NEED HELP buying a used 2013 Grand Caravan SXT

[venturenot]

I am planning on buying a used (44,000) 2013 Grand Caravan SXT and I have a 7 day test drive before I have to commit. The transmission seems quirky to me and the city gas mileage unimpressive. I took it to my mechanic and he said that these vans were lousy and that I'll get poor gas mileage, the transmissions are unreliable, and that it will eat up brakes. He also said that repair costs down the road will be substantial. His comments seem pretty harsh, is what he is saying true?

My reason for buying is because I like the stow an go 2nd and 3rd seats. Please give any advice.

[Scotty89]

I have worked on alot of these vans and I will agree that the transmissions are not the best ones. There are numerous shift issues with the 6 speed trans in these. Sometimes these transmissions will shift just fine and other times they will shift hard. I have has several of these vans do that and most of the time you will not find anything wrong. The brake issues I have seen more on like the 2008-2010 MY vans. Granted they have the same brake system I think they worked the kinks out. The gas mileage isn't anything to party over but I have seen worse. On some vehicles there is a ECO button that does seem to gain some but not an amazing amount. I know people that absolutely love these vans then there are others that hate them. The stow and go does give you alot of interior room when needed but a big thing I don't like about the stow and go is where the spare tire is. Between the front two seats under the vehicle. They do give you a tool to hook to your tire tool to help pull it put from under the vehicle but it is a hassle. But then again if you constantly need your spare maybe you should keep it inside the van. There are several options you can get on these vans and they do seem spacious when all the seats up. I would suggest driving the van up and down hills and do some highway driving too if possible.

[venturenot]

Originally Posted by Scotty89

I have worked on alot of these vans and I will agree that the transmissions are not the best ones. There are numerous shift issues with the 6 speed trans in these. Sometimes these transmissions will shift just fine and other times they will shift hard. I have has several of these vans do that and most of the time you will not find anything wrong. The brake issues I have seen more on like the 2008-2010 MY vans. Granted they have the same brake system I think they worked the kinks out. The gas mileage isn't anything to party over but I have seen worse. On some vehicles there is a ECO button that does seem to gain some but not an amazing amount. I know people that absolutely love these vans then there are others that hate them. The stow and go does give you alot of interior room when needed but a big thing I don't like about the stow and go is where the spare tire is. Between the front two seats under the vehicle. They do give you a tool to hook to your tire tool to help pull it put from under the vehicle but it is a hassle. But then again if you constantly need your spare maybe you should keep it inside the van. There are several options you can get on these vans and they do seem spacious when all the seats up. I would suggest driving the van up and down hills and do some highway driving too if possible.

Thank you I appreciate your reply. I have been driving the van for 5 days and love the Stow and Go and the powerful engine has great acceleration. The Tranny seems very quirky and I am now getting an intermittent hard thud from the engine compartment when I coast down a hill and come to a stop. I think it is the down shift from 2nd to 1st and it usually occurs after the car has been driven for more than an hour.

Does the Town and Country use the same transmission?

[Scotty89]

The town and country and the caravan are basiclly the same vehicle. Just different options and different emblems. They do use the same transmission. The way they have these trans set up is to downshift when going down a hill, if you have cruise on or coasting so you dont gain alot of speed. Chrysler has seen alot of shifting concerns because of it and i was told that it is considered normal. But like always if you think there is something wrong make sure to notify the dealer before to much time goes by.

[RIP]

The transmission continues to be the center of attention on these vans due to reports mainly concerning hard shifting. Software updates help some but not others. Some say the harsh shifting subsides when not in ECO mode and recommend not using it. Conversely many report no problems and are happy with their vans. Brake issues were mainly concerning excessively fast pad wear and overheated calipers but those problems appear to have been corrected when they started installing heavy duty brakes on 2012 MY vans.

[Alphabravo]

I have a 2008 with the 6-speed tranny. Sometimes it shifts hard, especially between 2nd & 3rd, other times it shifts beautifully. I think it has over 69K miles on it or close to it. I took it to the dealer and had it reprogrammed but it didn't help.

I also have a 2001 with the 3-speed Overdrive tranny and it shifts much better.

