Oh where to start with this sad sack of, well, automotive failure. The moaning transmission happens whenever I push down quickly on the gas pedal. It continues as the engine revs up and then it stops (for now). With just 75,000 miles I am considering having it replaced. I've had the head gasket replaced, the front and rear shocks replaced, a thousand dollars' worth of body work done under the hood to repair rust so the shocks could be replaced. Whew. Oh, I almost forgot the leaking rear brakes but that was when it was just a mere four years old.
I've dropped about $4000 into it over the past couple of years but some of that is regular maintenance and tires.
My dilemma is the transmission. Do I spend $3000 and drive it another few years or do I immediately join the legions of dissatisfied Caravan owners and buy only Toyota and Honda autos? A rhetorical question you read.
I'll have the transmission checked out and "hope" that I can get it fixed for three grand.
A lesson to the huddled masses: A Caravan is cheaper than its Japanese competitors only in the short run. Run as fast as you can from Dodge dealerships. I suspected this in 1999 but I let my misplaced desire to support the American motor industry get the best of me. Shame on you Dodge.
Oh where to start with this sad sack of, well, automotive failure. The moaning transmission happens whenever I push down quickly on the gas pedal. It continues as the engine revs up and then it stops (for now). With just 75,000 miles I am considering having it replaced. I've had the head gasket replaced, the front and rear shocks replaced, a thousand dollars' worth of body work done under the hood to repair rust so the shocks could be replaced. Whew. Oh, I almost forgot the leaking rear brakes but that was when it was just a mere four years old.
I've dropped about $4000 into it over the past couple of years but some of that is regular maintenance and tires.
My dilemma is the transmission. Do I spend $3000 and drive it another few years or do I immediately join the legions of dissatisfied Caravan owners and buy only Toyota and Honda autos? A rhetorical question you read.
I'll have the transmission checked out and "hope" that I can get it fixed for three grand.
A lesson to the huddled masses: A Caravan is cheaper than its Japanese competitors only in the short run. Run as fast as you can from Dodge dealerships. I suspected this in 1999 but I let my misplaced desire to support the American motor industry get the best of me. Shame on you Dodge.
- mylastdodge, Aurora, IL, US