Maybe the teething problems are done from the redesign. My sister is finding theirs annoying with many trips to the dealer fixing broken interior trim bits, sliding electric doors, exterior trim on bumper on seated etc. She is thankful for extended warranty I advised her to buy.
Chrysler minivan ranked #1
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Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: vintageant
Decide what you want: looks or reliability.
Not sure you get either with the Toyota or Honda offerings...
Huh?
It's pretty clear you have a strong bias against those brands since you make subtle digs at pretty much every opportunity. Personally, I'd rather go with the independent data which is available, Identifix, Truedelta and yes--even Consumer Reports, and make a determination...
Besides the years in which the Odyssey suffered from transmission problems (which is not every year, BTW), the Sienna and Odyssey look like the most reliable options out there for minivans, by a significant margin.
Originally Posted By: vintageant
Decide what you want: looks or reliability.
Not sure you get either with the Toyota or Honda offerings...
Huh?
It's pretty clear you have a strong bias against those brands since you make subtle digs at pretty much every opportunity. Personally, I'd rather go with the independent data which is available, Identifix, Truedelta and yes--even Consumer Reports, and make a determination...
Besides the years in which the Odyssey suffered from transmission problems (which is not every year, BTW), the Sienna and Odyssey look like the most reliable options out there for minivans, by a significant margin.
Originally Posted By: lyle
Four Chrysler minivans in the extended family in the past 15 years, and four transmissions required at about the 100k mile mark, even with rigorous maintenance. They must have gotten better, couldn't get any worse.
Don't bet on it. After my last Chrysler product, I'll never own another...
Four Chrysler minivans in the extended family in the past 15 years, and four transmissions required at about the 100k mile mark, even with rigorous maintenance. They must have gotten better, couldn't get any worse.
Don't bet on it. After my last Chrysler product, I'll never own another...
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
No better value in a Mini-Van. I can't imagine why anyone would pay more for another make?
If we buy a minivan again, I'll pay more for another make. We had an '07 and the ownership experience was pretty poor. We loved the van itself, the vehicle. It was laid out well, was reasonably efficient, was pleasant to drive, and you got a ton of features for the money.
Apparently what we traded for the bang-for-the-buck ratio was reliability and good customer care from Corporate. Our van was at the dealer for numerous issues (and often repeat visits). 3 A/C compressors, 2 alternators, 3 belt tensioners, more pairs of sway bar bushings than I can count on one hand, PS problems, transmission reflashes, 3 rear ABS sensors, etc. You name it. And Corproate stiffed us on a rental car they promised us when the van was at the dealer for an A/C drain problem that the dealer swore wasn't a problem, depsite the gallon of water under the carpets.
All of this within 3 years and 45,000 miles on the odometer (and we bought it new).
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice.......
No better value in a Mini-Van. I can't imagine why anyone would pay more for another make?
If we buy a minivan again, I'll pay more for another make. We had an '07 and the ownership experience was pretty poor. We loved the van itself, the vehicle. It was laid out well, was reasonably efficient, was pleasant to drive, and you got a ton of features for the money.
Apparently what we traded for the bang-for-the-buck ratio was reliability and good customer care from Corporate. Our van was at the dealer for numerous issues (and often repeat visits). 3 A/C compressors, 2 alternators, 3 belt tensioners, more pairs of sway bar bushings than I can count on one hand, PS problems, transmission reflashes, 3 rear ABS sensors, etc. You name it. And Corproate stiffed us on a rental car they promised us when the van was at the dealer for an A/C drain problem that the dealer swore wasn't a problem, depsite the gallon of water under the carpets.
All of this within 3 years and 45,000 miles on the odometer (and we bought it new).
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice.......
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Sienna SE, hands down the best looking minivan even built.
Agreed.
The T&C looks dated, the Nissan Quest looks just as unusual as their Cube.
I've only ever experienced (second hand, mind you) bad things with respect to Chryslers, from oil burning to engine replacements to transmission issues to poor fuel economy. Most of these, though, were owned by people who maaaaaay not have properly maintained them, though. How many soccer moms/dads/grandparents do for any minivan, though, right?
My Grandmother took perfect care of her 2003 T&C van. The automatic transmission was getting extremely weak at 85,000 miles, and was completely dead after 90,000 miles. Also, even though the oil was changed every 3,000 miles, it used 1 quart by 2,000 miles.
It really bothered me that she bought a newer generation Dodge Grand Caravan.
Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Sienna SE, hands down the best looking minivan even built.
Agreed.
The T&C looks dated, the Nissan Quest looks just as unusual as their Cube.
I've only ever experienced (second hand, mind you) bad things with respect to Chryslers, from oil burning to engine replacements to transmission issues to poor fuel economy. Most of these, though, were owned by people who maaaaaay not have properly maintained them, though. How many soccer moms/dads/grandparents do for any minivan, though, right?
My Grandmother took perfect care of her 2003 T&C van. The automatic transmission was getting extremely weak at 85,000 miles, and was completely dead after 90,000 miles. Also, even though the oil was changed every 3,000 miles, it used 1 quart by 2,000 miles.
It really bothered me that she bought a newer generation Dodge Grand Caravan.
I'm often forced to wonder, what did I do that was so right or what did everybody else do that was so wrong with their Chryslers.
My Daytona did start it's rapid decline at 100,000 miles. But when I think about how many Sunbird GT Turbos, Mitsubishi Starions, and Isuzu Impulses from that era that didn't even make 100,000 miles, it's actually not that bad.
My Sebring Convertible (whatever, it was a really great car. Women dug that car. Great car for dates.) Anyway....Nothing. Nothing ever broke that wasn't my fault. I did mount a transmission cooler on it and wasn't real careful with my hose routing...it wore through. Spewed ATF all over Interstate 30 and lost enough that it couldn't pull the car. Towed in, replaced hose, refilled with fresh ATF+3 and it was fine.
I will never do another 6G73 timing belt ever again....never! But otherwise it was fine.
If it had not been vandalized (top cut open... I really wish they would have just broken a window) and if a new top with a glass rear window wasn't $4000 installed,(
you can get the cloth top with glass defroster window for about $1000 installed now, it was much more 10 years ago) I might still be driving that car. It was that good. Comfy seats, decent ride, and let me emphasize how much women loved this car.
PT Cruiser GT. This thing's transmission has got to be doubly [darned]. 245 ft lbs of torque AND it's cradled in a nest of hot turbocharger plumbing in one of the smallest engine compartments.
But it's fine.
The dealership did replace the steering rack that they insisted was leaking. Must have been a very small leak because it was never once low on fluid and never leaked even the smallest of drops of P/S fluid on the garage floor.
I will never do another PT Cruiser's timing belt ever again....NEVER!!! But otherwise it's fine
My Daytona did start it's rapid decline at 100,000 miles. But when I think about how many Sunbird GT Turbos, Mitsubishi Starions, and Isuzu Impulses from that era that didn't even make 100,000 miles, it's actually not that bad.
My Sebring Convertible (whatever, it was a really great car. Women dug that car. Great car for dates.) Anyway....Nothing. Nothing ever broke that wasn't my fault. I did mount a transmission cooler on it and wasn't real careful with my hose routing...it wore through. Spewed ATF all over Interstate 30 and lost enough that it couldn't pull the car. Towed in, replaced hose, refilled with fresh ATF+3 and it was fine.
I will never do another 6G73 timing belt ever again....never! But otherwise it was fine.
If it had not been vandalized (top cut open... I really wish they would have just broken a window) and if a new top with a glass rear window wasn't $4000 installed,(
PT Cruiser GT. This thing's transmission has got to be doubly [darned]. 245 ft lbs of torque AND it's cradled in a nest of hot turbocharger plumbing in one of the smallest engine compartments.
But it's fine.
The dealership did replace the steering rack that they insisted was leaking. Must have been a very small leak because it was never once low on fluid and never leaked even the smallest of drops of P/S fluid on the garage floor.
I will never do another PT Cruiser's timing belt ever again....NEVER!!! But otherwise it's fine
I often think of a quote from my friend who owned a restaurant. She would often say "If people come and have a great dining experience, they might tell 2 or 3 friends -if they have an awful experience, they will tell everyone they know."
I'm not saying Chrysler is reliable -I'm just saying the actual reliability may not be as big of a difference as the PERCEIVED reliability and the people who have had a bad experience BARK loud. -Since the Dodge Chrysler offerings out sell the Toyota Honda by a big stretch won't the math work against the Dodge Chrysler?
By the way - NOT a fan of Chrysler or Toyota
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
I'm often forced to wonder, what did I do that was so right or what did everybody else do that was so wrong with their Chryslers.
