Here’s how the third-gen Dodge Caravan became the standard for minivans in the 90s and 2000s
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Watch the Caravan Part 1 episode here: • REUPLOAD - Here's why ...
In this episode I provide the history of the third and later generations of the Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager, and Chrysler Town & Country minivans, which were Chrysler's most expensive project up to that point. Gone was the old Chrysler boxy design, replaced by a very-90's aerodynamic look that continued Chrysler's new styling direction. This trend continued with a similar looking 4th gen, and then an all-new 5th gen that returned somewhat to Chrysler's boxy past. The last Caravan was supposed to die off by 2016, but managed to live on until 2020.
minivans are such underrated vehicles
Few are brave enough to admit that yes, they really would prefer to drive minivans.
They're big comfy relatively powerful especially now. Great cars. But they don't have a lift and all wheel drive for when you get a dusting of snow, so crossovers killed them like Cain did able
@@BigWheel. I used to live in the Rockies at 8500 ft. A minivan with AWD was more than capable. Better than most CUV’s, which are usually not much more than shorter and more stylish minivans themselves. Minivans lost popularity because they look dorky and people aren’t having as many kids.
@@BigWheel. I live in Colorado and we get plenty of snow. Our AWD mini Van does great in the snow. We have a Sienna that I believe is the only AWD van left in the market. My mother years ago had a Caravan in AWD as well. Great all weather vehicles.
I love minivans at least the older ones
Those late 90s to 2000s Chrysler vans still look fresh today. That design has aged like a fine wine
Agreed!
insert robert downey jr in tropic thunder "the fuck did u just say"
@@Haulinbassracing stop swearing or I’ll tell yo mama 😂
They used the exact same tail lights from these vans in the Durango's.
@@dougfisher1813 the guy said that
In my opinion, the 90's and early 2000's minivans were iconic. They hold a special place in my heart.
You’ll be shocked to hear that the Caravan is STILL being sold. According to a recent article, they actually sold five Dodge Caravans in Q3 2022.
No, not here in Canada.
a pacifica-based chrysler grand caravan is sold currently in canada
Link to article?
They were probably stashed in the backroom of dealerships. But the caravan was dead a year ago
If that’s the case and real people bought those ones, I hope for their sakes they haggled for a massive discount!
I worked in a transmission shop in 2000-2003, and by the end I could remove a Caravan transmission with my eyes closed. They failed so often it was ridiculous...at one stage, we were doing two or three each week. The problem was two-fold: The same drivetrain as in a car, but much heavier, and the average driver's perception of it as a "truck". I saw them loaded to the roof, pulling huge trailers, and being used by trades people who would load them as much as a full size van. But when I asked some of these people (the trailer pulling ones in particular) if they would do the same thing with a Plymouth Acclaim, they'd say, "Of course not! That's a car!" Well, got news for you, bud, your "truck" has the same drivetrain...
The TE41 is a compact light duty transmission. You are correct that it isn't suited for heavy hauling or towing more than van 3,500 pounds, and then just occasionally.
The Chevy Astro being rear drive can be fitted with a stronger transmission from a Silverado.
If i may ask are you talking about the 4 speed transmissons or the 3 speed
@@ANDERSONEXPRESS7 We had failures in both, but I would say that the 4 speed was more prone to it.
@@laveritesurlestemoinsdejeh8522 i have. A mint condition 2000 chrysler town and country with a four speed just bought it it has alot of power i thought about towing but 2100 pounds just a 500 pound mower and a shopping cart pushing machine that weighs 700 pounds or a mower hopefully it dosnt harm it
We had a 2000 Caravan, base model, in purple. The only option it had was air conditioning. That van took us everywhere growing up, and only had two major breakdowns before the transmission died around 180k miles. Other members of my extended family also had various minivans around the same era. A Dodge Grand Caravan, a 2000 Ford Windstar Limited, a 2001 Chrysler Town & Country Limited, and a Chevy Venture. You don't see as many vans these days, but I'm still hooked on them. So practical and easy to drive!
