I took my drivers license test in my mother’s ‘84 Plymouth Voyager. It was brown with beige vinyl interior. It was affectionately known as the “Turd” I had prepared for my test with endless practice in parallel parking, backing up, the written exam, etc. Understandably, I was very nervous. I took my test in a hot day in July. The van would heat up on the inside to the temperature of a steel furnace. When wearing shorts, the vinyl seats would cause fifth degree burns to your exposed skin and the metal seat belt connector would permanently burn the Chrysler Penstar logo into your palm when securing your seatbelt while suffering heatstroke inside the boiling car. The driving test monitor came with me to the car and immediately when getting in, screamed like he was being burned alive. I thought I would fail the test right there. He had me wait until the A/C caught up and then just had me do a lap around the shopping plaza the testing center was in and muttered angrily I passed. No parallel parking or maneuvering. He was more than relieved to leave the minivan in haste.
My stepfather worked for Chrysler in the 80s and 90s. I remember when rented one on our trip to Disney World in about 85. They were pretty new and we were all impressed by this new type of convenient van! I remember him bringing home a manual turbo van one day which, I thought was crazy!
Brilliant vehicle for the time. I think the thing that impresses me most about them was Dodge's choice of name: "Caravan." It's a car, it's a van. And an online definition of "caravan" is "a group of people, especially traders or pilgrims, traveling together across a desert in Asia or North Africa"; the idea of a group of people traveling in a very car-like van is just marketing at its best.
Both the Mitsubishi 4 and 6 cylinder engines in those vans had a long and storied reputation for smoking (oil burning). So, it doesn’t surprise my to see it failed it’s emissions test twice.
We would see them at the auctions smoking up a storm. Some of the more underhanded dealers knew if you removed one vacuum hose from the V6, I think it was, the engine would start smoking and then they could get it much cheaper.
I had the 87 with a V6 ,drove it a bunch. Started smoking and rebuilt the engine. Drove it a bunch more. 😊 Driver's door started to delaminate, come apart. Found another one Same color in the junkyard, looked pretty close.
In the summer of, as I recall, 1997, my wife and I took a 2-week driving vacation in her trusty '87 Voyager, from our home outside Philadelphia to tour the South. There were a bunch of things we wanted to see and do: NASCAR races at Martinsville and Charlotte, the traveling Titanic exhibit in Memphis (where we had breakfast one morning at a Shoney's right across the street from Graceland!), and chalk up a few more states that we hadn't been in before. She had run up a set of curtains for all the windows out of black and white checkered cloth for nighttime privacy, since we planned to sleep in the van most nights. That worked out well since a double mattress fits perfectly between the sides of the van, and with the back seat removed (hers was a 5-passenger, short wheelbase model) it fit between the front seats and the hatch with about 9" to spare. The luggage rode on the mattress during the day and moved up front overnight. I never had much success sleeping in a car, but after a night or two my body apparently forgot that we were in a car, so I managed to sleep just fine. It was a great vacation except for hitting a speed trap under a mile after crossing into Mississippi. The 35 mph speed limit sign was completely overgrown, and the limit was 55 just the other side of the state line. The Mississippi Department of Revenue was hard at work that day!
We just rented a new Chrysler mini-van to take on a 2700 mile round trip, I love these things. TONS of interior room, very comfortable, nice large, clear touchscreen to control everything, cupholders and usb ports everywhere, and damn near 30mpg on the highway doing 75mph fully loaded down.
These vans saved my town and family. I will always love these lil 'do it alls'. Had a couple. They were good to me. AND. The manual Turbo units were a blast!
I remember my dad custom ordered one of these in 1986 or 87. He ordered it with a 5 speed manual transmission and no radio or AC. We cris-crossed the country in that van several times as a kid. Fond memories.
Highschool in the 80s was driving my friend's mom's new Voyager as far from DC every weekend to whatever green spot on a map of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland with my group of friends for camping on a Mexican blanket either on a river fishing or the top of a mountain while the rest of the kids went to boring parties and learned how to become alcoholics. I've probably owned 15-20 minivans over the years including a 59 VW Transporter that my highschool photography teach gave me along with a 71 and 77. Hi Mrs. Grefe if you're still out there. RIP if you aren't.
Out of all my long gone fun loved Challenger, Charger, Police Specials, GT, RT, GTS etc days ... the plain old ‘03 Caravan still graces the driveway here and comfortably gets a lot of the work done.
Had an 88 Voyager with the 3.0l V6. Reliable, comfortable and well behaved on the road. By the time it had 200k+ miles on it, I was tired of driving it and sold it for $1000 in 2004. The knew owner put another 100k on it before it started to smoke real bad.
For families with young kids requiring car seats, these were perfect. As juvenile car seat regulations increased in complexity, so did the value of having a vehicle that didn't require you to climb into the back seat to buckle in your kids. They were so amazing for convenience. Of course, as they grew up and started requiring trips to sports practices and games, the practicality of the minivan kept increasing. I really believe that it became the expected convenience that lead to the newer generation of suv/crossover craze of today. We just saw a need to combine the minivan and the Eagle from Chrysler's past.
Chrysler did something else with the mini van. It was called Quad command seating. That meant the middle bench out and high back buckets in. They also did something for safety. They were the first with the integrated child safety seat and they did not patent it so others could do the same. Chrysler did that a few times over the decades. They were first.
I hope this comment finds you well. I heard on the Uncle Todd's Garage channel that you have been in the hospital. I hope you get well and stronger than you were before you got sick. I and many other fans are praying for you.
