I am buying a minivan for the wife and wanted to hear if anyone has any feedback on the Dodge Grand Caravan. I am looking at a 2005 STX model at a really good price.
I know that Honda and Toyota own the top of the market, but for the same money I would only be able to get a 2003 of one of these with almost 50,000 more miles on it.
Any Grand Caravan owners out there? I hesitate to buy American but think this vehicle looks good and Dodge invented the minivan.
2000 Grand Caravan, 160,000 miles and still purring. No maintenance issues yet.
[QUOTE=HP49er;252022]2000 Grand Caravan, 160,000 miles and still purring. No maintenance issues yet.[/QUOTE]
I have a 2004 Grand Caravan and it blew a engine at 50k, got a new one free
check out these new crossovers w/ 3 rows instead, thats my next vehicle: GMC Arcadia
better mileage, looks alot better
love my Chrysler Town & Country. Same thing. 100000 + and still going strong.
Wow mini-van discussions…how depressing.
[QUOTE=Charlotte2002;252240]Wow mini-van discussions…how depressing.[/QUOTE]
dont like the subject of thread, don’t read it 
Charlotte 2002- Go ride your freaking subway.
Had a 96 Caravan - 165,000 and still going strong.
Plus, if you plan to keep it a while, Chrysler has a new lifetime warranty on the powertrain, that’s reason enough to pick them.
[QUOTE=mineshaft;252021]I am buying a minivan for the wife and wanted to hear if anyone has any feedback on the Dodge Grand Caravan. I am looking at a 2005 STX model at a really good price.
I know that Honda and Toyota own the top of the market, but for the same money I would only be able to get a 2003 of one of these with almost 50,000 more miles on it.
Any Grand Caravan owners out there? I hesitate to buy American but think this vehicle looks good and Dodge invented the minivan.[/QUOTE]
Please turn yours in:
Seriously, if you dont wanna get a Toyota or the Honda Oddessy, and don’t need a sliding door, then just get a crossover. That Arcadia that Metro linked is nice, but pricey. Also, check out the [URL=http://www.allpar.com/cars/chrysler/pacifica.html]Chrysler Pacifica[/URL]. They didn’t sell very well the first few years they were made, so the price was lowered considerably and it now comes with a ton of standard features (including a 4.0L engine that gets respectable mileage). The incentive packages and the new lifetime warranty are good reasons to buy.
^:lmao:
Dont do it mineshaft!! DONT DOOO IIITTTT!!!..
Once you go MiniVan, you won’t go back… One thing to double check is how it fits in your garage, if that is where you are gonna park it…
[QUOTE=NinerAdvocate;252280]
Seriously, if you dont wanna get a Toyota or the Honda Oddessy, and don’t need a sliding door, then just get a crossover. That Arcadia that Metro linked is nice, but pricey. Also, check out the [URL=http://www.allpar.com/cars/chrysler/pacifica.html]Chrysler Pacifica[/URL]. They didn’t sell very well the first few years they were made, so the price was lowered considerably and it now comes with a ton of standard features (including a 4.0L engine that gets respectable mileage). The incentive packages and the new lifetime warranty are good reasons to buy.[/QUOTE]
the Arcadia is only about $30-32k
its not pricey IMO- compared to all the family cars on the market
Criminy I hope I get to the point where 30-32k is not considered pricey
I am out of the minivan stage now and wife and I are back into cars … but cannot emphasize enough the need to test drive WITH KIDS INSIDE first. Little things make a big difference and the reason you are getting one is for the kids anyway (at least usually this is the case).
Ask to take it home overnight. You have to check how it works in the garage. Sliding doors can make a big difference in space issues.
Criminy I hope I get to the point where 30-32k is not considered pricey
Yeah I was thinking the same thing.
When you consider that you can get a great quality car for 20k or under, paying 30k or more for a car seems like such a huge waste of money.
[QUOTE=Sideshow;252293]Criminy I hope I get to the point where 30-32k is not considered pricey[/QUOTE]
30k is alot of money, but just about every suv, mini v, crossover costs at least 30k. The lesson is: kids and wives aren’t cheap!
[QUOTE=Chisox17;252299]Yeah I was thinking the same thing.
When you consider that you can get a great quality car for 20k or under, paying 30k or more for a car seems like such a huge waste of money.[/QUOTE]
We’re probably in the minority here, but paying big money for a depreciable asset never did sound too smart to me.
Seriously, the new lifetime warranty is the deal-maker IMO.
[QUOTE=Chisox17;252299]Yeah I was thinking the same thing.
When you consider that you can get a great quality car for 20k or under, paying 30k or more for a car seems like such a huge waste of money.[/QUOTE]
lol
when you can link me to a “quality” car that has 3 rows for kids and a overhead dvd for under 20k, let me know wippersnapper. :biggrin:
$30k is pretty much my ceiling for cars. I’d rather keep it under 25k and just buy a 2-3 year old luxury ride with a performance engine and all the bells and whistles.
Been thinking about a G35 or a Lexus ES300 myself. Then again, why do I want a car payment?
Metro - The Pacifica is about $5k less on the sticker, and I believe Chrysler is tossing in another $2.5k in incentives, plus the warranty. That said, I like The Arcadia, but I have no idea how kid friendly or reliable it is.
I think CSC had the best advice about bringing the rugrats along for the test drive.