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Comments
Maybe try a different dealership. I have had problems with some. Depending where you live, ask around for people who have had positive experiences. I can recommend one if you are near Edmonton Alberta.
What do you think, should I even condsider this vehicle or buy a used forenign van? Money is tight with a baby!
I liked the Caravan's strong points (size, ride, low noise level, integrated child seats and various features) over the competition and the competition's strong points (magic seat and Japanese reliability) wasn't as important to us. I also liked the relative value with the quick depreciation being taking by the first owner instead of the relatively high resale prices of similar imports.
The van has the 3/36 warranty (later 2002s would have 7/70 powertrain) and, after that, I have a good mechanic who's been working on my other cars for over ten years. I figure that I can pay for a lot of maintainance for the difference between a 2002 DGC and a 2002 Sienna or Honda.
My mechanic's transmission guy says that the Dodge's transmission has been significantly improved and that the problem that cause so many failures was fixed. He talked for a while about the specifics but I don't remember all of the details. I picked the Sport trim line as it had the featuers I wanted without the features which are more likely to have failures such as the power doors and tailgate.
The 3.3L engine is good though you do sometimes wish for a bit more oomph when entering the expressway. Fuel economy for the 1275 mile trip was 24.0 mpg with speed limits of 65 or 70 for most of the trip. Given the option of the 3.8L I'd stick with the 3.3L though I'm sure some would appreciate the extra power.
Definitely get one with the rear air conditioning. It does a great job at cooling the van down on a hot and humid day.
The biggest reason I can see to not get the Caravan is if you'd frequently use the Honda's Magic Seat feature. We don't so it wasn't a negative for us. The 2002 Sienna would have been our second choice but it was a good bit more expensive, smaller, and didn't have the integrated child seats and two sets of 3-point LATCH anchors in the second row (which are a bit plus for the DGC for us). The redesigned 2004 Seinna looks very nice but we wanted to buy used, not new.
We bought from Carmax. Found the van on the web site in Greensboro, NC and had them transfer it to Nashville. Their no haggle price was a couple hundred under the TMV price so that was fine. Might have gotten it a bit cheaper from a private owner or haggled down a dealer but the convenience of searching through a dozens of vans on the web site let me find exactly what I wanted instead of just getting something close. CarFAX was clean, no evidence of rental or lease registration though I've had program cars before without any problems.
BTW, I drive a 2001 DGC that I bought used with 14000 miles. It had been a rental and it now has 23000 miles. The only problem that I have had is a loose piece of molding.
Yes there have been things go wrong, clock spring and power steering hose re-call. Also when we first purchased the van we had problems with the steering until the shop did a 4 wheel alignment on it.
No matter what you buy, there can be problems. This Caravan is far better than any other van we have owned, we have had Ford Aerostars and Windstars and Chev Lumina APV.
As far as quality goes, the Caravan is superior. Before we bought, we asked a mechanic who had owned his shop for over 20 years, what he recommended. He said without hesitation, for a minivan Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager from 2000 up are the best. We asked about Imports and he said they have had their share of troubles and would not recommend buying one used. The ultimate decision is yours but check the postings from other boards and see what owners are saying about Imports.
We are glad we bought a Caravan!
You could also call or stop by your dealer's service department and give them your VIN and ask them to check for any outstanding recalls in their computer system.
Steve, Host
Yes we replaced a head gasket for about $900 and a few other minor electrical issues that maybe totaled $200. Factor that $1100 into our purchase price of ~$15,000 and then divide it out over the four years and a half years we've owned this van and you find...one VERY inexpensive van to drive. And did I mention it has 109,000 miles and it still rides great? And did I mention that it still looks good? As I always say: this is the best selling van in the country - there are not that many fools out there folks. For those of you reading this board wondering what to buy just keep in mind that HAPPY customers RARELY share their stories (particularly happy family customers because they're so darn busy w/family stuff to post here) but unhappy customers ALWAYS share their stories. Take the negative stories with a grain of salt. I don't doubt they're true, just like I don't doubt you'll find all sorts of negative posts on the foreign boards, but keep it all in perspective.
- Rob
Just another point to do as much of the inspection stuff yourself if one has the inclination and the resources.
It has been in 7-8 times for the problem and the dealer claims not even Chrysler can figure it what the matter is. I told the dealer I'd drop the matter if they would let me drive a similar vehicle with the same engine and I could see that it also drives that way.
The point of this is that our warranty is soon to run out and if I'm going to take a stand with Chrysler, I have to do it soon. For anyone with this vehicle/engine combination, does it drive as you would expect or does it have a hesitation until you press the accelerator fairly far down? Your responses would be appreciated.
For ref, I am enclosing some of the NHTSA complaints that you can review yourself.
