Vintage vans born anew with students behind wheel

Forgive any child who, on a hot summer day, thought Kevin Doyle, senior, was the ice cream man as he drove his blue 1992 Plymouth Voyager up Geyer Road. Down the side of his van dripped the sweetness of children’s music out of his once-working radio. But if the children had stopped this mobile Klondike bar and pulled open its rusted doors hoping for ice cream, the laughter of five teenage boys would have greeted them instead. This is one of the many fond memories Doyle attributes to his Plymouth Voyager.

Craig Carden, junior, can relate to Doyle’s day driving around a van full of boys. Five times a week or more during lacrosse season, Carden finds a way to fit up to six lax bros and their bulky equipment into his 1994 burgundy Voyager. A KHS ID hangs from his rearview, and last night’s, after party Taco-Bell sits in his cup-holder. Although driving the boys around sounds hectic, Carden believes it is what the Voyager does best.

“Even though my brother got a convertible, I’m happy with my Voyager,” Carden said. “It’s best at just shuttling people around.”

Like its fellow Voyagers, Carden’s also shuttled around families before his grandparents picked it up at a garage sale in Florida in 2009. Doyle’s Voyager was his parent’s then sister’s before being handed down to him, and if it lasts long enough it will become his brother’s.

Alex Clark, junior, cruises in a green 1994 Grand Voyager that no less than five members of his family have driven. It has also endured two trips to Canada and multiple Ozarkian adventures in which it hauled multiple jet-skis and family members. This constant their Voyagers endured several significant injuries and bare some quirky scars.

“My gas meter doesn’t work for some reason,” Clark said, “so I check my gas by turning sharply and seeing if the engine cuts out.”

Carden also finds creative ways to deal with his Voyager’s problems.

“There’s a key stuck in the ignition, so I have one key to start the car and another to open it,” Carden said.

Doyle’s Voyager has problems that no amount of ingenuity will fix, as both his radio and air conditioning are broken. It also has severe scrapes along one side thanks to an errant baby sitter and her encounter with a brick wall. Fortunately for the baby sitter, the van is so old Doyle’s parents did not care.

All three owners acknowledge how their van’s characteristics lie on the sketchy side

“It’s a legal liability,” Clark said. “When a van bumps hard, sounds like a muscle car, has tinted windows and roof rust, it’s asking to get pulled over.”

All three owners are quick to list their respective vehicles’ problems, yet each one of them rolls out of bed every morning to drive a car older than he. This opportunity is not the reason this ritual occurs, however. Along with the vans’ bruises and bumps come amazing stories. A few years ago before he owned it, Clark’s Voyager was stolen out of his driveway on New Year’s Eve. His dad decided to welcome in the New Year by searching for the Voyager, since police were unable to contribute adequate investigations. After five days, he found the vehicle sitting in a parking lot covered in dust and dirt (apparently the thieves liked to off-road in vans).

Clark’s Voyager has also been pilfered three times. Clark does not keep his van around just to help him remember old stories, though. It has some nice features, too.

“The booming sound system I put inside it is definitely my favorite feature,” Clark said. “It has 1,900 watts and 12 speakers, including two 12-inch [subwoofers].”

Doyle enjoys waking up to drive his Voyager every day for a different reason, though.

“People identify me with this car. It’s unique,” Doyle said. “It’s easily recognizable and my friends have given it all sorts of nicknames.”

Carden also agrees on the distinctness of the Plymouth Voyager in the world of automobiles.

“The brand Plymouth doesn’t even exist anymore,” Carden said. “It was bought by Chrysler. These vans were also built with a Mitsubishi engine, which is strange. [Voyagers] are like a collector’s item, so if you can find one I recommend it.”

Another reason Carden appreciates his Voyager is rather violent. He regularly battles friends by throwing change or food at them from the safety of his van. Carden’s use of his Voyager as both a troop transporter and weapon confirm what Doyle believes the true purpose of the Plymouth Voyager is.

“They’re indestructible. They’re tanks,” Doyle said.

CRAIG CARDEN