RE: OPINIONS WANTED....Blazer or Grand Caravan as TV

colenry · Sep 28, 2003, 07:05 PM

Okay, before anyone gets the wrong idea.....we know the blazer has a better tow rating, is on a frame, and has a rating of 5000#....BUT WE REALLY LOVE THE GRAND CARAVAN SPORT with the 3.8, 3800# rating!!!!![

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Does anyone have one of these? We would be purchasing the 2001 or 2002 Grand Caravan Sport with the 3.8, factory tow setup.....horse is about 215.....we are pulling a 03 Bayside......we love the room the Grand Caravan has in it (we have an old Voyager now and wouldn t dream of trading it in....besides it pulled the Mule, the Woody and brought Campy home)[

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We know the blazer would pull more and will pull better......we live in Central Wisconsin and tow in pretty flat countryside....the blazer has 190 horse, and rides like a dream.....

Are we thinking with our hearts and not with our minds?

Okay, here s the other part:.....Ry has a really REALLY hard time buying a GM product.....it s been ingrained since childhood to buy FORD....the only reason he is willing to buy a Dodge is because of our beloved Voyager...(167K and still going strong)....I did my part, I HONESTLY tried to like the Windstar and the Explorers (both 2001 and 2002 models)....they rode like " lumber-wagons" ...IMO....they jarred me around so much I got car-sick [: (] ..... (Okay, please don t take this post as a brand-name-war-thing)....

I need opinions from those of you who drive blazers and those of you who drive Grand Caravans.......any and all opinions will be read with open minds......

Thanks,
Cole

jpreiser · Jul 24, 2003, 10:58 PM

colenry
Our Dodge grand caravan had way to much sag in the back end while pulling the trailer so we had to move up to a truck.......[&:]

colenry · Jul 24, 2003, 11:09 PM

jpreiserDid you think about adding " helper springs?" We did this with the Voyager and it made a HUGE difference!!! We would probably add helper springs to the new Grand Caravan, just because it would probably help! Don t you think?

aldebnj · Jul 24, 2003, 11:26 PM

colenryWe got an Expedition Eddie Bauer coming off of a lease for less than a new Explorer last year. It rides like a dream and is extremely comfortable. Our Windstar was really struggling with the PU. Now we are moving up to a Trailmanor and at 7300# tow rating, the Expedition is more than up to it. Our Expedition was like new and had every option.

Last week when I was doing some price comparison on the Ford website, Expeditions and Explorers similarly equipped were in the same price range.

Just some food for thought. Good luck with your decision.

Al

SactoCampers · Jul 25, 2003, 01:40 AM

colenryGrand Caravan with tow package will have load leveling suspension, so you won t need to add air bags. It will also have a bigger alternator, heavier duty brakes, additional engine cooling, and auxiliary transmission cooling.

With a 3800 lb tow capacity I would tow with the minivan. No reason not to so long as you re under GCWR by a comfortable margin (find out what it is, my 98 Town & Country is 8300 lbs, the newer ones may be more) and under on your axle ratings. With the Bayside, you probably have (or will get) a reese mini 350 with either vehicle so tongue weight is covered there. Pulling power will be similar to, or possibly better than the Blazer, irrespective of the different tow capacity ratings of the vehicles (contrary to popular opinion tow capacity ratings seldom have much to do with pulling power). I think the newer generation DC minivans are ideal for small families towing popups. Of course, you ll want to get an extended warranty with a used one, I ve found it comes in handy! [

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BTW, in my searches, I found it was much easier to find a Chrysler T&C with tow packages than Dodge Grand Caravans. When I would use autotrader.com I would have to sift through all the basic 3.3 liter rental vans. Town & Countries were usually equipped with the 3.8, and also more likely to have the tow package. Just food for thought.

birol · Jul 25, 2003, 06:41 AM

colenry

QuoteORIGINAL: colenry

Okay, before anyone gets the wrong idea.....we know the blazer has a better tow rating, is on a frame, and has a rating of 5000#....BUT WE REALLY LOVE THE GRAND CARAVAN SPORT with the 3.8, 3800# rating!!!!![]

Does anyone have one of these? We would be purchasing the 2001 or 2002 Grand Caravan Sport with the 3.8, factory tow setup.....horse is about 215.....we are pulling a 03 Bayside......we love the room the Grand Caravan has in it (we have an old Voyager now and wouldn t dream of trading it in....besides it pulled the Mule, the Woody and brought Campy home)[]

We know the blazer would pull more and will pull better......we live in Central Wisconsin and tow in pretty flat countryside....the blazer has 190 horse, and rides like a dream.....

Are we thinking with our hearts and not with our minds?

Okay, here s the other part:.....Ry has a really REALLY hard time buying a GM product.....it s been ingrained since childhood to buy FORD....the only reason he is willing to buy a Dodge is because of our beloved Voyager...(167K and still going strong)....I did my part, I HONESTLY tried to like the Windstar and the Explorers (both 2001 and 2002 models)....they rode like " lumber-wagons" ...IMO....they jarred me around so much I got car-sick [: (] ..... (Okay, please don t take this post as a brand-name-war-thing)....

I need opinions from those of you who drive blazers and those of you who drive Grand Caravans.......any and all opinions will be read with open minds......

Thanks,
Cole

Did you consider a Trail Blazer XL which is a minivan on stereoids ? I don t know if you can find them second hand yet but, they have a high tow rating plus a lot of seating place plus long wheelbase ..... Just an idea ...

