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I have owned three Dodge Caravans and have loved all of them. I still own the 1999, which has over 240,000 miles on it. Everything still works, the paint job is still great, and the interior is still spotless. No rips or tears in the fabric only slight wear on the seat. I did have to throw in a rebuilt tranny at 125,000 miles, but it is still going strong. I mostly drive my car, but I can't bear to part with my Caravan. At one point I was driving about 2,000 miles a week...I think that is why I am so attached to it. I never understood before why guys could get attached to cars, but I get it now.
You sure have good luck. A lot of people haven't, though. A friend of mine had an Intrepid of similar vintage and had great luck with it, but my uncle and a high school teacher of mine had Eagle Visions (corporate twin) that were both near death before they were paid off. A lot of Chryslers are junk, but every once in a while, one comes off the line as solid as a Swiss watch.
P.S. If your Intrepid has the 2.7, be careful. They're not known for long life.
My '03 is pushing 197k right now. I bought it with 7k and it has the dreaded 2.7. Drivetrain is all-original, except for a coolant pipe / bleeder valve assy @ 80k, and a trans valve body repair was done under the 7/70 warranty @ 60k. I replaced the steering rack, control arm and sway bar bushings somewhere between 100-160k.
Otherwise it has been a solid car, wish they still made them. I'm not a Dodge fanboy, never have been and that goes for any brand-name. Even though this car has been good to me, I don't think I'll be buying another Chrysler anytime soon.
I'm a fan of Dodge trucks, and the Mopar muscle cars of the 60's and 70's. The new Dodge (Neon, PT, Caliber, 300, Intrepid etc) I am not a fan of and would never own in a million years any of that crap.
Gimme a 70 Challenger and yes, I'll be a Dodge fan. They fell off just like GM.
I have owned three Dodge Caravans and have loved all of them. I still own the 1999, which has over 240,000 miles on it. Everything still works, the paint job is still great, and the interior is still spotless. No rips or tears in the fabric only slight wear on the seat. I did have to throw in a rebuilt tranny at 125,000 miles, but it is still going strong. I mostly drive my car, but I can't bear to part with my Caravan. At one point I was driving about 2,000 miles a week...I think that is why I am so attached to it. I never understood before why guys could get attached to cars, but I get it now.
Consider yourself very fortunate. Many of the Caravans have had major issues. Glad you got a good one
P.S. If your Intrepid has the 2.7, be careful. They're not known for long life.
True, so true. But at 148K and counting he either hasn't got one or has one of the few good ones. Believe it or not there are a select few that have gone over 200k trouble free. Not many though. Later 2.7's had some changes which increased their reliability but I still shy away from anything that has one.
Myself? I'm a big fan of the Lebaron/Spirit/Acclaim team. Have two right now and might be getting two more. Dirt cheap and ugly as can be thanks to the paint troubles Chrysler had but otherwise a great little car. Remember, these models were usually in the top three in their day with Consumer Reports, only Honda and Toyota came in higher.
I've had minivans of the 90's that ran beyond expectations with little if any trouble. Can't say the same for the Stratus/Cirrus/Breeze squad. Dreadful little cars, tough to work on and no body life, major rust problems that started way too soon. The Intrepid/Concorde/New Yorker lineup, as long as you don't have the 2.7 you had a car that was reasonably good compared to other companies.
Anything from this century, can't say, haven't owned one. Don't like what I'm seeing on rust though. Some of the early to mid '00's have more rust than I like to see for that vintage.
I can't help but wonder if some of these engine problems were caused by folks not changing the oil on time.
Or using generic coolant-- Chrysler requires specific coolant for most of their vehicles. I can see this leading to catastrophe. Think about metal/alloy compatibility, seal & gasket compatibility (e.g. heads), internal water pumps, laser plastic welds, etc.
Got gasket problems? When was the last time you changed that $4 PCV valve?
Another one-- using the wrong transmission fluid. That's another Chrysler-specific stickler and has been that way for at least 20 years.
Same goes for the power steering fluid.
Send your Chrysler (or any make) to some Quick Lube Jiffy Screw and see how long it takes you to blame the manufacturer for a crap product.
Consider yourself very fortunate. Many of the Caravans have had major issues. Glad you got a good one
I've owned 4, she has owned 3, I see thousands of them, even older ones, still being used everywhere. Methinks it isn't just luck, but continue thinking that if you want to.
I've always been skeptical of Chrysler but am looking for an economical second car, one with some cargo capacity but still with a decent ride. I've been seeing PT cruisers for sale, 08's with 30 to 40K for under $9,000. Am I missing something? I'm also considering Chevy HHR's but they seem to run about $2,000 more.
For a little more I could get a 5 or 6 year old bigger SUV. But why are PT Cruisers so cheap and are they a reasonably good buy, dependabilty wise?
I can't help but wonder if some of these engine problems were caused by folks not changing the oil on time.
Possibly, but even those that alleged regular upkeep on a 2.7 had engine failure before 100k. Take the timing belt tensioner problems followed by a faulty water pump design, oil passages too narrow, badly designed pcv system and it's all too much. Just a bad design from the start that they never could get right.
Well, they made over a million of them over ten years so it isn't like there's a real shortage. You should be able to muster up a pretty good deal on one.
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