drive the caravan until it don’t drive no more. If you are thrifty and can keep 10,000 bucks in the bank ready for an emergency I would not bother with a new vehicle until mine is completely dead. For 10k you can get a nice little care to get you another 100,000 miles OR spend a few nights in a town and have your caravan repaired. I am not a “car guy.” To me a car is a tool to get from point A to point B. A 96 caravan isn’t worth much but it’s worth a lot to you if it still works and does what you need. If there’s no problems now there aren’t likely to be any in the future. And those problems will either be typical maintenance or mechanical issues that happen on a car of that ‘vintage.’ I drive my cars until they physically can not be driven any more. Just be prepared with some common sense items in the caravan (water, food, money, phone, blankets) and you’ll be fine. If the caravan ever does break down consider your delay an unplanned vacation while you shop for a new car or have your caravan repaired.
In other words. I think you’re just fine and you’re new guy will just have to deal with it.
I’m with Organic Panic... great advice!