Been thru three vans. Background: Easterner in snowy Upstate NY (200 inches in a winter) with four kids. At one point it was four kids under 4 years old! Got Dodge Caravans. In winter I put studded snow tires on them. We hauled kids, car seats, bikes, camping gear (with a Sears "Big MAc" tote on top) hunting gear, plywood, lumber, dead deer, furniture. In 2014 I bought a new one off the floor at a dealer. Bought a 8 person pop up, a trailer kit, took all six of us across the country seeing Yellowstone, Colorado, Montana, Oklahoma. Return trip in 2016 to Colorado and OK, thru the southern states. Best summers of our lives as a family. It did everything we needed it to do. That van was pressed into commuter duty when I had to move to PA from NY to care for my mom. My wife remained in NY for 4 years and that van made the 800 mile round-trip on every other weekend for three of those years. It was cherry red (which was a funny feeling when I went to Oklahoma panhandle at the invite of an AS regular to "bring the kids and shoot PD". Who knew that the only vehicles in the panhandle of OK are white 4x4 stakebodys? Kinda felt like "city Slickers" but that van served us so well, even though EVERYONE knew the NY family was in town.
It gave up the ghost after four years and 210 thousand miles, trans and clicking in the motor spelled "TRADE NOW" in bold neon. I made it to the dealer lot on a wing and prayer and never felt better than driving away knowing they got a turd and I got a deal on the Rav4 that temporarily replaced it as our main ride. My daughter ended up with it, so...
We got a Honda Civic to compliment our old 2004 VW Golf. Western PA is NOT snowy, no matter what the people here say. My driving is mostly back and forth to work and my greatest challenge now is dodging 6000 pound Expeditions driven by plastic enhanced trophy wives who drive like pocket puppies on meth while yapping on the phone. I love my standard shift cars and the fun of a back road on a cool summer night. I don't need a sportscar to fell like Mario Andretti...my 215K Golf is like a slightly goosey and not so sure footed go cart, so it has its familiar thrills.
BUT...as I get older, slower, less bendy...I miss the old vans. I miss tossing all my guns in the back with a blanket over them and a box of kids toy on tops for urban camo and heading off to shop then go to the range, without worrying about bending over, or stuff not fitting. And I miss stepping out and a little down, instead of rolling out onto the ground and clawing my way up the side of the civic to stand up...or so it feels some times.
I don't know what the next vehicle will be, but I know it is going to be painful paying 2x what a vehicle cost only 4 years ago.