The very first vehicle in which full time overnighting became a practice is the 1984 Dodge Caravan. Since this vehicle, which went for over three hundred thousand miles, there have been several others put into the overnighting use.

The engine was a 3.0 Mitsubishi and was still running well when I sold the vehicle. What did fail with this car is the transmission and constant velocity joints which had to be rebuilt and/or replaced on numerous occasions.

Also, I had done a major overhaul on all the front end suspension parts which really helped in the handling and life of the tires. However, not wanting to continue replacing the transmission I procured a replacement work vehicle, but because the 1984 Dodge was still running good, I did a winterizing procedure on it by running the engine until all the gas in the tank and carburetor was used up.

I ended up selling the vehicle during the summer of 2006 and the new owner was able to start it immediately and drive it away.

My conclusion on this van is that it was well built except for the transaxle. In fact, the Mitsubishi engine was probably the best that I have ever owned and worked on.

Before the 1984 Dodge was sold, I had purchase a 1983 Chevy full size van which served me as a work vehicle, in which I often overnighted. However, it became hard to start and I sold it sometime in 2007.

Next, I received a really good deal on a 1993 Plymouth Voyager which I used right up until the engine died at the end of December 2008.

After the Plymouth Voyager died, I made a call to a friend in Tennessee to inquire if he had a van for sale. Joe said that he had an 1994 Ford Aerostar but it had one hundred and fifty thousand miles one it.

My reply to him is, Well, that means it is just now broken in.