excellent motor,well built

TRANSMISSION

plenty of room,comfortable.Nice drive,but,a serious money pit.I had two transmissions replaced under extended warranty,again when warranty ended and now the van sits a big white lawn decoration,new computer system,new battery,new tires,etc....with,yes a transmission problem,this time the transmission literally shot a whole through itself.Talk to a transmission specialist before buying one,seems everyone except dodge knows about the tranny problem!A real shame because other then the awful transmission,an excellent ride.

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plymouth voyager-much more comfortable,better drive,more solid then the voyager-same transmission

Comfortable, versible

DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS

Overall I have enjoyed this minivan. It fit the needs of myself and my family. HOWEVER, regards of this I will NEVER, NEVER, own another Dodge vehicle. At 60,001 miles my transmisson blew. A problem I then learned was extremely common in the Dodge Caravan. A problem you would think Dodge would fix in future models. At that time I owned the van for 3.5 years and had/have never towed or abused the transmission in anyway. The second lasted 40,000 miles. What good is a van you enjoy if the transmission isn't worth squat.

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Isuzu Rodeo - Caravan more stable

roominess, engine power (3.3 liter), looks good. Good Paint. Fairly comfortable seats.

transmission, basic overall quality..

Quality Control disaster...Ghost wipers, brakes, serpentine belt and tensioner, transmission, entire head assembly, speakers, radio, turn signal indicator, rear window vent, elect. door locks, struts, shocks...all these things have either failed or are in need of replacement..

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n/a

Comfortable, quiet and good turning ratio. Good pick-up and towing capacity. Plenty of starage room when the seats were out. Great customer Service at Lockwood Chrysler.

Gaskets, Back hatch rusted out.

This was my first brand new car, and wow it was sure worth it. There were a few things that were annoying, but nothing that couldn't be dealt with.
I kept it for 9 years and ended up with somewhere around 485,000 KM on it. Never had engine or tranny problems. A/C was always great. Rear seat was heavy and difficult to remove so I left it out. Great in snow and rain. Gas mileage got to be terrible in the end, but the poor thing never got tune-ups so what could I expect? Worse thing was oil leakage. Didn't need to change my oil, it changed itself.

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Aerostar YUCK!!!

Generally easy to work on. Seat arrangement makes it easy to more/fewer
people. Seats removed provides quite a bit of room for hauling. Reasonable gas mileage.

Seats are heavy, and it usually takes two people to move these in/out of the vehicle. Weak transmission, I would have expected more mileage from
the hydraulic three speed. Since I had done regular maintenance and installed a larger capacity cooler. The four speed electronic transmission from that year (and other years) has a particularly bad reputation. Loud interior at highway speeds. Three speed tranny not made for Interstate speed, best to run at ~65 mph which was the max speed limit when the vehicle was built. Gas mileage drops quickly at higher speeds.
Tendancy like most FWD vehicles to eat the front brakes.

In the spring of 1989 I purchased the Caravan with 8000 miles. I have done routine maintenance, and changed the water pump and timing belt at ~75k miles and at ~160k miles(3.0l V6 Mitsubishi). Three speed transmission failed at ~140k miles, replaced that with one I picked up at a salvage yard for $400. This has been the only major expense in 170k miles and 13 years of driving. I installed a class II hitch and have hauled trailers without any problem.

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Easier to drive than a '71 VW Bus, but does not attract as much attention.

Comfortable ride, looks nice, somewhat dependable.

When something goes wrong, prepare to spend a lot of money. The body and interior seem rugged, but the powertrain is fragile. You need to baby these suckers. Change the oil every time you fill your gas tank, and service the transmission monthly and you should be good to go...lol.

I bought this car because I had good service from a 1990 Plymouth Voyager(4 cyl). I usually buy cars 5 or 6 years old, with the understanding that problems may arise and often times do. I paid $6000 for it in September 2000, drove it everyday then the head gasket blew(at Christmas of all times). It cost $1300 to repair. The previous owner had recently replaced the transmission, so I can stave those dogs off for a while. Other than that...no problems...lol.

