If crysler only made vehicles that good anymore , they are junk anymore especially the transmissions and the interior dash crumbles like a cobblestone street and the heat and air conditioner is junk ask a few DODGE RAM owner's
@@tomrobards7753 I'm a Ram owner, and I have plenty of experience with pre-Daimler year Chryslers. They are significantly better today than they were then, in terms of build quality and overall reliability, particularly as it applies to transmissions and interior build quality. Really, Chrysler was at bottom of the barrel during the 1980s and 1990s. The Daimler acquisition really elevated their quality.
@@AkioWasRight well all I can say is I would never ever own another crysler product again ,, my ram had to get a transmission at 173,000 miles which is to maybe expected but it went out again at another 73,000 and I never used it but for transportation ? ? ? And I had a JEEP CHEROKEE do pretty much the same thing .. and it was strictly transportation never ever got it's tires muddy ... And I had a Plymouth fury that always had carburetor problems , because it was a Carter carb design by crysler , never had problems with a CHEVY OR FORD PRODUCTS and I've had over 50 cars and trucks on my lifetime .
@@tomrobards7753 Funny you say that, the 4-speed that came equipped with the Chrysler 3.3s were known to seemingly be made out of glass, and I can definitely somewhat attest to that.
I remember driving home in my parents brand new 1988 Dodge Caravan. The backseat was my domain with the funky window knobs in the ceiling and removable back seats. That thing had more than 300k on it when pops finally sold it.
The Chrysler minivans that were built in Europe for that market all had manuals. And the turbo was only available on the first gen and with a manual trans
I had one of those, the first generation that is. 5speed 2.2turbo (might have been 2.5, can't remember) and no rear windows as it was a commercial cargo only model. With no rear glass and no rear seats or anything extra really, it was actually fairly quick. I beat a few 5.0 fox bodies with it but that's not really a flex as those 80s mustang's were pretty weak. Still the little van would get at least 3 gears of rubber. Fun parts chaser if you ever find one, get it!
I had a 1993, same.color combo, options, engine, but with an auto. I loved that minivan.I have had so many cars, fast, rare, and expensive, but that minivan, I loved it. I think that example you have had 3 rows, but someone removed the middle seat and moved up the back row.
Thanks for taking me back, Tommy. And what a nice example! I grew up riding in (and later driving) a '93 5-speed Caravan (from Hollister Dodge in Boulder), and friends' parents had an '84 5-speed Caravan and a '91 5-speed Previa all-trac. It was a great time to be a kid! And only one of the four manual trans cars I've spent time with had a tach!
And another orange light that specifically reads "MAINT REQD", my parents used to own the long wheelbase version. It was my first car in high school. It could burn rubber of the front tires on dry concrete (it had the 3.0 V6) And if you took both rear benches out it could reach 100MPH, which was also the limit of the speedometer
TFL Classics is the best TFL channel. You keep reminding me of vehicles I have owned, and here is another one. I had a 1980 Plymouth Voyager with 4cyl auto 2wd. A perfect small size and with 3 rows, loved it. The timing chain guides wore out, by the time I fixed it it still leaked oil. I sold it.
I purchased a 1990 Grand Caravan in 91. Had many years hauling the kids to many events. Later took the seats out and used it like a pickup truck. Could haul 4 by 8 sheets of plywood with the rear door fully shut. Loved that Van!!!
The dodge version was my first vehicle when I turned 16, I loved it. Didn't have the manual and had the V6 engine. The seats are still the most comfortable seats of any vehicle I've had. The back benches could be switched around. I usually drove with only the third row in and the middle row removed. I had a little tv behind the drivers seat with a Super NES hooked up. The van could rip some awesome donuts in reverse and we often exceeded the vehicle occupant capacity. Unfortunately mine was totaled in a hit run while parked on the side of the road. Thanks for letting me relive my HS days with this content.
Great memories in this van. My cousin and I were in the back seat of a blue one of these when my aunt "parked" the van in neutral and got out to grab something she forgot inside. Gravity decided we would roll down the hill and hit the neighbors house across the road. Ahhh the memories of childhood.
Reminds me of the old Chevy Astros (which I wish GM would bring back something similar). Also, the loads of leg room and cargo space reminds me slightly of the Ford Flex (probably just because I want one someday).
When they first came out in 84, there was a 6 month waiting list. My parents found one that someone ordered and then canceled. 2.5 liter, 5 speed manual, no AC, no power anything. Paid just over 10k for it. 6 months in, it got sandwiched between 2 full size pickups and totaled. Somehow, they found another one, exactly the same setup, just a different color.
The '94 '95's were the last year of this body style and my favorite. I worked at a dealership in '97/'98 and the shop Manager had a fully loaded '94 Dodge Caravan that I used to take out sometimes. Dandy van and a cool memory Tommy!
Great fun video. I had a 93 auto version of this. I bought it with 250,000 kms on it and replaced the auto trans at 300,000 and ended up dying again at over 400,000 kms. Then I traded it on a (94?)mercury sable wagon. I probably should’ve just replaced the trans in voyager lol First and last mini van I ever owned Thanks for the memories With that flat floor it’d be a great camping build
While stationed at RAF Alconbury we ordered a 1990 Plymouth Voyager with manual and Air. It had a poorly built engine when received, sounded like the pistons rattled around until it warmed up. Dealer replaced the engine with a new one that was just as bad and finally did a rebuild that was done well. We shipped it back across the ocean to California and then across the ocean again to Rotterdam, we lived in the Provence region of France. It drove well, good mileage, easily merged with freeway traffic and would run around 90 with ease. The engine spun a bearing in France and we had to part ways unfortunately.
