I was wanting to take a poll on how many miles everyone has on their minivans and what issues have come up throughout your ownership. Please state the year, which engine you have, how many miles you have on it now, how many miles it had on it when you bought it, what issues have developed in your time of ownership, what kind of maintenance you have done (oil changes, transmission flushes, belts, brakes, etc.) and the frequency of the maintenance, and how much longer you are planning on owning your minivans.

My parents bought a 1991 Caravan in 1991 with a 2.5L I4 with the a413 3-speed transmission when it was brand new (it was a base model obviously). They put 127K on it before they retired it. They did basic oil changes every 3K miles, I don't know about transmission maintenance, or brakes. Most of the issues I cannot remember other than at the end the oil pump was going out.

They bought an 2002 Caravan in 2001 (which was brand new at the time) with a 3.3L V6 & 41TE match-up. They have about 122K on it currently. The only issues which I can recall is they replaced the climate control after the ***** somehow melted/fused to where they could not be adjusted, the struts were replaced at 60K, the brake pads at 80K, the A/C needed a recharge at around 110K, etc. We had oil changes between 3-4, the transmission fluid flushed at 30K, 60K, 93K, and 120K. My parents have been mentioning retiring it because they are not used to driving a vehicle beyond 135K. It runs about the same as it always has and seems not to have any problems, so I'm suggesting to aim for 200K.

So how's your luck been?

 

1996 dodge avenger 38k.

 

the 3.3L is a VERY reliable engine.
With proper maintenance it could easily surpass 200k.
The trans isn't as durable but is still a good design (except the diff section, but it's better than it used to be)
With proper fluid changes (like your doing) and limited towing your expectations ARE realistic.

Do you get cold winters where you live?

 

Depends on what your definition of cold is. We live in the midwest, the winters are generally below freezing; however, the normal amount of snow isn't that bad. FWD is sufficient for this area. Except for this last winter, we only get the number of snows you can count on one maybe two hands. It rarely drops below 0 degrees F. The van is garaged, however, it isn't a heated garage. We have never towed anything with this van, and we never will. We really don't have anything to tow and if we did, we would just use our S-10 for that since it already has a towing package.

I've seen the 3.3L engines last a long time. My aunt put 270K on her 1991 though she went through two transmissions, partly because she never had any maintenance done to them. I used to have a long list of people who I knew who put over 200K on 3.3L Chrysler engines that I could name off, but I forgot that list and frankly I'm sure you don't want to read that list anyways.

Recently my grandparents had to replace the transmission in their 2003 Stratus I4 when it had 101K on it. Considering that this is the same 41TE transmission, the only two things I could think of that caused this problem was that they had theirs done every 50K instead of the 30K I always go by and once I noticed a bottle of Dexron as well as a bottle of ATF+4 in the trunk. Basically, I'm wanting to figure out how much longer the transmission should hold. I've had a 1997 Intrepid now for 6 years and it has 162,6XX miles and still has the original transmission and it's fine, so I know a 42LE/A606 can hold up for this distance, but our last test on a A604 did not do as well. We had two Dynasties with 3.0L Mitsubishi that lasted until 135K when they started to act up, but in fairness my father didn't know about doing the transmission maintenance back then. I know since then they have improved them a lot with better seals, better transmission fluid, and technology improvements.

So you think 200K would be possible?

 

We had a 1990 Voyageur, 3.0L engine, had about 150,000 miles on it, ran great just rusted out, fairly regular oil changes, brakes, tires, never did any engine work., Same with our current 1996 Caravan, about 140,000 miles, still drive it often, have only done body work. We have a 2005 and 2006 Caravan 3.3L, 80,000 miles, and no work yet except egr valve on the 2006. Our caravans have been very good to us, and always reliable. But, like every other vehicle, dont stand up to the salt here,

 

380K on our 96 GC. typical wheel bearings, 1 altenator, 1 muffler and the latest problem, no signal from upstream o2 sensor. Im fixing that next week!

 

I've owned as followed:
1991 Dodge Grand Caravan LE, 3.3L V6 tranny unknown - regular maintanance, nothing major to report. Sold to my God Son and he uses it as a people mover when he can't squeeze them in his 07 Silverado Extended Cab. Mileage when bought: 3,200. Currently has 155k miles
1994 Plymouth Grand Voyager LE, 3.3L V6 3 speed tranny, Regular Maintanance, went through hell and back. Died when transmission finally failed. Mileage when bought: 2,100. Mileage at time of death, 269,700.
Current:
1996 Dodge Grand Caravan SE Sport, 3.3L V6 4 speed automatic, regular maintance, issues: Battery constantly running down when left sitting overnight, transmission once in a blue moon clunks when downshifting (fluids and flush done at 170k - still does it), passenger side motor and tracks replaced - dealer aligned window and tracks - still don't operate and fuse is good (still tracing down problem), A/C lines has leak someplace (will fix next year), replacing worn brakes tomorrow, clunk in suspension from time to time. Mileage when bought: 168,900. Currently 173k (jus' rolled over).

I have to say I love my van, it's minor things that need fixed and will be fixed. I wouldn't have bought now my 5th Chrysler minivan if they haven't been as reliable as they are. Transmissions, yes I hear are common problems of going out (clutch packs overheating and melting together) on some models. But regular maintanance can arrest these issues in their tracks before they begin. I will probally end up driving this van till the tires fall off and then go buy another one. Happy motoring everyone! JR of KCMO

 

96 Caravan SE 200,643 kilometers = 124,673 miles
92 Saturn SC2 221,000 kilometers = 137,323 miles
85 Ram 150 Unknown
86 Camaro Berlinetta Unknown

 

1996 Dodge Caravan 3.0 - 308,000 mls.
The transmission gave up at 300,000 but since it is easy to replace and not too expensive to get a new one, I decided to go for it. This van still runs great and we drive it to basically any state on an average of 26 mpg.

 

1999 gc sport 192,000 miles. no major problems as of yet. we've owned it since it had 76,000 miles.