We've owned 4 of the 6 generations of those, all Chryslers, none new & only one with serious tranny issues. Missed the first gen & the one currently driven is the 5th. We are in our 70's now & appreciate the high view, comfortable front seating & versatility of the drop down seats. Was a great idea & still is!
Pro tip: When your tailgate struts go out on your 1st gen Plymouth Voyager, just use a vise grip to lock the strut in place. I'd know... Also, if you blindfolded me and opened up that sliding door, I'd recognize the sound in a second. That brought me back...
We had one and when it had high miles, bought another. They were great if you had kids to transport and multiple bags of groceries. We knew several other families who bought a 2nd (or 3rd) Caravan. They were exactly what families needed after the gas crisis took the big cars and station wagons away.
My 22 year old son has a package that was released in 82 that shows the layout of the plant and actually gives the dates of the discontinuation of the imperial, Mirada Cordoba and the last car was an 83 New Yorker fifth avenue. They began tearing down each department after that car passed through it to completely bring the plant into the 80’s technology needed to build the new T115 minivan
I think my parents bought their Plymouth Voyager in 85. I learned how to drive and took my drivers test in it. I still remember sitting in the dealership for hours waiting for my parents to take delivery of it. Or it may not have been hours because I was a bored kid.
Actually glad to see you do these forgotten and underrated vehicles Steve, That 2.6 4 banger was called an Astron 2.6 in Mitsubishi's here in the early FWD Magna (Your Diamante) and they would get smokey due to the long stroke but actually were a great and feisty lil engine in both the Aussie Sigma (RWD) and Magna (FWD) platforms even being Turbo charged in the Mitsi RWD Sigma model GSR . Australia first got the 3rd Gen as Chrysler Voyager and Grand Voyager in the late 90's with the Mitsubishi 6G72 V6 and I had a Grand Voyager used off the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep lot as my SoccerMom mobile as it was honestly an incredibly well thought out vehicle compared to the offerings from Toyota, Mitsubishi and Mazda which were commercial vans with seats added. Dual side sliding doors, Proper front/rear HVAC and actual Crash safety design which the commercial vans were exempt from and the US Luxury options blew Aussies Minds like the Auto sliding doors and sumptuous Leather interiors but also with outstanding NVH levels well matched with that torque monster 3.0 V6 we were familiar with in Mitsubishi cars of the time. I also had a 4th Gen Voyager and it just got better :-) My friends ragged on me for buying a Chrysler because I am a Mopar guy and Chrysler Aus vanished in 1983 here but quickly changed their minds after a drive or ride in my Wifes Van lol
@@grabasandwich I called them Mitsashitty , I worked at a dealer in late 80's and actually made money doing warranty repairs and replacements so much so they called me 2 point 6 Rick
@@grabasandwich I used to look at every Mitsubishi to see if I could find one that didn't smoke. I don't recall seeing one. Valve stem seals, oil would drip down the valve go in the cylinders and out the tailpipe in blue.
I owned an 86, a 93, and now have a 2008. The 2008 has a "1" as the first digit in the VIN. I believe that 2008 was the last year for manufacturing at the Fenton, MO plant. Toyota also had minivans at this time. They were rear wheel drive with a 4 Cylinder. When the Sienna was released in 1997, FWD was offered along with a V6. The MMC 2.6 had a complex timing chain setup that would self-destruct if not serviced at 80,000 miles. Good family cars. Went on many long trips with them.
1:40 Iacocca left Ford in 1978 not 1977. Hal Sperlich did not "follow" Iacocca to Chrysler. Sperlich was gone from Ford at at Chrysler before Iacocca got fired from Ford. 1:45 This is not one of the vehicles that helped pull Chrysler out of bankruptcy. Chrysler did not go bankrupt under Iacocca. And Chrysler paid back it's government loans BEFORE the minivan came out. 2:20 This van cannot handle 8 passengers. Capacity is 7. With three row seating the center row seats 2. 2:25 What do you mean 125 square feet of cargo volume then following it with comments in a 4x8 sheet. Square feet is not volume and a 4x8 is 32 square feet. 2:47 The door handle assembly on the sliding door is not the same as the one on the right front door. Look at the position of the lock cylinder. It might be the same as the driver door handle. I don't know. 5:12 Yes to the V6 in 1987, no turbo that year. 6:00 The open area under the hood is not due to crush zones. It is to provide room for the planned for V6 engines! Steve, where did you ever get the idea you're an expert?
I had the next gen 1998 Grand Caravan "SPORT" everybody!! 380k miles and didn't leak what so ever!! White with a fancy spoiler on the roof and white aluminum rims!! Idk if it made it go faster but when i took out the seats and used it to haul paint, tools ect to job sites i got to Home Depot 23 seconds faster then a stock model with no spoiler? 🤣
Between my parents and myself, we've had 9 of them starting with a 1990 Caravan with the Mitsu 3.0, and a lot of 3.3s. Dad picked up an '89 Voyager LX with the Turbo 2.5/automatic about 1994. Speedo went to 125, and it'd surpass that number by a bit. We wound it out once just to find out what it'd do, and even though it felt pretty stable at that speed we were satisfied with just the one time.
My neighbor has gone three generations and bought a new 2020 last year. Which shocked me they still made them. Chrysler got the development money back for sure.
Thanks Steve! Had a first gen Town and Country! My favorite feature (although trivial) was the Infinity Sound System, I am a sound nut, it had the best bass with NO subwoofer. Today I have the latest version, a Pacifica.
