Used 2005 Dodge Caravan Minivan Consumer Reviews

Great Ride

We Bought the Caravan without the stow and go seats for the comfort of the second row captian chairs. Took family to motortrend car show and made them sit in seats for half an hour. Teenagers appreciated the comfort of captain chairs and the entertainment (DVD) system. This is a life saver on long road trips. Have 100,000 on the van with ALOT of road trips. No problems whatsoever. Replaced Battery once, brakes every 40,000 miles, and the ERG once at 85,000. OEM tires lasted 65,000 miles, replaced with Michelins. Good value and no problems--would buy buy again if they didn't switch to stow and go seats.

Great buy

We went down a step, previously had a Grand Caravan. I was worried about space, but this van is surprisingly roomy for the size. Recently took it on a 3,500 mile trip and had plenty of room for a family of 4 and all our luggage. With the smaller engine, it doesn't accelerate as fast, but cruises just fine. We weren't interested in a van with lots of bells and whistles (no need for automatic doors, etc. just more that can go wrong). This van has everything we need. A/C, AM/FM CD/cassette, cruise. Fuel economy is a plus. Also, my wife and daughter were recently hit by a red light runner in this van, it was easily repaired, and more importantly neither were hurt. Safety is a plus.

Great van with lots of versatility

This is the perfect vehicle for a family. I got hooked on Dodge Caravan's years ago. I had one that lasted ten years with no problems until the transmission went out at about 200,000 miles. I bought a Windstar and didn't like it so got new Dodge Caravan again. For as much space and comfort as it has you can't beat the gas mileage. I consistently average 20 mpg. Considering that you can seat 7, that's a good value. I've replaced the battery, and the tires. It's now getting a bit older, over 150k miles on it, so I've replaced the radiator because of a leak, and the oxysensor valves (check engine light came on). Good value overall.

Best Van Ever

I purchased this vehicle in August 2010. I have a 3 year old and was expecting my second child. I fell in love with this van. It was very comfortable to ride in, had plenty of room, child seat anchors and one of the second row captains chairs had a built in 5 point harness child seat. During the year that we had it we never had any problems with it. I was recently in an accident and it was totaled. I am hoping to be able to replace my van with a newer model.

Great Van

We love the stow and go seats. Thisd is a great van for any size family.

very good bargain

I reviewed this vehicle in early 2005. Now have 69,000 miles and nearly 5 years later on this vehicle. I am just as impressed with it as I was then. Normal maintenance is all that's been required. Get 23 to 25 miles on the highway and 21 in town. I am more than pleased with it in all aspects. It's been a cheap, dependable, fun car to drive. I take good care of it and maintain it regularly.

I am impressed

Traded my full size Dodge cargo van for this "mini cargo". Build quality is FAR superior to the full size van. More durable paint, heavier sheet metal, better suspension, easier to get in and out of, better ride and handling, double the gas mileage, and hauls 1500 pounds of music equipment without as much squat on the suspension as the full size van. Only thing lost was the ability to haul a full sheet of plywood. It really needs electric locks and windows since the manual locks and windows are awkward to deal with; side doors aren't keyed and must be unlocked from the inside. Really bad blind spot when merging on interstate even with blindspot mirrors. Fuel savings make the payments!

Throttle Sensor NIGHTMARE

Have had two Major issues. Bought the van and it had bad sensors everywhere. Airbags sensors bad, transmission sensor bad and the latest? throttle sensor. Fixed at a Dodge dealership. Toyota is not the only one with issues. When the throttle sensor went bad it had unintentional acceleration and nearly caused a fatality. Bad design. Hate electronic parts - especially bad ones.

Navy Jim

Great van for the price. It's the third caravan I've owned since 1995. Great bargain for a tight budget, lots of room, fun to drive, and has good insurance rates. Have gotten really good fuel mileage. It's easy to maintain, Good looking and drives like a dream. I've really enjoyed it since I bought it.

What's up with the wheel bearings?

I have owned this van from when it had 46,000 to 73,000 miles. I am now replacing my third wheel bearing. Now have replaced both front and 1 back. I have not found any sort of recall on this. I still have a 1996 Caravan and have never dealt with wheel bearings.

Like this car

This is our 6th Caravan. We ordered it because of the stow away seat feature. Other requirements included leather seats. It has performed well for us with very little upkeep. My children borrow it all the time for hauling purposes and we have no complaints.

