Faults:

It's still too soon to tell... I bought it very used (170k miles) so I am currently surveying what I have to fix at this moment. At this point I see:

Headlights will have to be replaced.

Torn leather on driver's seat will be replaced.

Ceiling lining has come off and has to be glued back on - the middle row seats rub on the ceiling when being bent over to pass on the 3rd row bench, so...

Some minor body work will have to be fixed; also not surprising for 16 year old car, but nothing big. I saw on other similar cars the 5th door bottom edge tends to rot; I guess the bumper keeps the water on it.

The biggest thing I see I will have to tackle is repair/replacement of the automatic transmission. It works like charm, but drips oil... can anybody suggest if a whole new transmission could be bought and where?

General Comments:

As said, it is still too soon to tell, I may regret it later on, but currently:

THIS IS AN AMAZING CAR!

I know it has its quirks, but the feeling on the road is amazing, the engine sound is awesome, and the mileage is actually quite OK if you realize the car is a troller, not a racing machine...

It is so comfy it's amazing... kids love it... dogs love it... my wife loves it...

I wouldn't mind rebuilding some of these things from scratch and using the car for years to come, especially as it has an LPG system installed, running at 10-12 l/100 km, which at 50% of the price of petrol is a bargain for such a car.

Faults:

Power train control module replaced.

Strut towers rusted through.

Body control module has a mind of its own.

Multiple belt tensioners.

Power steering pump.

Power steering high pressure line.

Fuel pump.

A whole bunch of sensors, fuses, and relays.

Alarm is touchy.

Overhead display is dead.

Had to re-solder gauge cluster.

Broken OHV pedestal in cylinder head.

Broken flywheel "marbles" sound.

Eats rotors and brake pads quickly.

General Comments:

Got the van used for $1,600 because of the AWD option for MN winters. I had previously owned '98 and '99 Grand Caravans (same vehicle), none of them bought brand new. For some reason, I keep returning to these vehicles.

It's a good thing I can do my own repairs and parts are (relatively) cheap for these vans. Otherwise, the repair and maintenance costs would have been unbearable. Granted, my current van is approaching 15 years old now, and most of these repairs are maintenance and upkeep.

Even basic tune-ups require removing the wiper assembly and upper intake manifold to reach the rear spark plugs.

AWD system works extremely well.

Very comfortable inside with captain seats.

Stock Infinity sound system is not bad.

3.8L engine provides enough "move" power to get around town, but eats gas like crazy. About $65 to fill up a full tank now with about 15-18 mpg around town.

Transmission 4th gear "overdrive" kicks in at around 45 mph, and runs about 2,000 rpm at 60 mph smoothly.

Will probably drive this van until 200K miles.

Faults:

Replaced the engine at 92000 miles.

At 78K miles, I purchased the vehicle, and was driving it home when the water pump froze up, and we had to stop midway and service it.

Also had replaced the AC system, belt, battery and transmission last year at 129k miles.

The front passenger window has now failed to power up. Looks like the power window regulator cabling has failed.

The van has a fuel level problem. It shows full with just 13 gallons of fuel. I had replaced the fuel sending unit twice to no avail. The dash indicators often times flash all at the same time, I have a constant check engine and brake light on. The dash lights are also completely dark, and I had checked all fuses. What's the chances the bulbs all burned out? The van thumps when cruising down the interstate and backfires when accelerating. I replaced the air filter, added gas treatment, and will be replacing the fuel filter again.

General Comments:

It's a cozy car, however I am afraid to take my love ones on a long trip or trust the reliability when driving other kids to the ball game outside of town.