Definately the surf board, permanently affixed to the top of a mini van is sexy! You might even consider learning how to surf & spending time parked at the beach with your van. Defintately bringing a puppy with you is a good idea. Also, I would suggest putting cool stickers on your mini van - surf stickers, cool bands & the like. Don’t forget to add a couple of warm & fuzzy stickers such as, “Adopt a Kitten”, “Feed a Child” or “Reading is Sexy!”. I saw one recently that said, “Men Against Breast Cancer”. Now that’s sexy! Work your mini van like a VW Bus & you might have a fighting chance…
Best, Michelle from Southern Utah
I grew up in Southern California in the 1960s and 1970s; what Craig might not yet know as a recent transplant is that, from a SoCal perspective, anti-trend setters are totally cool! And nothing knocks trendy on its butt faster than a guy driving a mini-van. When a man is confident enough to do what average guys wouldn?t dare, he?ll attract the attention of women who are independent and authentic. That?s the tactic my husband used on me. We?d been dating for less than a year when he rolled up in a used Dodge Caravan with a stick-shift (probably the only one ever made). At that moment (14 years ago!), I knew he was the one. Only a truly independent, self-effacing, practical guy with a great sense of humor could pull that off. And that combo of traits is what real women find totally sexy!!!
Melinda in Olympia, Washington
Maybe not sexy, but definitely intriguing. Craig, you say you paint murals. Try something with James Dean. The very disparity between him and your vehicle could cause the ladies to begin to wonder. By the way, I live in San Luis Obispo. If I see the James Dean Groove Box drive by, it would certainly spark my interest.
Hi Craig:
My son inherited my perfect forest green minivan when he went off to college. He couldn’t complain too much. It was free and the insurance was paid for him. I know, I’m a big softy.
To top it off his first name is “VAN”, no kidding. In 1985 it wasn’t really cool to name your kid VAN, but now it is OK and he is one great kid. He started calling the minivan the MANIVAN. It is covered with the decals of his favorite sports from backpacking to white water rafting. He has learned that our good law enforcement folks don’t look twice at a boring MANIVAN. Now, he wouldn’t trade it for the world. Be proud of your MANIVAN!!!
I don’t quite understand why guys think that women care that much about their vehicles. On match.com, the biggest goobers post pictures of them with their cars or motorcycles. My friends and I look at their profiles and just shake our heads in amazement and wonder why men think that will be a chick magnet. If you just keep the vehicle in neat and clean condition and it drives well, it really doesn’t matter what you drive.
I once dated a guy who told me that he had spent the whole day detailing his car for the date that night. When I got into the car, the leather seats made a farting noise each time I sat in them or got out of the car with all the stuff he had put on them.
Don’t be embarrassed by the minivan, just tell people that you aren’t impressed by labels and let them think that you are an independent thinker who makes up their own mind about what is and is not important in life. Cultivate that cool confident attitude and people will be interested in you soon enough.
I think Craig should strap a surfboard on top of the minivan and get the biggest most manly dog he can find. Maybe a Great Dane or a Newfoundland. Some well placed stickers could help too. Beware of painting the van - there is a fine line between cool and cheesy.
You hit it already on the air. Paint the top portion of the car sky blue - and the bottom half as a red ferrari. Everyone will take notice.
He should paint the van with a beautiful professional design advertizing his mural painting business. That way it’s his “work” van, it says he’s an artist (always sexy) and he can take the cost off on his taxes! By the time he’s picking his date up in the “work” van they will know he isn’t married with 4 kids (plain mini-van says that) and hopefully he’ll have the inside spruced up so it doesn’t feel like a “work” van. He might even get more business from the advertizing. Money is always sexy!
Jayme Topeka KS
Obviously, I didn’t read the other posts before I posted the last one. It took me awhile to get registered to post, which you can tell by my name being attached I don’t often do. Many great ideas! Remember the inside being cool and comfy will mean the most to any woman who has to ride with you, even your mother.
Craig and the last caller should search for images of “Art Cars” for inspiration.
http://www.artcars.com/klubhouse/adhesives.html for reviews of glues.
http://www.artcars.com/klubhouse/tips.html for general tips on how to make an Art Car.
http://www.greasergrrls.com/showroom/artcars1.html for one gallery of Art Car images.
