History

I grew up during the hippy era and always wanted a Volkswagen Micro Bus. Of course, I never got one but in the late 60s and into the 70s, the full size van became the vehicle of choice for those roving rock and rollers who roamed the land and followed the band! I never got one of those either.

Fast forward to 1986. Married and with two small children, it was time to enter into the land of middle class family rides with the purchase of my first mini-van, a Plymouth Voyager. I ordered it from a local dealer at the height of Chrysler mini-van mania. You couldn't touch one on a lot but I was able to find a dealer that would order one for $200.00 over his hard cost. It was pretty basic and came in a month later. That van lasted over 160,000 miles with no major problems and very little maintenance except for tires and oil changes. That side mounted, four cylinder, Japanese engine just wouldn't quit. It has been the best and most reliable vehicle I've ever owned in my half a century plus of time on this planet.

1998

In 1998, 12 years and 160,000+ miles later, the old van was pretty worn out. The air conditioner had been replaced once and was going again. The steering had been replaced, the timing chain replaced and now the engine was going to have to be rebuilt. My wife and I decided that even though the family was grown up and they used the Volvo station wagon (safest car on the road for families), the van was still the way to go for me as my work involved hauling around a lot of equipment. But instead of putting all of that money into an old van, we went down to the local dealer, who was having a big clearance sale, to see what they had on the lot.

As I was on the cell phone about work, the salesman took my wife out on the lot. She came back and announced that she had found our van. Now that could be a dangerous thing, letting your wife pick your work vehicle out for you, but she did a great job. It was exactly what I wanted. With two dealer incentives in hand, and the dealer really wanting to move a lot full of year old vans off the lot so the new models could arrive, we dealed him down to his hard cost (not a hard thing to do today, especially with the outgoing models on the lot). THEN, with deal in hand, I asked him about a flyer I had with me that said his dealership would buy back my van, in any shape, for 4 grand. The sales manager was not happy. They would have to dump the old van through a third party auction and get little for it but I had a signed deal AND an advertisement in hand that said they would buy the vehicle. Not wanting a law suit for false advertising, and all the negative publicity that goes along with it, we came to a very good deal (below the dealer's hard cost). Of course, they don't loose anything, with holdback and other factory incentives so they got rid of the van and I got a great deal on a new car.

1998 to 2004

I've had the van for nearly 6 years now and have driven it around the country. It has over 72,000 miles on it and has had barely a hiccup. I change the oil every three thousand miles and rotate the tires every six thousand. I just had to spend the first money on it, replacing the extremely poor air conditioning units, front and back. Both had leaks in them. I've read they are among the worse in the industry. Thanks a lot Chrysler! I also had the serpentine belt replaced and the new one kept coming off. The dealer had to keep replacing it and I kept having to be towed back there until I suggested they contact the factory to see what the heck was going on. Turned out that they changed the belt and now they don't fit. So the factory's suggestion was to either use a third party belt (which would not be covered under warranty) or manufacture a fix for the belt. The dealer's senior mechanic had to read up on the problem, contact the factory and then build the fix for the belt. It has stayed on since. I also have had the transmission serviced to help keep it from self destructing, as has happened on too many of these vans.

What I Like

I love the styling of the van. It still is a nice looking vehicle. I actually like this year's looks better than the current year's. The van drives well. It's very comfortable and drives more like a luxury vehicle than a van. It's very roomy and can carry full sized sheets of plywood with the seats taken out. The bench seats are not taken out as easily as the more current ones but still come out without too much trouble. Double sided doors are the only way to go (they weren't standard back then) and this van came with them. It was pretty much outfitted the way my first van was. Not much extra but with the few extras I needed such as cruise control, rear window defogger and wiper, dual air conditioners, double rear bench seats, etc. It's been a fine car and except for the A/Cs having to be replaced and the rear hatch needing to have the handle fixed, I've had no other trouble with it. The cruise control still works well. When the air works, it's very cold. The heater also works very well.

