Am new to Dodge family but just purchased a used 2006 Grand Caravan.
The van comes with power locks and windows and I assumed when I
purchased that this included keyless entry. When I took a test drive
the salesman said he couldn't find the proper keys and brought the
"spare" key. It was a standard car key with a grey plastic housing
around the large head of the key. When I went to pick up the van he
gave me the same key and said they were still having trouble finding
the master key but he would get it to me in a couple of days. At this
point in time I questioned him as to whether the vehicle had keyless
entry or not...he told me it does not, only power locks.

As I said, I am new to the Dodge line and I'm not sure if he is
telling the truth or not. Every other manufacturer seems to include
keyless entry in their most basic model of car so I was surprised to
hear the Grand Caravan did not. Was keyless entry standard on the
2006 Grand Caravan? If not, is there any way I can tell whether this
vehicle has this option installed?

He is quoting me around $400 to install a factory keyless entry
system...this seems quite steep to me. Does this sound right? Are
there any 3rd party keyless entry systems you might recommend? A self
install model would be great....looking to save some $$$ here.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

As with any car purchase it is my opinion thatmost car dealers(salesmen) are still dishonest and don't give a damn after you paid for the car.
So the "Buyer beware" is good advice and check out everything before you sign on the dotted line.

 

2006 it very well had keyless entry, the only problem is that without the original remote you will have to go to a dealer and have them run the vin number. as far as aftermarket keyless entrys there are several diffrent ones pretty reasonable. i recently installed a keyless entry with remote start on my dodge truck, only took about 2 hours and works fine costed me 100 bucks from autozone. anyways hope this helps

 

On the window sticker for my 2006 Grand Caravan, sentry key is listed as a standard feature. Sentry key and keyless entry are 2 different things. sentry key requires a special electronic key to prevent theft of the vehicle. Keyless entry is a convenience feature allowing you to lock and unlock the vehicle remotely.