CAPEd CODger · Jul 25, 2003, 07:36 AM

colenryGiven a choice between the Chevy Blazer & the Caravan, I d pick the Blazer. Unless passenger capacity & comfort are your primary concerns, the Blazer should be the better tow vehicle.
If Ry has a problem with GM, get a Ford Explorer. It should do as well as the Blazer.
My $.02

tlhdoc · Jul 25, 2003, 08:18 AM

colenryI towed with a Dodge Grand Caravan for 3 years. I towed with a Ford Windstar for 3 years (it did a better job towing than the Caravan) and I have towed with a 2002 Explorer for 1 1/2 years. The SUV does a much better job than the vans ever thought of. Given the choices I would go with the Blazer, but the Trail Blazer can give you the 7 passinger seating. That is what I have in my Explorer and I love it. Good luck.

birol · Jul 25, 2003, 01:45 PM

tlhdocJust a note, Trail blazer XL or Envoy XL has a longer wheelbase then the explorer, a plus .....

Rocky Mountain Sue · Jul 25, 2003, 07:05 PM

colenryI had a Grand Caravan with tow package and it was great. Gas mileage and room for gear and family were a great selling point. I don t know what the new towing packages offer, but mine had a heavier suspension, shocks, heavy duty larger radiator and was prewired. Okay, you give up horsepower, but you drive it around for other things and other than just to tow the PU!

mike4947 · Jul 25, 2003, 09:31 PM

colenryA couple of general notes:

longer wheel bases tow better than shorter wheelbases.

Just because a used vehicle has a hitch doesn t mean it s got the factory tow package. Get the VIN number and have it scanned for the equipment listings.

One thing many people forget is their vehicle has a space saver spare. According to at least 4 makers of these " donuts" none are rated to tow ANYTHING. Make sure the spare is full sized. It s also a good indication that the doesn t have a tow package if it s got a donut.

4campinfoxes · Jul 25, 2003, 10:29 PM

colenryWe tow our Bayside with a full size van - E-150. Some friends tow theirs with a Ford F-150 Pickup. Frankly I wouldn t tow a camper the size & weight of a Bayside with much less. My opinion is go with the Blazer, not the Caravan. I don t remember what popup you had before, but we went from a Jayco 10UD to the Bayside & it is ALOT different. We have experienced some sway problems, which are under control with Air shocks & not towing over 65. You need to err on the side of caution for safety s sake and besides, if you do decide to tow somewhere hilly - like say Missouri or Colorado - you ll need the better tow vehicle.

Just my opinion.

Sharon

Steve-o-bud · Jul 27, 2003, 06:12 PM

colenryIn my opinion, I would go with the highest tow rattings that you can afford to buy. The higher tow rattings give you:

Heavier Duty Axles
Heavier Duty Tires
Bigger Brakes
Heavier Duty Transmissions
Heavier Duty Cooling Systems

All this will mean longer vehicle life, safer towing, etc. Interestingly, it may not mean better accelertion when towing, or higher hill climbing speeds. And, even though you can add some aftermarket items (transmission cooler, helper springs, etc.), your base components with the van will be less able to withstand the rigors of towing.

Also, in the past, a bit of discussion was had that dealt with safety margins given a specific tow ratings. The thought being, that although you may be within the 3,800 lb towing rating of the van, if your are pulling a 3,200 lb trailer, once you add in cargo weight and passengers in the tow vehicle, high altitudes, high summer tempratures, etc, you may well be pushing the limits.

I m hoping that a Ford Expedition comes dropping out of the sky and onto my driveway soon. I really try to live in a manner that is conducive of such miracles, but, as you may be able to tell, I haven t hit the lottery, etc. Is someone " up there" trying to tell me something???

Good luck.

jaycocamprs · Jul 28, 2003, 05:01 PM

colenryWe have found our 99 Blazer to be a good tow vehicle for our popup. I don t think that I would want to pull anything that was heavier than a popup, but I see people doing it. Although we don t use a WDH I think that the 2700lbs. that we pull is the upper limit of what you should pull without one. And Bayside s are known for sway! I would also recommend that you not get a Blazer with the 3.08 axle, I just bought a 93 Jimmy 4.3l with that gear and can already tell it s not going tow well. The 99 has the 3.42
GU4 AXLE REAR, 3.08 RATIO
GU6 AXLE REAR, 3.42 RATIO
GT4 AXLE REAR, 3.73 RATIO
You should find a sticker inside the glove box with 3 digit codes, one of the above should be there. That is the axle ratio, Higher number the better it will tow

SactoCampers · Jul 29, 2003, 10:06 AM

colenry

QuoteDid you consider a Trail Blazer XL which is a minivan on stereoids ?

??

The Trailblazer was designed from the ground up as an SUV. It shares no components with GM minivans. It seats seven, but to me that doesn t define it as a minivan on steroids.

The Aztek, that s a minivan on steroids. Same platform and drivetrain as the Montana.

With regard to safety, if you want good towing manners, go with the minivan with tow package. If you want more risk of sway, go with the higher center of gravity, narrower, and shorter wheelbase Blazer. If you re within the ratings, you re within the ratings and can tow with a clear conscience.

That said, I tow my 2300 lb popup and fully loaded 98 T&C with tow package (it s amazing what Mrs. Sacto thinks we " need" while camping) and I m ~1000 lbs under GCWR. I can go with a heavier popup, and I may someday. I m pleased with the performance considering the all around usefulness of the minivan. We have several mountain ranges in California and none of them have been a problem for the minivan (we ll find out about the dreaded Priest s Grade in late August). The newer models (2001 and newer) have quite a bit more power than mine, which is even better.

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