Faults:

After warranty the transmission no longer shifted properly. It was replaced at about 80,000 with a factory transmission, which we paid full price for.

Over the 276,000 miles, we have installed 3 rack and pinion steering systems.

The front wheel bearings/hubs were replaced at about 250,000 miles.

Bearings and pulleys were replaced on the serpentine belt system.

General Comments:

Our driving style is very conservative. We made all the oil changes and transmission service necessary.

This is not a fast vehicle, it's heavy.

I believe I have the service of 3 vehicles as the mileage is approaching 300,000.

I can see this vehicle being retired, as it costs about $75 / month for some type of service (so far) averaged over a year.

I have spoken with other owners of similar mileage, and find there are many on the road with similar experience.

Faults:

This has been a good car with few problems and nothing serious. I bought it in late 1994 from Thrifty Car Rental with 10,000 miles.

At 74,000 miles a suspected transmission problem turned out to be a spark plug wire that was probably messed up when I had spark plugs checked during a service.

Very occasional starting problem that has not been diagnosed for sure. Replaced starter (83,000 miles) and it hasn't happened since (110,000 miles), so maybe that was it.

Air bag light came on in dash. Internet research said "clockspring" in steering column could be the problem, but the horn would not work if it was the clockspring. Horn did work. Called dealer service dept and was told "clockspring." I said "no, the horn works." "Bring it in for a diagnostic ($80)" he said. Instead, I examined the fuse chart and found that one of the fuses that said something about airbag also controlled the rear window wiper, which wasn't working. Replaced fuse #13 and problem was fixed!! (Wonder what the dealer would have come up with!?!)

[Maybe I should "knock on wood" now that I'm saying nice things about the car. . . ]

General Comments:

Has been a good car, though the Taurus I had before that was a lot nicer to drive (mechanical problems, though, and couldn't carry anything long or bulky). Not that the van is bad to drive, but it does have some swing and sway (no fun cornering there!) It's wonderfully practical, though, and easy to get in and out (because it's higher) when bundled up for winter (Alaska).

A co-worker got a 1996 Caravan because I'm happy with my 1994, but she's had constant repairs with hers, so I guess 1994 was a better year.

It still looks nice, runs well, and is comfortable, roomy and practical. I've been very pleased with it. A negative - the seats are very heavy and a pain to move in and out - luckily I don't have to do that often. Would like to have seats that fold into the floor (newer van) but I LOVE having a paid off car. I bought extra set of rims for snow tire changeover, and saved money there. I used the money saved by keeping it to buy myself a Harley. :-)

Faults:

Gears grind when shifting into reverse (always done this).

Starter wore out.

Motor mounts wore out.

General Comments:

I bought this vehicle on eBay for $1700 in 2003 to use as a second run-around car - trips to Home Depot and the dump, transporting the dog, etc. It's been proved to be very dependable - so much so that it was my only vehicle for a while - and cheap to maintain. I've done nothing other than maintenance items over the years, there is no body rust, and the paint still shines like new. In 2006 I drove it from DC to Seattle, and in 2008 I drove it back to DC. Heck, even the air conditioner still works great!

The 5-speed manual transmission is a little clunky to shift sometimes (not slick like a Honda/Toyota manual), but the van is surprisingly peppy, rides comfortably, and gets about 18 MPG around town and 24-25 on a long trip. I wouldn't hesitate to get another one, though I suspect this 4-cylinder engine might be overburdened with an automatic transmission or by frequent heavy loads.