10030985, 10034578, 10016868, 10031538, 8016720, 8005867, 10032249, 892718, 8024099, 8023905, 10021398, 731422, 770506, 10003849
If anyone has seen this problem or remedied it, please provide feedback.
thank-you
While I was feeling manly I threw open the hood to check things out. I noticed that the driver's side strut tower was a little rusty. I just assumed it was because at one point we had a slightly leaky windshield trim piece, now I'm starting to think maybe a leak still exists and we just don't know about it. Anyway I dug into the rust with a hammer and screwdriver and broke off most of the major flaking. There's still a boatload of good metal under there and I sprayed the heck out of it with primer but I realize I didn't solve the main problem: the leak...wherever it is. But for us it's ok. We may hold the van another year, maybe two and there's no way this rust is doing anything in that timeframe, not even up here in Michigan.
I can't see why Chrysler would do anything about the problem now - it's an eight year old van. But hey, keep us updated if they do anything for you and I'd be happy to take it in for a free body repair.
Thanks,
Rob
While driving on a hot day with A/C on, van suddenly stalls (while coasting / idling – foot is OFF the accelerator).
When attempting to re start (in N or P), after turning the key it will start momentarily then immediately stall - it will not remain running. However, if you PUMP THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL as it momentarily starts it will then start, idle then resume normal operation...
Very intermittent problem that has now occurred three times: May 10 @ 78K, August 19 @ 82K (2002) then August 26 @ 99.7K (2003).
After the second incident, I had the following actions performed by a reputable local repair shop on August 22, 2002: "replaced fuel filter, performed a combustion chamber cleaning of fuel injection system and combustion chambers".
Nearly one year later, when problem re occurred for the third time after re starting (by method described above) van stalled two or three more times on the way home, then again problem “disappeared”. For lack of better idea, while in neutral at a stop light, I floored the accelerator for about five seconds (rev limiter kicked in @ 5500 RPM) to “blow out” the fuel system??? I drove it the last three days no re-occurrence... running fine.
Thank you for your help and taking the time to read this... looking forward to replies!
Robert Rendano
rrendano@thermawave.com
Will probably opt for #1 as it should make it last for several more years. The body shop mgr stated that he had done over 50 '96 Chrysler vans so far and has started to see some '97 vans recently. Stated that there was tech bulletin and Chrysler made a special cap part available for warranty work as I mentioned above. He specifically stated that it was a design defect. I have 3 co-workers here who have Chrysler vans. I mentioned it to the one who has a '98 and he stated that he has seen rust starting on his strut towers but it wasn't as bad as mine. I told him that his is 2 years newer and 2 years ago, mine looked similiar to his.
I did research the NHTSA web site and found dozens more complaints. The search engine on their web site requires you to entire the year, manufacturer, vehicle type and problem description. In other words, you have to search on Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge separately for Voyager, Grand Voyager, Carvan, Grand Caravan, T&C and then by suspension selections.
Just sharing with the rest of you........
I'm having a problem starting my van. I have to turn the key several times to start, sometimes like 20 times. It only makes ''click'' sound when it fails to start.
In this board, I learned that many people have experienced same problem. How much will it cost to have it fixed ? Please help!!
If you still have thr original battery you might want to replace it regardless as seven years is a long time for a battery and you're likely to have problems soon if you aren't already. The Battery cables are relatively cheap so you might consider replacing them as a preventative measure as well. The rest of the electrical system can be tested by your mechanic.
I also thought it is battery, so I brought the van to Auto Zone. But surprisingly, battery was OK. (My battery was replaced 2 y. ago.)
As you suggest, they said it may be bad cables or bolts connected to the battery.
But if it is starter, will it be expensive ?
I have already fixed transmission, AC, head gasket, brake, shocks, speed and O2 censers, and I do not want to spend any more money for this van !
At your van's age a bad starter wouldn't be unheard of. Definitely do the new battery cables, though, even if the starter is bad. If those cables are seven years old then it's worth the trouble to replace them as weak cables can contribute to the starter failing so you'll want nice new cables to go with a new starter.
I didn't know any specifics about your van but asked by mechanics for a rough guess on the cost of changing a starter. The starter from the dealer would be about $200 but he thought he could get one in the $100-$150 range. It'll take about an hour's labor to install so that depends on your mechanic's shop rate. My mechanic charges $59/hr, dealers are typically higher maybe $75 or $80/hr. So a really rough stab would be a total somewhere in the $160-$280 range.
Thanks for your help.
John
The automatic Door Locks can be enabled or disabled by performing the following procedure:
1. Close all doors and place the key in the ignition switch.
2. Cycle the ignition switch ON/OFF four times ending in the off position. (Do not start the engine)
3. Within 10 seconds of the final cycle, press the interior driver's door lock switch to the LOCK position.
4. A single chime will sound to signify that you have successfully completed the programming.
You can turn the feature back on by repeating the above mentioned procedure.
The fix is to click Recent Messages to view replies to your posts. Thanks!
Steve, Host
I have not had a problem to start my van since then.
But I will replace the cables anyway. I hope the problem won't come back!
My noises were primarily when the car was cold, and when we would turn the wheel with the car parked.
Paul
If you had the retro fix completed can you tell me the part number or whatever it is they call it so I can tell service what to look for in there computer system.
These service managers are just not on top of it.
Thanks for any and all info.
Regards,
John
I'd skip the dealer and your mechanic and find a real alignment shop in this case.
Steve, Host