So, instead of painting it chocolate brown, make it a chocolate bar or glue chocolate bars to it.
The “Art Car” subculture is a lot of fun!
I’m sorry Craig, but there is no way a minivan can be sexy. But it doesn’t really matter, as you use the minivan for work. It shows you’re a good business man because the reason you drive a minivan is it’s a good work vehicle. I think you shouldn’t worry about the minivan being sexy, just make sure you’re sexy.
Besides, women worth dating don’t care what you drive.
Nancy
I want to second everyone who says to make an art car–or an art van. My sister had an art car called The Car Car, which had tons of matchbox cars on it (including an accident scene on the hood and a parking lot on the roof), and every time I went anywhere with her, we got tons of attention. I always talk to people with art cars. I also talk to people with puppies, as has also been suggested numerous times. (Mostly I talk to the puppy, but if the human wants to chat, I would do that, too.) I also agree that lots of women don’t care what kind of car you’re driving–I certainly don’t.
Take a note, this guy’s “business” is not one to be advertised? Then again, flowers are nice!
I wonder if any of these women are telling the truth… I don’t deny that you can improve a mini-van with accessories, but Craig still has to be himself… I have to admit, when I see a man in a mini-van I figure he’s already taken. And Craig is not going to meet someone because of his car - and he doesn’t want to…he’ll meet someone because they meet him. The car really doesn’t matter, but if he thinks it does…My recommendation for him, sell the mini-van… as an artist, there are other vehicles that can carry your supplies and canvases - even a station wagon is more practical and more ‘sexy’ a vehicle than a mini-van. Though the dog idea is cute! Aussiegirl
seconded…and expanded upon below. 
You’ve got to get her attention first. I had the same inspiration as gracias, including a plate with variations of Van Gogh or Vincent. A midnight blue van with swirls of “The Starry Night” would be eye-catching and start many conversations. Or yellow with a field of sunflowers. Not only would it show off his talent, but he’d attract intelligent, art-savvy women. As gracias points out, a working van would generate all kinds of “business”. I would stop at that though—a missing ear would be going too far.
Sure, you are a painter right? Well nothing is more attractive to a grown woman than a man with a J-O-B! So get a two-fer…paint your business name on the van and you get a woman and some free marketing!
While earlier i also submitted one with the suggestion of painting StarryNight all over his van and then signing it VanGo with his phone number, I think i have a better idea.
if there is one thing women like, it’s a guy who likes what they like. That provides them less stuff to change about the guy, plus it provides great fodder for their discussions with other women about how great THEIR man is.
So my suggestion is that he think about things he really loves. If Craig loves to travel, he should paint travel posters all over the sides of the van with exotic locations that he’s been or would like to go. Then he puts above all of it, “Come, fly with me!”
If he loves food and wine, he should cover the van with scrumptious images of food and wine. And he gives it a headline, “He who loves not wine, women and song remains a fool his whole life long!”
(that one is by Johann Heinrich Voss). You get the idea.
Oh yes, a final suggestion - permanently attach a post-it note holder full of post-its on the side of the van with a pen on a little chain, so that people can write their comments. you may even get a few phone numbers.
Why not use his talent to paint a mural of a jungle scene (something evoking the Amazon, for instance)? Or, if he’s more of a house painter than an artist, find an up-&-coming artist to do it in exchange for publicity? That would certainly catch my eye, & intrigue me about the nature- and animal-loving driver behind the wheel!
wow I’m kind of flabbergasted here…there are so many sexist replies to this question and most of them are from women… ah heck…
Here what Craig minivan would say to me. First of all in my mind minivan means kids. Which would make Craig a possible family man. It’s a plus in my mind.
Second, if Craig has his credentials on the side of the van, here what it tells me:
The guy has a job! (woooooohoooooo!) He’s self-employed: has autonomy, knows how to take care of things. On the bad side, if that’s his only car, maybe he cares too much about his business and doesn’t have time for other thing.
All in all, I think that if you make jokes about the van and present it a certain way (like you castle on wheel (I don’t know)), women will be charmed. It’s not the car I’m interested in, it’s the guy who drives it.