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Vans & Minivans Please, introduce yourself! (Newcomers, start here)
280 messages, Last post on Sep 03, 2008 at 8:27 AM
You are in the Vans & Minivans Forum. Your Host is Karens
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Hi - my name is Vernon, and my family and I have a '96 Dodge Grand Caravan SE. I joined the list mostly to ask about replacing this one. This is our second DGC. Our first was a '91 model and it served us great until its air conditioners started going out. We upgraded the front unit to the new version that uses a different kind of freon, and from that day on, the AC couldn't handle temps above 90. Here in central TX, our average daily high temp is usually over 100 during July and August, so we waited until December to trade it in, since we knew that the new AC unit would operate perfectly in cool weather. The van we got in trade is our current one, and it has problems, too. We are on its 3rd automatic transmission. Fortunately, extended contracts paid for the one we had to put in last year, and when it went out again a few weeks ago, the 3-year warranty on the repair came into play, and again, we didn't owe anything, so we were very lucky there. Unfortunately, it has an intermittent electrical problem that goes like this: you're driving along, when you decide to turn on the radio (or the lights, or the AC, or the wipers, etc). You turn the switch and nothing happens. You turn it off and on several times, but nada. So, you pull over to the side of the road, turn off the engine, wait a minute, restart it and turn on the radio (or whatever) and presto - everything is working just fine. Nobody knows why it does this - it just does. Well, we've had enough of this fun, so we want to trade it in, or maybe sell it at a consignment place. What else can we get? We'd like to stick with a Dodge Grand Caravan if we can, but we just don't know which years have reliable products and which ones don't. Do you? When we were into Subarus, our mechanic told us that even-numbered year products were losers, so Subaru made all its corrections in its odd-numbered-year models. Is Dodge like that, too? We talked with a salesman at a Dodge dealership, and he recommended going with a '99 model since we need to keep the price at $12-13K or less. Are '99's typically reliable? Thanks, \/\/\ |
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i have friends who are members of car clubs and have these car meets regularly. my question is: any canadian member know of a van club for toyota siennas in the vancouver b.c. area? i know this may sound silly but i really like my vehicle so i wouldn't mind joining one - if one exist! thanks |
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I actually live in your area, but I'm not aware of any minivan clubs. However, I am a member of the BMW Club of BC (you don't have to own a BMW to join) and we often have fun rallies to various parts of the province. In fact, just this weekend, there is one to Harrison Springs. The club also has very reasonably priced advanced driving class for the members, which was actually my main reason for joining the club. If you're interested, their website is http://www.bmwccbc.org I hope this helps! Drew Host Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards |
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I just thought I would post something that I thought might help vernon3. I currently own a '95 Chrysler Cirrus and I have had a similar (not sure that it is the same) electrical experience. On a couple of occasions I have started my car and found that none of the auxiliary electrical systems worked. I first noticed it because the steering effort is increased (this car has electronic variable assist power steering). Upon turning off the car and starting it again everything worked fine. To get to the point, I have found that it is not an electrical problem, it is the ignition switch. Occasionally, the switch will not return all the way back to the run position from the start position. In the start position all of the auxiliary systems are overridden to route power to the starter. When the switch doesn't return fully the power is not restored to the rest of the cars systems. It is difficult to just bump the key back to the run position without killing the engine so I have found that the safest thing to do is stop the car and reboot. I hope this has been helpful. |
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It's been a couple of years since I posted anything to these boards. I don't know what I would have done without the good advice I received here when I was preparing to buy my new Passat. I love that car more than any I've ever owned -- and I've owned quite a few. Now I'm thinking of buying a new Eurovan with a camper package. Any advice as to what the best board would be to hop onto? I need to know how reliable these have been and how they might perform in the mountain West. Thanks -- and it's good to know you guys are still around! |
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Here's the link to the EuroVan board (prices are down!). Check out the concept van linked in the Additional Resources box too. Steve Host Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards |
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| Greetings. I'm thinking about buying the Honda Odyssey EX. However, I heard that Honda may soon debut its version of the Acura MDX. any thoughts out there? | |
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Yes, it's true that a Honda version of the MDX will be out probably by 2003. You may want to check out the SUV message board for more information. Drew Host Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards |
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I have changed my preferences and I always come up with the oldest posting first. I would like the exact opposite, like my email where the most recent is at the top of the list. Also there are way too many topic areas. Could you just group according to vehicle. For example Ford Windstar and Windstar problems would be in the same group. |
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The preferences just affects the sort order in the discussion title list (right Drew?). No way to change the order of the messages themselves, afaik. We do try to archive or delete duplicate or redundant topics. The separate "problems" topics do tend to be popular though. Although we create them now and then, it's mostly the community members who create the new discussions. Thanks for the feedback and welcome to Town Hall. Steve Host Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards |
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