Help me narrow this down (Dodge Caravan and other can questions.)

skipspin

New member
So, we have to have another vehicle before our lease is up in August- but might get is sooner than that. We were wanting a used 8 passenger Sienna, but I think we have decided we'd rather pay cash and get something less expensive. We already have $7000ish saved for a vehicle, so I think we will be looking at a Grand Caravan. I want the bench seat, not captains chairs, we aren't too picky about color. Obviously the newer/less miles the better, but are there any years that are better than others? I know we will get one with LATCH, but how many TAs are there in the 3rd row of different years? I'm thinking we'll be looking in the 03-06 range, probably 05-06 would be best.

If anyone has any other great recs we'd consider then, but DH can't do Ford (GM family) and I hate the GM vans with a passion- they are so not car seat and user friendly. :whistle:
 
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bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
Is there a reason you dont want the sedona? In that year/price range, the caravan has ugly crash safety ratings. The sedona has excellent ratings. Although, the sedona is only available with the bucket seats, no bench. I will say, for full disclosure, so you know where i'm coming from, that i loathe the caravan, lol. My SIL has one..i think 06, might be 05, and they just arent nearly as nice as the sedona, sienna or odyssey. The stow and go are heavy and hard to manuver, although i guess your not going for that, if yuo want a bench. the seats are WICKED uncomfortable. As an adult riding on the seat, the back 2 rows are torture. And..and I REALLY think they are just truly stupid for this, the middle back row is a LAP belt. Which restricts your options in terms of who can go where, since essentially only a harnessed seat can go there. Also, in taht year range, there are no side airbags, which goes right along with the poor side ratings.
I realize that we have 4738764 different vehicles for a reason, and taht everyone has different preferences and likes/dislikes, but I just don't uderstand why you would pick something with a lap belt and such poor safety ratings, when you don't "have" to, given your budget?? (i totally understand making hard choices when your options are truly limited though, I'm not criticising anyone for not being able to afford new cars for their family) Also, through '03, they had the 3rd gen seatbelts, so I'd limit your search to 04 and newer only, if you decide to get one.
 

jerenaud

New member
If anyone has any other great recs we'd consider then, but DH can't do Ford (GM family) and I hate the GM vans with a passion- they are so not car seat and user friendly. :whistle:

We have an 06 Caravan and I like it fine... but I kind of wish that we had my parents' van - an 04 Montana. We went for newer, but the caravan only has 3 tether bolts (3rd row centre, behind each of the captain's chairs) whereas the Montana has tethers in every position, as I recall. I do have a horrible time putting the radians in certain positions of the Montana (no problems in the caravan) but always manage to get them in somewhere.

My long winded point is that maybe the GM vans are worth having on your list.. unless you're looking for different things than I am.

Erica
 

APT

New member
The lack of 3rd row tethers is a non-issue IMO. There are options for that. The lap belt, eh, use latch (harnessed seat), or the two outboard seats. What are the odds you have 5 children that all need boosters or lap and shoulder belts?

The comfort of the seats has not been a problem for us (either middle Stow N Go or 3rd row bench) for 12 hour overnight rides where the non-driving adult sleeps. For most young families, seat comfort does not matter as all the children are in their own child seats. Besides, for 2005-2007 models, bench 2nd row means no Stow N Go 3rd row either.

It really bothers me that the Chrysler/Dodge twins are dismissed so quickly by members here. There are a lot of other qualities that make them great. They do outsell every other minivan combined and have about double the sales of the next minivan manufacturer.
 

firemomof3

New member
I liked the Caravan but with only 1 rear tether in the 3rd row was the deciding factor for me. Plus the Sedona has a 5 star crash test rating all around.
I liked the stow and go seating with the Carvan a lot though...
 

Melanie

New member
I'd recommend taking a look at the Kia Sedonas. Just make sure you stay with 06 or newer. The previous generation can be known for quality control issues and break issues. I have an 04 and absolutely would not recommend that older generation. Keep in mind that you won't get the 10 yr/100k mile warranty on the Kia-it's only for the original owner. The warranty should still be something like 5 years or 60k miles bumper to bumper. They are supposed to be super easy for car seat installs and have a ton of tether spots.

Is the bench seat a deal breaker? The newer generation Kias only come with bucket seats and I don't think you can put them side by side like the Odyssey.

I want to touch on the lap belt in the third row. If you plan to have 7 people in the vehicle it could be a pain. My van has the lap belt and no head rest in the middle of the third row. I have a teenager and 2 kids in car seats. For me, part of having a 7 pass vehicle is so I can haul my family + the grandparents. Having a teen that doesn't yet drive means I'm also frequently hauling her and her friends around. If you haven't started hauling friends, I'd bet it will be coming soon. So in order to safely get 7 people in, I install a RF seat in the middle (other is a Frontier so too wide). With my bench, someone has to crawl over the RF seat to get into their seat. I'd think captains chairs would be a bit easier, but still not that easy.

I absolutely understand needing to stick to your budget and possibly not getting everything you want in a vehicle. Hence, why I'm driving an 04 Sedona and make people crawl over a car seat.
 

skipspin

New member
I will look at the 06 Sedonas for sure. That's the info I was looking for. I have heard they get bad gas mileage, but a few MPG could be worth the safety.

The reason I really want a bench is because right now I have 2 RFing and I don't really want a RFing seat in the back on a daily basis. I can't imagine having a RFing seat in both captains chairs. (If I was hauling more people I'm okay moving a seat for that.) It's not a total deal breaker, but I just like the bench idea better. Oh, I could also sit with a baby on longer trips and not be so far away. If the captians chairs moved together like the Honda that would be better. Granted, DS might well be over 33#s and FFing when I get the van, but DD likes to sit with the baby and help him too.

1 TA isn't great in the back, but OTOH DD will already be in a booter and DH can always install a heavy duty TA for me outboard. He's very mechanically inclined to put it mildly.
As far as the comfort, I think it's better than the new (in 07) GM van I rode in. I could barely climb in the back and I was 115 at the time and I'm short. 3 across was impossible in the back seat. Very un-user friendly. I haven't looked at the Montanas, though, so I'll at least glance. DH knows that a Dodge will run forever and he can fix it, which is a plus.

I'll still watch for a Sienna, but for it to be in our price range it will likely have to have tons of miles, a problem, or be way older than we want. Maybe we will find a good deal. We at least have a while to watch for one.
 

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