After nearly 3 years of not owning a van, I have several compelling reasons for buying yet another one. Consider the following:
Our daughter is about to get her license and we'll be needing another car.
We've missed the versatility of having a van upon occasion (especially last weekend when my wife and I participated in the Reach the Beach relay, my second).
I found a beautiful 1999 T&C Limited in white with a tan leather interior, with 186,000 miles on the clock, and with hardly a scratch on it, for only $1,000. What's the catch? The check engine light is currently on. Oh, and it is exactly 3,151 miles away from me (per Google Maps); the good news it is only two hours away from the Navy base where my son is stationed.
That's a great find! I'd say get the code(s) and, if not too formidable, go for it:thumb: Besides, you need something to keep you busy besides policing the riff raff here:biggrin:
Funny thing, those 3rd gens. I'm looking to upgrade next year, and one thing that I want is Stow & Go, which would mean 4th gen or newer, yet I really like the whole package of the 3rd gen (seating, styling, options, etc) other than the lack of S&G. Oh, and the cost too.
Good luck with that purchase, hope it turns out to be a good one.
We've already owned two Gen 3s and a Gen 4 (pre Stow-N-Go), and I have rented and ridden in several Stow-N-Go vans (most notably last year during Reach the Beach), and while the stowable seats are convenient, they are nowhere near as comfortable as the Gen 3 and Gen 4 standard seating. Given my druthers, I prefer the Gen 3 over the early Gen 4s, even though the Gen 4s have slightly better power and fuel economy, much better lighting, and, at least on the 4-wheel disc models, MUCH better brakes.
I'll keep y'all posted on how this deal works out.
I bought my '99 GC in January of 2007. The check engine light has been on the whole time. I've had it checked more than once, even by a dealer, and no one can figure out why it's on. Van runs great, no problems at all. I just ignore it now.
I had a 2009 Grand Caravan for 3 years. It had the 3.3L and stow and go seats. The thing was a dog. Had no power, acceleration was dismal. It cornered like a pregnant hippo. Fuel economy was a joke, lucky to get 15mpg in town and 17 on a long trip.
In addition, if the outside temperature was lower than 70 degrees F, the dash lights including the odometer and compass did not work at all!
I sold it with 77K miles to a used car dealer for $8000. They sold it for more than $10,000 within a month. Good riddance and good luck to the new owner!
I bought a 1997 Gen 3 Caravan LE with the 3.3L for $1800 with 133K miles and it is night and day difference! The shorter wheelbase and leaf spring rear end is awesome! And the thing really has POWER! And mileage on a long trip was in the 20's!
I have no worry about it, and if something does go wrong, I'd buy another one!
I'm sorry to say that 5th gens are just terrible. They should have kept the leaf spring suspension and ditch all the computer wiring, there is no advantage to it. If you have a gen 3 that runs good, keep it!
The previously mentioned Check Engine Light, that I can deal with, and it might also be related to the transmission (see item 2)
When I offered to send a deposit to the owner he advised me the transmission was in Limp Home Mode (LHM) as in operating only in second gear. If I recall correctly, LHM usually means one of the speed sensors has crapped out, however, on some occasions it also means a new tranny.
Given the otherwise pristine condition of the van, I'm still inclined to do the deal, even if it needs a new transmission, and as such, I just sent them a deposit; looks like a 3,500 mile road trip is in my near future.
The van is at a shop right now and the tech is "pretty sure" the issue is the output speed sensor. Once that issue is cleaned up I'll finish the transaction and then schedule my flight out to the left coast.
Sounds like the van is a good deal...you cant beat that price...and sounds clean to boot...have had my 97 AWD CG for 17 years...main mode of transportation now and one of the best rides I have ever owned...last count that was over 100 different cars trucks etc that ran the range of makes models and years...basically fixed most everything that has gone wrong with replacement parts over those 17 years...like it to the point most likely will keep it running no matter what I like it that much...know down the road it could be wasted money but still cheaper that buying something else and losing the depreciation over the years...still feel the 3rd gen is the best body style of all years made...IMO...good luck with the purchase you cant go wrong spending a grand...
I have to agree, I like the Gen 3s the best, in spite of the crappy headlights and brakes. When we had both a Gen 3 and a Gen 4, I almost always chose the Gen 3 to drive, it just fit me better.
I think the 3G van hits the nail on the head with the styling and general shape/contours.
The newer vans ran off the rails of progress into the ugly swamp. What is with this blocky/angular styling that all new cars seem to run with today? Did the stylists just run out of ideas and started copying the look of butchered 2x4's? It's not just minivans or Chrysler even. There are very few auto designs that survived much past Y2K without getting hit with the ugly stick, hard & repeatedly.
Look at even the Japanese brands with a car like the Camry. When it went from the 2nd generation to the 3rd generation in '93 it was a huge jump forward in styling. It looks modern still today in a stylish Lexus sort of way (The Camry actually was the same body as the Lexus ES300) It was Toyota's top of the line car until the Avalon came about. Then in '96 or '97 the 4th generation came around and they really cheapened it up and made it an uglier chintzier econobox. I owned both a '94 and a '97 at the same time in 2000 and the difference between the two cars was striking going from one to the other side-by-side. The '97 just "felt" cheap and crappy even just opening and closing the driver's door. They dumbed the styling down too -a little more angular with the rear end. Each successive body change after that made it uglier and uglier. The 90's seem like they were the pinnacle of mainstream automotive design. Stuff made after Y2K just looks like arse if you ask me. Maybe I'm just getting old and want the kids off of my lawn. But the newer designs leave me cold. The newer T&C's are so ugly I can barely stand to look at them.
