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Maybe it's because I'm a bass player. Maybe it's because I'm a long time shade tree mechanic. For whatever reason, I've long been in love with old 245 Volvo wagons and currently own both a 30 and 20 year old version of this venerable Swedish tractor. Both of them get 25 mpg on the highway, where I do most of my driving. They offer a FULL six feet of rest stop sleeping room in the back (with the rear seat folded up), AND room for my standup bass and amp. One cost $850, the other $2000.
As for the mini van... well... One of my first cars (and a few subsequent ones) was a VW microbus. I still have it mothballed out back. I view the Windstar I have as a close cousin to it. A actual workable cousin. Like with water cooling, and a heater and defroster, for example. Cool? Who the heck cares? It's my summer touring rig with all the benefits of the Volvo wagons, with the additional plus of being able to sleep me, my beloved, and the aforementioned bass and gear. I call it my mini RV.
I don't care - nor have I ever - what people think of as "cool" in an automobile. Both the dear, dependable, and amateur fixable Volvos, and the remarkably well running Windstar do what I'd like them to do, haul what I need hauled, and get at least decent mileage doing so. All three are completely paid for and have been since I obtained them.
Get what you need. Don't pay attention to status or perceived taunts of "coolness" from bozos, and get on with it.
