Our '00 Caravan crapped out on us at 66,000 miles.

[ScreamingMeemie]

Nothing irritates me like having to spend tons of money on a car we are still paying on. 9 payments left to go... Warranty expired last year. "Of course we don't need an extended warranty", I said that bright happy day in the dealership.

Whirrrrrrr....WHIIIIRRRRRRRR....KA THUDDDDDDD!!!!

That's what a tranny sounds like on a minivan when it drops.

We watched in silence as they towed it away...

Worse things can happen of course.
:hangover:

[bahrbearian]

1. We just bought a 98 Caravan SE with 55,000

Great something to look forward to.

[MercutioATC]

2. My parents kept having issues with Fords.

I FINALLY got them to buy foreign. I've never owned an American car (well, my Accord was made in the U.S., but it's a Japanese company) and I've never had problems.

[ScreamingMeemie]

10. My husband works for the automotive industry. So, in part, it would

be taking money out of his pocket for us to buy foreign. :hi:

[MercutioATC]

12. That's why my parents always bought Fords...

my uncle works for Ford. I can sympathize.

[TrogL]

25. Found On the Road Dead, Fix Or Repair Daily

My Windstar has a known bug where it blows the head gasket every 70,000 km. $1500 down the toilet. Affects all model years as well as the Probe which uses the same engine.

[Champion Jack]

3. we had a '92 caravan

that was an absolute piece of crap. I will NEVER own another Chrysler product.

[NC_Nurse]

4. Had a Caravan

when my kids were younger. Multiple problems. Never again.

Now Honda and Nissan and Toyota are my brand. No more hassles. Yay!

[GOPisEvil]

5. Sorry to hear that.

I thought Chryslers had that 7 year, 70,000 mile power train warranty. Is not the transmission part of that? Or, did Chrysler wimp out?

Good luck with not getting totally ripped off. :hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. Nope. No warranty. Although I am going to check to be sure, they

told us our warranty would run out after 3 years. The 7 year thing was **extra***, as were the ashtrays believe it or not. Sigh. :hi:

[masshole]

6. A bigger problem maybe...

'97 Grand Voyageur here - 126K on it. Tranny is acting up, slips now and then... but watch out for Steering Rack failure - Ours went at 110K. About $800 - $1200 to replace depending on whether you go with new or used rack. (go with new - our used rack failed after a week and had to be re-replaced) Turns out this a very common problem with these models.

Interesting website here: http://www.daimlerchryslervehicleproblems.com/

[ScreamingMeemie]

13. Thanks for the tip! They are quoting $1200 if it's the trans. But

they haven't gone over it yet. That'll happen on Monday. :hi:

Thanks again, Laura

[theshadow]

22. Is your estimate from the dealer?

If so, find a reputable repair shop (or 2 or 3) and get estimates. You don't need the dealer for this, and typically their hourly rate is higher than an independent shop. I never use the dealer for non-warranty work unless it's an issue that is very specific to that make of vehicle.

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. No. We're going with Chuck's Transmission. Transmission shops

are notorious for screwing you, but when my father took his car in with troubles, they actually told him there was nothing wrong with the trans. Go figure. So we're going to give them a whirl. Once we leave the dealership upon purchase, we leave the dealership! :hi:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. My husband used to work for a Dodge dealer

He says the older Caravans were better. The newer ones are overpowered with weak transmissions. Most of the Dodge products aren't highly rated as far as he is concerned. We drive a Geo Prizm, which is really a Toyota-that's the kind of vehicle he feels is most reliable.

[still_one]

8. I had an 87 Chyrsler Voyager and its transmission went out at 70K

Been buying Toyota and Honda since

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. In defense of Dodge, my husband just sold his 88 Dodge pickup that

he bought upon graduation. Original engine, original trans...still in great shape.

But, this, this is really making me mad. I'm done with minivans after this I think. :hi:

[BiggJawn]

14. Who's gonna control the mosquito population now that it's dead?

I can always tell when a Dodge mini-van has more that 50,000 miles on it.

Those are the ones you see leaving a blue cloud from shot valve guides behind them as they sputter down the road.

Sorry for your misfortune. The good news is that the shops are very good at fixing Chrysler mini-vans.

They see SO many of 'em!

[ScreamingMeemie]

16. So far we had been lucky. It ran like new. MrG changes the oil

every three thousand. So this really stinks. :hi:

[BiggJawn]

19. Most careful maintenance in the world...

...can only go so far with a defective design.
What gets me is that the price and hauling capacity of those POS's make them very attractive to the demographic that can least afford to go out and buy a new one every 50 kilomiles.