@NB-mr7yz Yes
I remember that purple. So pretty
My wife still drives a 2007 Chrysler Town and County, it's comfortable, reliable and cheap to fix. Everything works and the sound system is impressive for the Era. Nothing to complain about for a vehicle that was picked up from the original owner for $1200 with 75k on the clock.
That seems extraordinary cheap for a 2007 even before the recent car inflation on everything.. Less than 100k on the clock and the top trim model. Just looked up on Craigslist owner owned (not dealer listing) 2007 Dodge Caravan with 180k miles and they want $2500.. Such a different market..
Probably one of very few single guys with one of these, and while it's not my daily driver, I love my 02 Grand Caravan. Heated leather seats, power everything, gets 20 mpg, great for camping and road trips, and it hauled my washer & dryer when I moved. I just can't bring myself to sell it.
My 95 Voyage gets just under 26 mpg around town, a bit more of extended trips. I drive very easy. Other than clear coat paint issues its in great shape, I want to have have it resprayed.
I'm a minivan lover! I had a 2003 GC and upgraded to a 2015. Super comfortable, easy to drive and space for everything
We had 2 caravans: a 2001 Caravan w/ 185k miles & 2008 Grand Caravan w/220k miles. I maintained them well, no major issues except the AC went out once. Great cars for us.
I'm a 90's kid and the third generation of the caravan brings back memories. My dad had a purple one and was purple was a favorite color at the time. When he first bought it home, I fell in love with it.
I wish cars come in fun colors like it did in the 90s. We had a 92 voyager in bright electric blue. Then we had a 98 grand caravan in a bright candy apple green. They were such happy and unique colors. I especially loved the green color.
I have a 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyager, I inherited it when my dad died. It has 436,000 miles, I currently have a 4.0L dodge charger engine in it with a whipple supercharger, AWD, a 2" drop, and a bunch of other stuff.
My dad actually loved the 3rd Gen but was too poor to afford one. Eventually he actually had the chance to purchase one!! But the 4th Gen was barely out and he chose the 4th Gen with the most features and it NEVER DIES!!
It’s already at 350,000+ miles with regular maintenance and replaced parts (Fuel Pump, Thermometer, Starter, Alternator, etc…) which he replaced at 200,000 miles himself.
I plan on keeping it running until it dies. I already did suspension and head/tail lights lol so it looks cool!!
I love the design of these things. My family had a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan ES, which I hated when I was younger, but really admire now!
What was there to hate as a kid? I was generally indifferent and didn’t know why my dad liked it so much until I became a parent. Actually, w Minivans being such rarity, my kids friends are so intrigued w the power sliding doors. Maybe one day it’ll be cool again.
@@Wasabi9111 The grey cloth seats and the interior smelled haha. But looking back, it was the ideal family hauler!
We also had gray cloth and it also had a distinctive smell.
Please Do a video on the Ford Explorer sport trac pickup
You spoke of early transmission failure in your wife's Caravan - yet I got over 225,000 miles out of my 2005 Caravan without engine or transmission issues. The only issue I ever had with it was oddly enough the headliner falling down when it was about 12 years old.
Was it the 2.4 4 cylinder?
@@thecharleylee 3.8L V6
My parents used to have a blue 2001 or so Dodge Caravan and I have a vague memory where one time, when I was like 6 or 7, I got my arm stuck in the sliding door after coming home from a party at a relative's house; thankfully my arm was not broken but my parents got me an ice pack. I also have memories of stale Goldfish crackers on the floor and (maybe) broken seatbelts. We were forced to get rid of it and scrap it in like around 2014, after it got totaled due to a drunk driver. Thank you My Old Car for this video, and keep up the great work! :)
One of my work lease options was a Plymouth Minivan. I loved it so much, I kept it another year.
My 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan was the best, most useful, versatile and comfortable to drive car I ever bought. We used it to haul three kids and a ton of crap all around the eastern half of the country. I used it to pick up construction materials, mulch, groceries, you name it. I did all the maintenance myself and owned it for 13 years and 160,000 miles. I drove it respectfully and changed fluids often and paid close attention to the transmission, especially. I dropped the trans pan once and replaced the filter. I had to replace the water pump twice and the intake manifold gasket once and a radiator. Thats it, other than the usual wear and tear stuff. The ABS brake system failed early on, and the rear Air conditioning coil quit on me. I ignored the ABS light and capped off the AC lines going to the rear and recharged it. Still had ice cold AC up front so no big deal. The rocker panels rusted out completely and the bottoms of the doors. Show me a chrysler mini van in the midwest that doesnt do this exact same thing. I dare you. I sold that van to a family friend for $250 and 2 years later and 30,000 miles he is still driving it. I miss my Dodge Grand Caravan.
