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Hi! I'm new to AF and a new Dodge Caravan owner. We traded my 2003 Impala for a 2006 Caravan Saturday. It's used with 25k miles, but looks almost brand new!

We have one year old boy, with plans to have more in the future. and this van is so much better for us than the impala. i LOVE the integrated child seats!

So I just thought I'd introduce myself. My husband is somewhat car savvy but has never worked on a minivan before so I may be coming back (althought hopefully not soon) for advice in that aspect. :)

Welcome aboard. I would imagine you have read through some of these threads and have seen some of the problems these vans have. Yes, problems do crop up but generally these are great vehicles. Also keep in mind that for every person who writes in to this forum there are hundreds who don't. I'd be willing to bet most of those are very happy with their vans.

Hopefully, we'll never hear from you except for a servicing or general info issue. If something goes wrong we'll do all we can to get you back on the road. There are many knowledgeable folks who would be happy to help. Kant spel wirth a dam, butt we r hear.

Maintenance manuals usually don't come out until a couple years after the model year but, buy one as soon as you can. Even if you don't do a lot of your own maintenance they can make you knowledgeable enough to prevent that "dear in the headlights" look when a mechanic is trying to explain an issue to you...and maybe keep you from getting ripped off. These simple little books have saved me thousands. Buy one.

Wondering if the person answering a post you might have posted has a clue? It's tough to tell sometimes. One thing you can look at is the public profile of whoever is answering. Left click the name then click public profile. Many times there's not much to go on there but, some do reveal some info on their background. Also look at the "join date" under the name. If they've been on the forum a while, they at least have tassid experience by reading about problems and some possible fixes.

I've had my GC since 95. It's had some problems but, at 195K miles it's still has the original engine and tranny and purs right along. Regular maintenance is the key. Plus a reliable mechanic for those problems beyond your means. Suggest you find what I call a "mom & pop" shop and stay away from the dealer unless absolutely necessary. A privately owned shop doesn't have a big corporation to fall back on so their reputation is all the world to them. They have everything to loose if things go south. Cheers!

my husband is BIG on the whole maintenance thing. so i'm sure that will be taken care of.


it's good to know that i have a place to come to for advice :)

Hi caravanmomma, we've owned 3 chrysler minivans- an 88 bought new in 87 had about 170,000 on when my sister was driving it with a plugged cat. converter and burned a valve(10 yrs old) A 91 that hurricane charley decided to do some bodywork to( we live in sw fla.) and we now have a 93 GC sport 3.3L 4spd od with about 180,000 on the clock still runs and drives great. If you stay on top of things your van should last a long time.