My wife and I have had five children and we also like to take auto travel vacations in the US. Back in 1989 we started our purchases of Dodge Caravans and Plymouth Voyagers, pretty much the same cars. We have had a 1989, 1991, 1994 and our travel car now is the 1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager Sport?
A Step Up in Size
After our first mini-van we went to the grand sizing. First of all we went from smaller four cylinder engines of our first two to a six cylinder 3.3L engine in the 1999. Now that makes the vehicle last much longer. I used to have a four cylinder that we would have to get out and push when going up a hill with a full load. The six gives excellent power for us even when loaded to capacity with luggage and people.
The extra foot or so of storage in the back that the Grand vehicles give makes a huge difference in what can be stored in the back part of the vehicle when all the seats are being used by passengers. Even now when I take my daughter up to college with mounds of materials, it's good to have the extra space. We can actually stack luggage laying flat. In the summer the cooler fits in the back easily with beach chairs.
The back seats can fold down and that gives a good amount of extra storage space. I have roof racks on this vehicle and that also helps when we load up the car. Even with all these road trips the suspension seems to be holding up fine. I haven't changed anything just yet and we are just a few miles of the magic 70,000 mile mark. I'm hoping all that magic we have had doesn't disappear when we get there.
I also like the twin sliding doors on the car because now I can open them stand on the inside floor, and tie things on top from both sides easily.
Safety Concerns
At first I wasn't sure about having twin sliding rear doors on a car with kids. I didn't like the idea that they could open it on the street side and walk right out. I always felt it safer and more controllable with just the passenger side opening. Now that I have the twin doors and my youngest is now 17, I no longer hold that concern in quite the same way. When she was just ten when we purchased the car and had that door much more on my mind.
As far as other safety concerns I love the all around view this vehicle offers. I happen to like the extra few inches in height a mini-van gives me as a driver and the glass all around makes for safer driving.
The automatic mirrors and windows also help. They have all worked well since day one.
Plenty of Room
I've got a bit of extra weight on my body but even so, I am quite comfortable in this vehicle. I didn't go for the auto seats package that I must confess I miss from our previous car. Even so the front seats are easy to adjust in both forward and back positions and also for the the recliner adjustment. Very comfy and the drivers seat has not shown any extra wear from the three hundred pound gorilla that gets in and out of it daily.
Another feature that this guy couldn't live without is the tilting steering wheel. My belly slides right into the car when the wheel is in the up position and it settles down to the perfect height for my hands while driving. I also like to adjust the height during long distance driving.
On the steering wheel are all the settings for cruise control. My other vehicles have it but I also like that I can accelerate and decelerate by just using my thumb while the car is in that mode.
I like cruise control when doing long hauls but I don't like the way it kicks in and out on hilly terrain. I'm also sure I use a lot more gas when the "auto-pilot" starts up and slows down on its own. In fact I get about 24-25 MPG on the highway without cruise but it seems to drop a mile or two when I use the control. I get about 16-18 mpg in town.
The front console is standing up well with coffee cups and soda cans taking turns in the cup holders. The sport also has a console above and between the driver and passenger with individual reading lights and a compartment for glasses. I use this and like it. There's also a place for a garage door opener. I'll use it once I get a garage.
Between the glove compartment that isn't all that large and an under the passenger seat drawer that is I have a good amount of room for many of those items I like to keep in the car at all times.
I never sit in the back but my kids are now older and seem to adjust to the space well. It isn't sprawling space but it isn't a sardine can either.
One other wonderful feature this car has is the pizza storage area. If I'm picking up a pizza or two on my own I don't like putting them on an empty seat. I'm always afraid of braking hard and finding an inverted pie.
With the two seat middle I have a perfect spot where I place the pizza stacked on the floor. The door closes snuggly to the boxes and I get them home in fine shape.
The Body
No I won't talk about mine but I will state that the paint job on this vehicle looks like day one. It really is in good shape and I'm not the type of guy who pampers a car. In fact it's my wife who uses this car more often and she's the one to take it to a car wash every other month or so.
The front fender area had many scratches and scrapes. Hey, how do you know if you are close to something without giving it a little nudge or so. This bumper is all some kind of flexible rubbery stuff and thought the scratches show the shape is like the first day we purchased the vehicle.
There is some scratching wear on the front windows from the windshield wipers. I wish I could somehow compound them out but...I don't know how.
Care
I haven't cared for this car. What I mean is that I don't do anything to it or for it unless it tells me to. I do go to one of those speedy oil change places regularly but never pay those extra charges they want for many of the things they tell me my owners manual dictates. The truth is except for brakes tires and the serpentine belt I have never put any other money into the car.
I had some tranny problems with some previous cars like this one but this particular set up has been treating me very well.
Final Words
This car has been better to my family than we have been to it. It still gives a smooth ride for a mini-van and it starts up whenever we turn the key. We don't put a lot of money into it and we plan on keeping it another three years. It gives us the room we need and I like riding a bit higher than a regular auto. The radio still works well with ok sound. This was a transitional period in time and we have a cassette tape player. I wish we had a CD player instead, but all round we are comfortable with this car and it is treating us well.
If the car is happy, my wife is happy and if she is happy, I'm happy. Thankfully the car has been VH, very happy.
1994 Grand Voyager
Amount Paid (US$): 20,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: Sport
