1996 Dodge Grand Caravan - Excellent Audio Hauler - Well, Maybe??

[dgwojo]

My neighbor requested some help selling his mini-van, as-is, I already have one so I have to pass on it, although this van is set-up for 7 passengers, the back seats are easy to remove and haul speakers or other audio related gear. Now the good news and bad news, of course the good first, it's cheap, in great condition for a 96 with 141k on the clock, now that bad, it will have to be towed as the transmission blew, ouch!! Estimates start at $1300 to have it repaired, the van was already replaced so it's for sale right now, the first $1k USD or best offer takes it, I have nothing to gain from it so I'm just passing on phone numbers to whoever e-mails me on it, no PM's please!! This of course is an excellent deal for someone that owns or works at a tranny shop, everything else works great, $1800 was put into the climate control last year. Kelly Blue Book lists the private party value at $3170 for "fair" condition with known defects, so, $1k sounds pretty fair, good luck, Dave.

KBB (http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/ke.kb.sp?kbb;;MI125;&48178&&usedCars;slp&)
Options List;
Engine: V6 3.3 Liter
Transmission: Automatic
Drivetrain: FWD
Mileage: 141,000
Selected Standard Equipment
7 Passenger
Air Conditioning
Power Steering
Power Windows Power Door Locks
Tilt Wheel
Cruise Control
AM/FM Stereo Cassette
Dual Front Air Bags
ABS (4-Wheel)
Selected Optional Equipment
Second Sliding Door
Rear Air Premium Sound
Roof Rack Privacy Glass
Alloy Wheels

[SPL db]

Too bad you're that far away... I'd be interested, but it would cost too much in fuel to trailer it home... :(

Scott

[dgwojo]

Too bad you're that far away... I'd be interested, but it would cost too much in fuel to trailer it home... :(

Scott
Yep, you're a bit far!! :no:

[SPL db]

By the way... what's with the front air dam?

Looks like it's in primer... :scratch2:

Just dirty?

Scott

[dgwojo]

By the way... what's with the front air dam?

Looks like it's in primer... :scratch2:

Just dirty?

Scott
I didn't see any primer, just bare plastic if it's the front bumper you're referring to, the plastic is probably bare from 141k, I think that color looks better than the typical yellow most plastic is under the paint!! BTW, it is a 1996 and that makes it over 10 years old!! :sigh:

[dgwojo]

I forgot the milage picture, the dust is free and included!! The van is located near US23 & M36 for the Michiganders who know the area, Dave. :yes:

[speidi1]

It seems like everytime I'm driving down the road and I see that tell-tale oil smoke and I follow it to it's source, it's from a Dodge Caravan or Plymouth Voyager.

Just my own pesonal experience.

[wajobu]

Nope...that's not the Ford GT I saw in your driveway recently, but it's a clean mini-van!

[dgwojo]

Nope...that's not the Ford GT I saw in your driveway recently, but it's a clean mini-van!
You my friend have a good memory, the van is not in my driveway though!!

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=17402

[dgwojo]

It seems like everytime I'm driving down the road and I see that tell-tale oil smoke and I follow it to it's source, it's from a Dodge Caravan or Plymouth Voyager.

Just my own pesonal experience.
I've never seen any smoke signals from this van, being a fleet vehicle in the beginning it was on a religious maintenance schedule, Dave. :nono: :smoke: :dammit:

[speidi1]

I've never seen any smoke signals from this van, being a fleet vehicle in the beginning it was on a religious maintenance schedule, Dave. :nono: :smoke: :dammit:

I guess the soccer mom's ain't got time for the religious maintenance thing.

[speidi1]

You my friend have a good memory, the van is not in my driveway though!!

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=17402
I think it was one of those I beat from the stop light at broadway/kolb to the light at broadway/jessica in my Xterra.

maybe i'm wrong.

[Donkey!]

It probably wasn't broken in yet, the only Nissan that could get close to beating that puppy is a jacked up SkyLine GTR.

I would take the SkyLine GTR though, import of course.

[Randy Bassham]

It seems like everytime I'm driving down the road and I see that tell-tale oil smoke and I follow it to it's source, it's from a Dodge Caravan or Plymouth Voyager.

Just my own pesonal experience.

The engine that Chrysler used that was the smoker was the Mitsubishi 3.0 ltr V-6. The early ones prior to 1993 were the worst, but they were all prone to having valve seal problems which caused the smoking. This van has the 3.3 ltr Chrysler V-6 which is pretty much bullet proof.

[blue_lateral]

The problem with the 3.0 was pretty much fixed by the late 90's. In the older ones the valve guides actually fall out! Makes a little smoke......

[dgwojo]

The problem with the 3.0 was pretty much fixed by the late 90's. In the older ones the valve guides actually fall out! Makes a little smoke......
Excellent information, thanks for posting it, Dave. :yes:

[Andyman]

The problem with the 3.0 was pretty much fixed by the late 90's. In the older ones the valve guides actually fall out! Makes a little smoke......

Yep, we had one of them in an 1988 Caravan. I figured that I could buy a lot of oil for the price of a valve job, so I just kept dumping it in. When we sold it after sitting in the drive for a few months, my wife said it smoked up a storm all the way around the corner when it drove away!!

[Parky50]

That's a great deal... $2300.00 after the tranny for a good used and dependable van !!!

