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Had two Caravan, 89 Grand and 93 Caravan. Now have two Ventures, a 98 and a 05. The 98 had intake gasket problems and just recently blew head gasket at 125K. The 98 got a new fuel pump ($450 for the pump) at 70K. On the cyl hd gasket repair the bores had zero wear. Used valvoline 2-30 at 3-3500 mi. Just converted all the outfits to amsoil. Gets 26 mpg on the trip computer on trips with Amsoil syn in engine and transmission. The 05 ate the inner brake pads at 16K, dealer said they are getting many inner pad failures. It gets 19 mpg around town on the computer, have yet to take it on a long trip. Still got factory fill on transmission, just converted to amsoil on engine. Dealer said GM got the gasket problems fixed. I personally enjoy driving the Venture much better than the Chrysler product, it does not wander near much. The Ventures have air suspension which gives a consistent ride height at a variety of loads. We also got the individual seats which lets us go from cargo to people easily. Drivers seat is 6 way adjust. 26 gallon gas tank will make you want to stop before it has to. Crossed South Dakota in 2000 when it was 113 outside, temperature needle did not budge, even with the air conditioning full on. Anything other than changing the fluids is a chore, the body is poured around the engine. The battery is not a big deal, the cross brace comes right off.
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