Educate me on Gen5 Grand Caravans/T&C

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Wife and I have been considering getting rid of the Fusion in favor of a van or similarly practical large SUV, and I believe we have settled on a used Grand Caravan. For the money, they seem hard to beat. Looking at a couple of 2014s tomorrow, ranging from 60-80k miles, $12.5-$15k in price, stripped-down and nicer trim levels, etc. I know the cylinder head issues on the 3.6L V6 were worked out around 2013 or so, and the 62TE 6-speed automatic is pretty solid. Some have mentioned issues with the power sliding doors, as this seems to be relatively common. A friend of mine owns a 2013? T&C and loves it, and aside from a few issues (power sliding doors being one of them), it has been a good vehicle. Just looking for input from those who own/have owned them. I know the early Gen5s had other engines and transmissions, but we're only considering the newer vans with the Pentastar V6 and the 6-speed auto.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Watch out for the rear AC, they tend to develop leaks from the expansion valve.


Is this from corrosion, or just a bad design? I plan to Fluid Film the [censored] out of the underside of any vehicle we buy.
 
13-15 grand for one with 60-80k miles? How much is new? If you can get a new one for 20 or so..might not be bad idea.
 
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Wife and I have been considering getting rid of the Fusion in favor of a van or similarly practical large SUV, and I believe we have settled on a used Grand Caravan. For the money, they seem hard to beat. Looking at a couple of 2014s tomorrow, ranging from 60-80k miles, $12.5-$15k in price, stripped-down and nicer trim levels, etc. I know the cylinder head issues on the 3.6L V6 were worked out around 2013 or so, and the 62TE 6-speed automatic is pretty solid. Some have mentioned issues with the power sliding doors, as this seems to be relatively common. A friend of mine owns a 2013? T&C and loves it, and aside from a few issues (power sliding doors being one of them), it has been a good vehicle. Just looking for input from those who own/have owned them. I know the early Gen5s had other engines and transmissions, but we're only considering the newer vans with the Pentastar V6 and the 6-speed auto.


Check here. You'll want a 2014 and up with the HD brakes.

http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/showthread.php/149017-Advice-for-Buying-a-Used-5th-Gen
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
13-15 grand for one with 60-80k miles? How much is new? If you can get a new one for 20 or so..might not be bad idea.


MSRP for the base model 2017 dodge grand caravan is $25,995
 
The 62te in my wife's Journey busted a flex plate at 32,000 so there are still a few stinkers out there.

Also, the Dodge dealer near me has 2017 D-GC SEs for 21,500 all day. Some haggling could probably get them in the low 20s - possibly under 20.
 
With those vans it's a hit or miss, you could get that's pretty reliable or you could get one that will become a moneypit as it ages. I do like some FCA products but there is a reason why mechanics drive Toyota's and Honda's instead of Chrysler's or GM's... Out of the few million gen 4 Chrysler minivans sold in america, where did they all go? I'd still consider an Odyssey or Sienna but if you do get a Chrysler just be sure to do a good pre-purchase mechanical inspection and change the transmission fluid.
 
Did they fix all the electrical gremlins that were in the previous 2 generations....especially with instrument panel grounds, corrosion, weak solder joints, etc.
 
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
Did they fix all the electrical gremlins that were in the previous 2 generations....especially with instrument panel grounds, corrosion, weak solder joints, etc.



..yes

Now it's just worryingly frequent TIPM failures
 
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Watch out for the rear AC, they tend to develop leaks from the expansion valve.


Is this from corrosion, or just a bad design? I plan to Fluid Film the [censored] out of the underside of any vehicle we buy.


Coworker has one in this range. Has to recharge on a yearly basis. Bad design on how it wraps over the wheel well and invites corrosion. Expensive to fix.
 
Thanks for the input everyone. The TIPM issue seems like it isn't as bad as people say, as some basic electrical knowledge can bypass some of the issues. I deal with low voltage and troubleshooting low voltage every day, so I feel fairly confident I could deal with any TIPM issues (hopefully).
 
These are great vehicles and I have no regrets getting one. A lot of people dismiss it simply because it's made by Chrysler. It's not perfect, but from my research a lot of the things are fairly easy to fix, even froa DIY-er, and parts are plentiful and cheap.

One thing to consider, if you are willing to spend roughly $15k on one, I would go with T&C. It appears that in US, the T&C is better insulated and has the touring suspension, so it will ride much better than its Dodge cousin. I think t&C Touring trim can be had with cloth seats and not much frills, but it will be a smoother ride.
This was confirmed for me on the Chrysler Minivan forums.

In Canada things are a bit different, I guess because the GC outsells T&C by a very high margin, and if one goes with the Crew and up trim, it was pretty much the same as T&C Touring. At least it was true when I was buying my 15 GC.

Edit:
Actually Chrysler Minivan Forum is a great resource, I would recommend visiting their website, if you haven't already.
Chrysler Minivan Forum Gen 5
 
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I have 7 in my fleet (2015s - I think). In comparison, I have had 9 2004-2007 era Caravans.

No initial issues from the new ones. All have less than 20K and at least 15k. So no lemons so far. Biggest issue is that the cream interior seats are showing a lot of dirt/wear after just 9 months of use

That being said, build quality is "ok" at best. Not great, but not as bad as the Journeys. I am still weary of Dodge's dodgy electronics.

Personally, with my fleet, the 60-80K mile range is where we have to start doing a lot of repairs for Dodge vans/SUVs. Sure, we are do brakes and a couple of odd items earlier but that is when the big repairs happen. We hold on to the minivans until 130k-160K when the repairs become cost prohibitive, but sometimes unload as early as 80K.


Personally, if you are searching for a "cheap" used minivan, the KIA will be the better option. Better built than the Mopar variant but not Toyota/Honda cost. Then again, you are in Michigan, so if you don't mind buying the imported from canadian-land Dodge, that is fine. Personally, I would shoot for one with under 40K miles and maybe some warranty.
 
We have 4 T&Cs for first call vehicles and mini-hearses. Basically, we get vinyl tops, a single light bar on the roof, landau bars on vinyl panels that slip over the rear quarter panel glass, and an interior insert that is stainless steel, with floor rollers.

These poor things lead a ROUGH life, but they seem to do OK, with the exception of one which is a prodigious oil burner, and always has been. The black "leather" seats feel more like vinyl but seem to hold up well. Even the power tailgates still work on all of them.
 
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
13-15 grand for one with 60-80k miles? How much is new? If you can get a new one for 20 or so..might not be bad idea.


MSRP for the base model 2017 dodge grand caravan is $25,995


Having shopped them recently, you have to qualify for all the rebates and incentives to get them down to ~$21K now. There is no more "America's Value Package". The SE is now the base model. Still a great van for the money. I loved our 2013. It was basically trouble free right up to where we traded it for the 2016 Nissan Quest @ ~70K miles. Only did rear brakes on it.
 
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