Since about day one, Chrysler mini vans have had 100,000 mile transmissions in them. Sure there are exceptions, but their transmissions suck. Have you looked at Toyota? If you're going to keep it for a while, go with them. Honda is good too, but they also have transmission problems. Further though, are you sure you need a minivan? I have 3 kids, have researched/test driven minivans extensively, and decided we don't need one.
2 of my sisters have Honda Odysseys of different years (one with 2 kids, the other with 3). They are super nice, very comfortable, and have great features. Just thought I'd throw that out there in case you weren't stuck on the Dodge brand.
If you're planning on keeping the van for more than 2-3 years I'd look into other makes/models. Are you just looking for space and fuel economy or do you really need seating for 7? If it's more about space and fuel economy check out some of the wagons.
I had a Dodge Caravan and it was the biggest piece of shit I have ever owned. 3 transmissions in under 75,000 miles on top of a myriad of electrical problems. I will never buy a Chrysler product again. It was so bad I traded it in as opposed to selling it out right - I didn't want to be responsible for selling it to some poor guy that needed reliable transportation for his family. I have a ton of kids so we needed a bigger vehicle and we traded up to a Toyota Sequoia and absolutely love it - we are actually on our second one that I bought off lease. I can't say enough about Toyota quality and dependability. If the Sequoia is more than you are looking for I would suggest the Highlander or 4runner. If you are really looking for a mini van, I would spend the time to look at the Sienna.
Not to derail the minivan discussion, but I do have a question about this. I'm actually toying with the idea of selling my F150 and going to a 4-door Tacoma. I've found that you might as well buy a new Tacoma, as anything with less than 200k miles costs almost as much as a new one. Of course, any Toyota is fucking expensive. A friend of mine changes cars like underwear, and he once bought a 2007 Tacoma new, but he suggested to me that I lease a new one, and then buy it when the lease is up. I should add that I only drive about 10 miles per day, I garage my cars, and I keep them spotless and well-maintained. I figure if I bite the bullet and get myself a Toyota, I'm looking at a truck that I'll have the rest of my life. Is it worth it to buy one after a lease like that?
Thanks all for the feedback. Shifted away from the Dodge's, not seeing good reviews anywhere. We went through the local Honda inventory and got the hard sell felt like they were screwing around with me so I walked. Looking at Toyota's too, seeing some good prices on 2011's. Plan on driving it for a long time so probably stick with on of those two. Not sure we "need" a minivan, but can't seem to get my wife to come around on the SUV's and we tend to do a lot of road trips and having the ability for one of us to sit in the back once in a while would helpful.
Buy someone else's leased vehicle. The best price to value ratio I can figure is buying an ultra low mile, coming off lease truck that would be eligible for an extended warranty. You save yourself about 1/3 of the cost of the vehicle for 14k miles or so that you didn't put on it. 14k ain't shit for a truck that'll run forever and 250k+ miles if you take care of it.
I agree with this. I bought a Tacoma with 30k miles on it that was a lease vehicle, dealership gave me an extended warranty basically for free, and I beat the snot out of that truck. It was essentially a new truck - it looked new and drove like new.
Both of these comments are absolutely correct - the only reason I bought mine off lease was at the time the economy was in the tank and I was able to negotiate a better buy out. I got the best of both worlds - since I had it from the beginning I knew it was taken care of and buying it off lease at a discounted price made more sense from an economic standpoint. So we have a 2006 vehicle with only 70,000 miles that looks like new and will probably last for a very long time.
I'll also chime in and endorse the Sequoias. We bought ours new in 2002 and only have 80k miles on it and it still runs like a brand new vehicle. And before you ask, we live on an island that is only 4x7 miles and, believe it or not, the SUV has made more than a half dozen round trips between FL and NJ. On a side note the frame to the Bronco has been blasted and powdercoated along with the axles and things are starting to go back together.
I have a question for you mechanically inclined individuals. Searched online but couldn't find much. I changed my oil like a week ago, but something weird happened when I did. To preface this, I've changed the oil on this car only once before (this didn't happen) because I just bought it, but I've changed the oil on cars and bikes plenty of times. Here's what happened: after warming it up then jacking up the car, opening the oil filler cap, taking out the drain plug and the filter, only about three quarts came out (it's supposed to be five). At first I thought it was the angle of my driveway but I jacked it up and down in every possible angle. More came out, but it still wasn't much more than three quarts. I then filled about three quarts of new oil and checked the dipstick on level ground, it showed that it was full. Not only that, the color of the oil on the dipstick got dirty pretty fast (didn't even drive it around). I'm stumped. Anybody have any suggestions on what it could be or what I did wrong? I'm thinking some kind of sludge buildup displacing volume in the pan or something but that's just a random idea. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. I plan on taking it in to get checked out soon, just hoping that I'm not causing any severe damage if there's only 3 quarts of liquid oil in the engine. In case this matters: it's a 2005 Infiniti g35 coupe.
Drain it again, take a look at the oil and a look at the filter. Oil and filter should be clean. If there's lots of black your engine might be burning a bit of oil, not sure if it's common with G35s or not. Also try driving it a bit before parking it and draining the oil. My Mazda's drain funky if they haven't been driven just before I change their oil.
G35's are notorious for burning oil. Especially if you have the Rev-whateverthefucktheycallit 6spd manual. My GF has an 05 sedan and it burns about a quart every 1700-ish miles. Do some research on the Infiniti forums. Very common. That doesn't explain why only 3 quarts filled it up though. Are you letting all the oil drain back into the pan before checking it? One last thing, if your car leaks oil when parked, its probably an $8 fix. PM me if it is.
I've got a 2012 Focus. It still smells like new car. I'd like to keep my vehicle clean, especially my interior. I have no idea what products I should be buying to keep it that way. I've heard horror stories of shit like Armor All cracking dashboards and my own experience with automotive glass cleaner that left my windshield streaky. What do you guys use? And anything you guys can recommend to get rid of scuff marks would be awesome too. Thanks.
I've never had that (or any other) problem with ArmorAll. As for the windows, I just use a damp microfiber cloth without any cleaner. No streaks, no lint. You can pick up a 3-pack at WalMart, 2 clothes for interior/exterior drying/wiping (like a neon yellow), and one for glass (powder blue). Cheap and machine-washable. And it works on aftermarket window tinting.
303 Aerospace protectant is the standard, bar none. <a class="postlink" href="http://www.autogeek.net/303aerprot.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.autogeek.net/303aerprot.html</a>
The best glass cleaner is Invisible Glass. Armor All is fine but it will tend to evaporate or off-gas and leave a haze on your windshield after a while. If you have leather seats, get a conditioner that has aloe to keep them soft.