Two stories...one of my first company vehicles when I was a young field geologist was the blue version of this van with automatic transmission. When I was in highschool I worked at a Ford dealer, we had a used Aerostar on the lot (mega Dustbuster mobile) that had manual transmission; it had no exhaust for some reason so when I was tasked to get it to the shop for a new exhaust system I hopped in and had a lot of fun...able to breathe, that ugly beast with a stick was a blast to drive🤣
I actually got to drive one of these back in 1994-95. My now wife's best friends parents actually bought one of these. they loved there standard vehicle. It was so crazy to drive a mini van with a standard transmission. Crazy! love these videos.
Rode in many of these when I was younger. A few family members had them and we would use them for our road trips. Best trip was to Minnesota fishing with five of us kids and 2 adults. We took all the back seats out so we could sleep in the back during the trip and got away with just sitting or kneeling on the floor to look out the windows while driving!
The Chrysler minivan was the Ford model T of my generation. What puzzles me to no end is that the young generation did not use these vehicles for hot ridding and individual expression. These cars have so much potential.
The hubcaps are from the previous generation Voyager, and coincidentally, when I was a kid, a neighbor had a base Voyager manual transmission. My parents bought an 84 Caravan new and a 90 Grand Caravan new.
Back in the early 80 I worked for a repair company we had a 1982 chevy 1/2 ton van with a 3 speed on the floor 250 6 cylinder it was a great running van one of a kind .
My parents bought an 88 caravan in 90. It was blue with the faux wood grain side trim. The seats were unbelievably comfortable and it wouldn’t quit. I was in a band in high school and would carry all our equipment in the back and that was in 2009-2011
Sweet! My grandpa had a 1989 caravan, black but with the same side faux wood grain panelling. I distinctly remember riding with him out on the farm back road between our family farm and town. His eye sight was going (depth perception). One day he had it up over 80 mph on that road. I was 6 years old and thought It was a blast!
I had a 1986 base caravan (cargo-no windows) it had a four cylinder Mitsubishi engine. Sold it running and driving with 500K miles. They were just sensible, reliable cars.
@@LionWithTheLamb I wouldn’t be able to tell you for sure. I just know mine was a beast. Never ever left me stranded. I went everywhere with that thing. Use to camp in it too.
We took delivery of a 1984 Plymouth Voyager with a five-speed manual on March 14, 1984. We'd ordered a Caravan, but there was a strike or something. Anyway, it had a 2.2L engine, as I recall. We put well over 100,000 miles on it in the US and Canada, hauling five in the three-row seats most of the time, six when one of the kids' friends came along. Exactly how we managed the luggage for all five of us on a two or three week trip escapes me now. Anyway, I finally gave up our last manual transmission vehicle in 2015 after fifty-five years. My left foot still reaches for the clutch now and then.
I remember my father was all about station wagons and swore he wouldn't give in to the mini van crazed. He bouth a 91 just like this one and drove it through the 90s.
I have a 1985 Plymouth Voyager with a 2.2 l engine and manual transmission. It is great for camping with the back seat removed. Very reliable and easy to work on.
I want it SO BADLY!!! My parents had an 84 Caravan with 2.2 and the 5 speed, which they then traded for an 85 Caravan in the later 80’s with the Mitsubishi 2.6 and the three speed auto that had the (rare) front bench seat and therefore seating for eight instead of seven. I’d love to have either of those today, but I’d also love to have this base 94 Voyager with the 5 speed, as these second gen Chrysler minivans were super common when I was in elementary/middle school. I’m pretty sure that my parent’s 84 had built in front headrests, but the front bench in the 85 had no headrests, it was just a straight up bench with cloth on the outboard seats and the inside seat was straight vinyl. There were no “cupholders” in the first gen Chrysler minivans, but there was a weird “shelf” on top of the radio/climate control with “circles” for beverages but there was no actual depression to hold drinks, I remember many mornings back in the early 90’s on the way to school holding my mom’s coffee on that shelf while she drove so it wouldn’t spill... nowadays, you couldn’t tear a kid away from their tablet long enough to get them to focus on keeping a drink from spilling for an eight mile ride into town. The platform these were built on was a derivative of the “K” car, but it was known as the “S” platform as it was heavily modified from its K car roots, so it’s not accurate to refer to these as “K-car” vehicles.
My first ride was a 90 Plymouth voyager. Miss it. Limo tinted the back windows, pulled out the middle row and tossed in a bingbag chair. Had some 12 inch subs behind the third row. Good times
Another great video!!! I grew up on these 2nd gen vans! My previous daily was my father's 1995 Plymouth Grand Voyager hightop conversion van. They are great vehicles!! You could get an optional guage package which ours has. It included a tach, speedo, gas, temp, volts, and oil pressure. Thats the base gauge package our other 95 voyager shorty had those gauges. Also that's not the factory radio Chrysler had their own line of radios with a cassette deck and you could get a premium sound system with these as well. Ours has the 3.3l Chrysler V6 paired to a 4spd auto. I still drive it time to time as it's pretty fun to drive! The flat load floor is amazing! They aren't very big on the outside but you can fit all kinds of stuff in it! We took ours on many road trips and went camping a lot with it! Again great video thanks for putting this out so others might appreciate the 2nd gens!!😎
I got a 1995 plymouth grand voyager almost fully loaded for 1400 2 yrs ago. O o and with only 100k miles too. Daily driven and loving it ever since :) added a sport exhaust and 18inch wheels.
