Keep the 06 grand caravan or upgrade

[Skippy722]

Keep it, even rusting away those friggin things refuse to die… ours survived my parents grossly mis-using it as a pick up truck it’s entire life as well as 3 teenage drivers… the last of which managed to “total” it twice (rear ended someone with a hitch at 10mph, a few months later put it into a ditch and wiped out all the passenger side glass).

I would keep an eye on the coolant lines going to the rear if you have rear heat. Ours rusted and started leaking, ironically the AC lines were still factory and in great shape on our 2004.

 

[JHZR2]

Keep it, even rusting away those friggin things refuse to die… ours survived my parents grossly mis-using it as a pick up truck it’s entire life as well as 3 teenage drivers… the last of which managed to “total” it twice (rear ended someone with a hitch at 10mph, a few months later put it into a ditch and wiped out all the passenger side glass).

I would keep an eye on the coolant lines going to the rear if you have rear heat. Ours rusted and started leaking, ironically the AC lines were still factory and in great shape on our 2004.

Very true. I have a handyman that uses one as a work vehicle of sorts. It holds all his tools, has a roof rack, gets far better mileage than a truck.

it has also been in at least two accidents, and has had a fender, sliding door, tailgate, and front door at minimum replaced. They do seem to be robust vehicles despite the claims some make.

 

[CKN]

$808 a month is insane especially on a depreciating asset! I am probably in the minority but If I can't buy a car with just 1 payment then I don't want it. You can fix a lot of broken stuff for $800 a month and still be money ahead

You can't buy a new car (at least most can't) with one payment. Looking at your fleet you haven't been in a new car dealer in a while. Some of us would rather have a payment than crawling underneath a car-or taking it to a mechanic. And they always break when it's convenient right????

 

[tnt_motorsports]

We had a 2006 and drove it until it literally died. I fixed the soft spots in front of both rear wheels and kept the body in decent shape.

Late in life it started to use oil really bad and began running rough. After it died on my wife I decided it was time for it to go. We upgraded to a 14 about 4 years ago.

My philosophy is to drive cars until they become unreliable or until repairs exceed payments. The later doesn’t usually happen because you can fix a lot for an $800 payment.

I’d keep it for now especially with this market. My sons looking and I’m cringing every time.

Just my $0.02

 

[nickaluch]

$808 a month that's a house payment no thanks. Do not want a car payment

That's my property tax a month

 

[DerbyDave]

You can't buy a new car (at least most can't) with one payment. Looking at your fleet you haven't been in a new car dealer in a while. Some of us would rather have a payment than crawling underneath a car-or taking it to a mechanic. And they always break when it's convenient right????

I have had 3 brand new cars in the last 14 years. I sold them and decided that older cars were a better financial decision, The current fleet is still fairly nice and mostly trouble free and I am not throwing away money on something that rapidly loses value. Not going to say it's for everyone because I need someone to take the depreciation hit on new cars so I can buy them slightly used at a huge savings over the new price.

 

[addyguy]

Definetly keep it. It does not sound like anything serious will go wrong on it soon, and now Is NOT the time to buy a car or truck, new or used.

 

[BrianF]

I'd keep it as long as the spring perches are solid. Mine has plenty of rust on the doors and rockers but runs solid. I would like shocks, struts and sway bar end links and bushings but other than that, the suspension is solid and still works. I'm 236,000km or so and the engine and trans are still solid (would like to do plugs, O2 and a trans flush) but she keeps on ticking.

I got other vehicles and am parking her for the winter but won't hesitate to run that rusted hulk until something critical falls off. Plus with the financial uncertainty going on, I'm not wanting to buy a vehicle in these times.

 

[BrianF]

I also don't care about the looks I get when I roll up in a rusted grand Mormon van. Insurance is cheap and for what I paid, you would run it too.

 

[dareo]

A 2006 anything will get you almost nothing at trade in. I suggest keeping it, fixing it, and when you have the cash on hand to buy a better one and sell your 06 private party that would the the prudent thing. It is a great luxury to have a new van for your family but every month i see $716 come out and vanish. Mini vans dont hold value well.

 

[vwmaniaman]

I owned a 2006 Chrysler T&C. Had for 186K. Motor still ran great when we traded it for our Mazda 5. It was a company leased van so I put all the miles on it till we bought it. I think the 2006 was the best year for those vans. I too had the EGR and a water pump. Both easy repairs. Near the end for us was a front right wheel bear which I replaced. Easy van to repair.

 

[ram_man]

That's my property tax a month

That's insane mine for the whole year was $1257. Just got the bill the other day

 

[HemiBenny]

I think the consensus here is that you should keep it. Ultimately it's your decision, but it seems that you are happy with the vans reliability overall and the next one may be newer, but it could have a lot of unforeseen problems and turn into a money pit.
I would trust a vehicle that I am familiar with on a long trip before an unfamiliar one, even if the unfamiliar one is a newer model. If you've performed routine maintenance (oil changes, transmission services, cooling system service, etc.) on the '06, it'll last a long time with minimal expense.
As others have said, it's far more valuable now than what you'll ever get for it. That generation of Chrysler minivans are true work horses that have been used for a lot more than what they were ever designed for and lived,...work that work horse and save your money.
This is just my opinion and it's based on your description of the van, which you actually seem to be happy with.
Cheers!

 

[joekingcorvette]

Yes keep it. Used car prices are insane right now as well as new car prices. Maybe some day things will catch up and even out a little.

 

[nickaluch]

Me personally I would by something more new less miles for the family but I have no problem using it myself to get back n forth. But with this crazy car market that throws a hand grenade into the situation so keep it

 

[svtrit]

I had an 02 that I begrudgingly let go. It was starting to have visible rust, but was reliable as any Japanese car out there. A younger family needing reliable, cheap wheels bought it. Never saw it again after that.

165k miles on almost everything original. Survived 3 teenage boy new drivers and took our family all over the US and a bit of Manitoba. I have a story about taking on a 4x4 only trail in CA and the looks of all the Jeep and Pickup drivers when I rolled up at the trail head.

I bought a 12, which I hated, and now have a 14. The new vans are very nice, but just not as good as that previous generation.

The 02-07 generation is hard to beat!