Advice on used Caravan

Hello everyone.

I'm looking for advice on buying a used GC. It's an 03 with the 3.3 engine. It has 52k miles. Is the 03 a good year or are there other years I should be looking at. My price range is $11,000 and under.

Thank you for any and all advice.

Ken

$8200 in good condition, not a penny more.
You should be looking at 2008's.
11 grand would make a good down payment, you then finance the rest for 3 years.
You get a new van with a warranty.
Lets say you buy a used van, then a week later the tranny blows up. $11,000 plus $3000 repair bill, wow, you could have bought a new 2007 model and almost be paid with the rebate and discounts.
When you go looking for girls, do you look for an old beat up wrinkled faced sea hag, or an attractive young girl where every thing works ?

Berny - He said his price range was $11,000. He didn't say he had $11,000 cash on hand to pay towards a van. He probably feels better financing $11,000 than $30,000.

I would also look into why it's being sold. Do as much checking into it as possible. Check for rust underneath, including heater lines, and front strut mounts. Check under carpet on passenger side for wetness. Check under engine for leaks. AC backlights are common to go out on these models, check to see if all the lights go off on the dash when you start it. Check for codes if all possible. If you need help with the codes just let us know. Brakes are also common to stick, check the pads through the rims if you can. Do drive it, get it to normal temp, and test it, push the gas alittle harder, stop alittle quicker, listen to the transmission shifting, listen over bumps. Take it to Auto zone or Avanced if you can and have them do a free electrical test on it. This link below will help you with what the van is worth, and mainly people who have rated it! We all here hope the best in you finding something good. Good luck.

www.edmunds.com/dodge/grandcaravan/2003/consumerreview.html (http://www.edmunds.com/dodge/grandcaravan/2003/consumerreview.html)

Here are a few more things to look for when you test drive...
Check every panel against every other panel for color and shine (looking for botched repainting).
Check the gaps between every panel (looking for changes in the gap along each gap which might indicate doors being rehung after an accident).
Stand in front and look down the sides for changes in reflections indicating body damage.
Before you start the motor, wipe your finger inside the exhaust pipe. It should be sooty but not oily.
When you test drive, turn off the radio and fan motor, lower the windows, and drive slowly past a normal curb listening for wheel noises reflected off the curb.
Carefully listen to the heater fan motor at each switch speed. Speed should increase every time you increase the switch a notch.
Carefully listen for grinding noises as you open each side door. Rollers should roll smoothly.
Find the wear indicators on each tire looking for major differences that would indicate an immediate need for another $400 in tires.
Be sure you can open each back door from the inside.
Be sure you can close each back door once it is fully opened and caught on the catch, from the inside.
Look at the battery to see if it has a replacement date. Ideal is a date far in the future.
When you drive slowly on level, even road, the steering wheel should not move, wiggle, jiggle, or anything else by itself. A wiggle usually indicates a tire separation.
When you step on the brakes, you should not feel any pulling on the steering wheel.
Look for stickers indicating the last oil change.
If you are looking at the blue book, a vehicle in excellent condition is one that has new tires, new hoses, new belts, perfect exterior, perfect interior, runs perfectly, and all the accessories work.