I should not have bought a minivan

[flying kurbmaster]

I expressed that with a little dramatic flair, but my point stands.

I wasn't commenting on the tone or spirit of the remarks/advice (yes, everyone has been kind), simply characterizing the content of the responses.

The OP expressed a conclusion (and shows intellectual honesty and good character by admitting he made a mistake), and then gets dozens of reasons supporting the opposite conclusion ("so-and-so lives in a minivan").  That in and of itself is fine: a true friend will correct you if you're wrong, while an enemy will let you drive off a cliff.  But in this case, nobody was refuting the reasons for his conclusion, or offering overwhelming reasons for the other direction: most of the reasons essentially were an argument for the status quo / "sunk cost fallacy".  So reading this I was reminded of a professor who said "SUNK COSTS DON'T MATTER" in almost every lecture for a semester, the Silicon Valley "rapid iteration / pivot / move fast and break things" mentality, and I just recently listened to Maxwell Maltz from the 1960s who had a lot of wise points about how to respond to mistakes.

And I found this reasoning a little comical in a forum populated by people who pride themselves in not being bound by tradition or societal expectation.  I'm actually the first one to say that people probably should stay with their careers and spouses and stuff.  But this is just a used Honda that he recently bought.

It helps if you just think of it like a logic or rhetoric example:
* Thunder Dan decides A
* Forum members offer reasons in support of NOT A
* The reasons are arguments from inertia / sunk costs / tradition
* Forum members generally pride themselves on being nontraditional
Conclusion: Forum members are being inconsistent

It was this inconsistency which I was pointing out with a little hyperbole.

I am just as emotionally supportive as the others, but I'm also intellectually supportive, since I'm NOT listing reasons (many of which seem weak and grasping in service to a very strange form of traditionalism) to second-guess his decision.

So yes, if he's really making a mistake, by all means let him know (and tell me if my fly is unzipped!).  But since his decision seems pretty reasonable, I'm just going to support him and encourage him to move forward

your fly is unzipped, on your first post you supported him and encouraged him to move forward then in the rest of your posts you lectured us.

 

[LostlnTransit]

@Thunder Dan

Follow up.. I was thinking about what I said.. and it is hard to comprehend the idea that one purchased the correct or incorrect vehicle.. to put this perspective.. we've had about 8 different vehicles in less than 20 years.. and the reason we switch up.. is because oh health issues. But because we now know why we can no longed sit comfortable in the car or trucks of today.. this make our selection a bit easier. Granted we're not going to be able to afford that big truck we've always wants but never had.. at least we can enter the dealership and know what it is we're looking for and that we can actually fit into.

I think that if your minivan doesn't fit you and depending on how old it is.. there's always the options to trade it in on something better.. Like I said we've had more cars/trucks then we can count so it is possible for you to get it not something you actually like but it may not be what you had intended on getting in the first place. There are dealership willing to work with those in these instances.. and we've been there. So you're not alone.

Lesion learn.

 

[Thunder Dan]

Good news, everyone! I sold the minivan today. I did take a loss, but it wasn't an earth-shattering, about $450. It went to someone who I think will really enjoy it. Now I need to sell my car and then I should have enough cash to buy a van I really like.

Honestly, I was stressing about the minivan. Once I knew it wasn't what I wanted, I worried that I wouldn't be able get my money back out of it. Fortunately it wasn't too bad.

Thanks to everyone for their input and ideas. I appreciate all your support.

 

[Rugster]

Awesome, good luck on finding the van you want

 

[highdesertranger]

yep, glad you are on your way to a new ride. make sure to keep us up to date. highdesertranger

 

[rvpopeye]

"The Right Rig"
I suggest that that is actually more of a moving target....
I've known hundreds of fulltime RVers in my time on the road.
Most are thinking that their current rig is lacking for various reasons and are looking for a "better fit".
EX:
I started out in a full size pickup and have had a few very different rigs over the years.
I got up to as big as a 29' class A and now have a 23' class C and am thinking about going smaller.

Very few are in their "forever" rig .

Good luck in your search and hope you get out on the road on your new adventure soon....

 

[Txjaybird]

  Ya'll better duck 'cause there is a loose "new reply" flying around out there.......somewhere.......I bet Skynet got it!  :-/    As I was saying......Congrats on your sale, you seem to be taking your loss with grace instead of pi***ng and moaning about it.....Kudos to You.

Now then would you please tell me what " sunk cost"  & "iterant?  ?something" mean? Please....I didn't redneckanize those words/meaning on posts on this thread...I'm afraid to go back and get the correct spelling because if this reply flies away it might not be the only thing flying up in here!

Goodluck on your search for a van........Tjb  + Queenie

 

[FreeAtLast]

What an interesting, informative thread.  Dan, I admire that you 'took the plunge' with what you thought would work best, found out it wouldn't and took action to correct it.  Best of luck to you on finding the right vehicle for You!

Remember:  'Experience is what we get when we don't get what we want'.

FaL

 

[LeeRevell]

Another way to put it....
"You make good choices based on experience.  You get experience based on bad decisions."
But you have the flexibility to sell the vehicle you don't need and get the one you do.  It's all part of the vanning life.

 

[BigT]

I'm hanging onto my minivan for now (Ford Transit Connect) because it's my daily driver for work and I just can't beat the 27 mpg on the highway.

Congrats on selling your van, though, now you can move forward on finding the perfect, for now at least, vehicle that best fits your needs.