New family hauler - 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT?

Sometimes small things quickly lead to big changes. We've got a 2008 Ford Taurus X that we've been happy with, but it broke a coil spring the other day. I finally figured that out last night, and we can't get the part locally and we have a trip this weekend. I could rent something, but ... there's also some rust setting in, and it's got 170k miles or so on it. I started looking at vehicles and found a one owner 2016 Grand Caravan SXT with 69k miles for $12,250. I'm going to check it out today.

Anybody else have a failed $100 part turn into a new car?

Any suggestions on what to check for or run from on the Caravan? I would usually trend toward the more-loaded vehicle, but with the price being so good and the modern cars having most of what I would want as standard I don't think I'll be disappointed in an SXT. This is strictly for family hauling and road trip duty, to replace a 3-row SUV that's pretty basic too.

The potential vehicle in question:

Probably the most useful vehicle you'll ever own. My parents have a 2012 with 175k. No major issues. They also have a 2018. With the seats stowed it'll hold sheets of plywood without issue. 

Hey my friend!  Hope family life is treating you well.  I know a lot of people like the Caravan.  We've looked at them a few times and just weren't impressed.  The Stow-N-Go is of little use to us, so it wasn't a selling point.  From 12 years experience, I'll also recommend a Kia Sedona.  Unbreakable, tons of room, standard features and a depreciation curve super steep...you can buy a good one dirt cheap.

If you like this particular car, 2016 should be a good model year.  It will have the Pentastar 3.6 and thus plenty of oomph for a minivan.  By 2016 even the base cars had the bigger front brakes which avoids the rotor-warping issues common to the 2008-2012s.

I have a 2012 T&C that we love to death.  It's only got about 60k on it, but it has given us no trouble at all.  It's immense inside, drives pretty well, and does everything I've asked of it.

Those roofrack crossbars unscrew and tuck flush into the side rails with no tools in about 3 minutes.  I did that outside an IKEA once and the guy next to me was amazed.  Said he'd owned one just like mine for 4 years and hadn't even realized it had a roofrack.

As usual, Duke beat me to it; they are the best value in the segment.

FWIW, I was able to find a couple Caravans brand-spanking-new WITH Stow-n-go for under $20k. Much easier to find with the bench seats, but they're out there new. Gotta be the best value around. 

We also ended up in the Kia, because it has to be the most luxurious minvian there has ever been, but it ultimately came between the Caravan, Kia, and the Pacifica Hybrid. Hybrid was too much as it was still a very new thing at that point. 

A word of caution on the Caravans that have the bench seat 2nd row.  These base models usually also have the non-tinted rear glass and no rear seat auxiliary AC unit.  This can mean you get in more sun and have less way to combat the heat from the sun.  

Thanks guys. I bought it. It is not the base model, but an SXT so it has stow and go and opening windows and rear heat and a/c. It doesn't have auto climate control or rear DVD or heated seats but I didn't care. The underside was pristine and the car's obviously been cared for but used for actual family stuff so not perfect. About $10,000 off the cheapest new SXT around and it should hold up for me for many years based on the few miles we put on a car.

I'm not one to rush things usually but for some reason I wanted this over with fast. I may regret it but we'll see!

In reply to dculberson :

It's the right tool for the job! 

I doubt you'll regret it. You may, however, regret not getting a van sooner. I know my wife did.

Congrats, welcome to minvan land. You will enjoy it. I know you don't seem to care about such things, but take some time to learn what the entertainment system can and can't do. I find it to be the biggest gripe about that year van from those coming from other brands. 

The best feature of that van that is sadly now gone from the Chrysler Pacifica is the tilt open rear quarter glass. Crack them open in back then open a front window a little. It is the best ventilation of a vehicle I have known. 

My family has a 2015 with probably over 100k on it now, and it's been a good vehicle. A front brake job was relatively straight forward, and so are oil changes. Best to leave the transmission out of 'eco' mode if you have any hills where you live. Theirs would want to get to 6th gear as soon as possible which led to some unbecoming driving habits.

500 miles in and we’re loving it so far. I can’t wait to get new tires on it though. Uphill traction from a standstill in the rain is next to impossible. I’ll need suggestions on best tires for these things.

