2005 dodge caravan...GrEaT bUy

[CarolA]

Don't you just love people whose first reactions is "you made a misstake" YIKES

Having looked the "lemon aid" site I am sitting here laughing! That guy is doing nothing but selling his books.

Congrats. I have friends with this vehicle and they all love it. (As a single person I am NOT giving up the convertible for a mini van!)

 

[RoyalCanadian]

Having looked the "lemon aid" site I am sitting here laughing! That guy is doing nothing but selling his books.

I'm sorry you think so little of a very respected Canadian author and consumer advocate. The man goes to bat for consumers who are taken in by car manufacturers -- gives honest opinions and ratings of vehicles and digs the dirt on the car companies that no mainstream media would dare print (e.g. the president of Chrysler admitting the company's knowledge that 10% of all vehicles they make were lemons, 80% were okay, and only 10% would match what Toyota manufactures.)

Without the information in Phil Edmonston's guide (read for free in a public library) I would be out a couple of thousand dollars for a repair acknowledged by Chrysler as covered under secret warranties, but more often than not charged to the unknowing customer who assumes a disintegrated head gasket on a Chrysler Neon is normal wear-and-tear.

My opinion on the Chyrsler mini-vans is based not just on what Phil Edmonston has to say in his book and on his website (amazing that someone "doing nothing but selling his books" gives away such valuable advice and information on his website for free.) but also on the experiences of one colleague who replaced three transmissions in his Dodge Caravan and another colleague who replaced two transmissions in his Dodge Caravan. My opinion on Daimler-Benz's Chrysler products is also based upon the unfortunate ownership of a 1996 Plymouth Neon with over 20 documented manufacturer's defects and a 1989 Plymouth Sundance that had some of the same problems as the '96 Neon would.

Never again will I own a Chrysler product. Hyundai all the way.

 

[CarolA]

Hmm... A Hyundai.

I had a friend with one of those.... He claims the cars best day was the one where it went up in flames on the side of the interstate. At least it was out of it's misery! (THink that was a defective fuel pump, already had a tranmssion and some other stuff and it was only 4 years old!)

 

[disneymom3]

Well, we had a Chrysler T&C and loved it for the ride and interior space etc, but the fact that there were four recall issues in the first year had me a bit concerned. Then when the power steering went out at 30,000 miles that had me worried too. Took it in and it was another recall issue that for some reason we hadn't been notified of but at least it got fixed. Just last night I was talking to our mechanic--I have a honda that needs a big repair, but it is the first thing to ever break in 170K and asking him if he thought it was worth it to have a honda that hardly breaks down, but costs a fortune when it does or should we go back to Chrysler when we buy again. He was strongly against Chrysler. Sees way too many of them in the shop is what he told me.

This thread gives me hope though--I really liked that car and would sure like to get one again! That storage in the floor thing would make the trip to WDW a dream!!

 

[cassncadensdaddy]

WOW,I had no idea this thread would get this much response.It is actually our 2nd minivan,we had a 96 grand voyager.It was OK but my wife said it was too long ????So we sold it a couple of years ago ,then regreted it.She likes the 05 much better,its not as long???,looks very sporty for a mini van,and gets pretty good MPG.I looked at several vehicles in the 15-20k range and for the money the caravan is by far the best value IMO.Our other favorite was the Mazda Tribute ,but the extra room in the van made it the 1st choice.As far as transmission problems in dodge/chrysler mini vans that was mainly in the mid to late 90s models,in new ones have a whole new set up that seems to be working much better.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

I sincerely hope your new minivan works well for you and that Chrysler have sorted out their problems. I believe that many of the Chrysler minivans are made at their Windsor, Ontario plant. If your Chrysler minivan VIN begins with a "2", it's made in Windsor.

As for Hyundai -- when the service department's recently retired shuttle car has 400,000km on it and the courtesy loaner car has 200,000km on it (and the salesmen fight over who gets to drive the thing) I know I've purchased a quality vehicle. 60,000km so far and just regular maintenance.

 

[Gillian]

Congratulations on your new van! I hope you love it & it runs well for you.

We were considering a town & country a few years ago but the salesman was an idiot. He wouldn't let me sit in the front seat while my husband test drove. I nearly got sick sitting in the back! So we didn't buy it.

 

[disneymom3]

As for Hyundai -- when the service department's recently retired shuttle car has 400,000km on it and the courtesy loaner car has 200,000km on it (and the salesmen fight over who gets to drive the thing) I know I've purchased a quality vehicle. 60,000km so far and just regular maintenance.

Well, I guess that shows that things can go wrong with any make or model. I had a Hyundai that had to have a new transmission at 60,000 miles so we will never own one again. such a big part of opinions depends on your personal experiences.

 

[mamalle]

congrats you are going to love it. we bought a town and country 2005 model back in 4/2004 and we love it! no problems what so ever. Its about to take its 4th trip to WDW tomorrow!

 

[LisaNJ25]

What a great price. I just bought a 2002 Chevy Venture 2 weeks ago for 13,000.

