1999 Dodge Caravan consumer reviews

we had the basic model with a 3.3 V6. not sure what transmission it was but it leaked. If you buy a 1999 caravan, be sure to get air conditioning in the back for summer, otherwise your kids will get mad. toward its end days, you would be driving and it just died. you woud lose power stering which almost made us fall into a ditch. after a few minutes it would start again. and so we took it to get fixed and it died agin, reapeated this process 2 times. finally got it fixed. about 2 weeks before we sold it sometimes it would start and sometimes it wouldn't. so we went and traded it in (which im really suprised they took it) and bought a toyota sienna Great car but this reveiw is about dodge and you can read about my sienna reveiw in the 2007 toyota sienna page. anyway, the gas mileage stunk. a friend has the same yeat and loves it(probably not the same spec though) maybe dodge has improved over the years but im going to stick with toyota!

Don't know if I got lucky here, but since I purchased this van used from a suspicious (in my honest opinion) car lot. Paid for it in 2008 with 100k miles had it for 3 years now and the only thing I have put into it is basic maintenance and a replacement of the full front brake system(rotors, calipers, brakes, hoses about 450 bucks) shortly after purchasing it. Probably due to the previous owner running far too long on them. Power everything, all still working very well. Transmission seems to be a problem with these, I can safely say not a sniffle from mine. Towed a Uhaul trailer full to Idaho 2 weeks ago(10 hour trip). It did exceptionally well, considering the high temperatures. Not a peep from the cooling system or transmission the whole way. A vehicle that knows its a people hauler and does well in its role, and occasionally a little out of its role ( trailer hauler ). Wow now that I think of it, it really deserves a good wash. 150k miles now, and all things considered I would definitely buy another!

Just by reading other reiviews, it seems that the 3-speed transmissions tend to have a problem working properly. At about 140-150k miles, the transmission got rebuilt. It worked good for about 2 more years until the reverse went out. About 10k miles later, it quit working all together; it wouldn't even go into 1st or 2nd gear. After getting it home, I discovered that it had too much tranny fluid and it was all burnt. I changed out the transmission fluid along with the filter. It still shifts a little hard, but other than that, I'll be ok until I can save enough money to get the transmission rebuilt AGAIN. One of the reasons that I am still holding onto this van is because I need it to haul the wife and kids, and also the engine runs exceptionally smooth and starts right up. I may have the short end of the stick when it comes to features, but this 2.4L with 180k+ miles on it just keeps doing its job. The only power this van has, is power steering. I'm surprised it came equipped with air conditioning. With the current condition this van is in, i'm quite positive that it can last beyond 300k. I only use full synthetic oil and change it every 3000-4000 miles. It all depends on how dirty it gets. The main regret that I have about this van is the price that my wife ended up paying for it. She paid close to three times what it originally was worth. Unfortunately, I had to work when she got it. This is one of those shady buy here, pay here, we finance, no credit needed, places. I wish I was there and so that way I could have done my homework and just said NO WAY! Not for that price. I can already tell that the dealership saw "SUCKER" written all over her, and was laughing at her after she left with it.

I bought this vehicle 2 yrs ago and it has been one repair after another. So far I replace the rediator, several leaking hoses, water pump, brakes, tires and the list could go on for hours. The brakes I have now are only 1yr old and need to be replaced....again. It has so many issues right now to the point where I pray for it to start everyday. It took me 15 min to start it today....after a $1,200 tune up!!! My neighbor has one too and she has the same issues. Every 60 days a repair....and you should see my parking lot....full of fluid from this leaking nightmare....Never again will I buy a DODGE Caravan. NEVER!!!

Unstoppable!!! Well, until it rusts out anyway... Comfy, nice riding, A/C still blows ice cold, hauls anything you can put in it, & great options (all still working except cruise control) Burns 1 qt oil every 3,000 miles 14.8 MPG City Using E85 18.9 MPG City Regular Gas 24.6 MPG Highway on Regular Gas I wouldn't trade it for any other minivan (except another Caravan)

Some glitches, but overall gets the job done! Have had two differnt Mini Vans; first had all the options; made 100K with only a water pump to pay for; the second had no extra costs beyond tires/oil, etc.

We bought this in 2006 and about 100 miles later started having trouble with the trans sensor. Since then it has been a very reliable vehicle with a few minor problems here and there. Ended up having to replace the speed sensor in 07 which was about $400 and a few other items which were recalled (didn't cost me anything for that) and now it's making wierd noises and no one can seem to find the reason for it. I hate the inside very ugly interior. Has over 130k miles on it and has never left me stranded. You get what you pay for..a basic car ot get you from point A to B.

I too bought this vehicle used from a dealer and kept it for under 1 yr. I was impressed with all the bells and whistles like electric windows, remote keyless entry, tilt steering, nice interior design & very roomy...I was blinded by the inexpensive purchase price. For the 3500 miles I put on it, I would say I spent a dollar or more for each mile I put on it. It had just over 100,000 miles when I bought it. Now it is sitting on the Toyota lot with 104,000'ish miles on it. The trade-in value was terrible, but I'm sure they knew it was a lemon too! I had to repair numerous engine leaks, re-build the transmission (it was a 3-speed auto), then do tonnes of little things to get it to run right, which it never did. When the temperature dropped below zero, it would always develop a radiator leak. Yesterday was the third leak, when I said to myself, "To heck with this! This thing is too expensive to upkeep!" I traded it in on a new 4 door 2008 Toyota Yaris. Regardless of the price of the Caravan, don't be tempted to buy one. When money is so tight these days, the Caravan will suck every last penny out of you. Think to yourself instead, "Why is such a low mileage vehicle like the Caravan sitting on a car lot for sale instead of in someone's garage at home?"

Bought this van used from an unsavory used car dealer who didn't even vacuum it out. Degreaser was used instead of replacing multiple gaskets for oil and transmission leaks. My saving grace was buying a 3yr bumper-to-bumper extended warranty which covered the replacement of all these gaskets which has turned the van into new condition. The warranty paid for itself already. Despite buying it used, and the leakage, the van gets good gas mileage, is roomy, has lots of storage and the electric windows beat the manual ones hands down. The back seats remove quick and easy for bigger loads. Anyone buying used should make the extended warranty a must. You just never know what you are getting and sometimes greed is more important than honesty.

I own a 1999 Caravan 2.4 litre with 75,000 miles. I've always maintained it (oil changes, transmision flush, plugs, wires, etc.) but have invested substantially in what I consider unreasonable repairs for a car of this age and milage. This includes a head gasket, body repair under the hood so the shocks could be replaced, and defective rear brake parts (causing leaking of fluid). The dealership mechanic told me most of this was "normal" for Caravans and was surprised to learn that the transmission had given me no problems. Well, now it too is making a strange grumbling noise. Hmmm. . . . I will not buy another Dodge. My 1997 Honda Civic had one repair in 100,000 miles - an oil pump. Sorry Dodge. Once chance is all you get. In 25,000 miles I'll donate it and continue buying Japenese models.