dodge grand caravan for 5'11" $5000 any good for living in?

[petetheskriller]

Hello- im relatively new to the van living concept so apologize for any obviuse questions I have but theres a few from 03'-05' in my area for $ 5-7000 so I was curious as to whether or not these would be ok for a short guy like myself to sleep in along with a propane freezer (porta gaz pg-70gt) 2 coolers and inflatable mattress I was thinking ill use the coolers and freezer for my desks as I work on the net and all I really need is somewhere to sit relatively comfortably and use my laptop most reviews ive read are great, does anybody have experience with these vans? apparently they stopped making awd after 04' theres both awd and fwd available which would be better? im probably going to be traveling quite a bit lastly does anybody have measurements for the back? im going to check these out for myself in a couple of weeks I just that I live pretty far from the dealer and im brainstorming .thanks for your time

 

[One Awesome Inch]

You should be able to get a van in great mechanical condition of $5000. Personally, I'd opt for the larger standard cargo van like a Chevy Express or Ford E150 rather than a Dodge Caravan. The mini vans have less room and even with a cargo van every inch is precious. If I recall correctly the interior of a cargo van is about 51 inches from floor to ceiling and mini van is likely to be less.

For comfortable seating get yourself a high quality foam bed and use a large cushion for a back rest. That should be fairly comfortable and dual purpose which requires less space.

 

[Bdog1]

Caravan is still made. The model you mentioned ran till 2007. There was an update in 08 that is still current. You may find the "stow & go" option useful. Seats fold into the floor, and it creates extra storage ( especially with seats removed)

The mini vans are smaller for sure, but, get better mileage and aren't too bad for maintains. Super common vehicle! Blends in anywhere!

 

[akrvbob]

Here's the problem with some minivans, once you load them up the weight brings down their MPG so much that they are no better than a full-size van and have much less room. I'm not saying that will happen with the Chrysler, but it is a possibility.

If you have a freezer and two coolers and they are loaded plus all your living stuff it could be VERY heavy! A heavily loaded full-size van might get better MPG than a mini-van with the same load.

My girlfriend has a 2001 Chevy Express with the 5.3 V8 and she gets 18-19 MPG on all her roadtrips. And she has plenty of power.

With a freezer and 2 coolers you are going to need every inch of space you can get and may be worth paying the money for a few less MPGs and get an extended van with 2 extra feet of space.
Bob

 

[petetheskriller]

Thanks guy's , Bob your absolutely right I had'nt considered the mpg with the extra weight I was primarily thinking of gas savings but a Ford conversion 5.0 (93) sounds more practical theres a couple of those available also I think ill look into something along those lines as ive heard good things about the 5.0 engine, thanks again

 

[akrvbob]

I have a friend and he and his wife live in a Chevy Astro. Normally the Astro gets 18-22 MPG but theirs is loaded so heavy it dropped to 15 and he put a lift and big tires on it and started carrying a Honda xr350 and now he is down to 12 mpg. Nearly any full-size van will beat that and have a lot more room. Little engines loaded too heavy usually drop big time in MPG.

Now I have no experience with the chrysler minivans so I can't be sure that's true of it. And maybe you won't load it up heavy. But it is something to consider. The Ford E150 with a 5 liter should get 14-17 mpg.
Bob

 

[Bdog1]

Back in the day a buddy bought four or five E250's with the injected 5.0L for delivery vans and he always bragged about them getting 17. Pretty sure the guys driving weren't trying to save fuel either!

 

[highdesertranger]

pete on a side note, be carful with that propane refer/freezer inside your vehicle. they need fresh air just like a propane heater. on rv's they are vented outside. they are also the number one cause of rv fires. highdesertranger

 

[LeeRevell]

I am 6'4" snd have no problem sleeping comfortably in my 2005 Grand Caravan. I keep the middle and rear seats folded under the floor and a rubber mat covering the entire floor. The cargo area is nearly ten feet long, from behind the driver's seat to the rear door. I do find the headroom a bit tight. I have camped several times in it, but would find it too small for vandwelling. I have a Ford E150 to convert for that.
Were I a young man and wanting to live in a minivan for awhile, the GC would suffice. But I'd eventually be wanting to upsize.