1997 Dodge Caravan SE review from North America

At 52000 miles, the engine drive belt split and came off. We learned the value of our auto club membership tow feature that day.

At about the same time, the A/C system had to be recharged due to a loss of cooling ability.

There have been at least two factory recalls that we remember. The first was for a defect in the built-in child seat. The second was for a third-seat roof defect. Both items were fixed promptly to our satisfaction by local dealers in Honolulu, HI and Seattle, WA.

The center cup holders lost their ability to close down and hold smaller cups tightly.

The wipers occasionally go on and off for no reason. Dealer mentioned this was a rare problem, but no solution has been identified or offered by the manufacturer or dealer.

We use this car as an in-city family mover for 2 adults and 2 kids.

This is the smaller-length version of the Caravan.

We can parallel park easily yet hold a good amount of cargo.

The roller seats are nice, but it helps to have a smooth garage floor to roll them on. Grass or a bumpy driveway make it difficult, but not impossible to move the seats.

The built-in child seat (two of them) has been great. No child seats to lug around. The bench converts to adult seating very easily.

Too bad the 2nd and 3rd seats are not interchangeable in this smaller-chassis Caravan.

The velour cloth interior has been easy to clean and still looks good.

The V-6 engine has been a good performer and we still get at least 20 mpg.

Replacing the air filter is more involved than it should be - you need a socket wrench and good eye-hand coordination to maneuver the plastic housings and filter.

The factory above-grade sound system still sounds great.