FYI, our 2005 Caravan has over 300,000 miles on it on the original transmission. I drop the pan and throw in a new filter and ATF +4.

 

Alright. I feel a bit better about the trans in this thing.


As for the trailer I wasnt going to go after that one specifically, I just wanted to illustrate the fact I wasnt going to be towing a gooseneck or something...haha

 

TNtech is right. You can always find someone to work on these transmissions. They are really easy to repair. I change the transission filter on my 1996 avenger every 15k and i still have the factory transmission. Besides if you need information on how repair your transmission, I can guide you thru the repairs.

 

Just realized/noticed TNTech isn't far from me. I live in Clarksville...LOL.

Anyways thank you everyone for all of the input/advice, I feel more comfortable with this van lasting now.

I am still looking for the most cost effective/best solution to firm up the rear suspension for towing/cargo in the back. I also haven't decided on what trans cooler I will go with.

 

Airbags and I use the stock transmission cooler when I tow and I usually tow around 4K lbs.

 

Lol, Just give TNtech a call, I am sure he'll hook you up and get it done right.

as for the suspension, I guess you can look into self Load Leveling Shocks. KYB makes them, I think even Mopar has them(which is probably made by KYB). Tho they are quite expensive.

As for the trans cooler, I think you will be fine just walk into the Part store and pick one that can fit in front of the condenser. But like many ppl said, if you are only towing a few hundred pounds, you'll be fine.
One of my Co-worker's dad is a plumber, he load up his van with steel pipes and tools every day, his van just hit 120k on original trans. Tho, he's pretty aggressive on changing the fluid every 30k miles.

 

As long as the previous owner didn't abuse the heck out of it, you should be fine for quite some time. I see these in the high 100s and 200s every day. It's almost never anything really serious. Keep in mind though it will nickel and dime you from time to time because it IS 8 years old with 155K on it. Even IF you ever had to put a tranny in it, you're still only out 4 or 5 monthly payments if you had a new one. I'll take that deal any day. Thats why my '97 truck gets resurrected constantly.

 

Oh, I am with you on the nickel and dime being cheaper. I have a 20+ yr old car you have never heard of(or atleast not recently..lol) as well : Merkur XR4ti. I'm in the beginning stages of swapping the engine out of it and swapping a turboed Duratec froma Ranger into it. So, I'm not scared of working on stuff. I just have a mistrust of automatic transmissions and a fear of being stranded on the side of the interstate..with my family, 400 miles from anywhere that would be a better place to break down.

 

Also, for the weight thing, I've thought about that too. I've had the van basically cubed out with luggage and wedding gifts, with my wife, my 2 kids and myself in it..and it did ok. So I guess I dont see why I should worry.


Airbags. Do you have a link or atleast some info on what you are using?

 

No air bags. Those requires pump and some complicated installation, it gets expensive.
I am talking about Self Leveling shocks where it has an internal pump that relies on the Jounce of the car to adjust height and pressure. Sometimes you have to drive the car few blocks for it to change height. They are direct replacement of your OE shocks.

A lot of the 08+ caravan comes with it from the factory, and it works pretty good.