Our 2005 is starting to give us some pretty serious troubles and seems to be in for a lot of big ticket items very soon. Rather than spend ~$1500 on repairing our current van we are considering selling it / trading it in as is and upgrading to a 5th generation van. Yes it is more money than repairing our current van (likely about $4800 vs $1500 to fix it) but I feel like we gain a some things by upgrading and so I would like to learn more.

Currently we have a 2005 Grand Caravan Stow n Go model with rear heat/ac and DVD player. We don't have the overhead computer of any kind and it only has 133000km. It does have ABS and cruise, but no steering wheel audio controls or traction control.

I am considering a 2008-2010 Grand Caravan, most of them seem to have 75,000-120,000km on them and they seem to all have stow n go. I think I'd like another one with rear heat/air, and some in our price range also have the rear DVD player (nearly a MUST have for the kids) though I don't care at all about satnav unless it also includes a backup camera (my wife would like it, I just use the windows to back up!).

Here is what I am concerned about:
Rear heat/ac leaks - do the 5th generation vans have the same issue as the 4th gen vans?
Steering / suspension issues - squeaky bump stops, repeatedly failing swaybar bushings, etc?
Will my winter wheels and tires from my current van fit a 5th generation van?
Something else that I don't know about? What would be different that might be really inconvenient / annoying?

I've looked over ads for about 20 vans and I have noticed it seems that you can no longer get a tachometer on the 5th gen vans - is this true?
What about second row power windows - are they available on all years for the 5th generation? Are they standard?


Please don't lecture me about trying to fix my current van. That is still an option and is something we are considering and I already know everything about what it would take/cost and what I would end up with at the end. It has been talked about until I am blue in the face and we aren't done with that yet. To make an informed decision I would like to learn all I can about 5th generation vans so please help me Thanks in advance!

 

We picked up a 2011 GC SXT with 44,000km, and it does have a tach.

I would suggest looking at 2011 or newer if possible - from what I have read, the 3.6L engine is much better than the 3.3l, 3.8l, or 4.0l engines. More power and better fuel economy, and maybe better reliability. I am VERY impressed with the ride and power in our van.

Also, Dodge did some nice interior upgrades for the 2011 and later GC.

There are a huge number of these with the Family Entertainment Package, which gives you the 6" display on the centre console, overhead second row DVD, power second row windows, three area air, back up camera, and a few other things.

 

A 2011 with the 3.6L engine is also a lot more money, 2008-2010 vans with the 3.3L engine are available for under $10,000 here. 2011s seem to be more around the $13,000-$15,000 range. Unfortunately I just don't have that much money sitting around so they're out of the question.

Is the tach available on 2008-2010 vans? What about the backup camera?
I found an interesting looking 2008 with the nav system, and although I honestly couldn't care less about having satnav, I was wondering - would that have a backup camera? The salesperson didn't know when I called to check (and he also listed it as having a tach when it clearly doesn't).

 

I hear you!

A thought on not having a van - I picked up a bluetooth OBDII reader that works with smart phones. It reads the OBDII codes and sents them to the phone via bluetooth.

The adapters I have, including shipping, cost $22.50. You can get them for as low as $10 from the far east, places like dx.com. The ones I have only work with Android - my GF's iPhone 3Gs will not even see the Bluetooth signal. Others in this price range do work with iPhones.

If you have a smart phone, you could get one of these adapters and use it for a tack. That is one of the functions supported. You can leave the adapter plugged in, and each time you get into the van the phone will link automatically.

I also have mine linked to my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10" tablet running Android. What is this relevant? Because this is an older model, and you can likely find them at a good price. I got mine for free as part of an upgrade to my Rogers cable services.....

Works very well, is very inexpensive, and it is neat to be able to monitor your OBDII codes in real time.

 

I am now offically jealous! I paid $18,500 for my 2011 GX SXT with 44,000km, and for this area that was a very good price! Sounds like I should move next time we need a new vehicle.....

 

Don't be too upset, I am mostly looking at the cheapest of each model available trying to find an underpriced gem, or at least something acceptable. Also, yours is SXT, I am mostly looking at SE models.