Oddly enough, the battery went dead one time and after that it shifted beautifully for a while. This leads me to believe it is a software rather than a hardware issue.

Also, I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but it shifts better when you gun it rather than when you try to baby it. It actually controls the engine's RPMs during shifting.

The trannies in these vans have had a bad reputation from day one. I've had 8 of these vans, all went well over 150K miles one went over 200K and I only lost one tranny. I change the fluid and filter every 60K miles or so and use only AFT+4 fluid.

If I were in your position I would be more concerned with a one-year-old vehicle with all those miles. Was it a fleet or rental vehicle? Just my two cents.

Best of luck it whatever you decide!

[Teddie]

If this vehicle was a fleet vehicle I would run away unless you get this Grand Caravan dirt cheap or free. I have driven, worked on, and/or abused fleet vehicles and I really believe a fleet mile is equal to seven real world miles. I remember a few years back dealing with 1-2 year old Dodge Rams already burning oil because the fleet supervisor told us not to worry about trying to properly break in new vehicles. I also had to get "intimately" familiar with a 2 year old Ford Econoline 350 with 60K miles that had negative chamber, burned oil (like a quart in nearly 1,000 miles), leaked power steering fluid, might have been burning coolant, had busted seat belts, and rattled/squeaked like marbles in a blender.

[venturenot]

Originally Posted by Scotty89

I have worked on alot of these vans and I will agree that the transmissions are not the best ones. There are numerous shift issues with the 6 speed trans in these. Sometimes these transmissions will shift just fine and other times they will shift hard. I have has several of these vans do that and most of the time you will not find anything wrong. The brake issues I have seen more on like the 2008-2010 MY vans. Granted they have the same brake system I think they worked the kinks out. The gas mileage isn't anything to party over but I have seen worse. On some vehicles there is a ECO button that does seem to gain some but not an amazing amount. I know people that absolutely love these vans then there are others that hate them. The stow and go does give you alot of interior room when needed but a big thing I don't like about the stow and go is where the spare tire is. Between the front two seats under the vehicle. They do give you a tool to hook to your tire tool to help pull it put from under the vehicle but it is a hassle. But then again if you constantly need your spare maybe you should keep it inside the van. There are several options you can get on these vans and they do seem spacious when all the seats up. I would suggest driving the van up and down hills and do some highway driving too if possible.

I went ahead and bought the Van. I love the acceleration it is great and makes the van a lot of fun to drive. As for the fuel economy, I have found that it will vary dramatically with terrain. I took a 750 mile trip on relatively flat terrain and the gas mileage was awesome. Depending upon my speed I could get up to 30 + mpg on the highway and around about 22 mpg city . I believe the problem with mpg's is the hilly terrain --that is where the mpgs really suffer. Yes, I know all cars mpg are going to suffer going up a hill, however I believe the Caravans MPG's suffer more than average. If you live in hilly city you are going to be lucky to get 15mpgs. My Chevy Venture in the same situation got 19 to 20. The Dodge is a big solid van and it just is going to eat more gas going up a hill. Anyway I can accept that because I live most of the year in flat terrain. Van drives handles well and is very comfortable for highway driving. The brakes seem fine, but I guess only time will tell.

[venturenot]

Originally Posted by Alphabravo

I have a 2008 with the 6-speed tranny. Sometimes it shifts hard, especially between 2nd & 3rd, other times it shifts beautifully. I think it has over 69K miles on it or close to it. I took it to the dealer and had it reprogrammed but it didn't help.

I also have a 2001 with the 3-speed Overdrive tranny and it shifts much better.

Oddly enough, the battery went dead one time and after that it shifted beautifully for a while. This leads me to believe it is a software rather than a hardware issue.

Also, I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but it shifts better when you gun it rather than when you try to baby it. It actually controls the engine's RPMs during shifting.

The trannies in these vans have had a bad reputation from day one. I've had 8 of these vans, all went well over 150K miles one went over 200K and I only lost one tranny. I change the fluid and filter every 60K miles or so and use only AFT+4 fluid.

If I were in your position I would be more concerned with a one-year-old vehicle with all those miles. Was it a fleet or rental vehicle? Just my two cents.

Best of luck it whatever you decide!

