The Little Old Lady from Pasadena

In an alternate universe – the one where I have a doting Daddy who adores me – I got a '64 1/2 Mustang convertible when I turned 16. At 19, in my little fantasy world, Dad and I bought a '65 Fastback that we restored together.

In my mind, I am Barbara Ann. I'm that girl in the T-Bird. I am meant to be driving a muscle car. If I could have and drive any car I wanted, it probably would be this one. And, if not a muscle car, then perhaps something a little rugged like this or quirky like this.

Because I have this vision of who I am beneath the suburban mommy exterior, the idea of driving a minivan kills me. I tend to see minivans as soulless grocery-getters for boring, unimaginative sheep. As my friend Chuck Kaste once put it, Satan drives a minivan.

But, all that said, I'm not at a time in my life where a Shelby Cobra makes a lot of sense and I don't really need an amphibious vehicle. I am at a time in my life where I need a vehicle that can accommodate two child safety seats, and once in a while, haul around various other adults, luggage, pieces of furniture, power tools, untold bags of groceries, soccer equipment, a large dog, bikes and ride-on toys, and keep everyone comfortable in the process.

I don't need a living room on wheels, but most minivans these days seem to strive to be just that. Including the one I'll be driving for the next week. Nope, there's no Super Stock Dodge in my garage. Just a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT.

I'll be driving it as part of a test marketing effort to get feedback for Dodge. For someone who loves cars as much as I do, it seemed like a really fun and interesting opportunity. I'll write up a review and give them my feedback when I'm done. In the meantime, I'll let you know what I think as I drive it this week. If you care...