I think it is funny

[JohnL]

I still have one, a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 4.0 L V6, and the full tow package. (It just lacked the class III hitch, which I installed myself, an OEM one.) I use it to tow a 4x8 open box aluminum trailer. Recently hauled a whole load of cabinetry, with both the trailer and the minivan stuffed full. The minivan has the Stow-N-Go seating, so I have all of the seats down, and it can haul 4x8 sheets of plywood or drywall (sheetrock where I came from), and still close the hatch lid. We also have a 4th Gen Ram 1500, and the box on it is not even that long.

Now that sounds like my kind minivan. Just being able to haul full sheets of plywood sells me right there.

[Neto]

I still have one, a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 4.0 L V6, and the full tow package. (It just lacked the class III hitch, which I installed myself, an OEM one.) I use it to tow a 4x8 open box aluminum trailer. Recently hauled a whole load of cabinetry, with both the trailer and the minivan stuffed full. The minivan has the Stow-N-Go seating, so I have all of the seats down, and it can haul 4x8 sheets of plywood or drywall (sheetrock where I came from), and still close the hatch lid. We also have a 4th Gen Ram 1500, and the box on it is not even that long.

Now that sounds like my kind minivan. Just being able to haul full sheets of plywood sells me right there.

It's a close fit. If I want to load more than around 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood, then I have to move my seat forward a bit. I think I've had 4 sheets of 1/2" drywall in there, and still able to fully close the hatch. I've also driven solo from Holmes County, Ohio back home to Oklahoma a few times in this vehicle, and I can stop and stretch out in the back to sleep. (One time I came back from Oklahoma with the hood from my 46 Plymouth back there, but strapped in up high enough that I could easily crawl in under it to sleep.)

[JohnH]

I still have one, a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 4.0 L V6, and the full tow package. (It just lacked the class III hitch, which I installed myself, an OEM one.) I use it to tow a 4x8 open box aluminum trailer. Recently hauled a whole load of cabinetry, with both the trailer and the minivan stuffed full. The minivan has the Stow-N-Go seating, so I have all of the seats down, and it can haul 4x8 sheets of plywood or drywall (sheetrock where I came from), and still close the hatch lid. We also have a 4th Gen Ram 1500, and the box on it is not even that long.

I'm impressed your transmission survived in one piece.

[Neto]

I still have one, a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 4.0 L V6, and the full tow package. (It just lacked the class III hitch, which I installed myself, an OEM one.) I use it to tow a 4x8 open box aluminum trailer. Recently hauled a whole load of cabinetry, with both the trailer and the minivan stuffed full. The minivan has the Stow-N-Go seating, so I have all of the seats down, and it can haul 4x8 sheets of plywood or drywall (sheetrock where I came from), and still close the hatch lid. We also have a 4th Gen Ram 1500, and the box on it is not even that long.

I'm impressed your transmission survived in one piece.

Well, it has the heavy duty transmission (and the additional trannie cooler), as a part of the tow package. The cabinet shop is also not far from the house, maybe around 5 miles.

Also, assembled cabinets aren't all that heavy. Probably well less than a yard & a half of bark mulch (which is what we often haul with the trailer), when it's wet after a rain storm. I unloaded all of this stuff "by my lonesome", except for the two tall 18" wide bathroom cabinets. Had to get my son-in-law to stop over to help with those. Those were the only pieces inside the vehicle, which wasn't full to the top, only width-wise, and front to back. (Had to move our front seats forward for the drive back to the house we're remodeling.)

The rest was all in the trailer. Being aluminum, the trailer itself is also very light. Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, not sure what you're getting at. Trying to think of what heavier stuff I've had in that vehicle. I must be misunderstanding, because it would be more weight if it was full of average weight adult men in the 5 seating spaces in the 2nd & 3rd rows.

[JohnH]

Most of my remark was due to the poor reputation of Chrysler transmissions. The good news is that people seem to crash their Jeeps faster than the transmissions go bad, so they're relatively easy to get from a junkyard and put a replacement in.

[Neto]

Most of my remark was due to the poor reputation of Chrysler transmissions. The good news is that people seem to crash their Jeeps faster than the transmissions go bad, so they're relatively easy to get from a junkyard and put a replacement in.

Oh, OK. At 16 years old (and only around 142,000 miles), it DOES sort of 'clunk' when shifting at times, but this is one of a total of 7 MoPars I have had during my life, and the only transmission that ever went out on me was in a 84 Oldsmobile 98. (I have only had two other vehicles that weren't MoPars, an 84 Brazilian VW, and a 98 S-10.) I'm not counting the 46 Plymouth, because I haven't ever driven it yet. The VW was of course also a standard shift.

[JohnH]

Makes sense... the lifespan of Chrysler transmissions seems to be 100-150k miles.

I have lately taken to driving Jeep Grand Cherokees as their transmissions seem to be plentiful in junkyards. I guess people crash them a lot.

[mike]

Makes sense... the lifespan of Chrysler transmissions seems to be 100-150k miles.

We have run Doge Caravan minivans personally and for business for many years. In my experience, the transmissions go out around 200K. Once we had one go out around 150K, and it turned out that a fluid line going into it was crushed, likely by hitting an object on the road or by a rock being kicked up, draining out the fluid and locking up the transmission.

[JohnH]

We have run Doge Caravan minivans personally and for business for many years. In my experience, the transmissions go out around 200K. Once we had one go out around 150K, and it turned out that a fluid line going into it was crushed, likely by hitting an object on the road or by a rock being kicked up, draining out the fluid and locking up the transmission.

Might be the case for ones bought new.. with one that's used, you never know it's history.

I'm currently looking for a Chrysler minivan with a blown transmission. Figure I'll have to replace it anyway.

[mike]

We have run Doge Caravan minivans personally and for business for many years. In my experience, the transmissions go out around 200K. Once we had one go out around 150K, and it turned out that a fluid line going into it was crushed, likely by hitting an object on the road or by a rock being kicked up, draining out the fluid and locking up the transmission.

Might be the case for ones bought new.. with one that's used, you never know it's history.

I'm currently looking for a Chrysler minivan with a blown transmission. Figure I'll have to replace it anyway.

I have never bought a new one, and most were over 100,000 miles when I bought them. So theoretically they could have already had transmission replaced, but I doubt it.