My ride is nothing particularly flashy or fast; just a minivan (an '02 Chevrolet Venture, to be exact) I inherited from my dearly departed father, as I'm the only one in the family besides him who had a licence. Despite being pretty fuel-efficient for a vehicle it's size, it's a little thirsty for my liking. Still, it has been completely reliable during the 3 years we've had it, it offers a quiet, comfortable, smooth ride, the driver's seat has plenty of room for someone as tall as me, and I just can't get enough of the insane amount of cargo space, especially if the 2nd and 3rd row seats are removed. Overall, not bad at all for a first car.
I would have opted for our other, smaller car (a '94 Dodge Shadow), but after it started developing some major problems (especially transmission trouble), I became doubtful of how long it would last, so I got it fixed up then sold for a profit of $500, and I probably won't be able to afford to afford a similar-sized replacement for a while, probably not until my insurance rates go down when I'm 25.
Anyway, the photos:
This was taken back in October after it was freshly washed and waxed; unfortunately, after several drives through rain and snow it doesn't look so clean anymore.
And under the hood, where sits the powerplant, a 3.4L LA1 60° V6 that generates 185hp and 210lbf of torque. That might seem underpowered for a vehicle of that size, but when the vehicle is lightly or moderately loaded, it still provides good low-end acceleration for stop-and-go traffic, and at highway speeds the engine has no trouble keeping up, retaining acceptable reserve power for timely passing.