 

[Beca]

Not to throw a "wrench" into this topic...but, here goes.

Yes, I think most people are aware of the problems that Dodge Caravan's have...that's why I paid $26,000 for my 2001 Hondy Odyssey. It has about 80,000 miles on it...and, we have had to replace the catalytic converter ($1200) and the transmission ($4000)...fortunately, we also purchased the "extra" warranty...so, it was all covered by Honda. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Honda. We have been only Honda and Acura owners for many years (when I got tired of my Chrysler's giving me grief).

But, problems can and do happen with ANY manufacturer. When our Honda was getting a new transmission, the rental car agency (also included with the extra warranty) gave me a 2005 Grand Caravan. It just felt "flimsy" to me....hard to explain, but the doors felt like they were made out of aluminum instead of steel...much "lighter weight" than my Honda. I also didn't like how the "automatic door" feature could not be controlled by the door handle (like the Honda). My 3 yr old dd is very into opening and closing the doors by herself, and she kept having to reach inside the car and press the "black button" to close the door. There were a couple of times that her arm "lingered" (she didn't realize the door had started moving) and the door nearly touched her arm!! It made me very nervous.

The van also appeared to be "older" than my Honda...the carpets were badly stained, and parts of the "seat bases" were missing. I know it is a rental car...but, it only had 12,000 miles on it!! And, we are VERY hard on our Honda...but, it just doesn't seem to show the carpet spills/stains like the Dodge did (in spite of the fact that the interiors were about the same color).
All in all, I liked my Honda better...but, I DID like the "stow and go" seats.

My long and rambling point...I'm thrilled that you are happy with your purchase, and hope that you have many years of trouble-free enjoyment with your car. Everyone told me that, except for brakes, I would have NO problems with my Odyssey...I had to get on a waitlist to get it...NO negotiations in price (had to pay sticker)...and take "whatever color" came in. It would be hard for any car to live up to those expectations...and, this one has disappointed me a little. I HOPE that the "bugs" are fixed, and that I can have a few years with it once it is paid off...but, you never know.

Enjoy your new van!!!



Beca

 

[MommyBoo!]

We have a 2005 Grand Caravan and have been very happy with it. We didn't find any difference in the doors, they seem just as sturdy as our GMC Safari. Also, those doors move very slowly, and will not hurt you if your arm is there. We know, we tried. We made sure everything was safe. You can also turn off the automatic door feature.

I really like the side passenger airbags in ours too. I'm sure most of the minivans have them, they are just new for us. Going from a much bigger van made me a little nervous, so the airbags help.

Your're going to hear bad things about all makes, really. No car company has been 100% problem free. We looked at every minivan out there (and dragged the car seat into each one too). The Dodge was the most comfortable for us to drive and we were very happy with the features (the stow and gos after those Safari seats are pure Heaven).

There was another van we liked, but the seat was very uncomfortable (for me, I am short) and could not be adjusted to be comfortable. DH was already leaning towards the Dodge, so it worked out well. Basically, go with what works for you.

 

[welovedis]

I agree with Beca's post, I hope you are as happy with your purchase 5 years from now as you are today.

Cars can be such a personal topic and I loved my Chrysler T & C minivan until it started stalling (for no reason) at traffic lights, on the highway or just parked and idling. 77 days in the shop and it still wasn't repaired so we got out of it by threatening to go thru the lemon law and were given back our $$$$ (less depreciation of course). Now I have a Chevy Trailblazer EXT and don't love it, but it gets me where I need to go without stalling, carries 7 passengers and tows our camper like a dream. I wouldn't buy another Dodge/Chrysler product even if they gave it to me for 1/2 price, lol!

That said, everyone is going to have a manufacturer that they had a bad experience with and everyone is going to have one that they love.

Glad to hear you got such a good deal on it and hope it works for you & your family!

 

[MommyBoo!]

Now see, my parents have had a Chrysler T&C minivan for years and love it. They've never had any problems with it. In fact, they went out and bought two more Chryslers (Jeep Grand Cherokees) because of the lack of problems with their van.

DH and I were not impressed with the customer service of our local GM dealer when we had problems with the Safari.

Now, our second car is a Ford Taurus and I know what many people think about Ford, but this is our second Taurus and both are two of the best cars we've ever had.

That said, everyone is going to have a manufacturer that they had a bad experience with and everyone is going to have one that they love.

Exactly!

 

[LoriKutchey]

Congratulations!!! Great buy, we are on our 2nd chrysler minivan, so I am going on 10 years of driving these vehicles. Have never encountered a problem with either of them. Great vehicles

 

[DisneyDreamer2]

Congratulations! We have a 99 Grand Caravan, now with 75,000 miles. We've never had any problems, except for 2 recalls, where it was taken care of in less than an hour with no cost for us. For the money it is a great car! And by the way, I've had hondas and toyotas that I was told "would last forever" that cost me thousands in repairs before they were 4 years old. You'll love your caravan.