Hi all
I'm new to this forum so be as gentle to the noob as possible if you could please
.
I'm currently looking to replace a 96 Grand Caravan (3.8L) which is on it's very last legs (transmission finally going amongst many other late life woes). We have managed to get over 230K out of her with minimum aggravation given that we can be a bit on the casual side when it come to our car care. I've been pretty pleased with both this and a previous GC and am considering one
yet again.
After reading many post on this forum I'm starting to think that we got really lucky, in that tranny problems didn't rear their ugly heads for us, with either GC, until very late in their lifespans. It seems to be the single biggest warning that comes up on this site with regards to these vehicles. Are they really as failure prone as that?
My budget is in the $7000-9000 range and we tend to drive our vehicles to the end of their lifespans (we're definitely not 'flippers' by habit). I will need to have a vehicle that can occasionally tow a small tent trailer on reasonable length trips (5K(ish) possibly).
I'm currently thinking of seeking out a 2005 or 2006 GC with the 3.8 L motor but would welcome any and all input from you learned gents. Other minivans that are on the edge of my radar would be an Odyssey or Sienna as they seem to get high praise on here a lot (but are generally a fair bit more $$$).
Thanks in advance to any of you who take the time to reply.
Cheers