Used 2002 Dodge Caravan Consumer Reviews
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My Third Straight
My Third Straight , 10/19/2008
2002 Dodge Caravan Sport Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.3L 6cyl 4A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
This is my third straight Dodge Caravan. Sold our last one with 170,000+ miles on it and the previous one had 158,00+ miles. Very happy with this make and model and am dedicated to taking care of it by doing routine maintenance. That is the reason why these vehicles keep running and are able to put so many miles on them. The ride is great, the interior is roomy, and the style of the sport is great. I have complaints about this vehicle and in another five years or so will probably look for a new one if things stay the way they are. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone with a bigger family or someone who travels a lot.
I love my Dodge
Jen, 06/29/2005
2002 Dodge Caravan Sport Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.3L 6cyl 4A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I have five kids (and a husband) and this car is large enough for all of us and our stuff. It is very reliable, I have only had to replace brake pads and tires. Finally, unlike other minivans, it looks good. I don't feel like a frumpy mom when I am in my sporty van with sleek lines. Now if we could just get an automatic french fry remover!
My best vehicle ever
Bill, 09/13/2017
updated 09/20/2023
2002 Dodge Caravan eC Fwd 4dr Minivan (2.4L 4cyl 4A)
7 of 10 people found this review helpful
If you don't take care of your Dodge eC Caravan you may not have the luck I've had, but for the money I spent this is my best car in 52 years of driving. I bought the van new on December 31, 2001, for $16,600 (if I remember correctly). The Dodge new-car discount/rebate of about $600 did not apply, but in almost 16 years with it I've probably saved $2000 in gasoline at 28-32 highway-miles per gallon over what I would have spent on a 6-cylinder model. I use it only for vacation and business trips, sleeping in the back of the van with the seats removed, and I've probably also saved close to $20,000 on motels. I regret not having cruise control, but in the eastern U.S. cruise is not as efficient as it used to be because there is so much traffic. Until ethanol became ubiquitous in gasoline I was consistently getting 31 to 32 mpg, but with ethanol that drops to 28 most of the time (a 16-percent drop in fuel efficiency for a 10-percent infusion of corn liquor--not the most environmentally sound decision, and decidedly counter-productive in the quest for energy independence). On the rare occasions when I've run through a tank of gas in local traffic the mileage has been about 23 to 24 mpg. I've followed the maintenance manual religiously, changing the oil every 4000 miles until I switched to synthetic, and now I let it go 6000, but I've had no emergency repairs to make. Because I let it sit through the winter I had a problem with mice hibernating in the ventilation system, but that's no fault of the car. The only other trouble I ever had was getting the steering wheel to unlock when I parked on a precipitous hill, but with a little manhandling I was able to get it to release enough to pull into drive and go on my way. I have no rust issues because I never drive it in the winter, save for one 600-mile trek through a freak October snowstorm. Despite having only summer tires (albeit brand-new ones) I plugged right along with my front-wheel drive through that heavy, wet snowfall while trailer trucks and SUVs were off the road on both sides. Speaking of tires, I'm only on my second set, and as of today (September 13, 2017) the van has 126,000 miles on it. Next week it goes in to get the timing belt replaced: I wasn't sure until calling my mechanic today that it had a timing belt instead of a timing chain, and I don't think the manual mentioned that; at least the maintenance schedule didn't say anything about it. I've babied the van from Day One, and no children have been allowed to trash it, or abuse the doors, so perhaps your experience may vary, but as for me I regret that there is no new eC model available to replace this one when (and if) it dies. Now, September 15, 2018, my wife has just taken over the 2002, which now has 132,660 miles on it. The check-engine light came on days after she took it over, late last month, probably to signal that the catalytic converter needs changing, but we haven't had it diagnosed. That happened once before, when mice chewed a hole in a little hose somewhere in the emissions system. Meanwhile, I have bought a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan to replace my 2002. If Dodge had continued making the 4-cylinder EC Model I would have bought a new one of those, but I'm reluctantly giving the 6-cylinder model a try. I have yet to drive more than 12 miles at a time with it, but if the gas mileage dissatisfies me, I'll go elsewhere. Now, in this second update (2020), my 2002 4-cylinder Caravan is still running very well, but my wife is driving it. Between her in-town driving and winter driving (which I never did), her mileage has dropped to about 20 or 22 mpg, but I still love using it. With control over the shifting, I don't have to wear out my brakes on hills. The 2014 Grand Caravan, meanwhile, was something of a mistake. It has a dashboard shift lever with only four positions: Park, Drive, Neutral, and Reverse. Whenever I want to slow down, I have to brake; while descending steep hills, I have to ride the brakes. The transmission seems sluggish at first, and the alternator burned out on me at 67,000 miles—while I was on the bridge crossing the Mississippi River. The air conditioning unit was also leaking heavily by 55,000 miles. I should have kept the 2002 for my road trips, and bought a small hatchback for my wife. Now, September of 2022, my 20-year-old ec Caravan has developed either transmission or fuel-pump failure, or both, at just over 160,000 miles. I'm getting it fixed, but a brake caliper has locked up as well, and I think it may have reached its optimum useful life span. A golf-ball-sized rust hole developed in the front of the driver-side rocker panel, but I ground it out, filled it with fiberglass, and painted it. March, 2023. Had the transmission replaced, but the accleration problem persisted, and when I took it to a diagnostic specialist he deduced that my intake manifold gasket was shot, and once it was replaced it ran like a charm. Still does. Given that I wasted $3000 on the transmission by jumping to conclusions, the Caravan remains my best car ever. September 20, 2023. After a few hundred miles the acceleration problem reappeared, as did the check-engine light. Mechanic fiddled with "throttle memory," turned off the light, and it hasn't come back on since. Runs well at 162,108 miles.
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Decent, but unreliable
Familyman, 03/06/2002
2002 Dodge Caravan SE Fwd 4dr Minivan (2.4L 4cyl 3A)
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
We purchased this car to provide room for our growing family. It was a good price and offered decent features. However, in one year, the car was in the shop three different times to fix problems with sensors and the transmission. It is unreliable and beware the time when your warranty runs out. I'm afraid we will have to dig into our pockets too much before it is paid off. My suggestion, find a minivan that has proven reliability.
Hate my 2002 caravan LOVED my 2000
nomoredodge4me, 01/20/2004
2002 Dodge Caravan SE Fwd 4dr Minivan (2.4L 4cyl 3A)
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
This is my second caravan, my first was a 2000 base stripped down model 3 door and I LOVED IT! Drove like a car, the quality was all over it from the seats to the engine it was well built. My 2002 SHOCKED me the quality went WAY down hill. I have had more service calls for A/C, engine and brakes and disappointment with the interior than I can tell you! Check it from head to toe if you are considering a purchase. Also, you cannot open the back with out the key...Inconvenient!! I will be trading mine for a Nissan Quest!
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