Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country

I'm a sales rep and am compensated with company cars. Two of my leases (six years total) were the Dodge Caravans and I hated them because they always broke down. It wasn't my dime, I was always put in a rental when it happened but I would never pay for a Caravan. It was nice for hauling stuff but too unreliable. Good luck!

They are basically the same.

I had a 1997 Town and Country for 10 yrs, less than 70,000 miles, NEVER an issue. I especially loved it because I could walk between the passeger and driver seat to tend to daughter if needed. Loved being able to removed seats, etc.

This became our Home Depot van for loads. We actually miss it now for loading because we drive sportier more luxury cars and when we have a big home Depot run, we rent one of their trucks.

We got rid of it in 2007 when I graduated from minivan. Based on our experience....if I had to buy a minivan again, I would shop the Town and Country.

I had first Dodge Caravan and it lasted many miles; 2nd Dodge caravan needed transmission at 49K miles and luckily I had extended warranty but we were curious about when it was going to need next new transmission so we got a Toyota Sienna - it has 154K miles on it and it has the same transmission. I would never buy another Dodge. I would only buy Toyota or Honda minivan because they are known to have engines that last longer.
BTW when I got the new transmission for my 2nd Dodge, I still had to pay out of my pocket for a rental car for the whole week my dodge was getting the replacement transmission.

After much research I bought a T&C. I got a 2008 with only 25k miles and purchased an extended bumper to bumper warranty. It's okay, I like all the bells and whistles we could afford to get - we got dual DVD screens, leather, a built in hard drive for music storage, rear view camera, remote doors and tailgate.. and that's just the start. It has lots of space for groceries, luggage, etc and an insane amount of drink holders.

That said, it does feel 'cheaper'... it doesn't seem as quiet when I am driving or as smooth as our Crossover. We have the Hyundai Vera Cruz. It also will NOT fit three car seats across the back row. It's physically impossible even with the narrowest car seats.

I got the T&C because of the bang for my buck, I knew going in that it had potential service issues which is why I got a huge warranty. I don't regret the choice, getting the Honda would have been nice but for all the features I wanted it would have easily been another 10k.

Good luck :)

Honestly, they're the same thing, just a different "name" plastered on the front. They are both part of the Chrysler Corp. My parents had been religious Dodge owners since the arrival of the Caravan, switching from Ford because they didn't like the style of Ford's minivans (can't say as I blame them one bit of the early models). They had 6 Dodge vehicles. Of those 6 vehicles, they went through 14 transmissions...and 3 of those were in the Ram Hemi pickup. When they switched back over to Ford, the transmission issues stopped.

Before the purchase of our own van, we did rent a Sienna while we took a road trip to Florida. I had no complaints on it at all and was actually considering purchasing one myself, yet found our current Ford at a more reasonable price. It's got all the bells and whistles and is VERY insurance friendly.

Yes, they are essentially the same thing. Another option is the VW Routan, which is also the same, with some higher end interior styling. That's what we ended up getting, and I'm really happy with it. Plus, I'd rather deal with the VW dealer for service than Chrysler or Dodge, with which our family has never had good luck.

Love my dodge, my only complaint is three car seats across the third tow is really tight...

Same van just different name

Look at a KIA Sedona as well. They are 5 star safety rated and much cheaper than a Honda or Toyota. I love mine!! It drives great and it offers everything a higher end van would offer.
As for the Dodge/Chrsyler, the Town and Country is the higher end version of the Caravan. I guess I would depend on how your kids treat the car and what their ages are.

i have the town and country. love how it drives! drive more like a car and is super smooth.

although our next buy will be a toyota.

I own a Sienna so I am biased. I looked at all of them. I made my decision based on the way it felt when I closed the doors, how it drove, and the safety features. No Minivan is "sexy" so, go with what feels right and is in your price range.

Check the Kia Sedona! I had a Dodge Grand Caravan and would NEVER get another one. Mine was only 5 years old and went through brakes like crazy, plus a variety of other issues! By the time I got rid of it (just last summer), the air conditioner was gone, the side door occasionally wouldn't work and the brakes were going again (5th or 6th time??- lost track). I ended up getting the Kia (with 3 kids a minivan was the only option). I love it- priced well, GREAT warranty (100,000 miles or 10 years), everything I wanted in it and the best safety ratings of minivans. Hope this helps- good luck!!

I have a 2005 town and country with 170k miles on it. I LOVE it! I love that i can fold the seats into the floor to make more room. and despite all of the miles it has never given me a problem. Its comfortable also. I could go on and on about it. The best feature is the stow and go seating though.

I have the town & country. Great vehicle. Dodge is the cheaper option made by the same company. You can get the same options. I'd go for the Dodge next time. I've had mine 3 years - it was the first year of the "new" style.
We have the 2nd row bucket seats and the 2 DVD players. It's really nice.

Nothing but problems with my Dodge Grand Caravan. Will NEVER buy one again.