I never owned a minivan but had the pleasure of renting one several times. The Voyager and the Caravan handled great and were great highway vehicles.
My dad owned 4 chrysler minivans when we were kids, all extremely reliable vehicles with lots of miles on all of them. We had a 1996 with 380k on it before we finally got rid of it. I really miss those vans.
I’ve always thought the 2011-2016 Chrysler Town & Country (post facelift and interior upgrade) and Grand Caravan (2011-2020) were underrated. They weren’t the most advanced in tech, but their value for dollar and sheer utility were strong. Just today, we bought a Volvo XC90 for my wife. But we’re keeping her 2016 Town & Country as a fourth car. The reason is because it’s so convenient. It’s like a truck with a roof over the bed when the Stow-N-Go seats are down. Perfect for carrying large loads. And we took a multi-state trip in it just a few weeks ago. It won’t be a daily driver anymore. But it’s sticking around because the value we get from it is much greater than if we were to trade it jn.
They're such practical, useful vehicles. Can seat 7 quite reasonably, or can seat you and your wife and a bit of furniture, or tools, or really just about anything.
When I worked at a car dealer in the early 2000s, we saw a boat load of these. I was a car porter/detailer, I had to clean out a lot of these for customers and a few that came from auction or in on trade.
I always thought the quality seemed lacking but Chrysler sold a lot of them. You could still get one pretty basic, if you opted for The Plymouth Voyager I remember.
My grandparents have a 2007 they got with 60 thousand miles in 2008 and today it has well over 300 thousand with no major issues like transmission or engine it’s been a good car
My mom rented one of these in 1997 for a family trip from the bay area to Seattle. Halfway home she needed a nap and stopped at a rest stop in the middle of Oregon. She trusted my brother with the key and went to lay down in the shade, telling him not to lock the key in the van. But within half an hour he did that, and my mom's panic turned to confusion as I pulled out the spare key I found in the drawer under the passenger seat and unlocked the door.
We had the 2000 Dodge Caravan and we liked it, bought it used in 2002 and traded it in around 2004 for a Kia Sedona. Yup transmission was an issue. Currently own a 2015 caravan we bought new and I love that vehicle, I'm hanging on to it for as long as I can. It has around 130K of miles on it and still going strong. Replaced on fuel injector, alternator and the rear wiper.
At one point I'm watching a VW Routan commercial to be interrupted by a GMC Denali commercial. Seriously the wife and I are baby boomers so we're doing the 60's for the second time. Our Minivan is our favorite vehicle for travel. Our summer trip this year saw our Camry which is five years newer and has 1/2 the mileage sitting for a week while we took off across 5 states in the Grand Caravan.
Dodge caravan was the vehicle that brought my family on a cross country vacation thru America. Stopping by grand canyon, mount Rushmore, Las Vegas, San fransisco, Houston, Chicago, new Orleans, Miami, Appalachian mountains, e.t.c
I always wanted to get a SWB 3 door Caravan, and SRT4 Manual swap it. That idea always lingered with me.
While the Routan was a rebadged Grand Caravan, it did have a different suspension. Although even with that in mind it is still hard to justify the higher pricetag.
2000s-2010s Dodge Grand Caravans.
Wasn't one of the Audi engines also offered for the Routan?
@@tikalthewhimsicott2736 No, the Routan had the same engines as the other Chrysler minivans.
We have a 4th gen with the 3.3l. we bought it when we were expecting child #4. Today it has 308K miles and still has the original engine and transmission, but the 3rd headliner is going to be installed shortly. 😁
My aunt & uncle owned a third generation Chrysler Town & Country when I was a kid. I remember going on many a family reunion road trip in it. Unfortunately the transmission began to slip and my uncle had to sell it off when I was in high school.