When i was a kid in the 80s my dad didnt want one cuz of the door on 1 side. He was afraid if the van flipped and landed on the passenger side wed be trapped in the back. By the time chrysler had doors on both sides he didnt need a minivan anymore. I was jellous of my friends whos parents had minivans cuz we were shoved into a cramped a body century wagon. Today I drive my family in an Odyssey and ♥️ it.
What I find amazing is just how valuable clean original examples are becoming, because there just are not many left. They were disposable, which despite millions being made means very few still exist, even fewer nice ones.
The good ole K-Van! I had a '87 4 Banger, no power but damn reliable, I even broke the timing belt and just put a new one on with absolutely no problems. I miss that van the most of all my vehicles as far as reliability goes, I never should have junked that van. That was the 4 banger though, I had several V6s that were all a PITA peice of junk.
My parent's had an 87 Caravan, with a 2.6l Mistu engine. So really the facelift came in 87 but the new engines (Chrysler 2.5l and Mistu 3.0l) came around late 87. I also know the Grand Caravan/Voyager came around in 88, Then in 89 and 90 was the turbo vans (which yes could be had in both stick shift and automatic). Also in 90 was the Town and Country, and in 90 the Chrysler 3.3l was introduced.
We had a 1989 Caravan SWB Woody edition parts delivery nostalgia vehicle, that was a really cool car. These were very well optioned especially in the LE trim. Had all of the creature comforts of its era and then some. Bought from the original owner back in 2014 with only 101,000 Unfortunately it got hit on the LH quarter panel by an uninsured motorist, not once but twice, the 2nd instance sending it to the scrapyard in 2020
Had four of these in the family so far and we like them. Loads like a truck and almost nobody wants to borrow it. (like mosy pick ups) The only drawback to the early ones was the weight of the seats when you took them out... and where to put them in the garage so you could still get the car inside. They were much more comfy than the newer stow-and-go seats.
I worked at a Dodge dealership back when these were introduced. We were all given grey sweathirts and track-pants with the Pentastar logo and the "T-115" designation on them, with no idea what that was referring to. Once the units were being delivered to the dealerships, we were told what "T-115" was referring to.
We had a 1985 Dodge Caravan that we used for a “company” vehicle it was pretty nice from what I remember. It got totaled in 1988 by one of our employees. Many years later we bought another minivan it was a 2004 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited that was totally loaded. We kept it for 11 years, it was my daily driver for at least 4. I have owned a 2006 Dodge Charger R/T (2005-10) and currently have a 2013 Dodge Challenger R/T (2020-current) that I know would probably not have existed if it weren’t for the Chrysler minivans. Great video has always, I find most anything on 4 wheels fascinating.
High School Auto Tech class Mr North had some brochures he passed around They were of things to come in the automotive world They featured the exact same vehicle that was to become known as the Chrysler mini van In 1966
The only car I ever bought new was a '93 Caravan from a dealer in Dudley, MA. It was a good vehicle until the harmonic balancer kept loosening and I got rid of it. Wish I had fixed it. Another great Chrysler innovation for a family van was integrated child safety seats, but yeah, those benches were a bear to pull out. I remember renting a T&C for a trip to the Arizona desert around 2015. What a luxurious ride. I also have a Vanagon which I swapped the stock front seats for Chrysler Stow and Go seats. So much more comfortable and fold flat for camping.
I had a '94 Voyager, but I didn't buy mine new. I always liked the ones from 1991 to 1995. It needed some work after I bought it, but I was always willing to work with the car dealer at the time. I planned some long road trips and personal modifications in the thing, but one month and three weeks after I bought it, some drunk driving old fart pulled out in front of me, and it was ruined. We both survived, but I walked away with the airbag blowing up in my face, and a slight shoulder belt injury. The old drunk had to airlifter to a hospital in St. Petersburg (I can't figure out why, since there was one much closer). BTW, the Voyager name was previously on Plymouth's full-size vans, and the Town & Country was Chrysler's station wagon, and convertible.
I sure changed a ton of tie rod ends and CV boots on these back when they were newish. Torn CV boots were a huge problem with front wheel drive cars in those days.
They've come a long way. I still love my 2011 Town and Country. Some people still crap on minivans, but those people likely have never owned one. Very utilitarian.
I'm with you. I've traveled in large SUVs and my Town and Country. I'll take the Town and Country everyday. Mine had quad seats. All reclined, so you had front seat comfort in the rear seat. It had tri zone AC. What more could you want. It's like the best hidden car secret.
These things were all over the place back then and were quite good vehicles. You could order the SE Special Edition or upgrade to the LE Luxury Edition. I had a 97 LXI and 2001 Chrysler Town and Country Limited. These were fantastic vans. The first one was driven till the wheels fell off, then wet to the next owner who fixed it up and made it nice again. The 2001 was our family hauler til some lady in a PT Cruiser convertible plowed into the back of it in September 2017. Sad day because it was in mint condition with only 108,000 miles on it. Would still have it today because it was way better traveling in the Town and Country then my Prius.
Funny that this is becoming a "classic" I remember driving a manual 5 speed turbo Caravan back around 1990 (I had a GLH at the time) Then I became a parent and had to get the minivan.. they are just so darn practical
Kudo's Steve for having the guts to cover an important part of Automotive history! I thought this took guts, but as I have read many today are nostalgic about the Minivans, btw our first minivan was a 1998 Voyager we ran it to 287,000 miles and was a great vehicle, that held up very well. We do miss it, the 3.3L motor was excellent.
