Dodge and Chrysler Minivans

[GravitySucks]

Best friend is on his 4th Caravan. They lasted 150k miles each. He is a shade tree mechanic type so this might account for the longer than average life. Lots of room. Easy to fold seats back up to drive the grand kiddos. Decent tow capacity.
I'm not a Chrysler fan, but their minivan would have to be on my shirt list. Pal bought his last one off lease. 2015 bought in 2017 for less than half MSRP.
Car and Driver likes the Pacifica https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-chrysler-pacifica-long-term-test-update-review

 

[harley]

I was considering a Honda Element for a bit. Decided against it when I realized it only seats 4 people. Cool car though!

We had one for awhile. It was meh. By the time we got ours (2009) they no longer recommended hosing it out. My biggest issues with it was that it was severely underpowered and made of cheap plastic that cracked easily. Definitely not up to Honda's normal standards. And as far as being mostly bought by young beach goers, that's how it was advertised. According to the Carmax dealer when we sold it, as well as personal observation, it was mostly bought by middle aged housewives like DW. I don't think I ever saw a young person driving one. And those suicide doors sucked.

We needed something larger that was capable of hauling people, animals, and gear when we traveled. We used my old Highlander for a few years, then bought the '16 Odyssey, which has been a dream. It has fold into the floor seats in the back and removable seats in the middle. It has so far been perfect for what we need. We leave the middle seats in MD when we snow bird. You have to talk a little louder to converse with people in the far rear seats, but we don't travel with people that often, so no big deal. And anyway, my main friend in FL is mostly deaf, so he couldn't hear us even if he was closer. It works well for us.

 

[Sunset]

..... It has fold into the floor seats in the back and removable seats in the middle. It has so far been perfect for what we need. We leave the middle seats in MD when we snow bird. You have to talk a little louder to converse with people in the far rear seats, but we don't travel with people that often, so no big deal.....

We have a Toyota Sienna, and this is exactly what we do, most of the time it's just the 2 of us, so I have the back seats folded into the floor and it's just a big empty space behind us.
When doing long trips by myself, I've even slept in the back with sleeping bags about 7 times, plenty of room.

 

[ncbill]

Very happy with our almost 15 year old Dodge Grand Caravan.

Fully loaded it was $25,000 out the door, versus close to $40,000 for a comparably equipped Honda or Toyota minivan at that time.

Paint is peeling, won't bother to fix since it's probably going with our youngest off to college this fall.

Pacifica is the new design, reviewers and owners love it, though as a complete redesign it has had some teething problems (especially the hybrid)

Good news is that Chrysler offers an unlimited manufacturer's extended warranty that covers bumper to bumper (at the $50 deductible level it's reasonably priced)

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Chrysler Pacifica is currently in the US World News top 12 deals for April. They also have been getting rave reviews on the car websites.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/best-car-deals-slideshow

BITE YOUR TONGUE!

Why you ask? Because apparently the Pacifica "isn't a mini-van!"
My DW told me about someone we know that purchased one not too long ago and she went on some crazy Facebook rant all miffed that someone called her Pacifica a mini-van...she declared that no mini-van could come CLOSE to how special the Pacifica is and that anyone who thought so is an idiot. That's OK...it's not the first nor last time I will be called an idiot!

 

[Palmtree]

I would have lost that bet.

It was in April of 1997. There I was, only 37 years old. Standing in the lot at CARMAX looking at buying something needed. Needed but definitely not wanted. Not a vehicle that screams down the highway but one that clogs the parking lot of local farmers markets. Not a vehicle that causes your pulse to race but one that brings chills to a young man’s heart. I was looking at buying, horror of horrors,……a minivan. (shudder)

Due to an increasing need to haul gear for the photography business, a larger vehicle was called for. Yes, yes, my friends. I tried an SUV. Nope, didn’t work out. Not the kind of storage I needed. Had to sell it. So we return to the dreaded ride of any man in his 30’s. The ride of soccer moms everywhere……the common minivan.

Babe magnet? Nope. Zip factor=zero. Cool factor=none.

Like a trip to the dentist, it’s not something you look forward to; it’s something that you just want to get done. So carefully selecting a basic model, a Plymouth Grand Voyager, suitable for the task, I suppressed the instinctive male gag reflex while quickly signing the papers and then drove it off the lot.
Somehow here we are 20 years later and yup, we are still together. She’s far from showroom new. 2o years of hauling everything from photo gear and furniture in her early life to the lumber, mulch and the driveway pavers she hauls now have taken her toll. The electric locks don’t always work. The AC is marginal at best, the headlights are hazed over and occasionally the speedometer decides to take the day off. But the hand crank (yes ,hand crank) windows still work and she starts up every time. Like that strange relative or an old friend, we’ve come to overlook her shortcomings and just appreciate having her around. She’s now our weekend “truck” and could almost drive herself to Home Depot.

Still; if you would have bet that 37 year old me $1000 dollars that he would still occasionally be driving that same minivan 20 years later he would have thought you crazy. And well my friends, I’d have lost that bet.

 

[Breedlove]

Kind of funny , mini van reviews . They used to rate the VW Routan mini van as the cats meow . Such good technology and really built well . But the Chrysler was rated MEH ....Now the joke Chrysler built the Routan for VW .
I see no problem at all with Chrysler ( new ) a few years ago when they were owned by Mercedes they got milked dry . Now Fiat is begging someone to buy them

 

[Out of Steam]

And like the OP, I consider the van a utility vehicle. Use all mine to tow a camper trailer, haul firewood, six muddy soccer players, etc.

I will need some sort of utility vehicle in retirement, and would use it very similarly. My wife has some mobility issues, so can't climb into high vehicles--leaving out pickups and most SUVs. Don't think it will be my only car, since I've also re-caught the manual transmission bug.

Will have to look beyond Toyota and Honda, since I'd prefer not to spend a lot of money on what wouldn't be a daily driver. At the same time, it need to be reliable enough for long-distance touring.

 

[harley]

INot a vehicle that causes your pulse to race but one that brings chills to a young man’s heart. I was looking at buying, horror of horrors,……a minivan. (shudder)

I remember a work buddy who was getting grief from some of his friends after trading in his Camero and buying his first minivan (after his first kid). They said something about it being a family van, and he responded that they were wrong, it was a manly van. That's what we all called it from then on.

 

[txtig]

Funny commercial about young guy trying to deny ownership of a minivan. https://vimeo.com/167566937

 

[kitesurfer2]

I love my Transit van--a ford. My last two pick up trucks were dodge. i am anti dodge. Whatever you decide, make sure you get one capable of android auto/apple car play (must have smart phone) . They give you hands free phone, txt msg, google map navigation., and Waze. my transit did not support android auto so i bought a sony head unit that did--good decision.