VW offered a slider door as an option starting in 1963 on the splittys and even a super rare dual slider option. Passenger side sliding doors became standard in 1968 on the T2 Bay window with optional dual sliding doors too. Great video!!
Mom had a 2016 Town and Country that I pretty much learned how to drive in 😂 unreasonably powerful for a minivan. I enjoyed driving it
Everyones mother, aunt, soccer mom had a Third gen Chrysler minivan in the late 90s and early 2000s lol. They were everywhere in the early 2000s!
We were shopping for minivans in 1999 to upsize from our Taurus wagon. And my wife, who was 7 months pregnant at the time, was at an auto show raising and lowering the rear seat of a new Honda Odyssey...and that was the van she wanted. Of course, demand was high and we were going to have to order one and wait a few months until a sales rep called with a cancelled order and we picked up a 99 Odyssey LX. We were hoping for the EX model but decided to try out the LX. And since then....we have been driving the Odyssey...other than a few years where we bought a lease return Acura MDX. We returned to the Odyssey because you can't beat it for space efficiency. Our Odyssey experiences haven't been totally trouble free....one of them had a failed transmission which Honda fixed for free....and our 2009 had several issues, including oil consumption and a piston ring upgrade thanks to the VCM system. Our latest is a 2017 Odyssey Touring Elite which so far has been trouble free.
I had the ‘92 and replaced the transmission twice and the a/c compressor once. But I still liked the car.
I've got two '89 turbo Caravans - one auto, one 5-spd manual. Love them both!
We rented a Dodge Caravan in 2018 to go to Denver and back from our home in Palm Springs. It was absolutely the best car for traveling!
i have a 1995 dodge grand caravan and i love it, most parts are still easy to get. the only hard part is the diagnostics for the 4 spd automatic.
Owned 2 first gens and a third gen, loved all of them! First first gen I got was to take my mom to chemo. She liked it was easier to get into than my car (a dodge lancer at the time). Always told her she should get one and give up the station Wagon. Got the second one after that great transmission failed and I had my son. 3rd gen, my son was 9 but bought it cause I liked them
My high school driver's education class in 1995 utilized Chrysler minivans. I learned how to drive with one!
I got behind the wheel for the first time in my dad's 1990 baby blue Grand!
I think this was my favorite generation of the Chrysler vans!
Still own a 2003 with 540K miles all original. Vehicle is the most comfortable nicest driving vehicle I have ever owned. The seating position, the seat itself, and the height you sit at, with car like steering and front wheel drive in the snow it has been excellent. I used the van for commercial highway driving upwards of 350 MPD, kept the fluids changed, used only Amsoil and quality filters, rinsed the underside off with hot water every day in winter, and always stored inside. The AC finally quit a year ago however, I am retired and no longer driving those miles, still enjoy (not so pretty anymore) driving the van whenever I have to go somewhere, like delivering my sons V8 Corvette motor to the re-builder! LOL Its all about Maintenance.
My mom had an 03 and I took my drivers test in it it drove surprisingly well
when I was growing up, my grandparents had a '98 T&C, leather and everything. it made it well past 300,000.
Then my mom got a '99 GC Sport with the wing. twas fun.
I currently own an '08 T&C W.P. Chrysler Signature Series. I love it.
The first minivan to have a driver's sliding door and was the first major design. Plymouth was dropped after the 2000 model year
I assume you meant Driver's side passenger sliding door?
Edit: Never mind, he explained it in the vid.
My parents had a 3rd gen and 4th gen minivan Chrysler Town & Country. Mom kept the later for 10+ years. It was very nice and pretty reliable. I do know several who had the 2nd gen Caravan with all the transmission problems.
Love your videos man, you always keep the fond memories of the past coming back. Thank you.
I remember that commercial from the beginning, ahh the 90's 🥲
I actually bought my Late model 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan GT, in 2020 due to the fact that it was being discontinued the Same year! Plus, it was about $7000 cheaper than the Nissan Van I was looking at from the same year.
The only problem I had was a bad Cylinder which was covered by the 60,000 Mile Drivetrain Warranty!
