Used 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Consumer Reviews
Used Grand Caravan for sale
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2013 Grand Caravan, so we've included reviews for other years of the Grand Caravan since its last redesign.
2013 Crew Pros/Cons
tomsouthmd, 02/07/2013
2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Crew 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
140 of 146 people found this review helpful
The 2013 Grand Caravan is my third dodge van; I traded in a 2007 SXT. When ordering I had to move up to the Crew to get some options that were included on the 2007 SXT such as the power drivers seat, leather steering wheel, and garage door opener. I added the driver convenience group to get, along with other options, bluetooth. The ride is good, handling ok for a minivan, seats are an improvement over the 2007 and the 3.6 liter engine is a significant power upgrade. The tow capacity is up to 3,600 lbs and the stow n go seats still provide the most versatility compared to other minivans. The transmission needs work (see below). Recommendation take a good highway test drive before buying.
No longer have this van,
johnwanamaker, 07/04/2014
updated 07/12/2024
2013 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
45 of 46 people found this review helpful
As 2 80 year-old people we like the upright seats of a mini-van. Visibility is great in all directions. Power was very adequate on a recent trip in the mountains. It was helpful to downshift with the lever because it would try to shift up too soon otherwise. Mileage was very good even when doing lots of driving in 4th. Mileage is much better (27+ at high speeds (70+) than around town (23) Stow and go seating is the only way to go. We haul a lot of stuff and need to put the seats down often. Lots of room. 36 banana boxes! Very easy to put seats up and down.. Needs repairs sometimes, but cheaper than a newer one. Some bubbling of paint.
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2013 Dodge Grand Caravan for sale near you
Showing 3 of 12 listings
- SXT Passenger MinivanMSRP: N/A37 mi away
- SE Passenger MinivanMSRP: $6,00032 mi away
- SXT Passenger MinivanMSRP: $4,99935 mi away
See all 12 listings
A good value
04quadcab, 08/29/2013
updated 08/30/2018
2013 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
62 of 65 people found this review helpful
2013 Grand Caravan SXT; currently with about 10,000 miles on it. I really wouldn't consider any minivan that didn't have some version of Stow&Go. I have the second row seats folded down almost as much as I have them up, and I wouldn't like having to remove the seat to free up that space, since you then have to leave it at home and can't haul passengers in that area. Other likes: Great power, good gas mileage-I get 27 at 70-75 mph (town mileage is not great, tho). Quiet, smooth ride. Much less expensive to buy than Honda or Toyota. Dislikes: 6 spd tranny is OK, but not as smooth or predictable as could be. Driver's seat needs more rearward travel; legroom is limited. Update @ 60,000 mi: Love the car with two exceptions; the transmission and the rear shocks. Rear shocks start rattling every 15-20K miles. Dealer has replaced them twice at no cost to me, and since the car is still within the 100,000 mi powertrain/suspension warranty, will be doing it again soon. Transmission still shifts rough sometimes, particularly when shifting out of reverse into drive. Dealer rebuilt it once, saying they found torque converter clutch to have shredded crap into the rest of the tranny. Shifts decently now, but not great, still giving that "whack" going from R to D about 50% of the time. There is a new TSB out on it, and I hope to have them reprogram it again soon. 08/29/2016-- Now at 69.000 miles. I would absolutely love this car if it weren't for the transmission. It is truly a POS. Reprogramming it helps for a few thousand miles, then it's back to erratic and clunky shifting. When my warranty runs out, I suppose I'll be paying to have it reprogrammed every 15-20 K miles, or whenever it starts to act up so badly I can no longer stand it. 08/30/2018 Now at 110,000 miles. It has been very dependable and inexpensive to maintain. Finally cured rear shock noise by installing Monroe shocks at my own expense after warranty ended. To date, that has been the only out of pocket repair cost except for one set of tires and oil changes. Still not satisfied with transmission behavior, but after the last reprogramming just before warranty ended, it has remained reasonably good (maybe 6 on a 1-10 scale). I did get a couple of gifts at 103,000 miles, just out of warranty, naturally. One was a failed oxygen sensor, which is not unusual at this mileage. The other is a door lock actuator for one of the sliding doors, which still works to lock/unlock that door (usually; it has stuck a couple of times such that the door won't unlock), but makes a buzzing or grinding noise that is annoying. Unfortunately, the cost to fix is $1000. I thought that was crazy until I checked the cost of the part and observed the difficulty of the fix via YouTube. The body remains tight and rattle free and the interior is holding up well.
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Liked it so much I traded for another.
Dennis Voorhees, 11/22/2015
updated 05/30/2017
2012 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
60 of 63 people found this review helpful
I have had 3 minivans since 1989 A Ford Areostar, a Dodge Caravan, Chevy Venture. The Venture was used and a disaster. Dumped a lot of money into it and just got tired of doing so, so I bit the bullet and bought a 2012 Program GC SXT in December 2012. The 2012 van was red and had 28000 miles on it. I drove it to 91,500 miles in just a month under 3 years. Not one lick of problems. A couple recalls though, but nothing serious. Replaced the front brakes at 90k miles, and 1 set of tires at 55k. Replaced the air filter once and did oil changes and tire rotations every 5k miles. I did replace the battery, twice though, as I had an aftermarket back up camera installed that didn't shut off the monitor, which ran down the battery a couple times. It was awhile before I caught the problem. It was quite comfortable on long trips, I drove many 12+ hour days with no issues. I was so happy with this van that I decided to trade it for another nearly identical Red 2015 SXT. The main reason was the 12 was nearing 100k miles, I had another year of traveling planned, and the 6 year 100k warranty was about to expire. I could trade to a 3 year newer with lots lower miles for nearly the same payment. I hope this one will be as trouble free, as the 12. I'm a retired, but active guy, that appreciates the utility of the MiniVan. I highly recommend them. UPDATE on the 2015. I purchased it was 22000 miles on the Odometer, It now has 62000 trouble free miles. The tires were replaced at 48k. That's it. Still performs like the 2012, and I maintain it like I did the 2012. I still travel quite a bit and this vehicle suits my needs. The other day I had lunch with 3 other old guys from work I had not seen in several years. All 4 of us were driving 5th generation Dodge Caravans. They are the new Lincoln I recon.
