I've gone and done it
I've always known it would happen, but I've gone and done it, long before my time. I've gotten old. And here's how I know that for a fact.
Well, first a little back story.
When my girls were young, I swore I'd never get a minivan. I didn't care how much simpler it would make life with three daughters, there would be no dubbing me a soccer mom or minivan mom or any of those other stereotypes. Especially since my kids didn't play soccer anyway (at least not when they were little; Andie did play in high school and college and was a rockin' goalkeeper who sported her bruises and bangs with pride).
Anyway, the minivan-mom life was not for me. I was determined to steer clear of that, and I did. The closest I came was purchasing a Ford Explorer, which was kind of the same, only cooler. Like me. Or like I thought I was. (The fact I'm still driving that Ford Explorer makes me very uncool, I know. But it's very paid for, and that's what matters most at this point.)
Fast forward to the empty nest phase. My dad, a younger sister, and another younger sister (neither named Daryl) all own RVs. Recreational vehicles. A monster recreational vehicle at one point, in my dad's case. The kind that are obscenely decked out, obscenely long, and require obscene amounts of gas to get anywhere. And that require cameras at the rear and monitors at the dashboard so you can see what's going on in the event one's actually crazy enough to try backing that thing up. A monster motorhome so huge my stepmom, the navigator to Dad's driver, had to use binoculars to watch for exits ahead so they'd have time to change lanes without disastrous effects when traveling the interstate.
The RV owners in the family have great stories to tell of their road trips and camping excursions with their motor homes. Yeah, they look nice, travel well, and are a nice place to visit, but I certainly wouldn't want to own one. I prefer flying. Get on the plane, get off, get a hotel. That's my kind of traveling.
Until now. I'm a little tired of wasting the hours that lead up to the getting on and off of a plane, hours that could be spent getting somewhere. In an RV. A mini RV, to be exact. I'm not interested at all in owning or driving or sleeping in one of the monster RVs owned by many a grandma and grandpa. No, like the minivan aversion, I'm too cool for that.
But I recently admitted to Jim my desire to possibly one day own a smaller version, one that's 25 feet long or less. A Class C motor home, is apparently what they're called, according to a little searching I did online yesterday. A Class C mini RV that might look something like this with a cooler paint job, of course, as this one looks rather '80s to me (I did find more awesome ones online, but the photos were not copyright-free):
Yep, I could handle that. I could drive that, sleep in that, bring the dogs along when we go out of town in that. And I could imagine the thrills Bubby and Baby Mac (when he's grown a bit more) would get out of playing in that when Gramma and PawDad visit.
Of course, by the time we can afford such a thing, Bubby and Mac will be older, wiser, and more likely to think such a thing is very not cool, and very much for old fogies. Which, as I noted at the outset of this post, is apparently what I've become, long before my time. That's the only explanation I have for fantasizing about owning such a stereotypically old and uncool automobile...and hotel...all rolled up into one. With air-conditioning and a well-appointed sound system. And a DVD player, a refrigerator, and a bed. And most important of all: a bathroom.
Which sounds to me like a pretty cool way to travel.
Yep, I'm old.
Photo: flickr/The Motorhome & US RV Show
Today's question:
What's the most UNcool vehicle you've ever owned?
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Reader Comments (15)
I like that RV. I (maybe) could handle one like that.
UNcoolest car was probably my first one, a Chevy Corvair. My Mom wrecked it so I never really had a chance to "own" it. But it was my POS.
Too funny! Mainly because we're talking about getting a travel trailer for the very reasons you mentioned. I always thought to myself, "I'm never going to get so old that I can't sleep in a tent." Well, I can still sleep in a tent but I don't WANT to. However, we're looking at a very COOL Chalet pop-up camper: http://www.chaletrv.com/folding.php
But I've already been warned that the ones that you and I are looking at are just gateway RV's. Before you know it, you'll be holding a pair of binoculars, looking for exits. :)
My grandparents had a small motor home. Actually, they had two: the older red one and then the newer blue one, which they bought an original Nintendo for because of us grandkids. We thought it was awesome. Minivans may never be cool, but motor homes? Not in the same league at all, in my opinion.
