For the folks who haven’t heard me mentioning this in other threads, my wife and I are toying with the idea of buying a new car sometime soon. We’re tinkering with either a minivan or an SUV, and are still in the early investigative stages.
Anyway, as a result of this. I’ve been doing some research on minivans. I’m somewhat infatuated with the Honda Odyssey, but am balking a bit at the price. I’ve been also thinking about the Dodge Grand Caravan, since I hear some folks say it’s the highest-rated minivan around. OTOH, some other folks have also said that Dodge’s minivans tend to suck in a bad way.
So I ask the dopers out there: (1) Dodge - yay or nay? (2) Any other brands I should prefer/avoid? (3) Do you have any favorable minivan recommendations to share?
Well I have a 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan and with the kiddies it is a life saver!
I like my van because it can seat 7 without making you feel like peas in a pod and because both rear seats come out if I need to pick up something big. We have sliding doors on both sides that make getting bulkier things and small children in and out in cramped parking lots easier than with regular doors.
I am thrilled with the van we got and can’t imagine not having it. Test drive them all and good luck
I have a used Chrystler Town and Country, which I believe has the same body as the Dodge Caravan but with more bells and whistles. What tanookie said, plus let me state that it was designed with practical dimensions in mind. A standard-size sheet of plywood fits into the cargo space exactly (with the back seats taken out). The seats are designed so that you can slide long things under them all the way to in between the front seats without obstruction.
I have, however, spent a ton on repairs in the last year or so.
My wife and I love our Odyssey, but yea it is kind of pricy. In our area there was a waiting list of between 30 and 45 days to get one. Some dealerships were first-come-first-serve and we just made daily calls to those until we found one which had recieved a shipment of two of them that morning and one had been sold by the time we got there that night. Getting the options we wanted was a PITA and negotiating power kind of goes out the window if the salesman knows they can turn you down and sell it for more to the person behind you.
Maintenance on it hasn’t been too bad, but some of the design decisions were really crappy. For instance, the 30k mile checkup on the 2000 Odyssey runs about 480 bucks. Why? Because the air conditioner filter is installed behind the dashboard and you have to disassemble half the passenger side dashboard, AC, airbag, etc. to get to it. Check out some of the online reviews of any of the ones you are interested in. The Odyssey also has a weird assembly on the rear windshield wiper and the nut holding it on loosens with use. This can make the entire wiper fall off and be lost. A lock washer solves the issue, but it is odd to see that kind of obvious defect out of the factory. Mostly my gripes are minor, even though we’ve had a fair amount of issues with it most of them were because we trusted shoddy mechanics on some of our earliest repairs(caused by damage we did or misuse, not actual defects). Overall we’re still pretty pleased with it.
First, if you haven’t yet, go to Edmunds Automotive website and check out the many owners comments in their excellent Town Hall chat boards. Mine from early 2002 are archived there.
We purchased a new 2001 Chrysler Town & Country LXi all wheel drive minivan and are still very pleased with the vehicle. We had recently had two little kids and were coming off of many years of backcountry and off-road journeys in our SUV. We had earlier rented a few minivans and their functionality over a larger SUV was obvious. I also was not up for spending $45K on a Suburban that we may not be able to park in some downtown garages.
At the time Chrysler and Chevy were the only AWD minivans available–now other GM lines will provide you with more choices which is good. We have taken our T&C in a variety of environments (60 miles of desert, gravel roads, icey snowy roads, forest roads etc). The road feel and control has been outstanding–especially on snow and ice. The only drawback is the relatively low clearance that you cannot escape in a minivan.
This was our first American auto purchase and we haven’t regretted the decision. We also test drove the Dodge equivalent, but thought that the T&C was a tad quieter and better looking. It was also a few points pricier. The overall quality of the vehicle is wonderful–exceptionally quiet–I held regular conversations with my then 2-year olds and they both sat in the third row. The only negatives were a engine vibration noise apparent at 2100 rpm only–which as been subsequently fixed on later models and a few pieces of window molding needing re-gluing and with little kids I don’t know who is to blame for that. Excellent music system, comfortable leather seating, I like the remote control doors, and have not had any safety issues with the doors. All the grandparents easily get in and out of the vehicle. The T&C is also fun to drive and handles excellently. The largest V8’s driving sweet spot seems to be about 82mph.
If you don’t aim for an AWD van, then you will enter the Honda Vs. Chrysler Vs. Toyota debates. Almost all our friends these days have minivans from all these recent models. They all ride nicely. At the time and even still today, I think the T&C is just way better looking then any other minivan out there. The Hondas just seem like shipping containers and the Toyotas are boxy ugly. But if looks don’t matter to you then all will certainly serve you well. Also check out the Mazda MPV–smaller but nicely designed–if they have spiffed up the engine then they are probably worth considering too.