I almost bought this, but I'm holding out for a first gen. I like the boxy look a lot more, and they're the ones I remember from my childhood. Still very cool, I wonder how much he paid for it at auction. It ended up going for $6,600 on Doug's site. It had a few signs that it may have been driven by a teenager at some point, like the $10 super blue headlight bulbs you could see in the reflectors.
My grandparents had a 1994 Plymouth Grand Voyager AWD 10th anniversary edition fully loaded. The colour was the dark red or purplish colour with the two tone and gold trim. They had red leather seat with 4 captian chairs and they bought brand new. It was stolen in 2003. It was rare. Fond memories and a great family van.
This vid brings me back, good job Tommy. I learned how to drive stick at a very young age in my mom’s 1987 Voyager with a manual and the NA 4 banger. We took that thing cross country too for a month! Only seated 5, but we were 6 people 😜
I had an old 86 dodge caravan with a manual and a 1.6L engine. It did have an AM radio with one speaker. The storage in the back was great for my drums. I had the car in the late 90's and I loved it.
Yeaaaaaaaaah! I have a 93 and 95 european version 2.5 L manual transmission and I love them. And love this long stroke torquy engine! I don't have the lights on the inside of the tailgate, but I have 3 rows of seats and full instrumentation, tacho, oil press, voltmeter, water temp, and yeah for sure speedo and fuel gage ^^. And I also love that this is an oldschool electronic distributor on the 2.5 so you can easily tweak your spark advance yourself. I can experiment different advances on my 95 propane one to squeeze out the more MPG out of it ^^.
You guys need to get an AWD second gen caravan and modify it as much as you can to be an awesome overlander. I lived in my 91 caravan AWD for about a year until I was able to get a truck camper. Still have my van though. P.s. howdy from Fort Collins!
Those dots on the door... that's where an optional speaker would sit. Those van could be spec'd with an Infinity surround sound 9.1 system amwith a subwoofer.
when my family first came to the states way back when, we got the chrysler version of that minivan. I remember it even had one of those boxy tvs from back in the day! brings back memories
That van is cool. I remember seeing some like that Voyager growing up but yeah, the vans today are pretty loaded, even for the “base” trim. 5 speed on the floor!
Walk down memory lane...my older brother, who was living in Ft. Collins, CO at the time bought a similar Dodge Caravan...short wheel base...but equipped with the 3.0 Mitsubishi V6 and automatic. Also in white with the gray cloth interior. I believe his was a 92. And I recall getting rides to Estes Park, CO in it when we would visit him in Colorado. It seemed to have enough power to ascend the grades in the area. I think they kept it until 2002 so they got a full 10 years out of it.
Wow I love this thing. My first car was a base model 92 civic with about 240,000 miles on it lol.. it also had a manual transmission with no tachometer, and I didn't have anybody riding with me teaching me how to drive a stick or anything like that, so I didn't know the beauty of having a tachometer until years later lol. But that's how I learned. It's not too bad, you don't really need it. It also interestingly didn't have a passenger side mirror, not that it came off or anything, it just didn't come standard on the base model. It must have been an option that cost extra lol, but the visibility was pretty good when you look behind you to check for cars. That's another thing I really love about this voyager tho. It looks like the visibility is so good! It's all windows! And they're huge! Lol.. man I wish auto manufacturers would make vehicles with visibility like this again. This thing is amazing. (and imagine if somebody put a v8 in it lol)
God I love these old second gens. Grandfather had a ‘94 Grand Caravan for near 20 years until 2019, miss that thing so much. Also, the sparse gauge cluster is due to this being a base van, you could get a more comprehensive cluster which included a tach as an optional extra. And that head unit is definitely not stock.
My folks had a 94 Dodge Caravan just like that one with the V-6 and I learned to drive on it in the late 90's and early 00's when I was a teenager so cool to see one of these old Dodge vans
The second version of the original was the best of the Chrysler minivans. I bought a new ‘95 Grand Caravan ES and drove it for 23 years and over 230,000 miles and the only thing on the engine/trans ever touched was the starter and water pump. Gave it to a friend who finally killed it with about 270,000 miles. Transmission was never touched but for fluid changes. While often overlooked, the beauty of the design is its simplicity. Also, diagonally the rear hatch is about 6” wider than the newer generations which makes getting a full sized mattress in easier. Tommy…you should really appreciate it because it’s basically a FWD LR Discovery with its vertical sides.
Here in The Netherlands these vans were quite popular and the base versions with the 2.5 manual sold well,specially the commercial van version . The V6 auto more for family,but both were good reliable cars.
I also LOVE my RAM C/V Tradesman van (which is basically a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan in cargo van trim. I have 500,000 miles on her and she is running and driving like new!!! Original engine and transmission as well!! I swear by MOPAR and have always LOVED the Chrysler minivan product.