I had a Ford Escort with no power steering. I also had decent biceps!
Awesome post!
The most uncool car -- had to be the mustard yellow AMC Hornet my X bought when I was pregnant. It replaced my coolest car ever! Red 1967 Austin Healey Sprite. I still miss that car...
Too funny!
I too protested the mini-vans and decided that my daughters were perfectly safe stuffed into the backseat of a Mitsubishi Eclipse. Have I mentioned that I was a very young Mom? Well, at least we got our money's worth.
My cars get bigger as I get older, wiser, and more neurotic... there are crazy drivers out there! I've gone from my once upon a time two seater Triumph Spitfire convertible to a 4 door Chrysler 300 that will hold not one, but two car seats. Yes, probably my 'most' uncool so far.
Pretty sure I'll be driving an army tank soon, but if it's safer for my Grandkids...LOL.
One of the funnest years I ever spent was in a motor home touring the USA for a whole year. We home schooled our daughter and my niece who came as her companion. What a great time we had! Of course, it was 23 years ago and gas was ridiculously cheap.
While i don't like to fly, i can't stand more than an hour behind the wheel, either. We toyed with the RV idea once but not seriously. I like the size you are thinking about. The bus should require a special licence it's so unwieldy.
I don't even remember the type of cars the 4 door bulgemobile sedans we've had. Too generic and too uncool. I did like our 2 door Explorer a lot.
I had to laugh at your post because since my husband and I have been retired (over a year now) we keep looking into getting an RV...whether it's a pop-up camper, and 18 footer or one like you have pictured. But then we come back to reality when we see the cost and all the work that goes into it.
The most uncool car I had was a Chevy Corvair (like Terri). It was also my first car. I was a senior in high school and thought it was cool but then later found our that Ralph Nader declared it one of the most unsafe cars of the time!
I saw lots of rented RV's on a vacation in Yellowstone National Park! they had advertising all over them to that effect but I thought that was a cool way to see and stay in the park!
Our whole marriage we've had four cars...a Chrysler Duster, an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, a Pontiac Bonneville and now a Subaru Forester. We like the Forrester a lot as it is amll enough to park on the streets of NYC and has enough cargo room to haul lots of stuff when we need to. I noticed ao many Subarus on the streets of Colorado! Most likely we will buy another one when the time comes.
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It is always scary when we realize we have actually turned into our own parents.
As for cars. i always, always wanted a Saab. I finally got one--it cost as much as my first house, but I could afford it at the time. It was such a lemon--really broke my heart.
I would LOVE to own any kind of an RV, but with gas prices being what they are, there is not one in my future.
The most UNcool car I ever owned was the Dodge Omni I drove when my babies were little. It was what we could afford, so it was what we drove. It also had a standard transmission, not ideal for a mom juggling two babies. But I managed.
As someone that owns an RV I can honestly say it is the biggest pain in the butt until we actually get it stocked, tuned, rotated, full of a lot of gas, propane gas too, clothes and whatever else will fit. nce you arrive at your destination it is worth every penny of hassle it took to get there.
don't think you're old at all.. i think that rv (mini or whatever it is) is way COOL! i'd totally ride in that, sleep in that, relax in that... oh yes!!!... and i am the same mom that said i would not drive a minivan and would be happy in the subaru... but i am now driving my odyssey and happy as can be and was dying last week when i was forced to drive the subaru when the odyssey was in the shop! hahaha! i hope you enjoy it! :) (if and when you get it!)
Your descriptions were so visual and made me smile (and wish I'd said that). I took my four children (then ages 13 down to 6) across country for seven weeks, living out of a modified VW Vanagon. I think I still prefer hotels. (I do hate waiting at airports, too.)
well it looks like you've arrived in style--I had a van back in my glory days when I was carting at least a dozen children here and there. I have a buick LeSabre now--and yes it looks like an old lady car.