1993 Dodge Grand Caravan LE 3.3 liter V6 from North America

Summary:

An excellent choice for a family vehicle

Faults:

At 100000 miles, almost on the mark, the automatic transmission failed. I discovered it has a default mode that keeps the transmission operable though at a limited mode and for a short period of time. This feature was very helpful in getting me home instead of broken down on the side of the road. The transmission was replaced by myself with a rebuilt one from the factory at a cost of $1300.

The van has had a few dealer re-calls that were taken care of very quickly and without question. The tailgate lift supports, the front wiper assembly and the steering column were all taken care of with professionalism.

General Comments:

This van has been very reliable with almost no problems at all. At 132288 miles and 8 years of hard use, this van is still running strong.

I drive this van to work every day and on most of my long distance trips of 400 to 600 miles one way. It handles great while providing a high level of comfort.

This van has very handy features. Movable or re-movable seats allow for use of cargo space. A computer display in the headliner shows useful information like milage both current and average, time of travel, miles until empty, temperature and direction of travel. It has lots of pockets and storage bins.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st June, 2001

10th Oct 2001, 17:05

My mother bought a 93 Grand Caravan used in 99 with 89000 miles on it. It has been recalled many times, but all were fixed by the local Dodge dealer with no problems.

After putting 20000 miles on it, it needed a heater core, and after that there were no problems with it.

It has 145000 miles on it now and she loves it. She lives in pennsylvania and she plans to come and see me this summer in South Carolina in it.

The only other problem was the A/C died at 110000 miles and all it needed was freon. It worked great after that at a cost of about 50$.

She loves it and and has no plans of selling it any time soon.

23rd Dec 2005, 21:07

Wow, your Caravan went 100,000 miles before the transmission failed! That's the most miles I've ever heard of. Ours is more typical: first failure at 39,000, second failure about 10,000 miles later, but the third transmission has been going strong for 90,000 miles.

1993 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3 liter from North America

Summary:

Worst car imaginable

Faults:

Just about everything imaginable has gone wrong with it:

Transmission at least twice.

Anti-lock braking system totally went bad numerous times.

Engine was prone to cease functioning properly, could have gotten a Bentley with for less than I spent repairing this piece of junk. Never had more than four months without it being in the shop.

General Comments:

Piece of crap. Wouldn't get into a Chrysler made ambulance if I was dying.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st May, 2001

8th Jun 2001, 16:20

Amen brother! As bad a piece of tin as man has designed. Maybe even worse than my 1974 Fiat 128. But there is some good news. After the ABS was replaced twice and the tranny once at 107,000 miles, it has run fine. 144,000 on it now, and although I won't drive it to the Sierras, it runs on the flats OK. Their original transmission was the cause of many ills, including 107,000 miles of very rough idling. I hope Daimler shuts them down. Two Dodges is enough for one lifetime. And don't get me started on the worst dealers in the Galaxy.

1st Jul 2002, 09:40

I owned a Dodge Grand Caravan ES 1992 since 4 years. I spent 9000$ CAN on repairs. The worst vehicle I ever had, including a Plymouth TC3 Horizon. I am lucky, the only thing that did not break yet was the transmission. It's the last Chrysler product that you'll see in my driveway.

13th Feb 2011, 22:59

For all of the people who say this will be my last Chrysler in the driveway, it's your loss. There is nothing like driving a Chrysler product. Excellent, classy and real lookers. Do some maintenance and you shall have a great vehicle!

1993 Dodge Grand Caravan SE 3.3 liter from North America

Faults:

Three transmissions within 95,000 miles.

General Comments:

Comfortable, stylish and very responsive. A true joy to drive. The only problem is the C604 transmission that Dodge chose to put into these Vans (as well as several models of their cars). At $2000 a pop, replacing the transmission is an expensive proposition to entertain every two years or so.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 11th January, 2000

2nd Oct 2002, 10:24

I will like to share my experience with you all. I bought my Grand Caravan in July 1993. On or about the 96,000 miles the transmission, A604, went nuts. Last July 2001, I spend $1,800 on a new transmission (refurbished), I had to return the vehicle to the shop on about five ocassions, finally the van was on the road again on or about October 2002. Still the transmission was not working properly. Discussed by the first experience I did not return the vehicle to have it fix, so around 25 Sep 02 the transmission went nuts again and now they want me to spend around $1,300 to have another transmission installed (refurbished). Listening to other friends' experiences there is a big problem out there with the A604 transmissions and the Dodge/Chrysler folks don't want to admit it. How much it will take for the Dodge Company to admit the failure of the A604 transmissions!!