DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Melissa At Taylor's

Q: Hi Melissa. This ride looks like it gets some great use. What can you tell us about it?

A: It's a 2010 Volkswagen Routan. It was my first brand new car, so that was very exciting. In high school my first car was a purple VW bug, so I feel like I've come full circle.

Q: You have four boys, ages four through eleven. When did you decide you needed to do the minivan thing?

A: It was the sliding doors that got me! They kept opening the doors really fast and I was scared they were going to hit somebody's car. I just needed sliding doors so they don't have to touch anything and that has been lovely.

Q: Has the brotherly fighting decreased?

A: Oh yes, like watch a movie and be quiet!

Q: Oh, because it has the built-in media system?

A: Yes, we didn't have that before. For long drives, it's very nice.

Q: Do the boys like the minivan?

A: Yeah, they do! My husband does not, but the boys do. They like that it's easier for them to get in and out. They like the media system. You know, all the high tech stuff.

Q: Can you fit all their stuff and their friends?

A: Yes, I think if I didn't have as many children, I could fit more of their friends. It holds seven and we have six in our family.

Q: How much time do you spend in your ride?

A: A lot! Picking the boys up from school--I have two pickups. We had soccer. Now we have hockey. That's a couple days a week. It's always something. When there was swim, that was everyday. Yeah, we're in the car a lot. There's always someone doing something!