Brings back memories Steve, I had a 1984 Caravan, 2.2ltr with a 5 speed. The guy in the Chrysler Dealership didn't believe it till he saw it. Wish I still had it. Kinda. Great video as usual my friend
Great content Steve! One of the things I was interested to find out was how careful Chrysler was to get the interior dimensions right. Other than stretching it once, they stayed the same since '84
I knew I'd truly become a family man when I traded my Camaro in on a Plymouth mini van. The truth is, with two kids, the mini van was so useful and practical I never looked back. The beauty of the front wheel drive was the flat floor and added passenger space. 7:15 Yup, been there done that. The salt and dirt always collected under the doors and rotted them out. I did a lot of patching with pop rivets and Bondo.
A few years(?) prior to its introduction, there was a program about Japan that had small (way smaller) vans being used (not a program about). I told friends that something similar (but bigger) would sell well in the U.S. ;-)
Thanks for the shout out to VW for producing the actual first "mini van". All too often in this discussion, folks will say that 1984 was the first year, when it actually happened 34 years previous. The VW bus started production in 1950.
@@GoldenGun-Florida None of that happened until recently. VW was a strong company for the first 50 years or so. Beside, my interest in VW's ends with the year 1971. After that, I'm not interested.
My wife and I had an '89 Voyager with the V-6 engine and it was pretty reliable and handy. I can't remember why but we got rid of it ten years later for a used fully loaded '94 Grand Caravan with the larger 3.8L V-6. I still have the van but removed the seats, which are very heavy, and use it as a cargo van and for trailering. The automatic transmissions has a bad reputation and seems to only last 100K even if you use OEM Mopar ATF and change it ever 15K. The hollow tube rear axle rotted/cracked a few years ago and a new axle was NLA so I managed to weld and clamp steel tubing over it like a cast to keep the van on the road. Other than the A/C everything still works fine.
My only experience with the Voyager was when my best friend from High School sued me for an accident (in a 63 Chevy ll); he bought a new Voyager (84) with the settlement. To be young again!
I remember those sold like hot cakes back in the 80s and 90s! At my job they where so many of them! Some people thought they where company cars!😂 they’re still popular today though! Chrysler was and still is! What other automakers took after, because they knew Chrysler had something there! Great video Steve! Thanks for the history lesson!👌😎👍
I took my driver's test in my parents '88 Voyager SE with the 3.0 V6. It was burgundy with gray rocker moldings an lace aluminum wheels. It was pretty quick for what it was!
Thanks for another awesome and educational video Steve. I always liked the ones with the fake wood paneling on the sides because they reminded me of the k car that John Candy and Steve Martin drove in planes, trains and automobiles.
THAT Mitso 2.6 is the "MCA Jet" (a cvcc type) has a weber carb .. you can make them run but the mixture is screwed the the plug in the side combustion chamber
To the true auto enthusiasts, these videos are terrific. There is much more to the auto world than 60s and 70s muscle cars. Thumbs up!
I agree Mark!
There isn't enough material on regular boring cars we remember filling the streets of our youth this channel is golden
Steve is a national treasure
@@airsol 👍
@@davidpistek6241 We need a retrospective on, 'The Cars of 1976.'
This video has been up for 11 minutes and 140 of us tuned in to learn about a Plymouth voyager. Impressive!!
Man….have you watched tv lately? This Plymouth voyager is the most interesting thing I’ve seen all week
100% with ya!! ✌️from Iowa!!
I think it's just that everyone enjoys hearing Steve talk. He'd make a good radio talk show host.
@@frankz5864 haven't watched much tv in the past 3-4yrs actually.
What for ,when I can look up whatever I want on here 😃
And a lot of what they "learned" was wrong.
I took my drivers license test in my mother’s ‘84 Plymouth Voyager. It was brown with beige vinyl interior. It was affectionately known as the “Turd”
I had prepared for my test with endless practice in parallel parking, backing up, the written exam, etc. Understandably, I was very nervous.
I took my test in a hot day in July.
The van would heat up on the inside to the temperature of a steel furnace. When wearing shorts, the vinyl seats would cause fifth degree burns to your exposed skin and the metal seat belt connector would permanently burn the Chrysler Penstar logo into your palm when securing your seatbelt while suffering heatstroke inside the boiling car.
The driving test monitor came with me to the car and immediately when getting in, screamed like he was being burned alive. I thought I would fail the test right there. He had me wait until the A/C caught up and then just had me do a lap around the shopping plaza the testing center was in and muttered angrily I passed. No parallel parking or maneuvering. He was more than relieved to leave the minivan in haste.
My stepfather worked for Chrysler in the 80s and 90s. I remember when rented one on our trip to Disney World in about 85. They were pretty new and we were all impressed by this new type of convenient van! I remember him bringing home a manual turbo van one day which, I thought was crazy!
That place must be huge! You have been doing junkyard crawls from there for months!😎
Brilliant vehicle for the time. I think the thing that impresses me most about them was Dodge's choice of name: "Caravan." It's a car, it's a van. And an online definition of "caravan" is "a group of people, especially traders or pilgrims, traveling together across a desert in Asia or North Africa"; the idea of a group of people traveling in a very car-like van is just marketing at its best.
GM used the Caravan name once upon a time.. I do like the Car Van name thing very fitting
THANKS CLIFF CLAVIN
How about the acronym IACOCCA.." I Am Chairman of Chrysler Corporation of America"
He was Born to Run!
