See... SUV’s do indeed kill...
The Sto N Go seats were the best. ...
I bought a new 1984 model. It was great, I had 4 kids and a wife.
I bought a ‘96 when then added the drivers side sliding door. Was a great car for hauling kids around in.
My wife and I bought a new Sienna in 2007. 245,000 miles later it still runs like new with only minor, non-maintenance issues.
The minivan that seems to still be the most popular is Toyota’s Sienna.
...
My Dad has a 2011 and it drives really well.
Great design, tripped up by lousy reliability. Having to pay the UAW tax is probably responsible for most of Detroit’s quality problems. Couldn’t charge more than the competition, so they had to nickel and dime customers on parts quality, which really turned people off.
Why? Away from the auto plant, parts are more expensive because customers pay retail. In addition, labor hours-wise, problems are really expensive to diagnose and install. Even if you DIY, if you value your time, it’s a serious cost.
My wife and I owned two vans: a ‘96 Plymouth Voyager, and a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan. Both were super vehicles and perfect when our kids were younger.
In my life, I’ve owned 4 of these. Bought them for the wife, while I always kept a pickup.
The 1989 Grand Caravan bought used smoked like a chimney.
The others we bought new, so we traded them in before they started smoking bad!
Chrysler Pacifica is still selling fine... as are Honda Oddessy and Kia Sedona....
Dodge basically offered a lot of for the money... based on the previous generation platform... If you needed a good people mover for the price it was hard to beat the Grand Caravan.
Will dodge end up with a branded low end Chrysler van?
So far looks like they are just completely dropping it...
2019 sales have Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Pacifica outselling Sienna. Sienna’s available AWD may make popular in snow states.
I always wondered how Volkswagen completely missed the minivan boom. The VW microbus was a minivan for all practical purposes. Yes, it would have needed to be completely different, but they managed to transition from the beetle to the golf/rabbit in the 1970s.
You’d have thought that with the good will from microbus nostalgia, and also the camper van, that they would have seen the potential. But no.
Chrysler still has the Pacifica Minivan which is built on a much newer Platform. It is a great Vehicle.
The Dodge Caravan became a low priced entry level Minivan, but with declining Sales it was on its way out.
Mrs Deplorable hates minivans... She lovers her Ford Expedition...
Had a used 2006 that was the generation that rusted away in the snow belt. Otherwise in good shape. It hauled a lot of drywall and plywood. Yes, the folding down seats are great.
Had a 1997. No rust or smoke (check oil, man!) after 13 years. Got totaled when I was rear-ended by a tow truck with a BMW on the hook.
Had a 1984 that lasted about 15 years.
Hoping our 2017 lasts until I am too senile to not know how to start the engine.
Never had a Mini Van but on trips out of town I’d see Chrysler Mini Vans cruising down the Interstate at 85 - 90 plus mph often thru the hilly windy parts of Western NC Eastern Tenn. & Kentucky. I always wondered if they had some handling feature that made them cruise the interstates like a Ferrari or were the drivers just trying to get there because the kids were driving them nuts with “are we there yet”?
This is why I think Volkswagen’s new van based on the ID.buzz design could be a hot seller.
The original Caravan was one of the first if not the first mini van
They were revolutionary
Before that it was big hippie vans or camper vans or work vans
Most very spartan with big motors in your lap like a table and steering wheels you put knobs on
And the back was the smoke weed till you drop den all carpeted or paneled with black light and sound and often a mattress or two love seats or bean bags or just sit on the shag
And I bet there are grandmas on this forum that remember early 70s vans where things happened that like Vegas will stay there lol
My folks wouldn’t let me have one...a rolling party palace..lol