Faults:

Radiator.

Thermostat.

Transmission (moms BF fault).

Water hose.

General Comments:

Well we purchased a 1998 Dodge Caravan in the summer of 2006. It's in very good condition for 149k miles. Nice, stylish and reliable at a price that was easy on the bank account.

Exterior.

I really think the engineers at Chrysler did a very good job on the design of the vehicle; Chrysler's cab forward design just makes it look so sleek and sexy for 1998. It really looks like a truck from behind if you ask me. I think they were thinking of everyone (male/female); the back it looks masculine and strong, but as you move to the front it gets a little softer, but still keeps that edge. It's very aerodynamic and cuts through the air. They also hid the track that the door slides on, so it looks less like a minivan.

Interior.

Very sleek from front to back. The seats are very comfy, and the fabric seems easy to clean and strong. I hate the plastic; it rattles, but it's easy to wash when messes and dirt come on board.

The instrument panel is nicely laid out, but I wish the base model had a RPM gauge and a CD player. It's very quiet and it soaks up road noise.

Handling/Suspension.

For a vehicle that's really tall, it handles on the dime. It has a tendency to understeer in hard turns, but can be easily corrected by touching the brakes. Feedback from the wheel is artificial at low speeds, but you feel more connected at higher speeds. It does a good job at handling bumps. But the ones it can't handle, it sends it through the plastic.

Engine/Transmission.

Engine is strong and the throttle response is okay over 20 MPH. Transmission is good, but cannot be abused, or else it will die.

Faults:

Rebuilt transmission at 217000 miles.

Intermittent wipers no longer work, but we can live with that.

Replaced water pump at 218000 miles.

All mileage numbers are verifiable.

General Comments:

Seats are comfortable on long trips.

Vehicle has been over most of the United States without any problems.

The van still gets at least 19 mpg, and is routinely serviced. The van is never treated as it were a high performance vehicle.

Faults:

Nothing went wrong with the vehicle since I had it, aside from needing a tune-up last year (got the spark plugs replaced, new plug wires, distributor cap).

I changed oil regularly, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, transmission fluid flush, coolant flush, and checked the oil at regular intervals.

General Comments:

I drove this van 60000 kilometers in three years, and had no issues aside from maintenance.

I traded in the van recently for a small Pontiac car, I would definitely buy Dodge again, but I no longer had a need for a van, as my step dad has a van I can borrow.

It was extremely handy when moving accross the country (drove it 3800 kilometers in one trip), it got better gas mileage than my step dad's newer van (although his had a 4.2 litre beefed up sport engine).

All in all, I was very happy with the van, and I didn't abuse it much (only sometimes).

At 319000 kilometers it still ran like a new van, suspension good, steering components were all tight. Being as the vehicle was mostly driven in arid conditions ,it didn't rust and wasn't exposed to salt. I didn't have to treat it for salt.

This has been my favourite vehicle so far. Much better than the Subaru Legacy I had previously. Save money and buy a well maintained domestic vehicle! The V6 engine has lots of power and is decent on fuel (although with fuel prices now, it's relative)