Reliable and comfortable

Author's Rating:

Pros: Comfortable, quick, good gas economy

Cons: no 3.8 options with the short wheelbase model

The Bottom Line: 
I think for the money its a good well built van that for me has been very reliable. Although Honda makes a superb minivan aswell.

Author's Review
I have the Dodge Caravan short wheelbase model with the 3.3 V6. I don't need the heavy rear seats so I had them removed reducing weight and improving acceleration, handling and fuel economy. I have done a few simple modifications to it to further improve performance such as 17" wheels with performance all season tires, high flow air filter, and highflow catylitic and muffler. Sounds a little throatier now but still quiet while cruising. Added better spark plug wires and always fill up with mid grade fuel. With all this the Caravan is now very quick and the 17" tires allow it to handle very nicely. Living in Toronto I find the short wheel base Caravan perfect for city driving. Quick responsive steering allows me to make frantic maneuvers in a heart beat. Its been almost 2 years now that I have had this van and so far not a single problem with it. I have already driven all the way to the west coast with it, driven to Boston a few times, Drive to Montreal atleast once a month with it. Did a road trip to California, and last summer shipped it to Europe where I spent 3 months with friends driving from the Netherlands, all the way to Athens Greece, then down to Italy, Spain and a week in Morocco. I drove my Caravan in almost every country in Europe. The reason I chose the short wheel base model was because its more agile and noticably lighter than the long wheel base. I find the Caravan very sure footed, not afraid to take a corner at higher than normal speeds. Fuel economy is very acceptable allowing me to travel on highway for over 700km on a tank. At speeds almost at 200kph, the van is very stable and wind noise was still pretty low. I now have over 120,000 km on it. I always to maintenance on time using only synthetic motor oil, and changed the transmission fluid with synthetic fluid. Despite the fact I drive the van hard, many times making the engine rev up all the way to its 6000rpm redline. But it always runs smooth, idles quietly and smoothly, doesn't burn a drop of oil. Transmission shifts nice and smooth, the shift point aren't exactly geared for performance driving, but what ever style of driving you do, the tranny should deliver the kind of experience you want while driving. The instrument panel is nicely laid out. All the buttons where they should be and driving position is nice, perfect for ultra long distance road trips.