As for the headlights on the 3rd Gen. Are they really that bad? Now that I've got the originals replaced with new aftermarket Eagle Eyes lights they seem fantastic to me. The best lights I've ever had in a car. I've never owned or driven an HID system though. So I've not been spoiled. The brakes seem to work fine for me, although they do not suffer a driver who uses the too much or rests a foot on the pedal. When my mom drove this van she went through brakes at an incredibly high rate. She's a two-footed driver. That'll happen. The rotors are a bit thin and will warp if over-used or overheated. People use their brakes way too much IMHO. Brakes are for stopping, if you are using them for slowing down you are not watching what you are doing, paying attention, or looking far enough down the road IMHO. Let up the gas to slow down. If you have to hit the brakes it usually means you made a mistake somewhere...
As to the brakes and lights I agree...for me driving IM light on the brakes and the gas pedal...didnt replace the brakes on my mini until it had 175K...most of that due to my driving habits...do a lot of coasting using brakes only when necessary...after market lights have improved much but wasnt thinking when I replaced mine with the stock ones...toying with the idea of completely redoing my suspension system and upgrading the brakes...but just ideas at this point...but for me think it would be worth the money...and my 97 is a keeper...happy driving it...but there always is that question is it really worth it? If it wasnt a daily driver I might reconsider...but everytime IM on the road I see more cars that I wouldnt own rather that seeing ones id feel like buying...crazy as it may be the 3rd gen minis still catch my eye if its clean and well maintained...
I asked the seller of the van to drop it off at a shop in their town to have the transmission codes pulled and have things checked out. They pulled the pan and found significant metal, as in broken parts in there; long story short, the transmission, which is the factory original, is toast.
I'm going to buy a remanufactured unit, most likely from one of the following remanufacturers:
Moveras
All Trans
National Trans
ETE Reman
I don't suppose any of y'all have ever used a transmission from one of them.
I agree about the seat comfort. Rented a 2014 Town and Country, the seats are not as comfortable as my old 98 GCV. My wife commented on them after 100 miles. One great safety feature is the blind spot mirror alerts. A must for my next purchase.
Well, the trip is set; I fly out of Boston on the 15th to San Francisco, transport myself down to the shop where the van is, see some friends and family, including my son who is stationed at NAS Lemoore, and then head east for about 3,500 miles. I still haven't decided on which route to take, I'll probably make that decision once I start heading east and largely base the route on the weather forecast.
Good luck on your adventure...I use to live on the SF Peninsula south of San Francisico...very beautiful place to be...my brother was stationed at the NAS Lemoore back in the early 70s...if you have the time to enjoy some of the Bay Area it would be well worth it if time allows...it truly is a great place to explore sights sounds and food...good luck on the van still think the 3rd gens are the best looking of all the years...but then it may be because I compair them to the others and they still stand out where most just see a mini van...
As for the Bay area, I used to live there back in the 1970s and have visited numerous times since then, so I'm pretty familiar the region. That said, my take on the whole left coast scene is it's a nice place to visit, but I'm glad I no longer live there.
Thanks; current route is through Arizona and New Mexico before I start angling northeast to head through Oklahoma City and Saint Louis. If anything changes I'll let you know.
Hey gang, I'm on the way home and am just east of Reno; a slight change of plans has me thinking of staying on I-80 all of the way into Ohio and then splitting off onto I-90; so much for the southern route.
When I picked her up I immediately discovered a few squawks:
Leaking ATF; took it back to the shop that installed the tranny and they diagnosed a leaking nipple to one of the cooling lines.
Whining sound when transmission is in gear. The outfit which did the remanufacture of the unit (Moveras) said the transmission will loosen up with a few miles and the noise will go away. It appears they are correct, after just over 1,100 miles the transmission is almost completely silent.
No Cruise Control; diagnosed as a bad vacuum battery tray.
Bad front tires; diagnosed as a bad alignment
Bad fuel economy (first 500 highway miles yielded only 16.7 MPG); I strongly suspected the upstream O2 sensor, however, the problem corrected itself and my second 500 miles has yielded nearly 23 MPG in spite of climbing from the San Francisco Bay area up to and over the Donner Pass.
Here are a couple of shots of the new van (and yeah, it really is that clean):
Full size shots can be found at the following links:
Good looking ride in white...like the wheels as well...looks like it was worth the $1000...
Cant beat a California car for being rust free...with some TLC
should get another 186K out of of it...
Great looking van! Rest of the trip should be a piece of cake.
Have you thought about the "southern route" through NY - I86? I've always gone that way since it avoids the lake effect snow in Buffalo, and I think it's a lot more scenic. Great views through that minivan front glass!
Yeah, that's an option as well, however, I *may* hop up to the Detroit area to visit my brother and then shoot across Ontario to Buffalo which kinda-sorta eliminates the I-86 option.
I thought it was the old classic white when I bought it via Craig's list, however, this is the white with the very light dusting of gold metallic in the paint; kinda cool looking. As for the headlights, the photo is a bit deceptive; they have yellowed quite a bit, not as bad as some, but certainly worthy of having the surface layer of the polycarbonate removed to restore their brilliance.
Flipped 187,000 miles this evening. As good as the exterior looks, and as good as the interior looks at first blush, I had all of the seats out for a while this weekend to help haul a van load of IKEA stuff for my son, and there is definitely signs of use; mostly traces of baby puke, some chewing gum, crayons, and other unidentifiable kid detritus.
The good news is with a straight and very clean body and pretty much all of the mechanicals and electronics in fully operative condition, I can gradually clean the interior up and keep the old girl for an easy ten years (remember, she's going to be a third/spare car for my wife and me). My next car purchase is to find a sweet Gen 2 Miata with a 6-Speed for my daily driver and get rid of the extremely competent but BOOOORRRRING Accord.
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