Finally the Pacifica while a great design was almost $6000 Dollars more and I wanted a vehicle that would last 8-10 years!
I'm very happy with the Carvan's versatility! 👍
My parents have owned a 3rd, 4th, and now a 5th gen Caravan. Driven them all myself before, to this day I still say the 3rd gen vans were the best to drive, and drove the most car like.
i never even owned a minivan, been living the convertible life for almost 30 years, but i would love to have one of those Chrysler T&Cs for hauling stuff. they still look nice.
The Grand Caravan and the Journey sold around 100,000 units each until 2020, which was a bad year for cars. As someone who worked for Chrysler, literally since 2016 almost every 4th quarter update included the topic of the Grand Caravan and the Journey getting replaced/discontinued. Due to their continued sales numbers, in 2019 they were both supposed to get a final refresh and be upgraded to Uconnect 4 but the idea was later scrapped and they were both discontinued. Though I bet they now wish they still had them kicking around for some lower-priced models out there. The boxy vans are still my favorite and we even own an 09 Town & Country with the Swivel-n-Go. They may not be the most reliable vehicles but they're always going to be iconic.
my grandpa used to own a stone white 3rd gen town and country lxi. it was a 1997. it was loaded it had the camel leather interior with the rear captain's chairs, infinity sound system, and the 3.8L V6. it was wearing out over time and he ran over a car ramp on the highway and bent one of the rims.he kept having problems with it the radio no longer worked and eventually he traded it in on a 2016 kia sedona. that van was a major part of my childhood.
I remember reading somewhere that Chrysler specifically wouldn't allow Volkswagen to use the stow and go so that the Chrysler vans would still have the upper edge.
I had an 04 sienna, that thing got good mileage and was torque-ey enough to do towing with ease. Minivans have a place for sure, just gotta make sure to clean up the cheerios in the seat cracks constantly lmao
Yep. Our first family vehicle was a purple ‘99 Plymouth Voyager with one sliding door.
My mom owned a green caravan with factory tinted windows and only one sliding door. I did notice at the time though that most other caravans with only one sliding door were in fact with clear glass windows, which did make me feel like our van was special.
thats the fully loaded model grand caravan. i bought a 1999 grand voyager in 2005 for $200 because the owner thought the engine was locked up. turned out there was a wired that had burned through. so for $220 i got a fully loaded $7000 family mover.
I like these vans. Despite thier faults. My grandfather had an 89 Voyager, a 95 Grand Caravan, and 2001 Town and Country Limited. ❤️
Your Grandfather just kept on upgrading tell he got the the top trim model! Nice.
We loved our old 97. It was barebones base model, it even had crank-up and down windows, and 3 liter V6. But we loved having side doors on both sides.
Another feature was that not only would all the rear seats lay down, but ALL the rear seating would also come out. You could haul an average washer/dryer set back there.
Yeah I have the 96 Plymouth Voyager base model 3L V-6 and torqflite 3spd auto. My dad used to have a 96 Dodge Caravan both of them plain Jane with manual windows!
Or… a small refrigerator. Or a couple dishwashers.
I have an 06 Caravan SE. 3.3, basic cloth interior, faded and peeling red paint, and a little over 200k KMs (not miles). Been a great second car for me. It is both my work van, and my pleasure vehicle. I don't enjoy doing so, but hauling the seats in and out to switch purposes is just such a great thing. It makes so much more sense than a compact truck because of the ability to easily and comfortably carry me and a bunch of my friends, or me and my tools + parts for appliances for my job as an appliance repairman.
Had a 99 with 280k miles. Was still super reliable. Only upgrade was the gates double sided belt with pulleys. Ex wife wrecked it; I sold it years ago to someone who put a new rad support in; it’s still on the road. I have way nicer vehicles now; but still miss that old van
Was it the 2.4liter 4 cylinder? Just curious.