My Daytona did start it's rapid decline at 100,000 miles. But when I think about how many Sunbird GT Turbos, Mitsubishi Starions, and Isuzu Impulses from that era that didn't even make 100,000 miles, it's actually not that bad.
My Sebring Convertible (whatever, it was a really great car. Women dug that car. Great car for dates.) Anyway....Nothing. Nothing ever broke that wasn't my fault. I did mount a transmission cooler on it and wasn't real careful with my hose routing...it wore through. Spewed ATF all over Interstate 30 and lost enough that it couldn't pull the car. Towed in, replaced hose, refilled with fresh ATF+3 and it was fine.
I will never do another 6G73 timing belt ever again....never! But otherwise it was fine.
If it had not been vandalized (top cut open... I really wish they would have just broken a window) and if a new top with a glass rear window wasn't $4000 installed,(
you can get the cloth top with glass defroster window for about $1000 installed now, it was much more 10 years ago) I might still be driving that car. It was that good. Comfy seats, decent ride, and let me emphasize how much women loved this car.
PT Cruiser GT. This thing's transmission has got to be doubly [darned]. 245 ft lbs of torque AND it's cradled in a nest of hot turbocharger plumbing in one of the smallest engine compartments.
But it's fine.
The dealership did replace the steering rack that they insisted was leaking. Must have been a very small leak because it was never once low on fluid and never leaked even the smallest of drops of P/S fluid on the garage floor.
I will never do another PT Cruiser's timing belt ever again....NEVER!!! But otherwise it's fine
I'm not saying Chrysler is reliable -I'm just saying the actual reliability may not be as big of a difference as the PERCEIVED reliability and the people who have had a bad experience BARK loud. -Since the Dodge Chrysler offerings out sell the Toyota Honda by a big stretch won't the math work against the Dodge Chrysler?
By the way - NOT a fan of Chrysler or Toyota
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
I'm often forced to wonder, what did I do that was so right or what did everybody else do that was so wrong with their Chryslers.
My Daytona did start it's rapid decline at 100,000 miles. But when I think about how many Sunbird GT Turbos, Mitsubishi Starions, and Isuzu Impulses from that era that didn't even make 100,000 miles, it's actually not that bad.
My Sebring Convertible (whatever, it was a really great car. Women dug that car. Great car for dates.) Anyway....Nothing. Nothing ever broke that wasn't my fault. I did mount a transmission cooler on it and wasn't real careful with my hose routing...it wore through. Spewed ATF all over Interstate 30 and lost enough that it couldn't pull the car. Towed in, replaced hose, refilled with fresh ATF+3 and it was fine.
I will never do another 6G73 timing belt ever again....never! But otherwise it was fine.
If it had not been vandalized (top cut open... I really wish they would have just broken a window) and if a new top with a glass rear window wasn't $4000 installed,(
PT Cruiser GT. This thing's transmission has got to be doubly [darned]. 245 ft lbs of torque AND it's cradled in a nest of hot turbocharger plumbing in one of the smallest engine compartments.
But it's fine.
The dealership did replace the steering rack that they insisted was leaking. Must have been a very small leak because it was never once low on fluid and never leaked even the smallest of drops of P/S fluid on the garage floor.
I will never do another PT Cruiser's timing belt ever again....NEVER!!! But otherwise it's fine
Originally Posted By: artificialist
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Sienna SE, hands down the best looking minivan even built.
Agreed.
The T&C looks dated, the Nissan Quest looks just as unusual as their Cube.
I've only ever experienced (second hand, mind you) bad things with respect to Chryslers, from oil burning to engine replacements to transmission issues to poor fuel economy. Most of these, though, were owned by people who maaaaaay not have properly maintained them, though. How many soccer moms/dads/grandparents do for any minivan, though, right?
My Grandmother took perfect care of her 2003 T&C van. The automatic transmission was getting extremely weak at 85,000 miles, and was completely dead after 90,000 miles. Also, even though the oil was changed every 3,000 miles, it used 1 quart by 2,000 miles.
It really bothered me that she bought a newer generation Dodge Grand Caravan.
Chrysler minivans have always been known for their weak transmissions...
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Sienna SE, hands down the best looking minivan even built.
Agreed.
The T&C looks dated, the Nissan Quest looks just as unusual as their Cube.