Steve you can make any vehicle interesting. Who else gets excited for a voyager. Lol. Thanks brother.✌️
I did when I found a turbo one. 89-90 only. Strong bottom end can handle a lot. Like this guys th-cam.com/video/_e7qVlrHbYE/w-d-xo.html
Both the Mitsubishi 4 and 6 cylinder engines in those vans had a long and storied reputation for smoking (oil burning). So, it doesn’t surprise my to see it failed it’s emissions test twice.
We would see them at the auctions smoking up a storm. Some of the more underhanded dealers knew if you removed one vacuum hose from the V6, I think it was, the engine would start smoking and then they could get it much cheaper.
Never had one burning oil in mine. Valve covers leeks! V6 seems like it would go out all the time. Put in a transmission put in valve covers. Lol
I had the 87 with a V6 ,drove it a bunch. Started smoking and rebuilt the engine. Drove it a bunch more. 😊 Driver's door started to delaminate, come apart. Found another one Same color in the junkyard, looked pretty close.
In the summer of, as I recall, 1997, my wife and I took a 2-week driving vacation in her trusty '87 Voyager, from our home outside Philadelphia to tour the South. There were a bunch of things we wanted to see and do: NASCAR races at Martinsville and Charlotte, the traveling Titanic exhibit in Memphis (where we had breakfast one morning at a Shoney's right across the street from Graceland!), and chalk up a few more states that we hadn't been in before. She had run up a set of curtains for all the windows out of black and white checkered cloth for nighttime privacy, since we planned to sleep in the van most nights. That worked out well since a double mattress fits perfectly between the sides of the van, and with the back seat removed (hers was a 5-passenger, short wheelbase model) it fit between the front seats and the hatch with about 9" to spare. The luggage rode on the mattress during the day and moved up front overnight. I never had much success sleeping in a car, but after a night or two my body apparently forgot that we were in a car, so I managed to sleep just fine. It was a great vacation except for hitting a speed trap under a mile after crossing into Mississippi. The 35 mph speed limit sign was completely overgrown, and the limit was 55 just the other side of the state line. The Mississippi Department of Revenue was hard at work that day!
We just rented a new Chrysler mini-van to take on a 2700 mile round trip, I love these things. TONS of interior room, very comfortable, nice large, clear touchscreen to control everything, cupholders and usb ports everywhere, and damn near 30mpg on the highway doing 75mph fully loaded down.
These vans saved my town and family. I will always love these lil 'do it alls'. Had a couple. They were good to me. AND. The manual Turbo units were a blast!
I remember my dad custom ordered one of these in 1986 or 87. He ordered it with a 5 speed manual transmission and no radio or AC. We cris-crossed the country in that van several times as a kid. Fond memories.
I love how Steve closes the side window after speaking about it, forgetting that there is NO roof!
Cleaned carpet for 5 years out a 90 Voyager..... might be one of the most comfortable armchairs I've ever owned, best 500 bucks I ever spent!
My brother had a few of these. Took the seats out and used them to haul ebay items. My dad still drives the last one around town.
Highschool in the 80s was driving my friend's mom's new Voyager as far from DC every weekend to whatever green spot on a map of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland with my group of friends for camping on a Mexican blanket either on a river fishing or the top of a mountain while the rest of the kids went to boring parties and learned how to become alcoholics. I've probably owned 15-20 minivans over the years including a 59 VW Transporter that my highschool photography teach gave me along with a 71 and 77. Hi Mrs. Grefe if you're still out there. RIP if you aren't.
Out of all my long gone fun loved Challenger, Charger, Police Specials, GT, RT, GTS etc days ... the plain old ‘03 Caravan still graces the driveway here and comfortably gets a lot of the work done.
Had an 88 Voyager with the 3.0l V6. Reliable, comfortable and well behaved on the road.
By the time it had 200k+ miles on it, I was tired of driving it and sold it for $1000 in 2004.
The knew owner put another 100k on it before it started to smoke real bad.
For families with young kids requiring car seats, these were perfect. As juvenile car seat regulations increased in complexity, so did the value of having a vehicle that didn't require you to climb into the back seat to buckle in your kids. They were so amazing for convenience. Of course, as they grew up and started requiring trips to sports practices and games, the practicality of the minivan kept increasing. I really believe that it became the expected convenience that lead to the newer generation of suv/crossover craze of today. We just saw a need to combine the minivan and the Eagle from Chrysler's past.
Chrysler did something else with the mini van. It was called Quad command seating. That meant the middle bench out and high back buckets in. They also did something for safety. They were the first with the integrated child safety seat and they did not patent it so others could do the same. Chrysler did that a few times over the decades. They were first.
I’m from Windsor, I still live here, and yes we still make the minivan. Lucky us!
Thanks Steve, I remember those Voyager days as a dad.
I saw "Now Voyager" in the Summer of 1942 when I was 15.
Wow, a classic poetry and movie reference in the title. Steve, you're a class act. Love your videos.
I hope this comment finds you well. I heard on the Uncle Todd's Garage channel that you have been in the hospital. I hope you get well and stronger than you were before you got sick. I and many other fans are praying for you.
We've owned 4 of the 6 generations of those, all Chryslers, none new & only one with serious tranny issues. Missed the first gen & the one currently driven is the 5th. We are in our 70's now & appreciate the high view, comfortable front seating & versatility of the drop down seats.
Was a great idea & still is!
I remember when those were everywhere on the road.... Now, you never see one. Nice vid Steve!
I remember when these were all the rage. I grew up in an ‘88 Astro van. It was great!