Nevermind the minivan class, the Caravan/T&C is one of the most well rounded, well built, and rugged cars out there
A 3.3/3.8 should go until the body falls away from the mechanicals
My grandparents have an 04 town and country and as much as I hate to admit it, it's a pretty good car. It's got 152,000mi give or take but it's still kickin'. It leaks oil due to valve cover gaskets being old but it's not a big deal. AC is gone because of the over engineered rear and front AC design. But honestly I think it's comfortable and fast no enough for what it is. Gas economy is a bit of a snag though. Being an Illinois car it has rust but since it was garage kept by two older people it's actually in fairly good shape. I'm gonna be fixing some of the rust it has soon, I just haven't gotten around to doing so. But that van always gives me nostalgia as I grew up in it. It'll more than likely be mine one day and I'll more than likely beat on it until it can't run anymore.
Out of all the cars you've covered on this channel, this is the one I have the biggest personal connection with. My parents had a 2000 Chrysler Voyager through most of my teenage years. One of the last third-generation vans, with the 2.5 turbodiesel and manual transmission, along with the six-seat layout with individual seats rather than the second and third row bench seats, which I believe was only available here in Europe.
It was the first car I drove, and after I got my license I drove it for a while before getting my own car. The diesel had a pitiful 115 horsepower, but still suffered from turbo lag, so it could be a bit of a handful for a new driver given the somewhat vague steering. I later drove a rental fourth generation Grand Voyager with the 3.3 V6 and automatic transmission, and that powertrain suited this type of vehicle much better than the diesel manual.
My family had a 1991 Plymouth Grand Voyager with the 3.3L V-6. Great vehicle, even after 275,000 miles. After my dad managed to take on two deer at once, it was replaced by a 1993 Dodge Grand Caravan, also with the 3.3L. While that one didn’t have the fake wood panels, it did have some sort of “gold appearance package” that was equal to them on the cringe scale. Transmission failed at 250,000 miles. By then we had added a 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyager to the fleet, and it was an oddly-optioned van to say the least. Had cruise control and power mirrors, but manual windows. Had the driver’s side sliding door (extra cost option according to the window sticker), but bench seats in both rear rows. So the driver’s side door really wasn’t all that beneficial. But at least it had the built-in child seats that I guess theoretically made up for the lack of third row access. After college that one became my daily driver until I went to boot camp. I sold it with 200,000 on the odometer and was almost sorry to see it leave the driveway. The Mitsubishi 3.0L was by no means a powerhouse, but it could still get the van into triple digit speeds well in excess of any posted limit. My last experience with the third gens came from our 1998 Chrysler Town and Country that was passed down from my grandmother. She bought it new and gave it to my dad at 100,000. He put another 100,000 on it and donated it to me. Short wheelbase, but with 3.3L Flex Fuel variant. (She had no idea what she was ordering). I put another 75,000 on it before I sold it to a local guy and bought a truck. I still see it on the road; has a little over 300,000 on it now. The buyer repaired a few things like the sagging headliner and instrument cluster lights and tells me it’s never caused him any issues. Great vehicle. All three were, to be honest.
i for one dun care a jot if certain minivans look "dorky" or less sporty because the sheer utility it offered is outstanding!
We had a 2005 Caravan and it was marvelous. Seating for 7 OR drop/remove the seats and you can haul a full sized washer/dryer.
I still love my Grand Caravan (2012), and my son has a 2005 which still runs like a champ. It's not just a "people mover", it's a great tow vehicle, and it has a full-size 4x8 bed in the back when the seats are stowed (which makes them great for contractors). The Pacificas don't have a full-size bed. There are guys over on allpar that have vans with over 800,000 miles on them. Most of the transmission issues were "user" or "non-dealer" error, using the wrong fluid in them. You absolutely have to use ATF+3 (and later, ATF+4) in them, you can't use "Dexron" in it, and it even says that right on the dipstick...though quick-lube shops would use it anyways, and kill the transmission.
Man Chrysler sure used the hell out of those 3.3/3.8 V6's.
We owned a basic 1996 3 speed auto Plymouth Voyager and a 1999 Grand Caravan. The Voyager had transmission issues at 120000 and 195000 miles, but with the Grand Caravan the issue was the exposed steel lines running to the rear heater.
My aunt had one of these when I was a kid. Didn’t have it very long because it developed transmission problems. I only remember it because it was the only one of all her vans that had a media entertainment screen on the ceiling 😂
Awesome video brother, thanks again for what you do.
