2003 Dodge Grand Caravan consumer reviews

Although fully-loaded with features and an attractive used price, the 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan eX we purchased used in 2004 with 22K miles has had more than enough visits to the repair shop to guarantee this is the last Dodge/Chrysler vehicle we'll be buying. The items we needed to have repaired included an "electronic brain" that blew effectively not allowing the car to start and drive or have any other features, such as windows, etc. operate. Luckily, this was an item covered by the manufacturer's warranty! Body hardware integrity is lacking, the car rattles and shakes worse than a '89 IROC Camaro convertible crossing railroad tracks, and it recently has developed what might turn out to be the dreaded Caravan "transmission shudder of doom" (which means the transmission is likely going to tank on us)! The van only has 60-something thousand miles on it now! The spouse and I have resigned to driving this thing until it pukes, however, we both figured that'd be maybe 200,000 miles. At this rate, we may be lucky to get it to 80,000. Fuel economy in the city is laughable - sometimes gets down to 11-13 mpg! Road trips on the highway (60-70mph) nets up to 19-20mpg. We paid in the neighborhood of $23,000 for this van which had a MSRP of over $35,000. I am doubtful now whether it is worth $8,000 now, even in great operating condition. But here's the good stuff: the kids like the DVD player, my wife likes sitting up high to see over traffic, the power is enough to get us up and over hills and passes on road trips, stereo not bad for a factory stereo, folding seats offer a lot of flexibility with cargo options, the roof rack is handy, and the looks are not dated even after Chrysler redesigned the minivans a couple years ago.

Hey, this minivan has done it all from pulling the pop up camper, to hauling 5 bikes on a hitch mounted bike rack to hauling: lumber; 4'x8' plywood pieces, 4'x10' drywall pieces (back door open on that one), a washer & dryer; two dishwashers. It has been to tailgating parties, across Lake Michigan in a ferry boat up into Canada for skiing and down to Washington DC all with a family of six. It has 80,000 plus miles on it and it is still going strong. I would not do any of this family travelling without that back seat DVD player, however.

bought brand new, had to change transmission just over 60000 miles dealer did not take warranty....very disappointed will never buy dodge/chrysler

I love my Dodge. There is one thing I don't like is that the floor on the passenger side is always wet. All in all it has never left me standing. I would buy another one, but will not trade this one for anything.

Though this vehicle is not rated as a utility vehicle, it has been used for many utility style uses.

We have had this van for 4 years and have spent too much money in repairs. The dealership even says this van was built on a Friday afternoon of a long weekend. Too many repairs with brakes and suspension. We bought new thinking that it would be better but have realized it isn't. We will not be buying Dodge again.

I like the smoothness wile driving this van...I have dodge grand caravan sport 2003 and I love it, it is for sure something to keep for a long time.

My 2003 Grand Caravan SE has been very reliable for the 3 years I've owned it. It's never been in the shop for any major repairs and I've never had to leave it overnight. I would recommend Dodge Caravan to anyone who wants reliability and a great value for the money.