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Comments
Check out the maintenance and repair costs at the bottom.
Steve, Host
PS: Knock on plastic, my 95 3.3 is holding up pretty well. I do change the oil every 3K miles!
I'm gonna hate parting with the old boy soon.
I think the biggest downside to power windows in the back is that they can only be opened by the driver (not even the front passenger) and if the driver's busy, then it's just a pain. Is there a reason for not putting a button for each window in the back to so those passengers can operate the windows? Small problem but for as much as you pay, they should do it.
Also, small thing but why did they make the locks so that when you have them down, they still poke at your elbow when you rest it on there. Our 95' plymouth voyager was more comfortable to rest your arm on.
the power doors are nice to have and a nice thing is that the motor does not activate when the door is opened or closed by hand. the power liftgate is great. when I first got the van I thought it was a big toy. However, it does come in handy when my hands are full of groceries or sales presentation materials. If you get one look for a lot of curiosity when you use it around other people. Many people don't know that this feature exists yet.
As for the HVAC, I do not agree with what edmunds says. Except for the temp controls the switchgear is the same as the manual system. I love the automatic system although I think the system is too quick to run the A/C compressor when its not really needed (although I can see its reasoning in running it to dehumidify the car). One thing I like as compared to other automatic HVAC system I've had is that the caravan's system has auto hi and lo so you can choose whether the desired temp. should be reached quickly or slowly.
If this is confusing just email me with any questions. Trust me, I was one of those "I'll never drive a minivan especially a DC" but once you drive one there's no going back.
PS: I have 800 miles on mine in three weeks. With mostly city driving a about 25-30% highway miles, I'm averaging about 16 mpg with the 3.8, 17" tires/rims, and autostick EPA 17/23. Is this normal or should I give the engine more miles before I take the van in to have it checked out. Most of the driving has been in cool and/or rainy weather (I live in the DC area and since I bought this van 10/25/2002 its been cold or raining go figure).
There are alot of times I think the power doors would be nice in different situation but not yet the liftgate but it's definately a plus feature in my opinion.
Anyway, just got through taking a ~500 mile drive down I-10 from New Orleans to Port Neches Texas and back for a wedding. 5 people, 1 baby, packed for an overnight. Trip computer computed 20.8 Mpg round trip, I calculated 20.9 based on fillups. This is much better than a couple of months ago going back and forth to Gulf Shores, Al. Differences: Milleage (the engine may be more broken in), ambient temperature (it was in the mid fifties for this trip, around 90 for the last one), and Air Conditioner Usage (we didn't have it on at all this time, except occassionally to clear the windshield, last time, it ran at full blast constantly).
Overall mileage has risen to around 17 MPG for mostly short trip city driving. I plan to start the calculations from scratch at 10,000 miles to see what a broken in engine will do.
One comment, the 3.3L really likes cool air. It felt like a different engine under the hood. I think that the engine may have more top end in it with some minor intake modifications. It seems to be choking at the upper ranges of its RPM.
Glad to be part of the DC family again.
RJ
Steve, Host
The Voyager comes exclusively in the swb. One of the gripes I had about my 94 was that it always took two tries to get it into a parking spot--once to get the nose part way in and then a second time to get it straightened out in the slot. One of the first things I checked on the test drive was how it parked. I was relieved to find out that it scoots into a parking slot as smoothly as the MPV did. And in fact, the overall handling seems much improved in 9 years. The thing is almost as much fun to drive as the MPV was. It corners almost as well and holds the road confidently on the sharp twisting curves so common here in Western Pa. So far so good.
RJ
Steve, Host
The mystery deepens!
Found two ads:
2003 Dodge Caravan SXT
2003 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT
Steve, Host
Nothing helped
Now they want to replace both half shafts with new ones, replace the rear brake pads and rotate the drums, and replace the rotors. Total will be $550.00 for parts and labor on top of the above repairs. Any ideas what is causing this problem??? Thanks for your help
http://richmond.digitalcity.com/dallas/autos/hotdealpage.adp?deal=40794
If we were in the market for a new one, the SXT package would about perfectly meet our needs. However, our '96 short wheelbase Caravan Sport should still have quite a few years left. At 63k miles it has been great except for the AC which failed last summer.
I was told that it is being test marketed and not available everywhere. Maybe that is why you can't find it???
Anyone know who sells grill guards for Chrysler MiniVans? Thanks in advance.
I am not sure if Minnesota followed suit. I have gotten by with all season radials for many years. Our highway crews are geared up for heavy snows. They plow a lot and use a lot of salt. Of course
it also shows up on our tax rates here in Taxeconsin!
Steve, Host
This is a huge deal because the Tire Rack doesn't sell 16-inch steel wheels, which forces me to get 16-inch alloy wheels for the snows. I think that's a waste. If I'm going to get alloys, I'd put my summer tires on the alloys.
Thanks!
I'm also thinking about forgoing dedicated snows and just getting a set of really good all-season tires with decent snow traction. I keep hearing about Regatta 2's being very decent in the snows. Please verify if you have first-hand experience.
I think you are on the right track, and I assumed correctly when I thought that of course you know the difference between 15 and 16 tires and which rims to use.
Also try tires.com, they compete with tirerack.com and may have what you are looking for.
I always had a full-sized spare, so I'd just get 3 additional rims and mount the 4th snow tire in place of the spare. That could save you a few bucks.
Steve, Host
BTW, what does the SXT have, quad captains, 3.3 V-6? I wish that the SXT is being marketed in Philly. I would have bought that instead of the used Sport.
Is all-wheel drive worth it?