We had a 2012, and the transmission broke before 30K miles. It was a comfortable and powerful minivan. But the Pentastar engine was a lemon. So we trade it off.
Sounds like you and my dad went through the same process with minivans. My dad bought a 1996 Grand Caravan ES for road trips from Cincinnati to Detroit. I remember feeling like I was piloting a shuttlecraft from the USS Enterprise when I sat in the driver's seat as a kid. Within a few years, though, maintenance issues cropped up, including one transmission rebuild and a short or bad connection in the ignition that would cause all the accessories (radio, A/C, etc.) to randomly shut down while driving. Not great when you're in Florida and suddenly lose A/C and can't put the windows down. The issues he had with the Caravan, along with water leakage problems with my mom's 1997 Sebring LXi convertible, made my long-term Mopar-loyal dad swear off Chrysler products for good.
I became a father in 2002, shortly after graduating high school, and I swapped my beloved 1992 Celica for the Caravan, which my dad replaced with a 2003 Odyssey. I'd only driven the Caravan a few thousand miles when the rebuilt transmission started to go again, along with more electrical gremlins - the wipers would occasionally go off by themselves or just decide not to work at all. The dealership told me it would be $600 to replace the wiper stalk and tried to talk me into trading it for a Neon instead. Instead, my dad sold the Caravan and co-signed on a lease for a 2003 Accord. I got the 2003 Odyssey a few years later after baby #2 came along, and it fared much better aside from the notorious fading white paint. I sold it when the transmission started to whine around 80,000 miles, and in 2013, I picked up my dad's 2009 Odyssey when he decided to upgrade to a 2013 model. I still have the '09 Odyssey, and it has almost 220,000 miles on it, with my family responsible for 180,000 of those miles. It still drives great, although I keep a close eye on the oil consumption. Given the state of today's car market, I'll probably keep it until it ends up needing a repair that is more than the van is worth, but hopefully that won't happen anytime soon.
My mother-in-law bought a 07 Dodge Caravan SXT , we gave it to my brother-in-law when he needed a car . It had 210k on it , now it’s 255k and still kicking!!
I would love to see an episode on any Fiat model when they were in the states the first time!!!!!
Awesome (as usual) episode!!!!!! I try to watch these the second they drop!!!!
This was a weird episode down memory lane … I was a foreign exchange student in the US in 2004/2005 and remember that stow’n’go commercial with the motorcycle. Also, three people I was in close contact with at the time all drove either a third or fourth Gen and riding in them was fun. Lastly I would later work at Volkswagen in both Mexico, where I drove a Routan to Acapulco once, and the US, where years later I still saw the Routan on the “Retail” sheets (2 a month) in its stock clearance 😂
Seems to me like I should own any one of those some time in my life 😅
Thanks for the great episode, as usual!
These vans use to be literally everywhere
Oddly enough, it was the Third-Gen models that completely changed my mind about minivans. For years, I refused to buy one regardless of how my wife felt. Hated them. It wasn’t until 2021 when I got my first one, a 2005 Grand Caravan SXT, and only, ONLY because we were going to a town about 75 miles away to the Costco to stock up on stuff and couldn’t haul enough with what we had. I fell in love with it. It drove so much better than anything I had ever driven before. So smooth and responsive. Had it for a few months until my wife decided she wanted something a little newer. So, we bought a 2010 Town and Country. More of the same - it just drives so smooth, like floating on a cloud. These were just to get us by until we made the move to Tennessee this last summer. Now, my wife has a 2020 Grand Caravan GT and loves it. I have the 2010 Town and Country now and do what I can to keep it going. It just tripped over 209K yesterday and shows no signs of slowing down. My hope is to get 400k out of both of them, if not more. I find the only thing that really concerns me a bit attaining that is the transmission. They both have the 62TE and neither van shifts really smoothly, but the newer one is much better than the older one. The one in the 2010 sometimes feels like it is going to clunk out of the thing when it shifts between 2nd and 3rd or 4th to 5th. Plan on doing a flush on it here soon and see if that helps.
