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Vans & Minivans Minivans - Domestic or Foreign
3643 messages, Last post on May 20, 2009 at 6:32 AM
You are in the Vans & Minivans Forum. Your Host is Karens
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Roland, Being a thrifty Canadian myself, let me save you a lot of time. The Dodge Grand Caravan is without a doubt the best in it's class. My wife and I spent weeks driving and comparing all the offerings (By the way, stay away from G.M.). We even rented two samples before buying. The Dodge is the best ride without question. No other minivan handles, rides, or is as solid as the Dodge. If you can, I highly recommend renting one for a weekend to see how it performs, you won't be disappointed. We took delivery of a 2002 G.C. Sport in Garnet Red last November with quite a few convenient options ($34,500 sticker; $32,200 plus tax). After 4,000 km including one trip to Nashville, we are convinced we made the right choice. |
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Try "www.daimlerchrysler.ca". You can calculate accurate sticker prices on this web page. It also offers some good explainations of option packages. All in Canadian dollars. |
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| Gee, I would have said the opposite. Get a GM and stay away from DC vans!! DC vans tend to have major powertrain problems in a very short time (60/70K miles) whereas GM's will run forever. I've got the Olds Silhouette and love it. My wife appreciates the car-like ride and all the amenities keep us happy. Guess you really need to shop around and try the different minivans for yourself to determine which is best for you. | |
| I have rented a 2002 DC Grand Caravan for a week, and was happy with the ride and comfort, but am a bit concerned with the long term reliability. I've probably read to many articles and discussion groups because you will find dissatisfied Odyssey, Sienna, GM etc. owners too. Any thought on the 3.8 vs. 3.3 on the Grand Caravan? I'm interested in comparing fuel economy of these to the Odyssey and the Sienna, but would like to see actual road results and not the laboratory results which do not include wind resistance. Thanks again! | |
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Another great option. Read the reviews on E-Opinions or Edmunds. Forget the Kia past as far as reliablity. Hyundai is behind them now and the Sedona is well concieved and designed...but not perfect. Im' a former Toyota Previa owner, so I expect alot. I am very pleased with this van, great power, 25mpg hwy, excellent stereo. Fully loaded every conceivable option I paid $22995. 10 year 100K warranty is hard to beat. Drive one and see for yourself. Heres just one of many reviews. http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/02sedona2.htm" Heres another: http://www.newcartestdrive.com/02/minivans/02sedona.cfm Excelent3
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yzf, Did not drive the Olds but tried the Chevy and Pontiac minivans. Both were rattle traps that wandered all over the road at highway speeds, road noise over rough surfaces turned both into rolling drums, you can't even hear the radio. I did discover why these vans are less expensive than most; they are not as well appointed or as well finished as the rest. As far as D.C. tranny troubles, I know 6 people with the D.C. vans that have not had powertrain trouble well past 150,000 km. The only negative was one owner who frequently tows a 21 ft. boat. That repair was limited to seal replacement due to overheating. D.C. has addressed the question beginning in 2001 with a new design and an expanded warranty. This tranny is so smoothly you have to watch the tach. to know when it shifts. |
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regarding DC transaxles. In my office three of us had DC vans. One guy had two. We are all in the maintenance biz ourselves, so we stick to factory service recommendations, or even better. All of the vans but one needed a tranny rebuild. Mine didn't, but then I traded before the warranty expired after seeing what my co-workers experienced. I know, a very small sample space out of the millions of vans, but after seeing people who properly maintain their vehicles lose their trannys was unnerving for me. To be fair, my 1987 Buick LeSabre also required a tranny rebuild at 90K last October. Fluid and filter was changed every 30K. I was getting ready to change again when the car just wouldn't go when warmed up. So $1500 for a tranny rebuild. It too is very smooth now and should be good for at least another 90K. A final thought, the DC 4speed auto transaxles are very smooth as was previously stated. FWIW, TB |
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Lucierjim: Can't argue with your experience in testing the Pontiac Montana or Chevy Venture. All I can say is that my Olds Silhouette is very smooth and quiet inside. No problems hearing the radio. To each his own. |
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My family and I have a 2000 Chrysler Town & Country LX 3.3L van. The whole family loves this vehicle after 34k miles of trouble-free service. Our Town & Country still runs just like it did the day we drove it off the lot and I would highly reccommend a 2002 model to anyone shopping for a minivan. If you want the ultimate mininvan in terms of comfort, luxury, and convienience, you cannot beat a Chrysler Town & Country Limited. Just sit inside a 2001 or 2002 Town & Countr y Limited and you will understand. As for GM vans, we rented a 1999 Oldsmobile Shilouette (spelling?) when on a family trip in Hawaii and were very dissapointed in the interior quality of the car. Keep in mind, we had a rather base 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan SE at the time, which was still alot better than the Oldsmobile in terms of quality and refinement. The interior cloth and trim was very cheap and there were plenty of rattles in the doors. In my opinion, Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota do a much better job of making a minivan than GM. As for Chrysler reliability, it has improved greatly over the years. I have many friends with DC minivans and they all are very satisfied with their vans. One neighbor that just moved to Chicago actually had two 1999 Dodge Caravan SE models and they did not have a problem with either. Another neighbor down the street has a 1997 Town & Country LXi with 70k miles and no-problems. Lastly, our 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan SE was traded in for our new Town & Country with 70k trouble-free miles of service. I hope this helps! -Adam
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| Am now the very happy owner of a Sienna XLE. Had owned 2 Chrysler vans for a total of 8.5 years prior to. Was fed up with the problems and lack of quality. Was able to build a nice personal relationship with a Service Manager, though. That's about all the good I can say about my Chrysler experience. Should you buy one, get a pre-owned one. There a many, many around, even current models (2001/02). The depreciation is also atrocious, again because there are so many around. That should help you get into one for a very good deal, if that's a big factor. Keep in mind, though, you get what you pay for. As the old addage goes, if it's got to be Big 3, buy used, if it's Japanese/German, buy new. | |
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