I know I made light of the situation, but I've been burned on most cars I've owned. I always put a lttle back for these repairs so that it doesn't hurt when I need to make repairs. If nothing breaks, then it's a bonus.

These cars seem generally fine with proper maintenance.

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90 Plymouth Voyager(very dependable for me), 93 Ford Aerostar(extremely solid), 89 Ford Aerostar(...scrap). In comparison to these three, 93 Areostar was the most dependable, followed by the 90 Voyager, then my current 94 Caravan. Last is definietly the 89 Aerostar.

Easy to haul several kids around in. Easy to drive.

Things break frequently.

I purchased the vehicle brand new from the dealer. It has about 53,000 miles on it now. Here is what has happened since:

- Three days after purchase, the engine had to be overhauled. No cost to me except it took over a week to repair. Cause was a "bad crankshaft" (I think I was getting the shaft).
- Battery was dead less than 2 years after purchase.
- The sensor for the side sliding door kept indicating that it was open. Several trips to the dealer could not resolve it. I have duct tape over it so that it doesn't cause the interior lights come on while driving.
- Rear window looks like it was sealed with tar. It has dripped down on the window and body. I have had to try to get it removed with a solvent.
- Rear wing windows are remote control. However, the motor is too weak to move them any more. You must do it by hand now. I won't pay $500 to get that fixed.
- Seat belt cover for middle seat broken off.
- Sometimes, the out-of-gas idiot light comes on even though there is plenty of gas. Turning the car off and them back on usually fixes it.
- Sometimes the transmission doesn't shift. You must stop the car. turn engine off, then try it again. This is "normal" as indicated in the owner's manual.
- There has been some hesitation in the engine. Taking it to the shop, I was told that the spark plug wires need to be replaced ($100). I said no way. Had oxygen sensor replaced ($250) and tune up ($100). Still have problem. I have never heard that spark plug wires need to be replaced at 50000 miles on any other cars!
- Latest failure is when you go to start the car, the starter will just click. Trying it several times usually gets the engine started. Dealer says it is the starter (another $260-$300). I say it is B--- S---!
- After reading some of the reviews, I am nervous about the life of the transmission.

My 1988 Honda Accord has 143,000 miles on it and I am about to get the clutch replaced on it. This is the most serious thing I have had to do to it besides tires, a couple of batteries, a battery cable, and replace the belts and water pump at about 100K.

Moral of the story: I will not be buying a vehicle from Dodge / Chrysler / Plymouth in the future. I though American car manufacturers have gotten better with their quality, but I guess I was wrong.

Enough is enough.

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None

Driveability, Comfort and style

Recall after recall except when $2,000 worth of work and repairs is needed for a rebilt or new transmission which Chrysler will not take responsibility for.

For the most part, me and family have enjoyed the minivan for its style and comfort. It drives like a sedan and fits my large family comfortably. However, the problems I have with the transmission makes me quickly forget why I like it. It has proven to be more trouble than its worth and has cost me more money than I can afford. I will not buy another Dodge vehicle.

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large size

transmission
lack of responsibility on the part of Dodge
LEMON, LEMON, LEMON

This purchase was the biggest mistake I ever made in buying a new vehicle. It was in the shop at least six times in the first two years, with no loaner being given by the dealer. I live 40 miles from the nearest car rental!

Problems with tranmission sensors twice within the first ten thousand miles and now a complete transmission overhaul at 45, 000 miles, under the extended warranty. It's valued at only 13,000 dollars, only two years later and would not be able to trade in since I still owe over $20,000.

Other problems have included cracked seating panels, intermittent starter problems, and faulty windshield wiper motors.

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Fords and Mazdas and Nissans don't act up in the first two years at least.

Radio still works.

Poor overall quality.

After five years and only 28,000 miles. We have had nothing but problems. We've got low mileage but none of the problems are covered after three years.

AC problems...
Funny suspension noises...
Tire problems...
Belt problems...
Fuel system problems.... Gas tank has to be replace.... Whats up with that?

Nothing but problems...

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