I totally remember these growing up!!! I know the Honda Odyssey’s and Toyota Sienna were the more popular choices in current times !! I have to say my sister has the Honda Odyssey , wow what a fancy van !!! Far different than the mini vans I knew as a kid growing up in the 80s and 90s
I travel a lot and rent a lot of cars (roughly 75 a year), I get a Caravan every chance I get. They are so convenient, especially when traveling with multiple techs and a lot of tools. Just a couple days ago I saw a 2020, with all the features I love about those vans, listed for sale a couple hours from my house. I convinced my wife that we had to go look it it. Right away she saw why I liked hem so much, and the price was great for a low mileage Grand Caravan.
So, we bought it. So far I'm loving driving it around, especially with the GT trim package and the black pearl inside and out.
My parents had a 1st gen but ended up with a 3rd gen when I went to college. That 3rd gen proved to be very handy for college moves for 3 kids, was comfortable, and was decent to drive. As I recall both vans had transmission problems at some point which is probably the real downfall.
I remember that scene in "Supersize Me".
My dad had a 99 Caravan that he loved and drove the wheels off of!!
The biggest issue is the transmission… ONLY if you don’t take care of it.
Regular fluid changes with atf+4, filter changes and that trans will go to 200k+. Its just not maintenance free
It may not have been with this era, but at one point, didn't Chrysler specify the wrong fluid in the manual, leading to problems? Maybe in the late 80s?
@@jonathankleinow2073 sort of yes. Its a shame as these transmissions got a really bad rep from careless owners.
And using anything else other than ATF+4 ESPECIALLY Dexron VI will sign that transmission’s death certificate. From what I’ve heard, Dexron VI is a much “grabbier” fluid that burns up the clutch packs and bands.
@@digitalrailroader you are correct atf +4 only
Not sure what's more impressive: The engineering or the advertising!
I’ve got. 2007 that I bought in 2009. It’s got 200000 miles and has had one new transmission. But it’s still going. I bought it for 12,000 dollars cash. I’ve owned it 13 years. Despite the odds, it’s still going and still good.
I still see a lot of 3rd generation Caravan's on the road and in the area
The bubble version were the ones (mostly) of my childhood
I love this cheesy 80s background music! Please never replace it.
I still see lots of third gen Caravans/Voyagers/Town & Countries on the roads and highways in my area. They're much more common than the Ford and GM minivans. I also see lots of last gen Caravans and current gen Pacificas. The only other minivans that I see many of are the Sienna and Odyssey.
Still see tons of these on the road today, 90s and newer models. Chrysler certainly did something right.
Love the 3rd gen caravans/voyagers/town and countrys. If there's one thing I wish Chrysler added to those vans was a power sliding door, but I guess we had the 4th gen for those.
Yeah, get a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna, they will have push button close. Such a nice feature.
@@marcusdamberger yeah along with the mazda mvps, ford windstar, gm minivans, kia sedona/hyundai entourage, etc.
@@marcusdamberger actually we did have a 99 odyssey ex with pwr sliding doors
Yep a friend of mine had several of those chrysler minivans and the 2nd gen had a lot of transmission problems. Until he got his last one which was a plymouth. It held up great until about 175,000 miles. Then it had electrical issues extremely bad.
Love my Caravans !!.. did my research first .. must service chysler/dodge minivans transmissions with dealer trans fluid only and change it frequently
I got 373k miles out of my 99 Grand Caravan Sport Loaded!!… just fyi
Currently i have a plymouth voyager turbo 1990 and a 2015 town and country…. Love Them!!!
The best thing Chrysler ever built. Besides the Neon!
We had the transmission thing too in our 2000 model. Got rid of it at 88k when it kept breaking down and not even the dealer could figure out what was wrong.
I own a 2000 Dodge grand caravan and From doing my research as well as I was having transmission problems I've come to learn that a lot of these vans had a lot of transmission electrical issues which a lot of dealers on mechanics cannot figure out That was the case with mine it was the electrical wires that connect to the input or output transmission sensors that go bad or tent to rust sending to limbo mode.
That Will Ferrell SNL skit clip caught me off guard literally made me laugh out loud lol “screw you and your dodge stratus!” 😂
The 92 model and this were my fav gens 🥳🥳