My dad had the Dodge Caravan version from the early 90s. I absolutely hated that van. It had major misfiring issues and you can hear it coming when he used to pick me up from school. The only great memory I had was that I learned how to drive at 11 in that van. I had to use a phone book because I couldn’t see over the steering wheel lol.
Currently have a 2000 Grand caravan with only 80k miles on it, found this beautiful gem, my guess is garage kept as well as paint was perfect except of a small hole in top of it exactly in the middle which my wild guess it seem like the garage motor may have fallen in top of it, other than that is best vehicle I've ever owned
Tommy, you cannot impale yourself on the hood ornament because it is spring-loaded. So when you finish your Rave...and plow out of the festival.... any of the bystanders will be safe....lol
My sister had an automatic v6 version otherwise identical to this van. It was reliable. She also had other chrysler vans from the 80's/90's. I learned how to drive in these and my mom's dodge dsytona in the late 90's when the cars was older. My neighbor has a silver one like this also right now that is their daily driver. I've changed a water pump and a couple of simple things on it, otherwise its ran fine. And they dont take care of it at all and it's still going strong.
I adore these vans. Before there was a Tahoe in every driveway, these and Taurus wagons ruled the schools. I knew they had 5 speed versions, but I didn't know they had a diesel! How cool is that? :3
There were no SUVs when these came out. These were essentially very roomy station wagons built on a small I4 front drive platform. They saved money and weight by having no left door , no opening rear windows and a fixed front passenger seat. The rear seat was removable. Very clever, simple and affordable.
I knew a few people back in the day who had these with the manual, but they were all 7-seaters especially since you could still get a small-to-midsize station wagon in the early '90s. Colorado may have a specific law re charity vehicle donation but it depends on the charity; Good News Garage repairs and re-donates cars to people who need one to get out of a poverty trap. One of my neighbors donated a (4th gen, LWB auto) rusted-out Chrysler minivan to them and they were upfront about using it for parts.
11:00 "I've got a buddy that works for Jalopnik. His names David Tracy." WHOA. WHOA. WHOA. WHAT?! You know David Tracy?! Damn it's a small (automotive journalist) world!!
We always used the ash trays in the back seats when I was kid to dispose of our gum and candy wrappers. Empty them out when we got to the stop on the road trip. Didn’t know why they were even called ash trays since no one in my family smoked I guess.
“An ashtray so your kids can smoke” 😂😂😂.
Hahaha looking for this comment
Real talk though!! Lol, back in the days my best friend had one of these.
It takes a special person to get that excited about the floor in a minivan. I’m happy I’m not alone.
We had a 91’ Grand Caravan with the 3.3, we sold it in 2001 or so with just over 300k on it. One of the best vehicles we’ve owned.
If crysler only made vehicles that good anymore , they are junk anymore especially the transmissions and the interior dash crumbles like a cobblestone street and the heat and air conditioner is junk ask a few DODGE RAM owner's
@@tomrobards7753 I'm a Ram owner, and I have plenty of experience with pre-Daimler year Chryslers. They are significantly better today than they were then, in terms of build quality and overall reliability, particularly as it applies to transmissions and interior build quality. Really, Chrysler was at bottom of the barrel during the 1980s and 1990s. The Daimler acquisition really elevated their quality.
@@AkioWasRight well all I can say is I would never ever own another crysler product again ,, my ram had to get a transmission at 173,000 miles which is to maybe expected but it went out again at another 73,000 and I never used it but for transportation ? ? ? And I had a JEEP CHEROKEE do pretty much the same thing .. and it was strictly transportation never ever got it's tires muddy ... And I had a Plymouth fury that always had carburetor problems , because it was a Carter carb design by crysler , never had problems with a CHEVY OR FORD PRODUCTS and I've had over 50 cars and trucks on my lifetime .
@@tomrobards7753 Funny you say that, the 4-speed that came equipped with the Chrysler 3.3s were known to seemingly be made out of glass, and I can definitely somewhat attest to that.
I had three at one time (concurrently); and more than that overall. Love these.
WOW! I’ve never seen a Voyager that clean! I’m a massive sucker for mint examples of old cars that were meant to be used up and thrown away.
The manual van with the 2.2 Turbo was a lot more fun...and a great sleeper!!!
Those vans from 1989 & 1990 had the 2.5L turbo in them, not the 2.2L
I remember driving home in my parents brand new 1988 Dodge Caravan. The backseat was my domain with the funky window knobs in the ceiling and removable back seats. That thing had more than 300k on it when pops finally sold it.
I love that van. The styling was quite nice and being it has a 5 speed and ac is all a guy needs!!
The Chrysler minivans that were built in Europe for that market all had manuals. And the turbo was only available on the first gen and with a manual trans
I had one of those, the first generation that is. 5speed 2.2turbo (might have been 2.5, can't remember) and no rear windows as it was a commercial cargo only model. With no rear glass and no rear seats or anything extra really, it was actually fairly quick. I beat a few 5.0 fox bodies with it but that's not really a flex as those 80s mustang's were pretty weak. Still the little van would get at least 3 gears of rubber. Fun parts chaser if you ever find one, get it!
They also had a Steyr Turbodiesel engine, yes there were automatics but only in gas. You are right, quality was much better.
