1993 3.0L Plymouth Voyager Minivan

We bought our metallic green Voyager 7 months ago, just as the 16-year-old son was about to pass his driving test. We chose a van since we already had a sporty Honda and a 4x4 for the winter. Also we only moved here from England a couple of years ago, so we are lucky(!) enough to have an unending stream of visitors, all of whom want to go to Niagara Falls!

The van had 103,000 miles and one previous owner. I found it as a trade-in at one of the more highbrow dealers in the Detroit area. I was surprised to find such an old (and cheap) vehicle on their forecourt, but they said it had passed their 100+ point check with flying colours so they were happy to sell it alongside the $20,000+ youngsters. I paid $2995. They wouldn't haggle as it was so clean for such a silly price.

So, what about features? It's the base model, but even so it's got a decent level of equipment for a '93 vehicle:

Electric door locks
Electric tailgate
A/C (albeit leaky)
3L V6 engine
Automatic transmission
Driver's airbag
Decent Stereo
Lots of cup holders for its age
Comfy front seats
Removable 2nd and 3rd row seats
Rear defrost.

It drives well, just like a car. It doesn't roll too much. It can carry 7 without too much luggage - we have had a long weekend with 6 adults and luggage without being cramped.

The engine is powerful enough - it's no slug. It will cruise at 80 happily with a full load, 90 without. It is a PIG to work on, though. I am an engineer by profession, and a pretty good DIY mechanic, but I struggle to get my hands down (or up) the back of the engine. A plug change on the rear bank of the engine takes even a professional mechanic over half-to-one hour. Still, it's a van so what do you expect? We have an drip which comes from the rear rocker cover. It's not too serious yet so I don't worry about it, and the garage will fix it for $200 when it needs taking care of. This is normal for a 10-year-old seal. Otherwise the engine is a rock.

The transmission is, well, a Chrysler one. Chrysler are reputed to keep the transmission shops of America going. Ours isn't too bad, having done 106,000 now, but it's a bit jerky if changing up at high revs. Having said that it passes all the "DIY before-you-buy" checks that I used when I looked at it. It's OK.

Inside, the van is light, airy and comfy. The third row can accommodate three and is a little short on leg room, but OK for those up to around 5'7". The windows from row two back are heavily tinted which helps keep the car cool. The two front windows are manual (remember those??), while the rest all tilt out an inch or two. There is a sliding door on the passenger side which is good. Interior lighting is great all the way to the back. We put a cheap aftermarket centre console in ours and that keeps the son's junk under control as well as adding yet another four cup holders!

The brakes are great. There is no ABS on this trim level but the Voyager doesn't tend to lock up under heavy braking so it's not really an issue.

The van has a great air con system but, like a lot of 10-year-olds, the hoses leak over the course of a summer, so it needed a recharge at the start of the next season. I am going to try a stop-leak treatment next year to see if that helps. Luckily the van was made just after Chrysler changed to the more-environmentally-friendly R134a refrigerant, so it doesn't cost much to top-up and the leakage doesn't do major harm to the environment.

Last but not least, it is in INCREDIBLE condition for its age. The underside is like a two-year-old, and the paint is like new. The clearcoat metallic helps.

To summarise, a great buy for the money and perfect for a family runabout. Be sure to check out the transmission before you buy (since they can cost $1500 to replace). We will keep ours till it dies, hopefully no time soon.