Does anyone soup up minivans anymore?

[KingNothing]

I was just thinking about that Turbo Minivan that pops up here every so often, but it's an 89. And quite frankly, ugly. A 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan is available with AutoStick, AWD, and a beefed up transmission as part of the tow package. The amenities overall are much nicer than the older vans.

Are there bolt on modifications like turbos and superchargers (supercharger would be preferable, I would think) for late-model Mopar minivans? What other vehicles use the 3.8L V6? I did some searching on google but didn't come up with anything. Minivans are already about the most versatile vehicles in the world, but nobody makes "sport" minivans. I'm thinking a supercharger, 17 or 18 inch wheels, stiffer suspension, and a dual exhaust would just be cool.

Edit: Turns out the Grand Caravan is available with AWD *and* the AutoStick.

 

[Ornery]

My guess is the new "non-ugly" ones weigh a hell of a lot more than the quarter-milers. They're pretty damn stripped out. New minivans cost as much as any car you can name. Why put all that effort into a family car? The 88-89 vans you see were purchased for a song and modded for really low bucks.

BTW, the Grand Caravan ES is available in AWD, but who is going to cough up $30K for a family car and add even more to mod it?

 

[PsychoAndy]

have you even looked under the hood of a new 2002 mopar minivan yet?

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
have you even looked under the hood of a new 2002 mopar minivan yet?

Yeah...my parents have one. Well, they have a 2001, but same thing. I know the engine compartment is cramped, if that's where you're heading.

Hmm. Looked at Edmunds and didn't see AWD as an option on the Dodge Caravan. Guess I missed it.

It's not like I'd buy a *new* minivan if I was going to do this. I wouldn't even consider buying a minivan for several years yet. But, minivans depreciate like crazy so buying a used one and modding it makes sense. And who says that a "family" vehicle has to be slow? I look at a minivan, and I see a vehicle that can carry just about anything. I've moved mattresses, furniture, etc in my parents minivan. Right now SUVs are getting all the sport attention, but a minivan with AWD is better in almost every way except performance.

 

[PsychoAndy]

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
have you even looked under the hood of a new 2002 mopar minivan yet?

Yeah...my parents have one. Well, they have a 2001, but same thing. I know the engine compartment is cramped, if that's where you're heading.

Hmm. Looked at Edmunds and didn't see AWD as an option on the Dodge Caravan. Guess I missed it.

It's not like I'd buy a *new* minivan if I was going to do this. I wouldn't even consider buying a minivan for several years yet. But, minivans depreciate like crazy so buying a used one and modding it makes sense. And who says that a "family" vehicle has to be slow? I look at a minivan, and I see a vehicle that can carry just about anything. I've moved mattresses, furniture, etc in my parents minivan. Right now SUVs are getting all the sport attention, but a minivan with AWD is better in almost every way except performance.

Exactly. Nowadays it appears that the engines are made for ease in assembly ie: less time to mfr, saves them $ = harder to work on, costs people more $ to fix.

ANY car withinn reason suffers depreciation. GM, Chrysler, and Ford more particularly than others. Its not something you can completely avoid.

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: Ornery
My guess is the new "non-ugly" ones weigh a hell of a lot more than the quarter-milers. They're pretty damn stripped out. New minivans cost as much as any car you can name. Why put all that effort into a family car? The 88-89 vans you see were purchased for a song and modded for really low bucks. BTW, the Grand Caravan ES is available in AWD, but who is going to cough up $30K for a family car and add even more to mod it?

BTW, you're right about the weight difference. A 1993 Dodge Grand Caravan AWD weighs 3989 pounds, whereas a 2001 DGC AWD weighs 4521 pounds. The thing is, SUVs weigh just as much or more but they're offered with stronger engines to begin with. It's not as if I'm looking to create another 12-13 second minivan. But for the weight, these things could really use 300 HP or so, especially when you haul stuff, which people with minivans do a lot more of than SUV owners, I bet.

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
Exactly. Nowadays it appears that the engines are made for ease in assembly ie: less time to mfr, saves them $ = harder to work on, costs people more $ to fix. ANY car withinn reason suffers depreciation. GM, Chrysler, and Ford more particularly than others. Its not something you can completely avoid.

People still mod new cars though. Heck, Neons have a very strong aftermarket following, if you want to look at a Mopar product. And who said I was trying to *avoid* depreciation? I want to make it work for me.

 

[Ornery]

I'm not sure, but I think a decent SUV would be RWD with a decent size engine under the hood. Just ain't got the room under the hood of a minivan. You know what the pisser is? The minivan replaced the station wagon for the average family truckster. The hell of it is, the station wagon can carry everything a minivan can, including number of passengers plus tow a hell of a lot more. The wagon used the exact same engines and suspensions as their sedan counterparts, which kept repair bills low. You could put any size engine under the hood, from a straight six to a 455ci monster. The big attraction of minivans is their full size van hauling ability with a car-like ride. But station wagons drove like a car too! Oh well, there's no explaining what goes through the mind of the average American consumer.

Why The Sudden Popularity of Station Wagons?

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: Ornery
I'm not sure, but I think a decent SUV would be RWD with a decent size engine under the hood. Just ain't got the room under the hood of a minivan. You know what the pisser is? The minivan replaced the station wagon for the average family truckster. The hell of it is, the station wagon can carry everything a minivan can, including number of passengers plus tow a hell of a lot more. The wagon used the exact same engines and suspensions as their sedan counterparts, which kept repair bills low. You could put any size engine under the hood, from a straight six to a 455ci monster. The big attraction of minivans is their full size van hauling ability with a car-like ride. But station wagons drove like a car too! Oh well, there's no explaining what goes through the mind of the average American consumer. Why The Sudden Popularity of Station Wagons?

Yeah, engine space is a problem. Blowers can make up for displacement (not totally, I KNOW, I KNOW) though. I just never hear of it being done. I mean, is it physically impossible to fit a blower under there?

Station wagons can't haul everything a minivan can. Total cubic feet *might* be the same, but even that's not likely on today's wagons. Even if it were, the wagon still isn't as tall as a minivan, so there's still some things you can't haul.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Even though my 89 turbo caravan looks like crap they don't have too.

Pretty sweet looking black one

Besides already having the turbo these only weigh 3000-3200lbs or so with out the rear seats in them so they are a hell of a lot easier to make fast than the newer ones. Plus you can't go to a junkyard without tripping over a 2.2l/2.5l Mopar so parts are cheap and plentiful.

Another plus of the 89-90 models is you could get them with a 5 speed. They aren't easy to find but they are out there.