Another fun video.
I'm glad Tommy is keeping some content interesting while the rest of the crew is off doing some boring ass dealer conventions!
Tommy is the life of the channel for me
@@robervin9107
Absolutely.
I don't think I'd continue to follow their channels if not for him.
TFL got to pay the bills somehow, as cool as videos like this are they're not going to fill up your gas tank or pay your mortgage.
I had a 1993, same.color combo, options, engine, but with an auto. I loved that minivan.I have had so many cars, fast, rare, and expensive, but that minivan, I loved it. I think that example you have had 3 rows, but someone removed the middle seat and moved up the back row.
Thanks for taking me back, Tommy. And what a nice example! I grew up riding in (and later driving) a '93 5-speed Caravan (from Hollister Dodge in Boulder), and friends' parents had an '84 5-speed Caravan and a '91 5-speed Previa all-trac. It was a great time to be a kid! And only one of the four manual trans cars I've spent time with had a tach!
Tommy there should also be a brake warning light in the information center along with the turn signals and high beam indicator
And another orange light that specifically reads "MAINT REQD", my parents used to own the long wheelbase version. It was my first car in high school. It could burn rubber of the front tires on dry concrete (it had the 3.0 V6) And if you took both rear benches out it could reach 100MPH, which was also the limit of the speedometer
94 Caravan manual - I wish I could give TWO thumbs up!
Over on BAT that minivan would bring a premium.
TFL Classics is the best TFL channel. You keep reminding me of vehicles I have owned, and here is another one. I had a 1980 Plymouth Voyager with 4cyl auto 2wd. A perfect small size and with 3 rows, loved it. The timing chain guides wore out, by the time I fixed it it still leaked oil. I sold it.
I purchased a 1990 Grand Caravan in 91. Had many years hauling the kids to many events. Later took the seats out and used it like a pickup truck. Could haul 4 by 8 sheets of plywood with the rear door fully shut. Loved that Van!!!
The dodge version was my first vehicle when I turned 16, I loved it. Didn't have the manual and had the V6 engine. The seats are still the most comfortable seats of any vehicle I've had. The back benches could be switched around. I usually drove with only the third row in and the middle row removed. I had a little tv behind the drivers seat with a Super NES hooked up. The van could rip some awesome donuts in reverse and we often exceeded the vehicle occupant capacity. Unfortunately mine was totaled in a hit run while parked on the side of the road. Thanks for letting me relive my HS days with this content.
Great memories in this van. My cousin and I were in the back seat of a blue one of these when my aunt "parked" the van in neutral and got out to grab something she forgot inside. Gravity decided we would roll down the hill and hit the neighbors house across the road. Ahhh the memories of childhood.
Reminds me of the old Chevy Astros (which I wish GM would bring back something similar).
Also, the loads of leg room and cargo space reminds me slightly of the Ford Flex (probably just because I want one someday).
Lol the first thing that came to my mind when I saw all that leg room was a rolls royce
Also you should search youtube for team oneil taking a Chevy Astro on a rally course
I’ve ALWAYS wanted a turbo 5-speed (which was in fact an option) Mopar minivan. You can make them pretty genuinely fast, and it would be hilarious.
When they first came out in 84, there was a 6 month waiting list. My parents found one that someone ordered and then canceled. 2.5 liter, 5 speed manual, no AC, no power anything. Paid just over 10k for it. 6 months in, it got sandwiched between 2 full size pickups and totaled. Somehow, they found another one, exactly the same setup, just a different color.
The '94 '95's were the last year of this body style and my favorite. I worked at a dealership in '97/'98 and the shop Manager had a fully loaded '94 Dodge Caravan that I used to take out sometimes. Dandy van and a cool memory Tommy!
Great fun video. I had a 93 auto version of this. I bought it with 250,000 kms on it and replaced the auto trans at 300,000 and ended up dying again at over 400,000 kms. Then I traded it on a (94?)mercury sable wagon. I probably should’ve just replaced the trans in voyager lol
First and last mini van I ever owned
Thanks for the memories
With that flat floor it’d be a great camping build
Fun fact: The entire floor was actually slanted compared to the body of the van, making it easier for back seat passengers to see forward
While stationed at RAF Alconbury we ordered a 1990 Plymouth Voyager with manual and Air. It had a poorly built engine when received, sounded like the pistons rattled around until it warmed up. Dealer replaced the engine with a new one that was just as bad and finally did a rebuild that was done well. We shipped it back across the ocean to California and then across the ocean again to Rotterdam, we lived in the Provence region of France. It drove well, good mileage, easily merged with freeway traffic and would run around 90 with ease. The engine spun a bearing in France and we had to part ways unfortunately.
I had a 94 3 speed automatic Voyager back in 09. It was pretty reliable.
That 3 speed (torqueflight?) was good! I had a 94 Acclaim 3.0. It was solid, best car I owned!
Two stories...one of my first company vehicles when I was a young field geologist was the blue version of this van with automatic transmission.
When I was in highschool I worked at a Ford dealer, we had a used Aerostar on the lot (mega Dustbuster mobile) that had manual transmission; it had no exhaust for some reason so when I was tasked to get it to the shop for a new exhaust system I hopped in and had a lot of fun...able to breathe, that ugly beast with a stick was a blast to drive🤣
I actually got to drive one of these back in 1994-95. My now wife's best friends parents actually bought one of these. they loved there standard vehicle. It was so crazy to drive a mini van with a standard transmission. Crazy! love these videos.
