First off, a little history of me and minivans. In the fall of 93, my wife and I decided that our tired old Nissan Sentra wasn't going to cut it for us anymore. We looked at all the available Minivans of the time, and the Chrysler vans were what we fixed on. The Chevrolet Astro and Ford Aerostar were too truck like. The Chevy Lumina, Pontiac Transport and Olds Silhouette were too...strange and not very roomy. The Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest were too soft handling and seriously too samll on the inside. We couldn't afford the Chrysler Town and Country, and as it turned out, we got an EXCELLENT deal on a 87 Grand Caravan. Sure, we liked the new ones, but the deal on the 87 was just too good to pass. So, we took the keys and drove the 87 home. I was a very proud MiniVan owner.
I remember seeing the MiniVans in the magazines and I was intrigued. And this was BEFORE we had kids. A few months later, we were passing through an airport and there one was, on display. I remember thinking that this would either sell a bunch, or bomb. I was sort of wrong, it wound up creating a segment of society and defining Suburbia. That is fine, I still liked them.
When we bought this van, little did I know how much I would appreciate it. The van we bought, being an 87, was the first year of the stretched vans later called Grands. And the first year of the V6. I definite improvement over the 2.2 liter 4 cylinder. Since Chrysler didn't have an inhouse V6 ready for production, they used the Mitsubishi made 3.0 Single OverHead Cam V6. It was coupled to a strengthened 3 speed automatic transmission that is little different from the 4 cylinder tranny. In fact, this 3 speed is basically (and I mean very basic!) a Front Wheel Drive version of the venerable TorqueFlites. Good and solid. A very good foundation.
So, here I am, a wife and two growing children. And a MiniVan. Funny thing about that MiniVan...I've become very attached to it. I must be, I'm writing this aren't I? What is to like about it? What isn't? Anything I need to haul, I can. Treadmills, dogs, the kids and their friends, building materials, I've even carried about 1000 lbs of rocks (for a wall) in the van at one time. Bikes, car parts, you name it, I can probably carry it. When I bought my wife a car a couple years ago, some of my friends thought she should be driving the van and I should have the car...nope, I like the van. They ask me why don't I get a mini truck. Why, when I can carry as much, or more than a mini truck, and still put the DOT approved seats in and everyone rides comfortably. Try LEGALLY carrying 7 people in a minitruck sometime!
By now, you must think I'm looney, but, I've owned this vehicle longer than any other I've ever owned. AND, I've seriously loved a couple of them. But this is different. My Grand Caravan is a part of who I am. Versatile.
So, what am I trying to accomplish here? I'm going to pool a couple of resources from the web. Throw them together in one spot. Make your life easier if you are looking for Chrysler MiniVan info. I'll have repair and tune up info. Performance info as well. So, lets get moving.. |
