I love my mom van.
My 2015 Chrysler Town and Country minivan—I lovingly call her my “mom-mobile”—is the best and worst thing that has happened to me.
My minivan has been a therapist and a way to cope, but it has also been the heart of some personal finance issues.
They often say getting your license is when you really start to be free, and they’re not kidding. Once I got my license and car, my opportunities broadened, and my life became way more exciting as I took various adventures with my mom-mobile in the coming years.
Having a car with three rows comes with a lot of responsibilities; you literally become a soccer mom with a van. As soon as I turned 16 and got my license, I drove people around all the time during the school year. Whether it be to and from sports practices or going and getting food with my friends, I am always driving people around and it’s always a blast.
My favorite memories have been made in my gray minivan. Driving my friends around, windows rolled down with my music blasting, is so freeing and truly heals my soul.
Some of my favorite rides are when I take my dog, Maui, for a spin. We usually take a stop at Scooter’s coffee shop; he’ll get his pup cup, and I’ll get my iced coffee. Some days, we stop at Chow Hound, and I spoil Maui with a new toy.
My solo car rides are always liberating, too; after a long day, I would always relieve my stress while screaming along to my songs. My car has seen me cry. It has seen me angry, tired, happy, and excited—my car is my safe space.
A fun feature of my van is when you put the back two rows of seats down, you can fit a queen-sized bed in the trunk. I used this little trick to go camping with my best friend in the summer; those were some of the best memories I made.
My Chrysler Town and Country van was my mother’s; therefore, the beloved mom van has even seen me in my childhood years and the many road trips we took. The little pop-up television is where I watched my Disney favorite, The Lion King, multiple times.
Despite all of the fun memories I’ve made in my van, she is the biggest pain in the butt, too.
In early December of 2022, I was going too fast and slipped on ice, going straight into a tree. My car was nearly totaled, and I had to fix my car with my dad. I’m now stuck in debt to my parents for car parts.
The car crash was a learning experience; I got to learn the innards of the whole front of my car by rebuilding the left side of it with my dad—I also now drive incredibly cautiously in the winter.
My car has cost me a lot of money, and each week I need to pay 50 dollars to fill my gas tank because my car runs through gas ridiculously fast on top of the debt owed to my parents.
I love my minivan despite all its difficulties; my car has brought me so much happiness and memories to last a lifetime.
