Minivan Hell

There is no way 3 adults and 2 dogs can fit comfortably in my small car for a road trip across the country. The fact is, I will lose my mind or leave one of the kids or dogs at a rest stop.
I promised myself a long time ago I would NEVER, EVER succumb to buying a mini van.
The thought of driving one makes me shudder....
but the time has come to reconsider.
The dogs will need room to stretch out, the girls will need their own space and I can drive without everyone breathing down my neck, literally.
After scouring Craigslist,I found a cheap mini van dealer named Mohammed who has a used car business in Hackensack. It took some time to locate his unmarked garage on State Street and I felt a little uneasy walking into the dank office in the back parking lot. A man with an Australian accent, who was clearly not Mohammed, showed me a few minivans in my price range.By the looks of the cars, my price range of $2,000.00 may have been a little high. The first car he showed me had some trouble starting. Not a good sign for a trip across country .He told me the cars were all bought at auctions and were priced for quick sales.Most of the cars had some exterior damage, but the outside was not my concern.
Could this minivan make it over the Rockies?
The next minivan started without a problem and I began to get excited, this just might be our car.
I got in the drivers seat, and upon turning around to survey the back of the car, I noticed there was no carpeting.Now I know this might be a minor detail to some people, but I started to think of why there was no carpeting in the car. All I could come up with, was that this car must have been involved in a bloody massacre and the carpeting had to be taken out.I would be thinking about this scenario all the way across country. I know carpeting may be a luxury in some cars but the alternative is much more bleak, and I started to feel dirty just sitting in this car.I needed to get as far away from Mohammed and his sketchy minivans as possible.
While driving back home, I started to rethink the whole minivan scenario.
Maybe I can rent a U-Haul and attach it to my little car. When the girls get tired, they could lie in the U-Haul and stretch out. I'm not sure that this is safe or even legal but it may be worth looking into....