Unfortunately,The end of my ownership of this dependable vehicle may be in sight! Having said that, it IS now 14 years old with "only" 115000 miles on it. It's also slowly succumbing to rust; very comon here in Northeast. The rust is showing on the most usual places for these vans: the outer edges of the hood, inside the wheel wells
(especially on the left side) Plus, major repairs are starting to ramp up, simply because many of the vehicle's major components are original. It's never had its shocks and struts replaced simply because in my view, it has never needed them. It still has the original exhaust system, motor and tranny! Because of a stroke I suffered nearly 8 years ago, I'm now on a fixed income...so only emergency or badly needed work can be performed. If I was still working full-time, EVERY little thing would be maintained or fixed very quickly. Since I'm not allowed to drive it much (just short trips 20 miles or less), it sits much of the time, which can't be good for it. I want to hold onto it for as long as I can but in the long run, an outright sale or trade-in value slowly drops every day but a new(er) to me vehicle just isn't in the cards right now! If there was a way to rebuild the van with all new floorpan and body panels, I'd borrow money to get it done--That's how much I love this vehicle! If suddenly, unexpected money falls out of the sky, I would buy another Grand Caravan C/V; it would have to be a relatively newer year as MOPAR has ditched them in favor of their new Tradesman City, which I would NEVER consider. I have no interest in 4 cylinder vehicles of ANY kind as I've been spoiled by V-6sover 25 years now. So something with the sound and power of a higly modified chainsaw would be out of the question...
