2008 Dodge Grand Caravan: Car Board Comments

Dodge Grand Caravan, a POS. Not surprising.

I guess I'm a litte more accepting of an early production exotic car being in the shop, than a middle-of-the-road family vehicle. One was bought for performance, the other for.... uh.... I guess I don't know why but I think reliability was probably on the list.

I find it more shocking that the Smart's keys are there, and for some reason nobody want's them :p

That's fantastic.

"blah blah blah, typical domestic trash, blah blah blah", idiots.

smart for no one?

"I guess I'm a litte more accepting of an early production exotic car being in the shop, than a middle-of-the-road family vehicle. One was bought for performance, the other for.... uh.... "

at least you are man enough to admit you believe in double standards. I can respect you for your honesty.

I'll say neither one really bothers me. This is exactly what happens when you buy first model year cars. This isn't the first time its happened and it won't be the last. The Grand Caravan, GT-R, Aura, Silverado, Veracruz, CTS, Enclave, Focus, and Accord are all first model year cars. These cars have ALL had some sort of problem, from rattles, horns, power steering, etc. We'll see how the the other 1st year cars do over time (CX-9, Flex, Bimmer 1, WRX, Evo, and X5)

"I'll say neither one really bothers me. This is exactly what happens when you buy first model year cars."

More importantly, it's what happens when you have a sample size of one.

Come to think of it, I have noticed that Edmund's LT cars all seem to be in the shop more than usual. This is only one year of ownership...the first year of ownership!! Why do they keep breaking!?!?

So what's it at the dealer for?

Bet it's not in a million pieces why the experts scratch their heads and wonder how to fix. After all it's not a Nissan.

I hope the same sarcastic comment appears for the M3 as well...

"I hope the same sarcastic comment appears for the M3 as well..."
hahaha...

so you are saying that a 62k miles driven to the limits used sport's car has the same reliability as a 15k domestic van?

"I hope the same sarcastic comment appears for the M3 as well...
"

The M3 only needed and altenator and some fan switch. It was done quickly (and overpriced).

"so you are saying that a 62k miles driven to the limits used sport's car has the same reliability as a 15k domestic van?"

No, I'm saying a $20Kto $30K American van has better reliability then an $70K to $80K Japanese sports car.

hopefully if Chrysler works very hard they can get up to Nissan standards of reliability. I dont know about you guys but I expect much more of a $35k vehicle than a $70k vehicle. This once again begs the question: why do they buy vehicles that they totally disdain? Its obvious that the GTR is going to be viewed positively regardless of how much fuel it leaks or how many idiot lights come on or how many days it's out of service. Conversely, the Caravan is going to be ridiculed regardless of how reliable it may or may not be.

Has the GTR been in service more than it's been out of service?

"I find it more shocking that the Smart's keys are there, and for some reason nobody want's them :p"

I see nothing surprising about it at all. If you arent interested in automotive accesories and you have 20 other vehicles to chose from why would you drive the Smartcar? If I had access to free gas and several nice cars to chose from I would avoid the Smart at all costs.

nissans reliability has gone up and up since the 90's. i have a 94 grand voyager and it still runs pretty good, but Chrysler reliability has gone down down down.

Try a $40,000 American van, firstwagon.

Chrysler is one of the most indefensible of today's automakers, yet the claws still come out with nonsensical references to the M3 and the GT-R. The point of the "shocking" comment is that the DGC is a piece of crap, which comes as no surprise to those with even a scintilla of objectivity.

I agree with 1487 and the same goes for the DGC. Hmm lotsa cool cars to drive. Or the 1 minivan or the 1 herky mobile. Everyone is biding their time until they can drive the R8 or the M3.

edubya writes: "Try a $40,000 American van, firstwagon."

I just went to carsdirect.com and priced out the 2009. You have to option it up pretty hard to get it over $30K. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get it anywhere near $40K.

brn,

you're right. I just went on to the dodge.com website, and a fully loaded SXT is about 38,500, but you also get $2,000 back, so pretty much, it's about a $37,000 van. Still not worth it though. :P

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/LongTerm/articleId=125410

I wasn't just being snarky. The DGC actually stickered for $40,200.

But you can also buy the same van minus some toys for $20K. Dodge isn't stupid. If you want to pay for two vans but only get one just to get some gadgets, they will be happy to take your money.

This one has had more minor problems then any of the 5 Caravans we've had among family members over the years. They have been all minor though.

The Grand Caravan is on the short list of vehicles I'm considering to replace my aging 91 Legacy (along with the Fit, Mini and Wrangler, yeah I know.. odd list).

If I buy a Caravan though it will be a slightly used 2006. Better looking, nicer interior, lighter, and thanks to high depreciation, an incredible bargin.