I’m looking at replacing our minivan soon so I have been checking out everything I can about what’s on the market. So far I am lusting after the new '04 Toyota Sienna (I mean, if one can actually lust after a minivan. Maybe “leaning towards” is a better description). But they are pricy and in demand (reservation only around here) so I doubt I could haggle a deal on one. Same thing with the Odyssey – they are hard to get around here and command top dollar. And forget about even finding a used one.
We currently have a '96 Dodge Caravan, and while I love the room and the features (the rollout seats that let me haul drywall and plywood sheets, the built in flip-up child seats), the thing is, to be perfectly honest, the biggest piece of shit car I have ever owned.
The thing has had about 7 or 8 recalls since I’ve owned it, I’ve gone through two body control computers, the AC hasn’t worked in three years (because it would cost a freakin’ fortune to fix and I just haven’t been able to justify spending the money), the body integrity sucks, I’ve had wiring problems, water pump problems, etc. And every time I bring it to my mechanic, no matter what the ailment, I get the same response: “Yeah, you see that a lot on these Chrysler minivans.”
Owning this van has soured me on Chrysler products, and I doubt I will ever buy another.
I’m probably going to wind up settling (since I can’t likely afford the Odyssey or Sienna) for a Chevy Venture or Ford Windstar.
We have 1992 Chrysler Town and Country and they usually have most of the options in this car line. It has leather seats and bucket seats in the 2nd row which we really liked. It now has 108,000 miles on it but I would say that its reliabilty is very average. We have changed the trasmission at 40,000, the water pump, the alternator and various odd things that get spendy over time. It is paid for so we are keeping it for the time being. I don’t think I would buy another .You will pay top dollar for a Honda or Toyota because there are so many people that want them so be sure to check out the Mazdas as they should be more competitive. They are now making a pretty nice looking SUV that I have seen on the road lately.
I had a 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan for a while. Comfy ride? Sure. Reliable? Hell no. We replaced practically everything on that car - transmission (rebuilt twice), ABS module, turn signal lever, air conditioning, all kinds of crap. We about broke even selling it with 72,000 miles on it, never been in an accident, well-maintained. Bottle of Smoke is right: It’s a piece of crap. My dad now owns an Odyssey, with which he’s very happy. If I were you, I’d steer far, far away from the Dodge, or any of the domestics, and invest in a Sienna or Odyssey. Check out Consumer Reports and see what they recommend, though it’s been a while since they road-tested any minivans.
And I’ll add: The Kia Sedona is fairly highly-rated. Not as many features or as refined as the Sienna or Odyssey, but a good value and probably more reliable than most domestics.
We drive a 1993 Dodge Caravan and are quite happy with it. Bought it used from a lady a couple of years ago, it had 100k miles on it. We get pretty good mileage and can seat 7 (if we wanted to).
One thing I’ve noticed, though: they are bad to peel, paint-wise. I see lots of Caravans around the city and quite a few of them have paint peeling in the same places we do: on the roof and on the hood.
Someone at my school drives an identical van to ours and they are peeling in the same places, too. I have a hard time telling our vehicles apart. Sometime I hope to bump into the owner leaving school at the same time and ask them what year their van is.
We have an '85 Plymouth Grand Voyager, which is the same as the Dodge Grand Caravan, save for a few trim bits. We bought it (used) about five years ago.
It’s a wonderfully practical vehicle. Carries seven people and a load of luggage, drives great, handles like a car, sprightly performance.
That said, I can second the POS comments earlier. When we bought it, (about 80000 miles) it was on its third transmission. Shortly after we bought it, the air conditioning went out; cost $2300 to fix, and just the other day I noticed that the rear air conditioning seems to be on the fritz again. Oh boy, I can hardly wait to put another load of money into it…
There were also a number of loose trim bits inside, which I screwed down, no big deal.
If I were in the market, I’d get a Honda or Toyota. Toyotas are dull, and a bit pricey, but they never never never break down. The Mazda also looks interesting, but perhaps a bit small.
Wow, those horror stories about the Dodge Grand Caravan are certainly eye-opening. :eek: IIRC, my 1991 Acura Integra only needed its transmission replaced once. I think it’s actually due for another tranny job, and I may use that as an excuse to go car-shopping.
I’ve read the reviews, but not the forums. Will check it out.
How many miles do you have on it now?
Actually, my wife and I are somewhat inclined towards the boxy look – some of the older Dodge Caravans look like “mobile (bread) rolls,” to use my wife’s term.
One more question – one of the features I like about the Honda Odyssey is how the third-row seat can be folded into the floor. For comparison, how hard is it to remove/install the second- and third-row seats in the T&C?
We have a Dodge Grand Caravan that we bought new in May, 1995. It was one of the last of the old versions. It has been very trouble-free for us for over 8 years now. It has fairly low miles for its age (59,000 miles). We don’t use it for commuting much, but has been great for vacations, camping trips, hauling building materials and such. I think replacing the brake pads, front rotors, etc. is the most expensive repair we’ve had done on it. It even has the original tires yet. Maybe we got lucky.