Rode in many of these when I was younger. A few family members had them and we would use them for our road trips. Best trip was to Minnesota fishing with five of us kids and 2 adults. We took all the back seats out so we could sleep in the back during the trip and got away with just sitting or kneeling on the floor to look out the windows while driving!
The Chrysler minivan was the Ford model T of my generation. What puzzles me to no end is that the young generation did not use these vehicles for hot ridding and individual expression. These cars have so much potential.
The hubcaps are from the previous generation Voyager, and coincidentally, when I was a kid, a neighbor had a base Voyager manual transmission. My parents bought an 84 Caravan new and a 90 Grand Caravan new.
Back in the early 80 I worked for a repair company we had a 1982 chevy 1/2 ton van with a 3 speed on the floor 250 6 cylinder it was a great running van one of a kind .
My parents bought an 88 caravan in 90. It was blue with the faux wood grain side trim. The seats were unbelievably comfortable and it wouldn’t quit. I was in a band in high school and would carry all our equipment in the back and that was in 2009-2011
Sweet! My grandpa had a 1989 caravan, black but with the same side faux wood grain panelling. I distinctly remember riding with him out on the farm back road between our family farm and town. His eye sight was going (depth perception). One day he had it up over 80 mph on that road. I was 6 years old and thought It was a blast!
I had a 1986 base caravan (cargo-no windows) it had a four cylinder Mitsubishi engine. Sold it running and driving with 500K miles. They were just sensible, reliable cars.
I wasn't aware of a Mitsubishi four cylinder engine for Chrysler minivans. Were there many with this engine ?
@@LionWithTheLamb I wouldn’t be able to tell you for sure. I just know mine was a beast. Never ever left me stranded. I went everywhere with that thing. Use to camp in it too.
We took delivery of a 1984 Plymouth Voyager with a five-speed manual on March 14, 1984. We'd ordered a Caravan, but there was a strike or something. Anyway, it had a 2.2L engine, as I recall. We put well over 100,000 miles on it in the US and Canada, hauling five in the three-row seats most of the time, six when one of the kids' friends came along. Exactly how we managed the luggage for all five of us on a two or three week trip escapes me now. Anyway, I finally gave up our last manual transmission vehicle in 2015 after fifty-five years. My left foot still reaches for the clutch now and then.
I remember my father was all about station wagons and swore he wouldn't give in to the mini van crazed. He bouth a 91 just like this one and drove it through the 90s.
Had a base model manual as a rental on a business trip once. By accident. It didn’t suck. It actually made for a fun week.
I really appreciate the information center!
No BS infotainment center! Get in and drive!
Very nice find!
Guys, you’re always crushing every video you pump out! Phenomenal work!
I miss the simplicity of old cars
Man this van takes me back to the 90s. My grandmother had this van but with an auto.
I have a 1985 Plymouth Voyager with a 2.2 l engine and manual transmission. It is great for camping with the back seat removed. Very reliable and easy to work on.
Nostalgia overload Tommy! We had one of these, and traded it in for an Excursion, your other new toy you recently got. I'm digging it!
I want it SO BADLY!!! My parents had an 84 Caravan with 2.2 and the 5 speed, which they then traded for an 85 Caravan in the later 80’s with the Mitsubishi 2.6 and the three speed auto that had the (rare) front bench seat and therefore seating for eight instead of seven. I’d love to have either of those today, but I’d also love to have this base 94 Voyager with the 5 speed, as these second gen Chrysler minivans were super common when I was in elementary/middle school. I’m pretty sure that my parent’s 84 had built in front headrests, but the front bench in the 85 had no headrests, it was just a straight up bench with cloth on the outboard seats and the inside seat was straight vinyl. There were no “cupholders” in the first gen Chrysler minivans, but there was a weird “shelf” on top of the radio/climate control with “circles” for beverages but there was no actual depression to hold drinks, I remember many mornings back in the early 90’s on the way to school holding my mom’s coffee on that shelf while she drove so it wouldn’t spill... nowadays, you couldn’t tear a kid away from their tablet long enough to get them to focus on keeping a drink from spilling for an eight mile ride into town. The platform these were built on was a derivative of the “K” car, but it was known as the “S” platform as it was heavily modified from its K car roots, so it’s not accurate to refer to these as “K-car” vehicles.
We had a 95 Plymouth voyager with the v6 when I was a kid and my older brother would always race it. Way more power than a minivan needed 🤣🤣
I grew up in the back of one of these! My moms had the maroon interior and the wood paneling lol. Only had the one slider too! Very nostalgic video
My first ride was a 90 Plymouth voyager. Miss it. Limo tinted the back windows, pulled out the middle row and tossed in a bingbag chair. Had some 12 inch subs behind the third row. Good times
This is one of the best throwback vehicle videos ever! The call outs you have are a classic 😂😂😅
Another great video!!! I grew up on these 2nd gen vans! My previous daily was my father's 1995 Plymouth Grand Voyager hightop conversion van. They are great vehicles!! You could get an optional guage package which ours has. It included a tach, speedo, gas, temp, volts, and oil pressure. Thats the base gauge package our other 95 voyager shorty had those gauges. Also that's not the factory radio Chrysler had their own line of radios with a cassette deck and you could get a premium sound system with these as well. Ours has the 3.3l Chrysler V6 paired to a 4spd auto. I still drive it time to time as it's pretty fun to drive! The flat load floor is amazing! They aren't very big on the outside but you can fit all kinds of stuff in it! We took ours on many road trips and went camping a lot with it! Again great video thanks for putting this out so others might appreciate the 2nd gens!!😎
I got a 1995 plymouth grand voyager almost fully loaded for 1400 2 yrs ago. O o and with only 100k miles too. Daily driven and loving it ever since :) added a sport exhaust and 18inch wheels.
