07 and older Dodge Caravan owners please

rosey2007

Active member
Im going to do whatever possible to buy a 06 or newer Sedona, but if that doesn't pan out I would like a back up plan. I test drove an 05 and a 07 Dodge Caravan and thought they were pretty nice. Would this be a good second choice if my first one doesn't pan out?
 
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Genevieve

CPST Instructor
I have an '07 Town and Country which is the Caravan clone. I'll give you a few things I love/hate about it.

Love:
stow n' go. Those under storage compartments are super handy, and I love that I can fold all the seats flat very quickly.

Driver's seat is pretty comfortable, even on long drives.

Captain's chairs are easy for car seat installations and the LATCH is easily accessible.

Hate:
Third row outboard seatbelts have very funky belt geometry. No matter what, the shoulder portion of the belt will be about 3-5 inches away from the persons body. On a bigger kid or an adult sized body, the shoulder belt is also laying across the upper arm instead of the center of the collar bone. I have three kids so this is a HUGE issue for me because I have to put someone back there.

Third row only has one top tether. Again, because I have three kids, more of an issue for me because it limits the way I can arrange them.

We have not had any major issues with the car. Normal brakes, oil changes, tires, etc are all we've had to do in the 5.5 years we've had it. It's done it's job and I liked it well enough, but we are in the process of upgrading to a different van. Because my oldest is now in a booster full time, and my second will be shortly, and because of the 3rd row seat belts we are not looking at any of the Dodge/Chrysler vans. But, that may not be relevant to your needs, and if it isn't, on the whole I've been satisfied with the van.
 

rosey2007

Active member
I have an '07 Town and Country which is the Caravan clone. I'll give you a few things I love/hate about it.

Love:
stow n' go. Those under storage compartments are super handy, and I love that I can fold all the seats flat very quickly.

Driver's seat is pretty comfortable, even on long drives.

Captain's chairs are easy for car seat installations and the LATCH is easily accessible.

Hate:
Third row outboard seatbelts have very funky belt geometry. No matter what, the shoulder portion of the belt will be about 3-5 inches away from the persons body. On a bigger kid or an adult sized body, the shoulder belt is also laying across the upper arm instead of the center of the collar bone. I have three kids so this is a HUGE issue for me because I have to put someone back there.

Third row only has one top tether. Again, because I have three kids, more of an issue for me because it limits the way I can arrange them.

We have not had any major issues with the car. Normal brakes, oil changes, tires, etc are all we've had to do in the 5.5 years we've had it. It's done it's job and I liked it well enough, but we are in the process of upgrading to a different van. Because my oldest is now in a booster full time, and my second will be shortly, and because of the 3rd row seat belts we are not looking at any of the Dodge/Chrysler vans. But, that may not be relevant to your needs, and if it isn't, on the whole I've been satisfied with the van.

How does the dodge do on gas?
 

emntheboys

New member
I had an '05 Town & Country and to be quite honest, it was the worst vehicle I have ever owned. I REALLY wanted to like it, but it was constantly in the shop for one thing or another. We bought it in early '07 with 28k on it & traded in '09 with 58k. Here's my list

New brakes pads & rotors TWICE. Yep, twice in 2 years. And I'm not hard on brakes- they are just undersized for this vehicle & wear out fast.
Sway bar links replaced- very common in these vans
Water pump leaked & had to be replaced
Rack & Pinion-$$$
Top Strut mounts-$$$$
Power Doors fixed twice- maybe 3 times, can't remember exactly
Leak in rear AC line
DVD system would not read discs
Button for steering wheel radio controls stuck
It also burned oil pretty badly- always had to keep an eye on it

This was all in addition to normal maintenance. I felt it was pretty ridiculous for a 2 year old vehicle with that low of mileage to require that many repairs.

*BUT* I know many, many, people who have had these vans and not had near as much trouble. Just make sure you have it thoroughly checked out. Be sure to note any suspension noise because that is really common.
 

rosey2007

Active member
I think I'm going to look into other options. I've had 2 dodges in the past and I was not impressed. Gtanted these cats had over 100000 on them ehen bought.
 

dneul

New member
I have 2005 dodge grand caravan and I honesty do like it. Yes, many things needed repair or have worn. I purchased the van in 08 and it had 50,xxx for around 10k.

My brother changed the oil and I had to replace the engine at 120,xxx.
My front passenger window stopped working at 145,xxx.
We had to replace the alternator around 150,xxx
The remote lock/unlock on drivers power door became fritzy but still works occasionally at 155,xxx.
The power door track was misfunctioning and my husband got fixed it at home instead of car dealership at 157,xxx.
The front rack and pin at 165,xxx.
My drivers window stopped working last week at 186,xxx.

I do have a very slight leak somewhere in the radiator and I do have a small oil drip. We are doing the window repair next weekend.


Doing the math, if I spend less the $275 a month in repairs and maintaince then I come out ahead then getting another car. At some point, yes I will need to consider getting a newer car. Last year we spent around $1500 in car repairs. I get around 19 mpg in the city and around 24/25 mpg on long trips.

I drive around 10,xxx between April and September.


I have owned 3 caravans now.
1999, 2001, and 2005.

My next vehicle will be another dodge/ Chrysler if I can help it.
 

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