Pro tip: When your tailgate struts go out on your 1st gen Plymouth Voyager, just use a vise grip to lock the strut in place. I'd know...
Also, if you blindfolded me and opened up that sliding door, I'd recognize the sound in a second. That brought me back...
We had a white one with wood grain stickers in 87. The four banger pinged like a banshee!
We had one and when it had high miles, bought another. They were great if you had kids to transport and multiple bags of groceries. We knew several other families who bought a 2nd (or 3rd) Caravan. They were exactly what families needed after the gas crisis took the big cars and station wagons away.
Back in the early 90s my friends mom had one of these vans, she use to drive us to soccer games and pick us up too.
The driving position in these were so comfortable.
I grew up riding in these amazing family haulers. Very cool to learn more about them
My 22 year old son has a package that was released in 82 that shows the layout of the plant and actually gives the dates of the discontinuation of the imperial, Mirada Cordoba and the last car was an 83 New Yorker fifth avenue. They began tearing down each department after that car passed through it to completely bring the plant into the 80’s technology needed to build the new T115 minivan
I think my parents bought their Plymouth Voyager in 85. I learned how to drive and took my drivers test in it. I still remember sitting in the dealership for hours waiting for my parents to take delivery of it. Or it may not have been hours because I was a bored kid.
You are the only person to ever get me to givet a thumbs up on a minivan video
My neighbor growing up was a florist, she had a Voyager cargo van for her business.
I use the rear bench seat out of that vintage minivan,in my 1933 dodge coupe.
Actually glad to see you do these forgotten and underrated vehicles Steve, That 2.6 4 banger was called an Astron 2.6 in Mitsubishi's here in the early FWD Magna (Your Diamante) and they would get smokey due to the long stroke but actually were a great and feisty lil engine in both the Aussie Sigma (RWD) and Magna (FWD) platforms even being Turbo charged in the Mitsi RWD Sigma model GSR .
Australia first got the 3rd Gen as Chrysler Voyager and Grand Voyager in the late 90's with the Mitsubishi 6G72 V6 and I had a Grand Voyager used off the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep lot as my SoccerMom mobile as it was honestly an incredibly well thought out vehicle compared to the offerings from Toyota, Mitsubishi and Mazda which were commercial vans with seats added.
Dual side sliding doors, Proper front/rear HVAC and actual Crash safety design which the commercial vans were exempt from and the US Luxury options blew Aussies Minds like the Auto sliding doors and sumptuous Leather interiors but also with outstanding NVH levels well matched with that torque monster 3.0 V6 we were familiar with in Mitsubishi cars of the time.
I also had a 4th Gen Voyager and it just got better :-)
My friends ragged on me for buying a Chrysler because I am a Mopar guy and Chrysler Aus vanished in 1983 here but quickly changed their minds after a drive or ride in my Wifes Van lol
Long stroke has nothing to do with smoking.
@@fastinradfordable I forget, was it valve stem seals or rings? I saw SO many of them smoking. My shops teacher used to pronounce it Mitsabushi 🤣
@@grabasandwich I called them Mitsashitty , I worked at a dealer in late 80's and actually made money doing warranty repairs and replacements so much so they called me 2 point 6 Rick
@@grabasandwich I used to look at every Mitsubishi to see if I could find one that didn't smoke. I don't recall seeing one. Valve stem seals, oil would drip down the valve go in the cylinders and out the tailpipe in blue.
Dad bought a 84 Plymouth Voyager with a 5spd no air. It ran for 264k only had 1 clutch.
Back in the day I had a 1990 Caravan with the 2.5 liter V6 I ran quite well and lasted a number of years.
I owned an 86, a 93, and now have a 2008. The 2008 has a "1" as the first digit in the VIN. I believe that 2008 was the last year for manufacturing at the Fenton, MO plant.
Toyota also had minivans at this time. They were rear wheel drive with a 4 Cylinder. When the Sienna was released in 1997, FWD was offered along with a V6.
The MMC 2.6 had a complex timing chain setup that would self-destruct if not serviced at 80,000 miles. Good family cars. Went on many long trips with them.
1:40 Iacocca left Ford in 1978 not 1977. Hal Sperlich did not "follow" Iacocca to Chrysler. Sperlich was gone from Ford at at Chrysler before Iacocca got fired from Ford.
1:45 This is not one of the vehicles that helped pull Chrysler out of bankruptcy. Chrysler did not go bankrupt under Iacocca. And Chrysler paid back it's government loans BEFORE the minivan came out.
2:20 This van cannot handle 8 passengers. Capacity is 7. With three row seating the center row seats 2.
2:25 What do you mean 125 square feet of cargo volume then following it with comments in a 4x8 sheet. Square feet is not volume and a 4x8 is 32 square feet.
2:47 The door handle assembly on the sliding door is not the same as the one on the right front door. Look at the position of the lock cylinder. It might be the same as the driver door handle. I don't know.
5:12 Yes to the V6 in 1987, no turbo that year.
6:00 The open area under the hood is not due to crush zones. It is to provide room for the planned for V6 engines!
Steve, where did you ever get the idea you're an expert?
1990 2.5 5 speed is nice, will run forever.
I had the next gen 1998 Grand Caravan "SPORT" everybody!! 380k miles and didn't leak what so ever!! White with a fancy spoiler on the roof and white aluminum rims!! Idk if it made it go faster but when i took out the seats and used it to haul paint, tools ect to job sites i got to Home Depot 23 seconds faster then a stock model with no spoiler? 🤣
Between my parents and myself, we've had 9 of them starting with a 1990 Caravan with the Mitsu 3.0, and a lot of 3.3s. Dad picked up an '89 Voyager LX with the Turbo 2.5/automatic about 1994. Speedo went to 125, and it'd surpass that number by a bit. We wound it out once just to find out what it'd do, and even though it felt pretty stable at that speed we were satisfied with just the one time.