I almost bought this, but I'm holding out for a first gen. I like the boxy look a lot more, and they're the ones I remember from my childhood. Still very cool, I wonder how much he paid for it at auction. It ended up going for $6,600 on Doug's site.
It had a few signs that it may have been driven by a teenager at some point, like the $10 super blue headlight bulbs you could see in the reflectors.
My grandparents had a 1994 Plymouth Grand Voyager AWD 10th anniversary edition fully loaded. The colour was the dark red or purplish colour with the two tone and gold trim. They had red leather seat with 4 captian chairs and they bought brand new. It was stolen in 2003. It was rare. Fond memories and a great family van.
This vid brings me back, good job Tommy. I learned how to drive stick at a very young age in my mom’s 1987 Voyager with a manual and the NA 4 banger. We took that thing cross country too for a month! Only seated 5, but we were 6 people 😜
I had an old 86 dodge caravan with a manual and a 1.6L engine. It did have an AM radio with one speaker. The storage in the back was great for my drums. I had the car in the late 90's and I loved it.
“An ashtray so your kids can smoke” hahaha, contender for TFL quote of the year
Yeaaaaaaaaah! I have a 93 and 95 european version 2.5 L manual transmission and I love them. And love this long stroke torquy engine! I don't have the lights on the inside of the tailgate, but I have 3 rows of seats and full instrumentation, tacho, oil press, voltmeter, water temp, and yeah for sure speedo and fuel gage ^^.
And I also love that this is an oldschool electronic distributor on the 2.5 so you can easily tweak your spark advance yourself. I can experiment different advances on my 95 propane one to squeeze out the more MPG out of it ^^.
You guys need to get an AWD second gen caravan and modify it as much as you can to be an awesome overlander. I lived in my 91 caravan AWD for about a year until I was able to get a truck camper. Still have my van though.
P.s. howdy from Fort Collins!
My Dad ordered one in 1984 and drove it daily. Nobody had really seen one yet so it got a lot of people asking about it.
Those dots on the door... that's where an optional speaker would sit. Those van could be spec'd with an Infinity surround sound 9.1 system amwith a subwoofer.
Both the Toyota Previa and the Mazda 5 minivan were also offered with a manual, but nobody brought them.
I absolutely loved this…major nostalgia considering I spent a lot of time in Voyagers when I was growing up.
Miss those old days when had boxy vans and cars. I miss the Chrysler/Plymouth products like this little van along with the Quest and Mercury Villager.
when my family first came to the states way back when, we got the chrysler version of that minivan. I remember it even had one of those boxy tvs from back in the day! brings back memories
My mom and dad had one of the first one to roll off the assembly line in 1984. They had it for a 11 years. Really good van.
That van is cool. I remember seeing some like that Voyager growing up but yeah, the vans today are pretty loaded, even for the “base” trim. 5 speed on the floor!
Walk down memory lane...my older brother, who was living in Ft. Collins, CO at the time bought a similar Dodge Caravan...short wheel base...but equipped with the 3.0 Mitsubishi V6 and automatic. Also in white with the gray cloth interior. I believe his was a 92. And I recall getting rides to Estes Park, CO in it when we would visit him in Colorado. It seemed to have enough power to ascend the grades in the area. I think they kept it until 2002 so they got a full 10 years out of it.
Wow I love this thing. My first car was a base model 92 civic with about 240,000 miles on it lol.. it also had a manual transmission with no tachometer, and I didn't have anybody riding with me teaching me how to drive a stick or anything like that, so I didn't know the beauty of having a tachometer until years later lol. But that's how I learned. It's not too bad, you don't really need it. It also interestingly didn't have a passenger side mirror, not that it came off or anything, it just didn't come standard on the base model. It must have been an option that cost extra lol, but the visibility was pretty good when you look behind you to check for cars. That's another thing I really love about this voyager tho. It looks like the visibility is so good! It's all windows! And they're huge! Lol.. man I wish auto manufacturers would make vehicles with visibility like this again. This thing is amazing. (and imagine if somebody put a v8 in it lol)
Totally enjoyed this. love going back in time and not have it be a Cuda or Chevelle
Party in high school you never had to worry about the battery going dead. Just push it and pop the clutch. This was the best van to have
My brother had a 1992 white caravan with V6. I remember he was replacing the driveshafts on it when it had close to 300k miles on it.
God I love these old second gens. Grandfather had a ‘94 Grand Caravan for near 20 years until 2019, miss that thing so much. Also, the sparse gauge cluster is due to this being a base van, you could get a more comprehensive cluster which included a tach as an optional extra. And that head unit is definitely not stock.
