Overview & Reviews

Dodge brings out the Caravan eC, a value leader that lists for just $17,000. Power adjustable pedals debut as well.

• Surprisingly agile handling, quiet ride (with V6), low price.

• Some cheap interior bits, limited features and options, questionable reliability.

User Reviews:

Showing 51 through 53 of 53.00

• 

  smooth ride - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By goatmeal - March 17 - 5:52 pm

  A very good riding van. Easy to drive and a very good sound system for the base model.

• 

  Decent, but unreliable - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By Familyman - March 6 - 1:25 pm

  We purchased this car to provide room for our growing family. It was a good price and offered decent features. However, in one year, the car was in the shop three different times to fix problems with sensors and the transmission. It is unreliable and beware the time when your warranty runs out. Im afraid we will have to dig into our pockets too much before it is paid off. My suggestion, find a minivan that has proven reliability.

• 

  My best vehicle ever - 2002 Dodge Caravan
  By Bill - February 24 - 12:20 pm

  If you dont take care of your Dodge eC Caravan you may not have the luck Ive had, but for the money I spent this is my best car in 52 years of driving. I bought the van new on December 31, 2001, for $16,600 (if I remember correctly). The Dodge new-car discount/rebate of about $600 did not apply, but in almost 16 years with it Ive probably saved $2000 in gasoline at 28-32 highway-miles per gallon over what I would have spent on a 6-cylinder model. I use it only for vacation and business trips, sleeping in the back of the van with the seats removed, and Ive probably also saved close to $20,000 on motels. I regret not having cruise control, but in the eastern U.S. cruise is not as efficient as it used to be because there is so much traffic. Until ethanol became ubiquitous in gasoline I was consistently getting 31 to 32 mpg, but with ethanol that drops to 28 most of the time (a 16-percent drop in fuel efficiency for a 10-percent infusion of corn liquor--not the most environmentally sound decision, and decidedly counter-productive in the quest for energy independence). On the rare occasions when Ive run through a tank of gas in local traffic the mileage has been about 23 to 24 mpg. Ive followed the maintenance manual religiously, changing the oil every 4000 miles until I switched to synthetic, and now I let it go 6000, but Ive had no emergency repairs to make. Because I let it sit through the winter I had a problem with mice hibernating in the ventilation system, but thats no fault of the car. The only other trouble I ever had was getting the steering wheel to unlock when I parked on a precipitous hill, but with a little manhandling I was able to get it to release enough to pull into drive and go on my way. I have no rust issues because I never drive it in the winter, save for one 600-mile trek through a freak October snowstorm. Despite having only summer tires (albeit brand-new ones) I plugged right along with my front-wheel drive through that heavy, wet snowfall while trailer trucks and SUVs were off the road on both sides. Speaking of tires, Im only on my second set, and as of today (September 13, 2017) the van has 126,000 miles on it. Next week it goes in to get the timing belt replaced: I wasnt sure until calling my mechanic today that it had a timing belt instead of a timing chain, and I dont think the manual mentioned that; at least the maintenance schedule didnt say anything about it. Ive babied the van from Day One, and no children have been allowed to trash it, or abuse the doors, so perhaps your experience may vary, but as for me I regret that there is no new eC model available to replace this one when (and if) it dies.