Very unhappy

Had a bad accident and had to replace my Toyota corolla at 3 months pregnant though a minivan was going to be the best thing. I have 2 car payments a month one for the lender the other for the mechanic. I have had to change the motor seals timing belt motor mounts and now the cv joints. The car is comfortable and I love my minivan just hate that it has given me repair headaches. Maybe they are good cars but my turned out to be a big lemon.

A lemon of all lemons

now up to 85,000 miles used for a sales vehicle. Three Power Steering Pumps..#3 now needs replacing. Front end rack completely worn out and needs replacement. Dealer refused to replace PS pump even though it has been a problem since new. Front end problems surfaced after 30k...never fully diagnosed...has gotten worse as the mileage increases. Weird wind/noise problem on widshield at speeds around 60. Anyone over 6ft tall cannot sit on passenger front side with storage compartment under seat. Small changes in road surface causes loud knocking sounds in front end. Power door locks replaced twice.

Good and cheap van

I bought this van brand new, since than I do not have any big major problem, I just replaced tires and brake discs, also I have 99 Plymouth breeze with 156.000 miles on them and still running strong, I highly recommend Chrysler cars and vans, they need just take care of them, change oil and etc.

Dodge Has Abandoned Quality

The Dodge Caravan is the worst built van I have owned. The doors don't work as advertised, the clock spring (controls the Air Bags) is broken, and the air conditioned is leaking. And, to top it off, the are calling everything "wearable parts" in order to keep from covering it under warrantee!!!! Avoid Chrystler and their products like the plague until they get their products from falling apart after leaving the lot!

Great Van

I have 80,000 miles on my minivan and the only repair so far has been an EGR valve and one tune up and brakes. We completely filled the van when we took a trip to South Carolina with five passengers and all the luggage and the van still got 27 miles to the gallon with the 3.3 motor and the air - conditioner on for the entire ride! We also had plenty of room and everyone was comfortable for the entire ride. Buy this van, you won't be disappointed.

Miss my Town and Country

What a piece of junk. Brakes already replaced twice in less than 2 years, replaced all coolant hoses as they have rotted out. Gas mileage only 18 in city, and if we are real careful 22 on highway. Noisy and uncomfortable ride, cup holders a pain to adjust in front. We have said many times going from the Town and Country to this is like going from a Cadillac to a Chevette. Can't wait to get rid of it. Never again Dodge, or should I say "Dodge it."

Great Value, Great Van, Great Economy.

I bought this van with 21,000 miles on it used. Now I have 59,000 on it and it has had no problems. Many of the people I know drive Honda Oddyeses and Toyota Siennas and have many problems from electrical to axle problems. The Honda even lost the transmission at 42,000. My last Dodge Caravan was a 1998 and I just sold it with 213,500 miles on it and I did the transmission at 198,000. The resale isn't better in the long term on the Honda and Toyota product, you just pay more initially and it seems that way. In 5 years they are worth about the same. I sold my '98 caravan for 8k after 7 years of faithful driving.

the BEST

it's the Best u can get

Should be a keeper

This is my 6th caravan. Best one, good brakes, comfortable seats,Quiet. Like 7- 70 power train wnty, had problems in past with trannies.

Love Dodge - GREAT minivan

Long trips smooth ride convenient for whole family. comfortable for whole family. Versatile with stow and go seats.

My 2005 Dodge Caravan

We have wanted minivan for quite some time now but thought they were too expensive. One evening we went into our local car dealership after 8:30pm thinking that we would look when no one was there. Oops, they were there and there was a good sale going on. We decided to test drive one and a short time later we drove off in our beautiful Midnight Blue,2005 Dodge Caravan. We opted for no luxuries except air and stereo. I was always angry with my other car and it's self locking doors and other things that made decisions for me and just drove me crazy. Our Caravan gets good mileage and is very roomy, a smooth ride and beautiful!

POOR

Well I thiught that this would be a good buy it was for a friend of the family, but I have had nothing but problems

DISAPOINTED

Im not that happy with this van. i traded in my wifes windstar with 64000 miles on it with nothing but oil chages done. at two years old it rode better,drove better,and to be honest as much as i hate to admit the ford was a better van.

2 catastrophic failures in 3 years.

I just had to rebuild the tranny with 68,000 miles on it. Tranny failure was catastrophic while driving in the left lane of a highway. 1-1/2 years ago had to have the front drive train replaced. 1 electric slide door does not work At least 3 recalls on this year of Caravan. Won't ever buy another Dodge.

