Originally Posted by JustN89
The minivan is dying off due to people caring about perception. If people were rational and bought the things that would work best for them at the best price, more families would drive minivans.
I think that's exactly it.
Go back to about a year and a half ago for me, our family fleet was a 2006 Toyota Sienna, a 2018 VW Tiguan, which was chosen in large part that it could fit 7 (okay, so the back row is just for tiny kids), and our 2013 Silverado 3500. The Silverado was a very purpose specific vehicle, for our towing needs. The Tiguan was my wife's daily driver, a new toy she wanted. The Sienna, during the week, I used as mine, with a very short commute to the park and ride, and usually on weekends as the family hauler due to the bigger space inside for all 5 of us (and sometimes the dogs). It would also be our road trip vehicle when towing wasn't involved.
Fast-forward a few months to when the Sienna was totaled while parked. We began exploring a possible replacement. I, being rational, suggested another minivan. My wife, initially listening more to the emotional side, thought another SUV, for that very reason - they seemed cooler.
So, we shopped around a bit, checked out quite a few large SUVs, did some homework, and concluded that a large SUV had less useful space, poor legroom for the very back row, cost more, used more fuel, cost more to insure, and didn't really give us much cargo space with the back row in use. Which brought her right back around to the minivan I suggested from the start.
In the end, it was shelved to get another vehicle, due in part to uncertainty with my employment. I suggested just using the truck for the odd time we both needed a vehicle, and I just made do, taking transit to work from a block away from home, instead of saving a few minutes driving to the park and ride. Just as well now, a COVID has us all housebound for the most part. The money from insurance is sitting in the bank, and makes a good emergency fund for uncertain times.
But the thing is, when we did our homework, best bang for your buck for an on-the-road only family hauler is still a minivan. When the time comes again to look at a vehicle, at least the homework will be done on what to get. Uncool as it is, a minivan is tough to beat for a family of 5 to 8, and it's quite handy for cargo that you want to carry inside a vehicle, as opposed to an exposed truck bed.