I used to love Chrysler products. But I had a '74 Newport that was pure shit. The body rusted out in 10 years so badly that I could check the tread on the rear tyres by opening the trunk and looking at them Master cylinder on the brakes failed at 80,000. Engine mounts broke. Ignition module went bad. Fuel pumps, water pumps, starters, all before 100,000 miles...

Then I read in Lee Iacocca's book that when he was at Chrysler, he marketed products for rednecks, farmers, old conservatives who would vote for Nixon again, and "sporty" cars for kids who had asshole dads who said "I've allus drove a Chrysler, and by gum, YOU will too!"...

Their trucks are STILL marketed to little-dick good ol' boys, IMO.

I swore off the marque and will never have another.

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. And look at us! Democrats who own a Dodge Ram! Hehehe.

I still can't take money out of my husband's pocket. :hi:

[LiberalEsto]

15. I hate Caravans

We had a 92 Caravan. It went through 4 transmissions before we decided we'd had enough. We learned their transmissions have a built-in flaw and that the replacement transmissions carry the same flaw.

One Christmas, the transmission blew on the Delaware Memorial Bridge (Rt. 95) when it was snowing. My husband and daughters were stranded at some highway motel for 2 or 3 days.

I will never buy an American car again.

[ScreamingMeemie]

17. We love ours...at least we did, until yesterday.

I won't buy anything else, because it's like taking away part of my husband's paycheck. Don't have the luxury of choice here. :hi:

[alarimer]

26. too bad

Chrysler/ Dodge sucks. We have had more problems with the Dodge trucks that we use at work that I would NEVER EVER buy Daimler Chrysler. You should buy something that actually works.

[ScreamingMeemie]

27. Not until my husband stops drawing a paycheck from the auto industry.

My husband had the same Dodge Truck for 16 years with no problems at all. He just sold it last year. This is our first experience with trouble. I think I'll stick with them for now. :)

[Elginoid]

34. I've had very good luck with ours.

Or family has always owned chryslers, and they've always held up very well.
the car i learned to drive in was a 1972 dodge charger with a 440 4bbl...i swear, if it would have had wings it would have flown...i buried the speedometer at 140 a couple of times.

[trotsky]

18. Ruh-roh, we have a 2000 Town & Country

which is basically the same thing inside, I assume. Hope this isn't a 2000 model year issue. It has otherwise been a fantastic vehicle for us - I love it

[JVS]

20. Bummer

[elehhhhna]

21. 2001 Dodge Truck: new tranny @ 75K. '99 Intrepid: Engine blew @ 54K

TOTAL GARBAGE! Traded the truck in (4K in repairs between the 2 Dodges from January thru June)& bought 2 Hyundais--and LOVE them!

[CanuckAmok]

28. We had a '92 Caravan...PLASTIC gears in the tranny. PLASTIC!!

That's right, plastic gears. Not all of them, of course, but some of them.

I understand the issues involved in weight and cost reduction, but some things aren't negotiable, for example, using metal gears in anything which runs at more than 100 RPM.

I appreciate your wanting to support the domestic industry, but it's not fair that you have to get screwed in the process.

Do some research and find a Japanese model made in the US. In a few years, all the car companies will be global corporations, anyway...Daimler/Chrysler, Ford/Jaguar, etc.

[SarahB]

29. Don't say that....

We have a year and a half to go on our 2000 Grand Voyager currently at 60,000 miles. We needed something to hold the kids, so bought American. We wanted an Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna, but they were too pricey. I think next time, I'm either getting a used Odyssey or a used Volvo Wagon instead. I've heard nothing but lousy stories about these vehicles.

knocking wood and throwing salt over my shoulder here

[MrSandman]

30. Sorry to hear about this...

We've a '94 F150 4x4 w/ 205k and a 99 Villager w/ 88k. Maintenance items only(except for a crappy battery from Advance Auto that I have to replace there. It craps out before the warranty 3x now.)

Maybe there was something intervening when your trip was cancelled last weekend?

I know, I'm a 1/2 full kind of guy.

[mdmc]

31. made in the USA

[arwalden]

32. It's A Turn-Of-The-Century Automobile... WHAT Did You Expect?

Come on, now! Get real!

-- Allen

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

33. Are there lemon laws in your state?

If it's been in the shop often you may qualify for them...check with a lawyer who specializes in lemon laws.