Lured by Zero interest rates I decided to buy a mini-van in the $25,000 $CND range. I picked the Caravan over the Venture or Windstar wanting to get the most up-to-date design.

Unlock the van with a third party remote release and open the driver's door. It's an easy step up to the highback bucket seat with fixed head rest (standard budget model). The seat is firm, but the bolstering in sparse - no power functions. Quality of materials is good, but plastiky.

The 3.3l V6 sparks up easily and revs quietly. The column mounted shifter drops the four-speed automatic into drive with very minimal arm effort. Shifter is almost too smooth, making it a bit too easy to drop it into Low unintentionally.

Gauges are on a nice white background, but are obscured for tall drivers when tilt steering is down too low. Stalk mounted wiper switch/turn signal works smoothly. Rear view mirros are power adjustable both sides.

The Caravan pulls away smartly. Tranny shifts smoothly as speed climbs. Steering is solid with little play. Bumps in the road are muted but not silent. No interior rattles. Doors auto lock at speed above 30kms - auto unlock when van is placed back in park.

Squeeze the throttle and the engine roars louder than I'd expect. Acceleration is strong enough but runs out of steam above 4500 rpm. At 80kms the engine is turning over a lazy 1500 rpm. Wind noise is noticeable at highway speeds but not bothersome.

Non-abs brakes have a firm pedal feel and strong stopping power. I have yet to attempt full lock up so I have no opinion about emergency stopping power. Discs front, drums rear. All season tires are average quality, handling and braking would probably improve with lower, fatter profile tires.

Six speaker single cd has surprising volume, but lacks true high fidelity - decent bass output. Other controls are good, but legacy design of rear wiper buttons always require a look to find. Don't understand why Dodge has one button that kills all the climate control functions. Fans are noisy even at the lowest setting. Heat and cooling functions are fast and efficient.

Pull over to let the kids out. Both sliding doors open easily. Access to two passenger middle seat is easy, but because seat back doesn't tilt, access to the rear-most seat is tight and can only be accessed from passenger side.
Rear hatch door is huge, but opens easily unlocking when the power locks are released from driver or passenger door (or keyless remote). Since this is a short-wheelbase Caravan, the room behind the rear seat is tight, but is still useful due to its height. A row of hooks for plastic grocery bags prevents spills on the way back home. Lots of luggage and full load of passengers may require rental or purchase of a roof luggage coffin. This model has a roof rack but is rated for only 150lbs.

Seats are heavy; (two seater middle, three seater rear) to remove and should be attempted with two people to avoid personal injury. They pop in and out easily once positioned over the floor latches. Infant car seats tether to the rear of both benches easily. With the seats removed the carry capacity is excellent even for a relatively short vehicle.

Interior lighting is excellent front to back, but opera lighting, though quick to extinguish, is gimicky and annoying when you want to get away quickly in the dark. Headlights illuminate well.

I cannot believe how many of this model of Caravan are on the road. I guess a lot of other people found enough positive features and performance to pick one up too.




Amount Paid (US$): 18,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: SE 28d