you load in that thing?"
He's a muscular and handsome guy who stands about 5 foot 6 inches tall so I answer his jabs with my own comments: "How many clowns come streaming out of your car with you during the show?", and, "How many phone books do you need to sit on to see out the windshield?"
After my shift I began to think about getting a new vehicle. The minivan has served me well but it's getting up there in miles and it's about time to upgrade. As I ponder my choices I think of all the masculine trucks and SUV's my fellow officers drive. This could be my chance to change my image of "soccer-mom cop" to "regular cop".
On my night off, I load the kids into the minivan for their final drive and head to the car dealership. I'm feeling nostalgic and take a final picture of my trusty steed:
Now I peruse the endless parking lot sea of trucks and SUV's and compare prices, options, and safety features. Finally, I have made a decision on a new vehicle. After careful consideration about my image as a police officer I have selected:
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Another minivan.
I am not ashamed. I love the comfort, practicality, passenger and cargo loads, and safety of the good ol' minivan.The next day as I parked my minivan at the police station, the same fellow officer approached with astonishment, "Another minivan?"
"You know it", I answer.
"Well, at least this one isn't white. I guess you're not a soccer mom anymore."
posted by Officer Gary @ 2:12 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
No shame in that. My dad's a retired cop and drove a mini-van for years. Personally, although I am a young single man who should be driving something more "macho, "nothing beats the comfort and reliability of my Chevy Lumina.
Ha..my fiance keeps trying to get me into a minivan. I told him that we have a few more kids to make first. 27 years old and one child does not make a mini-van driver ;)
Hey, as long as you're happy. Congrats on the new car!
I'm child #6, so I'm not at all against a mini-van! I still remember the one we had, lots of space indeed!
If you saw some of the totally subcompact women cars that some of the more macho Members of Houston PD drove, you would be secure in your man/policehood.
Today it is about mileage, not how many dead hookers you can hide in the back.
TV
That is just perfect! You don't need to drive the same car that the others drive. A car is a necessity and sometimes we don't have to combine wants and needs over a wheel. Comfort and practicality always wins over luxury. Besides, you still have to consider maintenance.
We bought our first minivan in 2017. My daughter was born with Hirschsprung disease and had to have her large bowel surgically removed in order to function somewhat normally. One of the unfortunate side effects is that she gets dehydrated VERY quickly. As you can imagine, this is a huge problem in the summer time in Arizona.
So the Honda Odyssey with its independent rear climate control was the logical choice not only for her comfort and safety, but also for future family growth.
I came for the rear air vents, but I stayed for the comfort, fuel economy, and practicality. My other ride is a kia hatchback. Working in a shop where 90% of my co workers drive lifted "bro trucks," there's plenty of teasing.
But I've hauled more than my share of concrete and other raw materials from Home Depot in those two vehicles. For the big stuff, I have utility trailers that suit our needs just as well.
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