Used 1994 Dodge Caravan Consumer Reviews
Well worth the investment
We have bought several of these and they have all performed well. This one has broken down only once in ten years. We are keeping it as a pick up vehicle for our company. We made the mistake of getting light blue paint, which failed, the only real problem with the vehicle.
All good except the transmission
My van has the 3.3 litre V6 engine with the 4 speed trans. with overdive. It's not a good tranny as you've read here. The rebuilder said it's similar to unit fitted in the old Dodge Omni and Horizon compacts from the 80's. Guess they had lots of spares. You can expect to replace it about every 40 000 miles. The engine is very good actually, I never had much trouble with it other than a head gasket being replaced once. The ABS system failed at around 150000 miles and it was under warranty for life, low cost repair.
Best (only) van I ever owned
Had been keeping my eye out for transportation and found this on the lot of a local Dodge dealer - bought it for 1400 less than their asking price. It doesn't leak nor burn oil - between every 3k miles. Excellent power and a good cruiser. I do most of my driving around town on the freeway and consistently get 22 mpg! I think that's great for a Grand Caravan. Took a long weekend trip last spring and the speed limits are 80 mph in west Texas - also climbed a few mountains and still got 25 mpg on that trip. I knew of the reliability issues; but found the positive recommendations out numbered the negatives. Glad I went with my gut feelings about the van.
Bad Transmission
Bought vehicle, had only 19,000 miles on it. Within 2,00 miles had to replace the torque converter. At 40,000 had to replace with a manufacture rebuild, the transmission w/torque converter. at 54,000 had to have the rebuild replaced. Now, only 24,000 miles from the original manufacture's rebuild being installed I have to have it replaced again. Also note that this next replacement will only be warrantied from the original purchase of the rebuild, leaving me with only 12,000 miles of warranty on this transmission w/torque converter. Is this good old American built reliability or what?
Love this car!
I've put 230,000 miles on this van since I bought it new. It's been fantastic. As a geophysicist I carry lots of heavy equipment in place of the middle seat. I can easily work at a small desk I velcroed in. It has been super reliable. The only repairs have been the usual tranny problem, a water pump and starter (rebuilt). I still prefer driving it over our newer Outback wagon. I like sitting jp higher than in a regiular car. It's a good size, too. Our dogs like it. Canoes and sheets of plywood fit on the roof.