My wife loves it. The power doors make her laugh and the fact that we have a basically new car (compared to our usual near end of life stuff)  is still a shock for her. I think that makes it worth it alone!

My older daughter managed to smear dog poop on the back of the drivers seat with her shoe. I don’t have much emotional investment in the van so I laughed and cleaned it off. That was a welcome reaction.

i got the stereo paired with my phone and playing some good tunes and I fell in love then. It’s the little things. I wonder if I can do a software update to the 2018 stuff that supports Apple CarPlay? I do have the uconnect 430n that supports it in the newer cars. 

We rented an SXT a few years ago and really liked it. I was amazed it returned mileage in the high 20s while hauling six of us up to the Grand Canyon from Phoenix (some serious climbing).

We almost bought one a few years ago, but like John Welsh mentioned, we realized that although the base model has three rows, it had no rear heat or A/C. The SXT avoids that issue and should be a great car for you.

I got a 2011 VW routan about a month ago and I was thinking I would just tolerate it because it is the practical family hauler (and my dd) but I actually love it.  General consensus on dodge caravan groups is NEVER use the econ button on the dash. Has the potential to cause damage to the trans for negligible benefit to economy. YMMV.  Around town I actually find I am getting slightly better gas mileage letting the engine wind up a little bit rather than letting it shift to keep the rpms as low as possible all the time. 

here we are car guys I just found out about this diagnostic tool last week that may be of interest to you. https://appcar-diagfca.com/en/

I installed an oem fog light kit, but 2011+ you are supposed to go to the dealer to get it activated to work. I should be able to do that with this app. programming extra keys is also a dealer or locksmith affair and the newest beta version of this software added key programming as well so I think its going to pay for itself 2-3x over when I plug in the van this afternoon. 

Just saw this thread. Glad you like it so far! We bought our ‘15 GC SE new and have 48k on it with still the original tires. I will be watching to see what you, or others recommend. 

At the time I couldn’t find any SE’s with a factory receiver. That’s the only thing this one lacks.

I put Bridgestone ep422 on ours summer of 17 and they are wearing really well. Quiet, good all season traction but not cheap. The drivers arm rest has cracked on ours but there are plenty of parts vehicles out there to swap one over from.

congrats!

My family put Michelin Defenders on theirs. Marked improvement over the OEM Yokohamas.

Im also in the market for new tires this year and am looking at 235/65R17 size.

Mostly because there are several white letter tire options and I like that sort of thing. But many of them are light truck rated tires so in theory should be good for the weight of the vehicle. Because lets be honest it does have a rather utilitarian function and ride quality. 

I have a few months to decide so Im really just waiting to see if a really good rebate comes out for any of them. 

we love our 2012 T&C. I did the 2013+ front brake upgrade. Jeep wheels fit with a small spacer to clear the brake caliper. Perfect for snow tires. 

My 2017 GT will be getting new tires in the fall when inspection is due. I've also had traction issues in wet weather with the cheap tires the dealer put on them.   One of these days I'll pair my phone with the stereo, but those are functions I've never felt the need to use.  This weekend I get to see how well the van does as a camper.  One of my projects during the week is to make fitted screens for the side door windows so I can leave them slightly open without letting a million bugs inside.

Ian F said:

My 2017 GT will be getting new tires in the fall when inspection is due. I've also had traction issues in wet weather with the cheap tires the dealer put on them.   One of these days I'll pair my phone with the stereo, but those are functions I've never felt the need to use.  This weekend I get to see how well the van does as a camper.  One of my projects during the week is to make fitted screens for the side door windows so I can leave them slightly open without letting a million bugs inside.

something along these lines might be the easy button for your window screen dilemma. I may be trying the same thing next month if my wife bails on camping and its just me and my daughter going. Ditch the tent and sleep in the van. 

https://www.amazon.com/Protection-Universal-Adjustable-Breathable-Curtains/dp/B07C23GC63/ref=asc_df_B07C23GC63/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312181831593&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14061936550884429461&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007578&hvtargid=pla-491782278202&psc=1

I don’t know if they come in this size and load range, but I put Conti DWSs on pretty much every daily driver. Our van can with brand new Kumhos which are round and black and fairly quiet, but otherwise have not much to recommend them. 

I put the LT version of the Michelin Defenders on our RAV4 and they're much better than the CUV-based Defenders we had on it before.