When they came out, I thought the minivan was ugly
But as I have aged, they grew on me.
My neighbor has gone three generations and bought a new 2020 last year. Which shocked me they still made them. Chrysler got the development money back for sure.
Wow to find a first generation Chrysler minivan is super rare. I don't recall actually seeing one with the original front grille.
Roof disintegrated badly wow.
We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon
We bought our first Caravan new in 1986. Loved it
Thanks Steve! Had a first gen Town and Country! My favorite feature (although trivial) was the Infinity Sound System, I am a sound nut, it had the best bass with NO subwoofer. Today I have the latest version, a Pacifica.
When i was a kid in the 80s my dad didnt want one cuz of the door on 1 side. He was afraid if the van flipped and landed on the passenger side wed be trapped in the back. By the time chrysler had doors on both sides he didnt need a minivan anymore. I was jellous of my friends whos parents had minivans cuz we were shoved into a cramped a body century wagon. Today I drive my family in an Odyssey and ♥️ it.
I had a 91,97 and 2003 they all had 350,000km Great kid movers
What I find amazing is just how valuable clean original examples are becoming, because there just are not many left. They were disposable, which despite millions being made means very few still exist, even fewer nice ones.
The chevy lumina apv came out in 90
The good ole K-Van! I had a '87 4 Banger, no power but damn reliable, I even broke the timing belt and just put a new one on with absolutely no problems. I miss that van the most of all my vehicles as far as reliability goes, I never should have junked that van. That was the 4 banger though, I had several V6s that were all a PITA peice of junk.
My parent's had an 87 Caravan, with a 2.6l Mistu engine. So really the facelift came in 87 but the new engines (Chrysler 2.5l and Mistu 3.0l) came around late 87. I also know the Grand Caravan/Voyager came around in 88, Then in 89 and 90 was the turbo vans (which yes could be had in both stick shift and automatic). Also in 90 was the Town and Country, and in 90 the Chrysler 3.3l was introduced.
We had a 1989 Caravan SWB Woody edition parts delivery nostalgia vehicle, that was a really cool car. These were very well optioned especially in the LE trim. Had all of the creature comforts of its era and then some. Bought from the original owner back in 2014 with only 101,000 Unfortunately it got hit on the LH quarter panel by an uninsured motorist, not once but twice, the 2nd instance sending it to the scrapyard in 2020
Had four of these in the family so far and we like them. Loads like a truck and almost nobody wants to borrow it. (like mosy pick ups) The only drawback to the early ones was the weight of the seats when you took them out... and where to put them in the garage so you could still get the car inside. They were much more comfy than the newer stow-and-go seats.
We had three little ones by the mid 80’s. The arrival of the mini van was a game changer.
Hey Steve, Lots of Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth minivans were also made here in STL at the Chrysler Fenton plant.
I worked at a Dodge dealership back when these were introduced. We were all given grey sweathirts and track-pants with the Pentastar logo and the "T-115" designation on them, with no idea what that was referring to. Once the units were being delivered to the dealerships, we were told what "T-115" was referring to.
My buddy has a turbocharged Plymouth Voyager with a 5 speed and he loves it
We had a 1985 Dodge Caravan that we used for a “company” vehicle it was pretty nice from what I remember. It got totaled in 1988 by one of our employees. Many years later we bought another minivan it was a 2004 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited that was totally loaded. We kept it for 11 years, it was my daily driver for at least 4. I have owned a 2006 Dodge Charger R/T (2005-10) and currently have a 2013 Dodge Challenger R/T (2020-current) that I know would probably not have existed if it weren’t for the Chrysler minivans. Great video has always, I find most anything on 4 wheels fascinating.
Thanks for the education. Those velour sits look like the seats on my son’s 79 Chrysler Lebaron
High School Auto Tech class Mr North had some brochures he passed around They were of things to come in the automotive world They featured the exact same vehicle that was to become known as the Chrysler mini van In 1966
The only car I ever bought new was a '93 Caravan from a dealer in Dudley, MA.
It was a good vehicle until the harmonic balancer kept loosening and I got rid of it. Wish I had fixed it.
Another great Chrysler innovation for a family van was integrated child safety seats, but yeah, those benches were a bear to pull out.
I remember renting a T&C for a trip to the Arizona desert around 2015. What a luxurious ride.
I also have a Vanagon which I swapped the stock front seats for Chrysler Stow and Go seats. So much more comfortable and fold flat for camping.
I had a '94 Voyager, but I didn't buy mine new. I always liked the ones from 1991 to 1995. It needed some work after I bought it, but I was always willing to work with the car dealer at the time. I planned some long road trips and personal modifications in the thing, but one month and three weeks after I bought it, some drunk driving old fart pulled out in front of me, and it was ruined. We both survived, but I walked away with the airbag blowing up in my face, and a slight shoulder belt injury. The old drunk had to airlifter to a hospital in St. Petersburg (I can't figure out why, since there was one much closer).
BTW, the Voyager name was previously on Plymouth's full-size vans, and the Town & Country was Chrysler's station wagon, and convertible.
Thank you Steve for these videos I enjoy them very much
I sure changed a ton of tie rod ends and CV boots on these back when they were newish. Torn CV boots were a huge problem with front wheel drive cars in those days.