Do not bother buying this

I bought Dodge Grand Caravan 2005 in June 2005. It has not even completed 5 years. It has less than 50,000 miles on it. However, the problems that the van has is just mind boggling. My 1999 Corolla is more reliable and less costly in terms of repairs than Dodge Caravan. This is just a junk vehicle. I would never buy another Dodge product or recommend to anyone. Simply avoid it to save yourself lots of money, time, and aggravation.

Not Happy after 3 years

At first I like our minivan. Some things are cheaply made like the seat covering. But it rode nice for 2 years. Then the sway bar links went and had them replaced but that didn't fix the noise that I hear still. My mechanic said the problem is with bushings on the sway bar and costly to repair. Now the transmission is going. After 67K miles I should have these kinds of problems. So overall I'm not happy with my Caravan

the good, bad and ugly

The stow and go is great. There is very good room for our family of five. It is the most economical vehicle in it's class. The power doors are a nice feature. The bad are: Had glitch in transmission, scared me into purchasing an extended warranty. New brakes after 30K miles. Key fob & PL doors failed @ about 45K miles paid dealership to flash computer again ($140) which I felt should be warranty issue. Ugly: replaced the front end bushings & rods @ 51K miles ($420)(dealership says is common issue). replaced passenger power sliding side module ($350). driver side cable and motor ($500). not good for a 3 yr old vehicle....

Dodge Rider

I am driving Dodge Mini Van 2005 Since 2 years its a good reliable vehicle with two baby seating facilities this vehicle has one problem with jumping rods once you change them with new one then you are good to go for few years there is one more problem with capacity it has very less capacity in rear otherwise its better than all other dodges like town and country and grand caravan and etc......

2005 minivan

This is the worst vehicle I have ever owned. every week a new problem power doors work on twice still sometimes do not open or close. alternator replaced water pump replaced. very bad gas mileage. difficult to get in or out for me i am 6ft 1in. [non-permissible content removed] but i guess all are now. I have 1994 minivan that is still a great vehicle me and my ife prefer to drive it. 23,000 miles so and not near the repairs i have had with the 2005. i will never buy another American car co. cars again.selling the 2005 good riddance. going with Japanese vehicles for now on.

Absolutely the best vehicle I have owned and I am

I am a senior. Love my power seat--bought it with just over 100,000 km on it and now over 400,000--always ran well- a lot of highway miles from coast to coast. So comfortable-with bucket seats in second row and split in back--easy to take out for hauling things--not stow and go--seats are more comfortable--solid van--alas decision to replace tie rod as still runs great but body starting to rust on side doors--I would fully expect to easily get at least 500,000km + but with the rust--is it worth repairing or finding another 2005 with lower mileage--great on gas--we did maintain oil changes and normal maintenance.--nothing major. Am so disappointed that they are not making the CARAVAN anymore--I drove the Grand Caravan from PEI to Ontario BUT much prefer my shorter Caravan--easier to park and move in smaller spaces. Love Love the 2005 Caravan.

mini man van

I was a man trapped in a woman's vehicle. Now I have become a man in a mini van and love every mile of it! This van has been fuel efficient (27+ on trips) comfortable (5 in the family) useful (Sto and Go baby!)and has me convinced that I made the right purchase. Power slider doors are wonderful. This van is as comfortable to drive as many high dollar import cars. Men don't be scared! Embrace this mini-man van! We did have a few bumps at the beginning, that were easily handled under warranty. Dealership was excellent and on the ball.

Buy a solution, not a Chrysler

After 15,000 miles spark plugs, air bag, injectors, brakes (pads and rotors), air bag again, power steering leaks, noisy engine belts, cv joints, sliding doors don’t close properly, so we can feel air coming thru doors rubber seals but, the worst one is that after 4 months trying to get a roof paint warranty thru Chrysler customer service they told me: Chrysler won’t participate in this repair.

Low quality

2005 Caravan

Since my last car was a compact sedan, I thought the Caravan would be overwhelming to handle. Not so. I felt right at ease driving the Caravan and wished I had purchased one sooner!

Great family car

This is my first minivan and I love it. So much room and storage space makes going places so easy. You don't need much strength to fold down the seats. I checked a few other minivans and they didn't offer near as much for the price of the Caravan. I definitely suggest the SXT model w/DVD because the kids love it and it keeps them occupied on long trips. This is definitely a keeper.

Dodge Caravan

Have had a Caravan 4 cyl. for 2 1/2 years. At this point major mechanical problems. Ranging from front end work, transmission, computer cluster in gear selector and the sending unit in the gas tank. Before the 2 1/2 year mark, had no problems before then.

