Perhaps, like millions of Americans, you’re planning a road trip this summer. Rather than setting out in your soulless SUV, wouldn’t it be cooler to travel the way families did a generation ago? By that, we mean at the wheel of an original Chrysler minivan. Grab this remarkably preserved 1988 Dodge Caravan, up for auction right now on Cars & Bids, and you can do just that.
The Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager were introduced for 1984, their transverse engine, front-wheel-drive layout (based on Chrysler’s K-car chassis) setting the template for minivans to come. This 1988 Caravan still carries all the hallmarks of those first-generation models, with its single sliding door, short wheelbase, and two rear bench seats. It does, however, have the updated front-end styling with more smoothly integrated rectangular headlamps. This one features the optional engine upgrade, a 3.0-liter V6, hooked to a column-shifted automatic with three forward speeds.
Believed to be a lifetime California car, this Caravan appears to be rust-free. Its cream-colored cloth interior also somehow managed to have escaped the ravages of spilled juice boxes and crushed Cheetos. The odometer shows just over 91,000 miles.
These minivans are a rolling cultural touchstone for a generation of Americans, and despite their widespread popularity, are almost never found in this condition. To paraphrase former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca, “If you can find a better vintage minivan, buy it.” We’ll bet you can’t.