Just the other day, I opined about how the Dodge minivan lineup of the 80s and 90s was iconic in many ways for its segment-busting configuration, but that driving a minivan as your enthusiast vehicle of choice was unlikely to happen. That being said, if you can squeeze a van into your collection as a way to haul a few friends to the track for a weekend, a clean 1994 Chrysler Town & Country like this one listed here on craigslist may make sense – especially since the seller claims that the 25K miles shown on the digital odometer are original miles, and the leather condition seems to bear this out.
The second-generation Caravan was a natural evolution of the initial minivan offering, extending the wheelbase and interior dimensions to reflect that fact that Americans were always in need of more space. Hauling gear, bigger families, or simply keeping a car through multiple eras of child rearing made the larger minivan even more appealing to consumers. After a weekend of using my wife’s SUV with a third-row seat that effectively eliminates all usable rear storage space when it has actual passengers, I can’t get over how far we’ve regressed in terms of vehicle offerings. First it was the cheap, bare-bones pickup; now it’s people movers that actually make sense since most manufacturers expect you to pony up serious cash for a 3-row vehicle with actual cargo space.
The interior of this Town & Country is its major selling point. There is leather everywhere and it’s all in remarkable condition. The second row captain’s chairs and rear bench look like they have never been sat in, and the leather-covered door panels appear to have spent very little time with sugar-encrusted hands grabbing at them. The floors are protected with thick, color-matched rubber floor mats, pointing to a caretaker that wanted to keep this top-of-the-line model in exceptional condition. The 1994 models like this one got a revised dashboard with dual airbags standard. The iconic woodgrain trim was deleted for another major change, and a 3.8L V6 replaced the 3.3L.
The digital cluster is a treat; I honestly didn’t remember the minivans coming with this high-tech dash. The Town & Country made 162 b.h.p. from its larger V6, and a few other changes came along in this second era that improved safety performance. In general, the Caravan is still a terrific example of a people mover that will outperform most SUVs with tiny third rows that eliminate usable space when in use. If you can get over the stigma of driving an older vehicle that happens to be a minivan, a Caravan like this will return years of affordable and practical use for years to come. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the find.
Due to a change of positions within a former employer, I now found myself on the road about 80% of the time. This led to monthly mileage reimbursement checks that I soon realized would more than cover the payments on a new car, so I purchased (ordered) one of these. In my travels through many small towns, I found a (literally) mom and pop Chrysler Plymouth dealer. After quoting me a lower price than any other dealer, the elderly owner asked me why I didn’t order the tow package. I told him that I wasn’t going to tow, but that I needed a van for work and to haul the collectibles that I purchased during my travels. After explaining what a collectible was to him, he took me into a back storeroom and said, “You mean like these?” In front of me was a small stack of large diameter original Chrysler Plymouth and Dodge factory service, Valiant and other miscellaneous porcelain dealer signs and a 50s vintage Coke machine. I said that if he included those items, I was ready to sign the vehicle order form. When I went to pick up my new vehicle weeks later, “Mrs. Dealer” said that I couldn’t haul “that old junk” in my “nice new car”, so I had to return several days later in my pickup. Everyone was happy and selling those items resulted in a substantial additional discount on the vehicle. About a week after delivery, I scored a 40s vintage Flying A diesel pump and hauled it home laying down. After cracking open a fitting to remove the pump and motor (it was for decoration only in my house) in my driveway, about a gallon of decades-old diesel poured out of it. I was shocked, but relieved, that it didn’t spill out in the back of my new car (tan interior). That van served me well and faithfully for a number of years, traveling up and down the West Coast. It could haul friends in comfort on Friday night and haul an enormous load to the collectibles show on Saturday- a truly versatile vehicle.
Good for some work w rhe family 👪 at the cabin 🏕 then wash n wax and head out on the town. The magic 🎩 Van
Too bad this was deleted already! Almost seems like an april fools prank! Did’nt even make it a few hours!
Hi Nick, I think that’s a clear indicator how much people actually want these again.
Well ok but when i posted it had only been up 7 minutes!
My wife had one of these about 20 years ago, but a ’93. Same color and interior but hers had the wood paneling on the side. It was one of her favorites. The only weak point was the 4sp. auto. transmission. I had it replaced once at about 160,000 thousand and it went again at 210,000. By then it was getting rusty so I junked it. The 3.3 motor still ran great, they were bulletproof. In all we had 4 of these vans. A ’94 Dodge with the 3.0 and 3sp. trans. a ’92 Dodge and a ’94 Plymouth, both with the 2.5 4cyl. and 5sp. sticks. They were my favorites.
How much was the asking price on Craigslist? Would have been nice to know.
We have a ‘93 that is part of our ‘fleet’…we inherited it from my mother in law. We use it solely for taking ‘the girls’ (our dogs) for walks; it looks like hell but it just won’t die! 250,000 miles, AWD (great in the snow), comfortable, great visability, runs like a top. Too bad the listing was pulled, I would actually consider it as a replacement for mine….
I never knew Chrysler offered a digital cluster for the minivan. Must have been exclusive to the Town&Country. Its a beauty. I’m always weary about electrical mods. So whats up with the toggle switch and button at the left of the column