Bought a 93 woody 4th owner for $100, drove it for a year and sold it to someone in 2016 that’s still driving it today
My folks had a 94 Dodge Caravan just like that one with the V-6 and I learned to drive on it in the late 90's and early 00's when I was a teenager so cool to see one of these old Dodge vans
O-KAY, that intro music was bangin'! That was great! Perfectly set the scene for this vehicle!
The second version of the original was the best of the Chrysler minivans. I bought a new ‘95 Grand Caravan ES and drove it for 23 years and over 230,000 miles and the only thing on the engine/trans ever touched was the starter and water pump. Gave it to a friend who finally killed it with about 270,000 miles. Transmission was never touched but for fluid changes.
While often overlooked, the beauty of the design is its simplicity. Also, diagonally the rear hatch is about 6” wider than the newer generations which makes getting a full sized mattress in easier.
Tommy…you should really appreciate it because it’s basically a FWD LR Discovery with its vertical sides.
I own the same Mini-van with Dodge Caravan but I had the automatic transmission it was a 5 passenger ( with the factory AM/FM ) It was a good Mini-Van
My dad has a first gen town and county. He is currently restoring it.
Here in The Netherlands these vans were quite popular and the base versions with the 2.5 manual sold well,specially the commercial van version .
The V6 auto more for family,but both were good reliable cars.
This was my first vehicle in highschool :) Great for hauling the boys and our mountain bikes around haha. Maxes out at 170km/h ;)
I also LOVE my RAM C/V Tradesman van (which is basically a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan in cargo van trim. I have 500,000 miles on her and she is running and driving like new!!! Original engine and transmission as well!! I swear by MOPAR and have always LOVED the Chrysler minivan product.
My dad had the Dodge Caravan version from the early 90s. I absolutely hated that van. It had major misfiring issues and you can hear it coming when he used to pick me up from school. The only great memory I had was that I learned how to drive at 11 in that van. I had to use a phone book because I couldn’t see over the steering wheel lol.
I recall riding in our family's '90 Voyager and looking at these 2nd gen minivans and how modern looking they were.
My grandma taught me how to drive in a 1993 Plymouth Voyager in 2003, Thing rode like a Cadillac while it was running haha
“An ashtray so your kids can smoke” that cracked me up. Hey, it was the 90s. You could still smoke in some stores back then.
Currently have a 2000 Grand caravan with only 80k miles on it, found this beautiful gem, my guess is garage kept as well as paint was perfect except of a small hole in top of it exactly in the middle which my wild guess it seem like the garage motor may have fallen in top of it, other than that is best vehicle I've ever owned
I had an 89 Caravan with the manual transmission and 2.5 turbo. I loved it. We called it the "Man Van"
I had a 92 with the 5 speed. Every shop I brought it to was surprised when they would get in and see the stick.
My parents had two manual minivans one panel van my dad used for work I remember siting on a milk crate because he never had the back seat in
So cool! Had no idea they offered those in manual transmissions
I had a 80’s something Astro van that was a manual. I loved it.
Tommy, you cannot impale yourself on the hood ornament because it is spring-loaded. So when you finish your Rave...and plow out of the festival.... any of the bystanders will be safe....lol
Why is this so appealing in 2022? I want it!
Simple, cheap, practical!
My sister had an automatic v6 version otherwise identical to this van. It was reliable. She also had other chrysler vans from the 80's/90's. I learned how to drive in these and my mom's dodge dsytona in the late 90's when the cars was older. My neighbor has a silver one like this also right now that is their daily driver. I've changed a water pump and a couple of simple things on it, otherwise its ran fine. And they dont take care of it at all and it's still going strong.
I adore these vans. Before there was a Tahoe in every driveway, these and Taurus wagons ruled the schools.
I knew they had 5 speed versions, but I didn't know they had a diesel! How cool is that? :3
There were no SUVs when these came out. These were essentially very roomy station wagons built on a small I4 front drive platform. They saved money and weight by having no left door , no opening rear windows and a fixed front passenger seat. The rear seat was removable. Very clever, simple and affordable.
I knew a family that had one with the manual. I was surprised when I learned their minivan had a manual transmission.
Thank you for sharing. This Van Will Out-Last any of the 2020 Vehicles in a Heartbeat..
I seriously doubt that. Cars are built much better today.
I knew a few people back in the day who had these with the manual, but they were all 7-seaters especially since you could still get a small-to-midsize station wagon in the early '90s. Colorado may have a specific law re charity vehicle donation but it depends on the charity; Good News Garage repairs and re-donates cars to people who need one to get out of a poverty trap. One of my neighbors donated a (4th gen, LWB auto) rusted-out Chrysler minivan to them and they were upfront about using it for parts.
my parents had a 94 town and country in green with gold pinstriping and tan interior. it had rear climate controls and captains chairs
11:00 "I've got a buddy that works for Jalopnik. His names David Tracy."
WHOA. WHOA. WHOA. WHAT?! You know David Tracy?!
Damn it's a small (automotive journalist) world!!
We always used the ash trays in the back seats when I was kid to dispose of our gum and candy wrappers. Empty them out when we got to the stop on the road trip. Didn’t know why they were even called ash trays since no one in my family smoked I guess.