RIP poor neglected Voyager, may you continue to Rust into Pieces.
we had 3 growing up and they were great planty of room for 4.
They've come a long way. I still love my 2011 Town and Country. Some people still crap on minivans, but those people likely have never owned one. Very utilitarian.
I'm with you. I've traveled in large SUVs and my Town and Country. I'll take the Town and Country everyday. Mine had quad seats. All reclined, so you had front seat comfort in the rear seat. It had tri zone AC. What more could you want. It's like the best hidden car secret.
I have been looking for one of these first gen Voyagers for years and man it makes me sad seeing this one left to rot
These things were all over the place back then and were quite good vehicles. You could order the SE Special Edition or upgrade to the LE Luxury Edition. I had a 97 LXI and 2001 Chrysler Town and Country Limited. These were fantastic vans. The first one was driven till the wheels fell off, then wet to the next owner who fixed it up and made it nice again. The 2001 was our family hauler til some lady in a PT Cruiser convertible plowed into the back of it in September 2017. Sad day because it was in mint condition with only 108,000 miles on it. Would still have it today because it was way better traveling in the Town and Country then my Prius.
Thank you Steve Get well soon
Funny that this is becoming a "classic"
I remember driving a manual 5 speed turbo Caravan back around 1990
(I had a GLH at the time)
Then I became a parent and had to get the minivan.. they are just so darn practical
Kudo's Steve for having the guts to cover an important part of Automotive history! I thought this took guts, but as I have read many today are nostalgic about the Minivans, btw our first minivan was a 1998 Voyager we ran it to 287,000 miles and was a great vehicle, that held up very well. We do miss it, the 3.3L motor was excellent.
6:09 Can't be the only one who noticed the Weber carb!! Probably one of the emission issue!
We had one in cream yellow / woodgrain and the stick shift.. ty Steve
The mitsubishi astron engine was the first i4 to have balace shafts. I had one in my plymouth reliant and it was super smooth.
Brings back memories Steve, I had a 1984 Caravan, 2.2ltr with a 5 speed. The guy in the Chrysler Dealership didn't believe it till he saw it. Wish I still had it. Kinda. Great video as usual my friend
Not sure of the year but my sister had one. I loved driving it !
I took my road test in a 92 Caravan 3.0 v6 very good van
Great content Steve! One of the things I was interested to find out was how careful Chrysler was to get the interior dimensions right. Other than stretching it once, they stayed the same since '84
Chevys answer to this was the 1990 Lumina APV. It was V6, front wheel drive and very aero dynamic.
I knew I'd truly become a family man when I traded my Camaro in on a Plymouth mini van. The truth is, with two kids, the mini van was so useful and practical I never looked back. The beauty of the front wheel drive was the flat floor and added passenger space. 7:15 Yup, been there done that. The salt and dirt always collected under the doors and rotted them out. I did a lot of patching with pop rivets and Bondo.
A few years(?) prior to its introduction, there was a program about Japan that had small (way smaller) vans being used (not a program about).
I told friends that something similar (but bigger) would sell well in the U.S. ;-)
Thanks for the shout out to VW for producing the actual first "mini van". All too often in this discussion, folks will say that 1984 was the first year, when it actually happened 34 years previous. The VW bus started production in 1950.
Except that Volkswagen sells junk, has had criminal history, their CEO left in shame, etc.
@@GoldenGun-Florida None of that happened until recently. VW was a strong company for the first 50 years or so. Beside, my interest in VW's ends with the year 1971. After that, I'm not interested.
My wife and I had an '89 Voyager with the V-6 engine and it was pretty reliable and handy. I can't remember why but we got rid of it ten years later for a used fully loaded '94 Grand Caravan with the larger 3.8L V-6. I still have the van but removed the seats, which are very heavy, and use it as a cargo van and for trailering. The automatic transmissions has a bad reputation and seems to only last 100K even if you use OEM Mopar ATF and change it ever 15K. The hollow tube rear axle rotted/cracked a few years ago and a new axle was NLA so I managed to weld and clamp steel tubing over it like a cast to keep the van on the road. Other than the A/C everything still works fine.
My only experience with the Voyager was when my best friend from High School sued me for an accident (in a 63 Chevy ll); he bought a new Voyager (84) with the settlement. To be young again!
And with 10% down, YOU CAN OWN IT!!!!!!!!!!
Crazy foresight on Chrysler!
I had 2 of them and really loved them!
The top has been removed. Some people used them on Model A sedans to replace the original soft top. They look quite nice, they are ribbed.
I remember those sold like hot cakes back in the 80s and 90s! At my job they where so many of them! Some people thought they where company cars!😂 they’re still popular today though! Chrysler was and still is! What other automakers took after, because they knew Chrysler had something there! Great video Steve! Thanks for the history lesson!👌😎👍
I took my driver's test in my parents '88 Voyager SE with the 3.0 V6. It was burgundy with gray rocker moldings an lace aluminum wheels. It was pretty quick for what it was!
Had a plymouth grand voyager. Used it for an electrical service vehicle.. (and concert bus. Lol) i loved it. Was really comfortable.
Thanks for another awesome and educational video Steve. I always liked the ones with the fake wood paneling on the sides because they reminded me of the k car that John Candy and Steve Martin drove in planes, trains and automobiles.
THAT Mitso 2.6 is the "MCA Jet" (a cvcc type) has a weber carb .. you can make them run but the mixture is screwed the the plug in the side combustion chamber