I picked up a 2001 Grand Caravan last year that I've been using to haul the kid's and audio gear around. I was getting really tired of crawling in and out of the GEO Tracker's backseat to fasten our toddler in the car seat... just to do it all over again in 5 minutes when we arrived to the store. :no:

That van almost carry anything without the seats in there, ton's of space... :thmbsp:

[Pickoid]

I have a 2000 Caravan with the 3.0 Mitsubishi V6. We have just over 100k miles on it. No problems with oil burning yet, but we did have to get the tranny rebuilt at 80k. We're on pace to put less than 10k miles on it this year, which is a good thing IMO. I'm just hoping for one more good year of service out of it before I have to bite the bullet and buy a new Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna.

That '96 is a pretty nice looking van. Seems like a good deal to me if the tranny is all that's wrong with it. A Chrysler minivan without tranny problems is about as common as SX-1980's in thrift stores. :D

[blue_lateral]

I have a 2000 Caravan with the 3.0 Mitsubishi V6. We have just over 100k miles on it. No problems with oil burning yet, but we did have to get the tranny rebuilt at 80k. We're on pace to put less than 10k miles on it this year, which is a good thing IMO. I'm just hoping for one more good year of service out of it before I have to bite the bullet and buy a new Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna.

That '96 is a pretty nice looking van. Seems like a good deal to me if the tranny is all that's wrong with it. A Chrysler minivan without tranny problems is about as common as SX-1980's in thrift stores. :D

When I was working on them in the late '90s, there were still some problems with the 4speed automatics. The 3.0 engines were pretty much bulletproof by then. A couple of my coworkers special ordered loaded long-wheelbase grand caravans with the 3.0 and the 3speed automatic. The 3speed was pretty much bulletproof.

The situation was this: The 3.3/3.8 (chrysler) engine was available only with the 4speed automatic. The 3.0 (mitsubishi) was available with either trans. My co-workers did this to delete the 4speed.

The 3.0/3speed combo probably would have only come on the cheapest most stripped short-wheelbase vans, except on a special order.

The 4speed makes the van feel a lot peppier, and since it's electronic, can do a lot more shifting to the "correct" gear for the load and conditions. It feels better. It feels modern. It really was cutting edge technology when it was introduced (1989?). But, it can break.

The 3speed feels like an old fashioned automatic, because thats exactly what it is. It's a doddering old remnant from the days when Chrysler automatics lasted practically forever. It owes quite a lot of it's design to the a-904, introduced in 1960.

Even with the potential trans problems, these were the best minivans going at the time, IMHO.

John

[dgwojo]

I'll be in Cleveland all week-end but will get a chance to check e-mails Saturday night in case anyone needs he neighbors phone number, thanks, Dave. :banana:


http://www.photohome.com/pictures/ohio-pictures/cleveland/downtown-cleveland-2a.jpg

[3Guncolor]

They are great vans I have one just like it. But I will say the trany is a weak spot. My died at 80k miles. I went down to see it being repair and I couldn't believe the condition it was in.

[cruisaire]

Just before the 4th replacement transmission in my '93 Grand SE (1st unit went out at 72,000 - just out of warranty), I sold mine for 2500 and bought a much better product in a Toyota. Chrysler really let a great little mini-van morph into an expensive problem by not addressing the pressure problems and others in the tranny.

[Randy Bassham]

My 92 Grand Voyager ran 169,000 on the original 4 speed overdrive and a snap ring broke on the second gear clutch pack. The transmission was in good shape other than the snap ring but since it was out of the van I had the mechanic go ahead and do a rebuild, I've got 180,000 on it now and it's doing great. The total maintenence on the 3.3 has been 3 sets of spark plugs, 2 water pumps and a starter rebuild, it's using about a half quart of oil now in 3000 miles, it's needing valve cover gaskets and a front crankshaft seal but I'm in no hurry. Last December I bought Momma a Town & Country, I hope it gives me the same service. The Town & Country is my 4th Chrysler van, I started with an 85 Voyager with the 2.2 4 cylinder (very slow) then an 88 Grand Voyager with the 3.0 that dropped the valve guides at about 150,000 and developed the smoking problem.

[gearhead]

Is the trans good enough to drive it up onto a trailer?
Or would it have to be winched on?

[dgwojo]

Is the trans good enough to drive it up onto a trailer?
Or would it have to be winched on?
I think it would have to be winched, I haven't seen it move since it came to rest in the driveway, e-mail me if you want the phone number to talk to the owner, he's a real nice guy, Dave. :yes:

[rt426]

The problem with the 3.0 was pretty much fixed by the late 90's. In the older ones the valve guides actually fall out! Makes a little smoke......

and even the older ones that DO smoke are still pretty much rock solid runners... they have a history of running WELL into the 100,000's and do not use a lot of oil. But it is somewhat embarrassing.

The 3.3L and larger 3.8 are Chrysler powered, and great motors. I've seen them with over 200K that still run great.

[dgwojo]

The owner of the van had the tranny repaired and it's been going for about a year now, it still runs great!!

[saltwater]

my wife drives one everyday. 189,000 miles on it tranny went around 100,000. stil strong dont burn oil, fuel pump went out. 3.3

[www.records]

I had to replace a tranny on a BMW. I went to a salvage yard and had them look search nationwide for a used tranny. Got one out of a car that had 66,000 miles on it sent to Missouri from Conn. for $650 and it had a 60 day guarantee. And trust me, BMW parts are rediculously expensive. What I am trying to say in as many words as I can possibly use is that a person could probably get a good salvage tranny for not much money. Just another option to get that van on the road again. Looks pretty nice for the asking price.