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Good Value
Dan GRANDERSON, 10/26/2016
2013 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
20 of 20 people found this review helpful
No such thing as the perfect vehicle, however the 2013 Grand Caravan offers reliability, pracitcality and value in a moderately priced mini van. Have operated this van with absolutely no problems for over 68,000 miles.
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Engine heads are brain dead
Rick, 08/27/2016
updated 08/31/2020
2012 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
18 of 18 people found this review helpful
Been waiting for my vehicle to be repaired now for 3 weeks. Dealership says parts are not available. 6 cyl engine needed new heads, rockers, lifters and other stuff. Car has 97,000 miles. This is the second time to have head replaced (first time at 46,000) . Obviously a bad engine design or bad install with the previous head or possibly the head is simply brain dead. It does say something about the supply chain if the dealerships can not get the replacement parts. Obviously many more failures than anticipated. No recall on the engine but the dealership said the warranty has been extended out to 10 years/150,000 miles for the heads which, I assume, is their way of telling me that the head will fail again in 50,000 miles. Figure I'll have it repaired again around 145,000 if history is my guide. I believe they have some serious issues with the 6 cylinder engine but simply won't admit it. 08/28/2017 Update. Car now has 119,000 miles on it. So far the new head appears to be working fine. Proof will be when the car has another 25,000 miles since they seem to fail every 50,000 miles. 08/29/2018 Update. Car now has 134,000 miles on it. No problems yet with the new head. Dealership called several times asking if I wanted to trade it in on something new. Told them no, I normally keep cars at least 10 years since I don't like to carry any debt and it takes time to save up the money for a new one. Update: 8/29/2020 Car now has 156,000 miles. Seems I can sense a mis-fire every now and then but I have not yet taken it into a shop for a diagnosis. Still trying to get another 2 years out of it. We'll see if I'm successful.
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A lot for the money
homerkc, 11/25/2012
2012 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
18 of 18 people found this review helpful
We have 3,500 mi. on our van and it has exceeded many expectations. We took a 2000 mi trip shortly after buying (only 500 break-in miles) and saw 28mpg on the interstate. We can get 20mpg around town (suburban driving) if we watch what we're doing. Very comfortable seats and ride, plenty of power, and the flexibility of the stow n go always amazes. For a very reasonable mid-20s price, it's a lot of car that can do a lot of things (like haul 2 new exterior doors from Home Depot) without any fuss. Once you have had that capability at your disposal, it would be hard to give it up.
3 years of no trouble
RJX, 10/05/2016
2013 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
22 of 23 people found this review helpful
The most comfortable seats of any vehicle I have driven. I drive the vehicle for work and typically 4-5 drives 1-way. Great comfort for long trips. Passing on a 2 lane highway is never a problem, the engine has plenty of power. Stow and go seats are great when you want to haul things, nice flat and low floor allowing for drywall or plywood for home projects. This 2013 is my third Grand Caravan, and by far the best. I drive 35k miles a year in all kinds of weather and always feel safe even on snow packed roads. It is a shame they are discontinuing the DGC after 2017, now that they have it perfected.
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Experienced Driver of Grand Caravan
nmdude, 06/22/2014
2013 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
29 of 31 people found this review helpful
I enjoy driving the Dodge Caravan so I bought one. There have been concerns about the six speed transmission. I have specifically rented a SXT model to haul film lighting.The rental was quite less than SUVs. The transmission is sensitive and needs understanding. The six speed transmission allows one to save on fuel costs whether driving through hilly country or flat lands at highway speeds. Carrying 1 ton of cargo, it drives well granted, you understand how to shift. There is a reason why the shifter is located next to the speedometer. 10, 500 ft above sea level it performed well on hairpin turns. Height, stow n go, 12V inputs, width, wheel size 5stars.
Maybe Mine Was A Lemon?
Jake, 04/11/2021
2013 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
I owned the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan SE model(flex fuel). Equipped with the 3.6 V6 (Pentastar). I got the van with 122,000 miles and thought it was great when I first got it. About a week into ownership, the check engine light comes on for a thermostat code. I thought to myself, it's a used car so no big deal if I have to stick a few bucks into it right off the bat. Replaced the thermostat and was fine for another 2 months. Then the check engine light pops on again for cam position sensor/crank position sensor correlation. So take it to the shop. They say it needs new cam position sensors. Replaced those and was fine for a month. Then one day I come to a stop sign and the van dies. I go to restart it and starts right up. So I take it to the shop again and has a pending code for cam position/crank position and a random multiple cylinder misfire. So they concluded that it needs either a new timing chain or cam phasers. So I take it to the dealership for a second opinion. In the mix of all of this, the van starts to shutter coming to stops. So dealership looks at it and tells me the transmission has metal shavings in it so it needs to be replaced. And the timing chains are bad. So I thought well I'll take the transmission pan off to see if there really is metal shavings in the transmission. Sure enough there was. So at that point I just ended up selling the van back to where I got it from. Maybe my van was just a lemon? I'll never know, because I would never buy another one. The styling is awesome along with the sto n go seats. But if you want reliability, this isn't your van.
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