I was searching for a used minivan and the only ones that came up were a town and country, grand caravan, and a volkswagen routon. I've heard not so great things about them and then high praise. Putting it to a mom vote!!
Ps- I had heard they have a lot of transmission problems. That's why I'm asking
We've bought Town & Country's new. We loved them, except after about 75,000 miles they started needing quite a few repairs. I would not buy one used.
We have friends that bought a used Honda Oddessey a few years ago. It's been great for them.
I had a Dodge Grand Caravan until Monday. I had the van for 12 years and it ran fine. I never had a problem with it. The only thing we needed really was to replace the serpentine belt--they do wear over time--and it was time to replace the spark plugs.
We just traded in our Honda Odyssey and got a new one, but in the process we looked into used ones. They are hard to find because people hold on to them for years, but I would highly recommend a used Odyssey -- I know Carmax has a number in their system right now. But before we bought, we rented a caravan. I HATED it -- it was so uncomfortable and loud and I hated the way it handled. When we were looking to trade in, I asked around, and almost everyone said Odyssey or Toyota Sienna -- couldn't agree more. I loved my old odyssey and I really love my new one. Even used, they're great cars. On a different note, I have a friend who has a kia sorrento and loves it, but most people have trouble with them.
S.:
I LOVED everything about my Grand Caravan (2001) EXCEPT the maintenance issues.
Go to Consumerreports.org and sign up for $6.95 and get the information there as well.
I decided AGAINST the Routan as it is made by Chrysler and that also the Town and Country.
I have a love hate relationship with my Honda Odyssey Touring...
LOVE the reliability of it.
HATE little things like - I have to hold cups that are in the cup holders because they don't "ratchet" like they did in my Grand Caravan...and to top it off there are 16 - yes 16 cup holders in my van...
Don't like that the rear charger is in the VERY back of the car instead of on the "B" pillar or middle row like it was in my Grand Caravan...
Get in the car, drive it...rent one for the weekend - seriously - if you can - and LIVE in it for 3 days.
GOOD LUCK!!!
Neither one has a very good track record, so as our kids would say "Go FIsh!"
I drove Dodge Caravans for company provided vehicles...they died all the time! Transmissions were always a problem, long before my three year replacements. I'm driving my own car for work now and just bought a VW Passat turbo and it is the greatest car I have had. Not a mini van!.
I would go for Honda Odyssey hands down.
I had a volkswagen Passat. I LOVED the idea of that car! From day one it was unreliable, Burned oil like gasloline, and was VERY expensive to maintain. I asked our mechanice about buying a different car after 5 years of ownership. He said, "You can keep it if you want to put me through Cornell Univ., but I'd recommend getting a different car. :-(. IF that car was reliable and not so expensive to maintain and repair I'd still be driving it today and loving it!
I bought an eleven year old Dodge Grand Caravan. It had around 160,000 miles for $2,000. In the first year we spent almost $1,500 fixing the van; Tune-up, two wheel bearings, muffler, fuel pump and brake line (when we were out of town, scary), and I decided to get a radiator flush.
I do wish we found one without rust. The break lines are rusting out. Minivans are so expensive. I feel that the people who are truly happy are the ones who are the only owners and keep up on the maintenance of the van. Also everyone who buys a fairly new van always love the van. You need a well cared for van!
Next time I'm looking for a Toyota or Honda minivan.
I have a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan and I am loving it. Handles like a car, great pick-up, roomy, lots of storage space, tons of cup holders...
We rented a mini-van last summer and they gave us a Routan. By far, hands down, the crappiest car I've ever driven in my life. Truly awful. We returned it after a week and got a Ford Explorer instead. Blech, very unimpressed with the Routan.
I would wait for a Honda Odyssey.
Transmissions are a problem on most minivans because they tend to be undersized for the vehicle. Regular fluid changes can help as well as never towing with them. I do not recommend the VW (we own a car repair shop and they are big money makers for us because of the high price of repairs and maintenance on them). I agree with the posters saying to geta Honda Odyssey or a Toyota Sienna if you can. But if you are limited to the 3 examples you gave I would choose in this order: 1) Town & Country 2) Caravan 3) Routan
Be sure to have a qualified mechanic do a thorough used vehicle inspection before you purchase any of them. It is well worth the money!
I'd only buy a Honda or Toyota. The rest are junk.
I have a Dodge Grand Caravan. Bought it in 2005 and have had not issues with it. I love it.
I bought it after it was used as a loaner by a car dealership. It was very low mileage. As I recall, less than 1000 miles on it but since it was not new the new car mark up was gone. Twice I've bought cars from car rental places. They sell theirs after a year or a certain mileage. You might look at those places for a deal. I've always paid less by doing that.
Definitely wait until you find a Honda Odyssey.
We've had several of the town and country/caravan/voyagers...... and we've had problems with the transmission, but not until about 160,000 + miles, and we might not have had those problems if we had changed the transmission fluid regularily.... we've had 4 different ones, 3 of them purchased used.