No info on the T&C unfortunately, but I can tell you that this is absolutely one of the things that my wife and I LOVE the most about our Odyssey. The rear cargo area is recessed(so the seat can fold down into it) and even with the seat up you can fit a heck of a lot of stuff in there. One time my wife was at the park and she had our fairly large double stroller with her. When she was ready to leave she was kind of harried getting all the kids in and didn’t feel like unloading/folding the stroller, so she just picked the whole thing up and set it in the back of the van. It is 22 inches deep(side to side), 37 inches long(front to back, a little over three feet), and 40 inches tall. Rode with no problems and the doors closed fine. In fact, we leave it in the car full-time. We can usually transport almost anything we need even with the(usually folded) stroller taking up around 1/3 of the rear cargo area.
I had some concerns about the strength/durability of the floor of the recessed cargo area because it is essentially a plastic shell. Recently I had to haul some broken concrete from a landscaping project and loaded up the back of it with a few hundred pounds of concrete and there were no issues at all.
I’m with Ethilrist. As the happy owner of a Dodge 1500 Ram Wagon (full-size van), we saved a boatload of bucks and have more room for all the kids and their stuff. No problems after 60,000 miles of ownership.
If you like the Odyssey, but don’t like the price or the wait and don’t mind a slightly smaller vehicle, you really should consider the Mazda MPV. We bought a 2000 model right after they hit the streets in mid 1999, and have been completely satisfied with it so far (~70,000 miles). Only one unscheduled repair (water pump leak) to date. The only complaint I have about our MPV is something I knew the minute I test-drove one – the 2.5L, 160 HP V6 in the original models isn’t quite enough power for the vehicle. Fortunately, Ford/Mazda have upped the power somewhat in the 2002 and 2003 models, to a 3.0L 200HP V6 that’s received lots of positive notice in the press. Mazda’s only exaggerating slightly when they claim that the MPV is a minivan that handles like a sports car – it’s definitely more fun to drive than any other minivan I’ve driven.
The MPV offers a rear seat that folds down into a recessed well behind it (like the Odyssey), and the “slide-by-side” second row seats work really well and are easy to remove and light enough you won’t hurt yourself removing or replacing them by yourself. The interior has held up remarkably well given the amount of plastic and fabric used, and looks better than the interiors of many of our friends’ newer American minivans.
We also wanted an Odyssey when we bought the MPV, but in 1999 the Odysseys were even scarcer than they are now. We feel like we got most of what we were looking for from the Odyssey (including the exceptional reliability one associates with Honda) at a lot lower price with the MPV.
Oh, and add me to the chorus of those warning about reliability problems with the Chrysler/Dodge minivans. My sister and my wife’s brother both owned Dodge minivans and both started having chronic transmission problems about the time the warranty ran out.
My wife and I got a used 2002 Sienna from Carmax a couple week ago. Used - yeah, well, it had less than 3,000 miles on it. Cost us only $20k, and they gave us more than the bluebook value on our Pathfinder, on which the transmission was quickly falling apart. If money is important to you, I’d try Carmax, they have a searchable database of all available cars, throughout the country. We live near Raleigh, NC, and they drove ours down to us from Washington, DC, free of charge (they would have charged us for the transfer IF we hadn’t bought the vehicle). And I have absolutely no complaints about the Sienna, so far. There was just no way I wanted to go through the hassle of buying an Odyssey, my friend’s got one, and I don’t see any difference in the design.
Neither of us mind, but we hoist small children regularly too. The seats weigh about 50 lbs each. Getting them in and out is OK. There are wheels that can help move them and a fairly easy system for clicking them in place. Since our kids sit in the third row, we leave one second row seat in, but often remove/replace the other second row seat. If you don’t have a handy covered storage area, then this could be problematic.
I like the flexibility of being able to configure all the seats.
While I am here, I’ll address the Chrysler transmission issues. It is true that the Chrysler minivan transmissions were horrible until around 1997 or so. Since then I think they have solved the problem (which they should have done way earlier). Check out the Consumer Reports data on this to verify.
This is an excellent option. After we bought our Odyssey we met a lady who had a full-size conversion van. She had captian’s chairs and all kinds of niceties. Kind of big, didn’t handle like a car, or get the kind of gas mileage we did, and I have no idea about maintenance, but it was a really nice vehicle. We did some snooping around at various dealerships and we found that we could get a full-size van CONVERTED for about the same price or even LESS than we paid for our van. My first car was a 88 Ford Aerostar, back when Ford’s mini-vans were built on the Ranger(Ford’s small truck) body and it rode and drove like a truck. I had no problems with it and if you feel comfortable with a full-size van this should certainly be considered. A non-converted full-size is even less expensive.