It was a rental vehicle and I purchased it from Enterprise. Maybe I'm wrong but I looked at it in a different way. Enterprise would have sent it to auction long ago if it was a lemon. The high mileage shows that it ran well and probably had mainly highway miles on it???

Anyway we'll see, this is my first time purchasing a used rental car. They gave me 7days to try the van out. I found some mild damage to the side of the oil pan and they replaced the pan and gave me a free car rental for a few days. This may be an expensive learning experience or it could work out well. I guess time will tell. I guess I just love rolling the dice.

[Alphabravo]

Congrats on the purchase. They are nice vans. I love mine, except for the occasional hard shift. Just make sure you change or have the tranny fluid changed with only ATF+4.

Good luck.

[tschmidt]

We are currently looking at a 2012 or 2013 Caravan as well. They have 38000 to 60000 miles on them. We are trading in our 08 Chevy Uplander. The place we are buying it from has a unlimited millage power train warranty.

[venturenot]

Originally Posted by tschmidt

We are currently looking at a 2012 or 2013 Caravan as well. They have 38000 to 60000 miles on them. We are trading in our 08 Chevy Uplander. The place we are buying it from has a unlimited millage power train warranty.

I've driven my Caravan a little over 8,000 miles and am quite pleased. If I were you I would opt for the 2013 model. Depending on when it was released it may have the 17 inch wheel rim, which is supposedly resolves some issues with the brakes.. Also, it is my understanding that Dodge is ending the Grand Caravan in 2015 ?? If this is true that would just leave Honda, Toyota, The Town and Country Routon and the Kia as the only remaining minivans. All of these with the exception of the Kia are very pricey vans. I believe that the used market for a less expensive well cared for van like a 2013 or 2014 Caravan might hold its value pretty well.

After 8,000 miles of driving these are the pros and cons that I have found with my 2013 Grand Caravan SXT.

Pros: 1) Very powerful engine, fun to drive.
2) Can't beat the Stow and go, it is great
3) Love the power doors .
4) Interior is plastic but seems solidly made.
5) Solidly built exterior --Good crash test ratings
6) Runs like a champ on the highway, great gas mileage. On flat terrain I get around 27 to 30mpg. It all depends upon my speed-- easy to get at least 27 driving 75mph.

Cons: 1)Terrible gas mileage in stop n go traffic particularly on hilly terrain. My chevy Venture use to get 18 mpg and I am lucky to get 14 with the Grand Caravan.
2) Lots of steering torque upon hard acceleration ,van tends to veer to the right or left.
3)Transmission seems very quirky to me. Occasional hard shifts, strange downshifting when coasting. It seems to stutter or skip sometimes trying to find the correct gear.

There you have it. That is my review after driving 8,000 miles. In all, the good out weighs the bad and I truly like my 2013nodge Grand Caravan SXT. I hope I can say the same after 25000 miles of driving.

[tschmidt]

We did purchase a 2012 Grand Caravan. We just picked it up yesterday. So far love driving it. We are going on a short trip next week 500 miles so we will have to see how that goes. It has awesome get up and go. It does have 60000 miles but we got a power train warranty free with it and 6 years maintenance.

[venturenot]

Originally Posted by tschmidt

We did purchase a 2012 Grand Caravan. We just picked it up yesterday. So far love driving it. We are going on a short trip next week 500 miles so we will have to see how that goes. It has awesome get up and go. It does have 60000 miles but we got a power train warranty free with it and 6 years maintenance.

Sounds like a really great deal. Yes, this van has a ton of pep and is fun to drive. Please let me know what you think of the van after your trip.

[tschmidt]

Just got back yesterday from our road trip. The van ran excellent. This thing has so much power and get up and go. I did notice that when i have the cruise on it does take it some time to down shift when going up a hill. It was a hilly trip and we got 26mpg without the econ but on(forgot about it). Another thing I found very different is when we were going down hill at 7 grade and had the cruise set at 60 mph, the van down shifted to slow us down. Didn't hit the brakes at all and the rpms were running at 3500 rpms. Is that normal?

When I did stomp on it to get going I was surprised how high the rpms were almost to redline. Very happy with this van. I am glad I got this over the Nissan Quest they were trying to sell us.