I have had my 97 Dodge Caravan since 2003. Since that time, I have repair the air. Replaced the radio, replaced the brakes, rotors and cylinders many times. and rebuilt the transmission at roughly 135,000 miles. Went to an after market belt adapter that has ribs on both sides to stop the belt "spin off" when wet. The drivers side window is permanently closed now due to the electric window motor burning out after the cable broke. BUT!, I now have nearly 225,000 miles and the vehicle runs like a champ, doesn't burn oil and passes inspection every time. Even with 3 year old plugs!!
So there you have it. I have mixed emotions about this van. I bought it cheap and paid cash. It hauls anything nearly. I have literally used it like a truck and I have packed it full of kids with great results.
So I guess it depends on your outlook. It's a comfy van and is a real work horse, but it does have issues.
I own a 1996 and 1997 Dodge Caravan. Yes they do tend to have problems on occasion. I also understand that I purchased these vans USED. I have had to do very little to either except for regular maintenance. The 1996 has 240,000 miles on it and the 1997 has 150,000 miles on it. I work for a used car dealer and let me tell ya, I don't care if you buy GM, FORD, Chrysler Etc. Everyone is going to have some type of issue once it hits a certain mileage. I see it everyday. So it is not only Chrysler that has mechanical issues.
Of the Detroit 3, Chrysler is the least reliable and suffers from poor quality. They use cheap plastics in their vehicles. We own a '97 Dodge Grand Caravan SE and have had several problems and will not buy another Chrysler vehicle.
- Air conditioning stopped working in Summer 2006, which caused button lights to blink on the center console
- Cassette jammed in cassette player, which makes a horrible noise
- Oil leak
- Transmission surges sometimes (this is a replacement transmission)
- Trunk lid lock broken.
I love my 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan. The big engine and comfy captain seats are the best. I only wish the guys who did the engine also did the electrical systems. Wipers run randomly. Dashboard blinks out randomly. Radio left speaker works when you pound on it. All are costly to keep the dealer people working on these mysterious things. Engine computer cost $1000 to fix and now only works when you pound on the dashboard.
I purchased my 1997 Grand Caravan new. It now has 147,000. The transmission failed at 130,000 and was replaced for $1600. The wipers will occasionally come on and stop on their own. I have replaced several serpentine belts and they seem to come off easily in heavy rain. One interior light stopped working and came on for a short time before failing again. Overall, the motor seems reliable and I have not had AC issues yet. My wife still loves the van and wants to keep it a few more years so hopefully we will not run into any additional major issues.
I have had 2 Dodge Grand Caravans in the last 9 years, and I love em.
My first one was a 99 that I bought in May of 2000, with 10,000 miles on it, and it lasted until May of 2004 when somebody turned left in front of me and I hit them doing 30 mph. The van at that point had 171,000 miles on it, and ran like a champ. I had the mysterious wipers on mine and the only parts that the car went through was and EGR solenoid, speed sensor, and 3 master cylinders. Of course the usual brakes and rotors and tires, but other than that an a+++ van.
The other one I have now is a 97 with 232,000 miles on it and that one has blown its tranny up twice and now has electrical gremlins, but is still a great van. I've put 100,000 miles on it in 3 years and used it and its predecessor hard, but they have stood up well to the abuse.
The 3.3 motor is an iron horse - tough to kill. (Just go to youtube and look up chrysler cash for clunkers. They put 4 quarts of sodium silicate into it to seize it and it still wouldn't stop all the way! It could still rotate and almost start.)
But I will say those vans got regular maintenance and that is most of the battle.
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