There’s something about vehicles that left the dealership with accessories ordered by the original order that still remain with the car decades later. To order off the buffet of options when already plunking down a significant sum of cash for a new car requires either supreme love for the vehicle you’re about to own or a desire to have the best on the block, or both. This 1987 Plymouth Voyager looks like it was coolest minivan in town when it was new, and still comes off as a bit of a rockstar today. Find it here on craigslist for $8,500.
I know, I know – a minivan? Cool? Never! But you are talking to a van guy, and a van guy with a bunch of kids for whom vans make an awful lot of sense. The Voyager was a smash hit when it showed up, and consumers did take to this new class of vehicle like moth to a flame. In my biased view, this was one of the first times consumers got something they actually needed and the manufacturer realized the rewards of selling it to them. No one today needs a 3-row SUV that still has no meaningful luggage capacity when loaded with people. The minivan actually could ferry people and their gear with ease.
Anyway, this is what I mean about accessories: how many first-generation Voyagers are still running around with factory running boards still attached and that haven’t lost the little decal reminding you you’re driving a Plymouth-branded minivan, and not the more commonly seen Dodge version? Very few, I guarantee you. Plus, this one has two-tone paint, factory alloy wheels, and the interior shows a handsome woodgrain-style dash as well. Factor in the minty interior, cassette deck, and roof rack, and it’s clear the first owner was very excited to own a Voyager.
The 3.0L Mitsubishi-sourced 3.0L V6 produced 136 b.h.p. and 168 lb.-ft. of torque. The seller notes it shows just 92,000 miles from new, and it lived its life in Colorado, which generally treats older vehicles quite well. The brakes, tires, and battery have all been replaced. The seller also reports it comes with a healthy assortment of maintenance paperwork as well. They don’t come around like this often, if it at all, so for minivan fans like me, it’s a home run. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Barney for the find.
Nice one. We are on our 4th Chrysler made van, the first a ’91. We have done everything with our vans you can think of. Cross country high speed runs to towing trailers with race cars or lumber on them. Hurricane evacuation is a speciality with ours with kits stored in back and a portapot in the middle, and the second car on a trailer behind it.
This is really great. I’ll even go so far as to say special. Seeing the dealer installed running boards still in mint condition is a treat. These were everywhere and Chrysler certainly had a huge hit on their hands. The interior looks phenomenal too. I don’t always go for after market rims, but these really look sharp here. We never owned one, but purposely rented Caravans a couple times for long family trips. We a family of 5 plus my inlaws. We rented a 2008 with the stow n go seating, and that thing swallowed up everyones luggage with room to spare in the back. 70 to 75 mph on the highway without breaking a sweat. And decent fuel mileage too. Bobhess showing his towing his car and trailer shows just how versatile these are.
Jeff. I agree. This one is a Rockstar. Hope it gets saved and preserved. Great write up. Thank you.
They even had stick shift available for a pretty good run.
I can’t think of a more influential US vehicle that changed our lives so dramatically, except maybe the Model T. With as many as were sold, 16.6 MILLION, almost 1/4 million its 1st year( 1984) there’s bound to be nice ones remaining. It was a hit from the get-go. I had several, my kids learned to drive on one, I used another ( A Plymouth Turbo) for a package delivery service, easily repaired when rarely needed. I changed a timing belt in a truck stop once( and my dislike for timing belts) With hundreds of thousands of miles, it was without question, the most dependable( minus the belt) reliable vehicle I owned, except the semi trucks, of course. One of my minivans had those running boards, I think 1 fell off, rust was the biggest killer, as always. This changed everything in that, everyone jumped on the minivan bandwagon, and literally moved America. Stan mentions a stick, of all the minivans I encountered, only 1 had a 5 speed, and only on a 2.2-4 cylinder, I believe. After Pintos, the old man had a side business repairing damaged cars from the ins. auction, he went with Chrysler minivans. Most with front end damage, I saw quite a few. I don’t think we’ll ever see anything like them again, oh, another thing, if it wasn’t for the minivan, we may have lost Chrysler altogether. I heard an interview with Lee Iacocca, and he said, he didn’t take a dime out of Chrysler until all debts were repaid. He didn’t have anything nice to say about the car industry today. That guy should have been our nations president. Great find.
Our 2021 Chrysler has all the good stuff of the early ones but with a huge boost in power and a 9 speed automatic transmission that really gets it off the line. Only gripe is the lousy dashboard controls. Can’t do anything without taking your eyes off the road. Usually have the copilot with me anyway so that solves the problem.
Interesting that it still has the running boards, but the hubcaps are MIA.