I was once riding with a co-worker in his wife's Dodge Caravan and we happened to notice a lot of other minivans on the road with bashed bumpers and fenders prompting me to comment that minivans are the manatees of the road. I've never owned one but have rented them when traveling with gear and found them to be very practical. One issue in renting them, usually the rental agency wouldn't let me take the seats out and leave them at the agency, which kinda reduced the practical utility for hauling gear.