What I Don't Like

I do a lot of highway driving at maximum speed. The van is not quiet. The wind noise is loud and the tire noise is invasive. Even with undercoating and extra carpeting, the noise level inside the van at interstate speeds is high. So this can be fatiguing on long drives. The captain seats are okay on lengthy drives but not the best. They do have a back adjustment but it's not a high quality one. The windshield wipers are only adequate and don't clean the windshield very well. The standard radio and cassette player with speakers are poor so you will have to replace it with a good one if you buy a used van with the standard factory radio. The van came with cheap Goodyear tires and plastic hubcaps. The tires don't last so if your used van comes with the originals, replace them immediately. The hubcaps fall off easily so you'll be missing one or more after awhile. I have lost one after a trip to the dealer so I plan on putting some stylish wheels on mine, if and when I can afford it, if I don't sell or trade the van in first.

More Van

The 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan is very roomy. The two standard bench seats will hold five adults easily. That makes seven total for the van. My two kids traveled in these seats and would make them their own for the trip, adding CD players, coolers, pillows, blankets, etc. A family of four can travel comfortably with suitcases and other necessities for extended periods of time. Having bought the van off of the lot, it came with cloth seats, which I normally wouldn't have gotten but my kids were older by this time and more responsible. No spills and no tears. The seats have rollers on them to make taking them out easier but the larger of the seats weighs about 90 pounds so be careful removing it. Today's vans sport one handed hide-away seats which are a dream to use.

Most of the time, I hall around various types of equipment and it holds quite a bit. The van also will haul good sized pieces of furniture. The only drawback is caused by the sleek design of the van itself. Because of the sloping back roof, the rear hatch door limits the height of articles that would otherwise fit in the interior of the van. This is different from the Chevy vans which have a flat roof and rear doors that open fully.

My experiences and long hauls on the road prove the worthiness of this vehicle. I change the oil AND filter every three thousand miles, even though the maintenance book says 6000 to 7500 miles, depending on the type of driving you do. I find that this is cheap insurance for the health of your van's power plant.

This van came with the 3.3 liter 6 cylinder side mounted Chrysler engine, which is still based on the original Mitsubishi side mounted engines in the first Chrysler mini vans. The controversial transmission is a 4 speed automatic that shifts smoothly most of the time. I've had no trouble with it. The factory maintenance schedule recommends under schedule A, to drain and refill the transmission fluid every 30,000 miles, which I have done. Even though the 3.3 boasts around 166 horsepower, when fully loaded with gas, people and lots of stuff it still drags if trying to pass or go up hills. If gas prices are not an issue, the 3.8 at 180 hp works better.

Speaking of gas mileage, the printed specs on this size van and engine are 15 to 17 mpg in the city and 20ish on the road. I have found that to be conservative. My road mileage is most of the time in the mid 20s, and depending on how heavily loaded I am, even in the upper 20s on occasion. So I was pleased with that, considering that my first van was the short form and this is the Grand form, which is 6 inches longer.

The brakes on the Grand Caravan are adequate but this car is heavy so I never tailgate and try to drive responsibly. I've had the brake pads replaced when needed and had to have the drums turned once. Since I live in the south, where we get lots of rain, I replaced the cheap Good Year tires that came on the Caravan with high quality Michelin rain tires. The ride is much better now, the tire whine is lower at high speeds and the stopping distance seems to be shorter on wet roads. Do yourself a favor, don't skimp on tires!

My van handles like a dream. It is such an improvement over the '86 I had and I liked that one. When I first got it, I thought I had bought a luxury car and not a mini van. The steering is responsive, the ride is not too stiff and my only complaint is the road noise. Updated design features include a lower dashboard and larger windows for improved visibility, and a 1.4-inch lower step-in height for easier entry and exit. The seat is firm with okay support but could be better. I do start to feel it on long trips.

The fit and finish on the van was top notch when I got it and has held up very well. Except for the hubcap that came off, the van still looks and drives new. The interior is another story. This is a work vehicle and I stopped trying to keep the insides clean a long time ago so there are stains and gouges throughout. Still, it doesn't look that bad.

Bottom Line

The Dodge Grand Caravan has been a very good van for me and I have not been sorry I bought it. Except for replacing the A/Cs, I've not had to put any money into it except for regular maintenance. But because some owners have experienced extreme costs due to transmission failures, I would certainly examine the history of the vehicle you are thinking of buying, and if from a dealer, purchase an extended warranty that covers everything, especially the engine and drive train!

One more thing. When considering the purchase of this van, it does not have the best crash history. And it does not survive rollover at all. Make sure you study all the facts for any vehicle you are thinking of buying, before you buy.
Amount Paid (US$): 23,000.00
Condition: New
Model Year: 1998
Model and Options: SE