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Bought a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan with 98,180 miles on it

16 messages,  Last post on Nov 21, 2011 at 11:43 AM

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What is this discussion about? Chrysler Grand Voyager, Dodge Grand Caravan, Van

Messages Page 3 of 3

#12 of 16 buy 2000 GC with 96k? by tallmanswife

Dec 17, 2009 (9:10 pm)

Our local mechanic has a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport, AWD, with 96,000 miles on it. I'm wary about buying a Dodge with that many miles on it. Advice?

#13 of 16 Re: buy 2000 GC with 96k? [tallmanswife] by srs_49

Dec 18, 2009 (4:53 am)

Replying to: tallmanswife (Dec 17, 2009 9:10 pm)
If you read through this forum, you will see that owners' experiences with Dodge/Chrysler minivans run the full gamut, from "total POS, I'll never own another DC product as long as I live" to "Best vehicle I've ever owned; have 200,000 miles on it and it's still going strong".
 
I got 174,000 miles on our '94 Caravan. Except for a transmission rebuild (which thankfully happened when it was still under warranty, which was 70,000 miles at the time), there were no major problems - just normal maintenance.
 
We have 60,000 miles on our 2007 DGC, and, except for one set of front brake pads and oil changes, it's hasn't needed any other work (know on wood).
 
That said, I would be hesitant to buy any vehicle with that number of miles on it unless 1) it was a really good deal, price-wise, 2) I had a good sense of how it was driven and 3) how it was maintained. Also, it's good to know why someone is getting rid of an ostensibly good running vehicle.
 
I bought a Merc Tracer for $2500 for my boys some years ago that had 125,000 miles on it. My wife worked with the owner who was going to for Africa for couple of years. I also bought a 10 year old 87 BMW with 125,000 miles for around $2500 who's owners were being transferred to Key West. Again, my wife knew the owners, plus they were able to provide many of the service records. I still have, and drive, the BMW.
 
So yes, miled-up vehicles can be good deals. You just have to be cautious and go into the deal with eyes open to fact that you may have to lay out a thousand dollars or two to fix something major or even just to catch up on neglected maintenance.

#14 of 16 Re: buy 2000 GC with 96k? [srs_49] by xwesx

Dec 18, 2009 (4:56 pm)

Replying to: srs_49 (Dec 18, 2009 4:53 am)
Excellent advice. I echo those sentiments and cannot really provide any additional advice!

#15 of 16 Re: buy 2000 GC with 96k? [xwesx] by tallmanswife

Dec 18, 2009 (6:45 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Dec 18, 2009 4:56 pm)
Thank you for taking the time to reply in such detail! Advice well-taken.
Karen

#16 of 16 Re: Bought a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan with 98,180 miles on it [scoutll] by xshawnx

Nov 21, 2011 (11:43 am)

Replying to: scoutll (Jul 11, 2009 10:05 pm)
2004 grand caravan emission problem/ vacuum leak ... remove air cleaner whole assembly, vacuum lines from purge canister are right there, after my father spent 400 bucks at a mechanic , i found the problem right there.. vacuum line cracked.. problem solved

Messages Page 3 of 3

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