Not bad for the money...

For what you can buy these things for it is the best "people mover" on the market. We traded the wifes 2000 Chevy Tahoe, and at first I thought we made a BIG mistake - but then I realized my payment went from 700/month to 320 and realized things were not so bad. If you take into account the class of vehicle you are buying it is a STEAL. I payed $18000 out the door and got a very comfortable, very safe, very roomy new vehicle that get good gas mileage. The fit and finish is fair at best, but once again I can not expect the quality of a $40K vehicle. So far I am very happy with it and for a growing family it proves very useful. One recommendation - buy the GRAND not the short one we bought

Compitition Has Caught Up

We had a 99 Grand Caravan and the extended wheelbase was so much nicer than our 2005 with a short wheelbase and quad seating. The suspension sags a lot when loaded down too. The price was real nice at 19,490 although we feel we could have done evev better elsewhere. For the price I feel that it is a good van.

Never again

Our 2005 Dodge Caravan has about 52,000 miles on it now. What's wrong with it? Transmission slips in reverse and the rack and pinion leaks on the pasenger side. Lucky for us this is covered under our extended warranty. Right side front impact sensor bad, right tie rod end bad, and the sway bar bushings are bad. Not covered under warranty. The dealer wanted $900 to fix the three problems. I told them no I would do the repairs myself. Well $12 for sway bar bushings, $35 for tie rod end and $35 for impact sensor. it took about 1.5 hours to do it. Anyway this van is not built very good. Driving thru little mountains in Arkansas and we getting passed by a Geo. Trust me don't buy a Dodge

Another Great Caravan

Drives more like a luxury car then a mini van.

Great Value...Carvan SXT..

The Dodge SXT is quiet, smooth, reliable. It drives straight, confident handling, very easy to modulate brakes. So far after 2K, gas mileage has been 16-17 ish around town so below the 19- 26 rating for the 3.3L. Love the features for prices.

I love my new van!!!

I love this van. I have had others in the past, but the comfort and space in this one, far surpasses any other out there. The kids love the fact that they have their own reading lamps for road trips, and its really alot of fun to drive. I felt I was too young to drive a mini-van, with the stigma that sometimes comes along with them. But this is a luxury car with room for a family.

An Awesome Ride

This is my fourth Dodge Caravan. It all just seems to get better and better. I recently took a trip to South Carolina and I noticed that as I broke the engine in the mileage kept creeping up. Upon my return to Texas I was getting 26.5 miles per gallon. Comfortable ride made my driving experience more enjoyable. When I stopped for the night, took two days to get back, I never felt "dead-dog" tired. I could have gone further, but I am not one to push it. The new features are right on. All in all the family really enjoys this vehicle. Dodge all the way!

Switched from Intrepid

We travel a lot, so we wanted more room but comparable gas mileage. We traded in our 2001 Intrepid SE toward this, and so far it seems to have been a good move. It drives like a car, and I get much less road fatigue when we drive to Chicago (2.5 hrs. away).

Drivers door design

The trim panel on the drivers door protrudes about 2-3 inches into interior of drivers side. As a result there is no even or smooth space to rest your left leg. You constantly hit this small protrusion. I drove 100 miles and my leg was very sore. I had a 1999 Caravan that had the switches higher on the panel. As a result we had a nice smooth door. Very poor inside design--should have been caught

My Review

It has been the most fascinating driving experience I have ever had. It is a very luxurious vehicle. My family and I are pleased to have such a great automobile.

So Far I Like It

Just bought a black Caravan SXT and it is my first van. It actually handles and drives much better than I was expecting. With all of the power windows, locks, mirrors, cruise and tilt included in the base SXT, they leave little to be desired.

Very Nice Minivan!

The SXT Caravan it's a very nice to own minivan, has lot of interior room, smooth ride, nimble handling. DVD, trip computer, a plus!!! Excellent for the family. The exterior is quite modern also. On the other hand, 14 real MPG in city and 24 in highway is not enough. Not even closer to EPA advice.

Drivers door panel

Traded1991 Dodge Caravan for 2005. Everything great but they changed the door panel trim on the drivers side so that the panel holding the window buttons protrudes about 2-3" into where your leg should be resting.This panel has a rather sharp angle to it. Drive about 2 to 5 miles and you will find that your leg gets sore. Very poor design as there was no reason to change. Friends tried pillows, pads etc. Nothing seems to hold or work.