I've only ever experienced (second hand, mind you) bad things with respect to Chryslers, from oil burning to engine replacements to transmission issues to poor fuel economy. Most of these, though, were owned by people who maaaaaay not have properly maintained them, though. How many soccer moms/dads/grandparents do for any minivan, though, right?
My Grandmother took perfect care of her 2003 T&C van. The automatic transmission was getting extremely weak at 85,000 miles, and was completely dead after 90,000 miles. Also, even though the oil was changed every 3,000 miles, it used 1 quart by 2,000 miles.
It really bothered me that she bought a newer generation Dodge Grand Caravan.
Chrysler minivans have always been known for their weak transmissions...
Originally Posted By: dishdude
My family had a bunch of 80s and 90s Chrysler products. They held up just fine. Maybe we were just lucky?
I'd say you were. My wife an I leased a brand new '98 Intrpeid. That car was maticulously maintained. I changed the oil and filter every 3K and used M1 full syn. I even flushed the transmission fluid every 20K. We had a 5 year lease and by the end of the lease (at which time the car had roughly 61K miles), the engine started burning a qt of oil every 500 miles. It smoked like a misqusito fogger. I'm glad I leased that car instead of buying. I'll never own another Chrysler product...
My family had a bunch of 80s and 90s Chrysler products. They held up just fine. Maybe we were just lucky?
I'd say you were. My wife an I leased a brand new '98 Intrpeid. That car was maticulously maintained. I changed the oil and filter every 3K and used M1 full syn. I even flushed the transmission fluid every 20K. We had a 5 year lease and by the end of the lease (at which time the car had roughly 61K miles), the engine started burning a qt of oil every 500 miles. It smoked like a misqusito fogger. I'm glad I leased that car instead of buying. I'll never own another Chrysler product...
Chrysler transmissions in the mini vans weren't that great. The Honda Odyssey transmissions were total garbage too. I sold a ton of them and many came back with transmission issues. Even the guys in the shop said the sucked. All vehicles seem to have issues. I was a Chrysler hater, I think they came a long way.
When the kids were younger we had a 96 Plymouth Voyageur. I did absolutely 0 to this vehicle and it never gave me issues. The only thing I ever replaced was an alternator in the 6 years we owned it. Family and friends have owned Chrysler branded mini-vans over the years and never a bad word about them. They are the original ( if you exclude the ol' VW van) and still the standard IMO.
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Never owned a minivan of any kind but have driven many including the imports. IMHO, the Chrysler Mini-Vans are the best. I just love driving them. I have driven the Oddssey/Sienna. Ahh, there OK! I have also driven the GM(Venture's/Uplander's) and the others from GM...BLAAAA! Drove a Ford Windstar some time ago,(lumber wagon).
I just love the Chrysler Mini-Vans! To me, there the perfect vehicle and should be called "SUV's"...Sport Utility Vehicle/or Van!
SUV's is an oxymoron. They're neither sporty nor have good utility...Well, maybe some do!
I just love the Chrysler Mini-Vans! To me, there the perfect vehicle and should be called "SUV's"...Sport Utility Vehicle/or Van!
SUV's is an oxymoron. They're neither sporty nor have good utility...Well, maybe some do!
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JHZR2
Staff member
Originally Posted By: JOD
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: vintageant
Decide what you want: looks or reliability.
Not sure you get either with the Toyota or Honda offerings...
Huh?
It's pretty clear you have a strong bias against those brands since you make subtle digs at pretty much every opportunity. Personally, I'd rather go with the independent data which is available, Identifix, Truedelta and yes--even Consumer Reports, and make a determination...
Besides the years in which the Odyssey suffered from transmission problems (which is not every year, BTW), the Sienna and Odyssey look like the most reliable options out there for minivans, by a significant margin.
Really? We have owned a previa since new and it has 230k trouble free miles. So don't tell me what bias or issues I might have. CR or truedelta or whatever can say what it wants, and may or may not be accurate. But I'm not going to swoon over Toyota or Honda as the best vehicles ever, when their new and especially used value proposition is quite poor, especially given the transmission reliability issues, ugliness and quality issues of late.
There are other threads on here stating that their toyota/Honda van is horrible. It's just people reporting. For the excessive $$$, neither the Honda or Toyota are good values. That's not bias, just opinion of value proposition. The T&C may not be a great value in the end all either, I can't say. But to blindly swoon over t/h is no different than to not care for them.
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: vintageant
Decide what you want: looks or reliability.
Not sure you get either with the Toyota or Honda offerings...
Huh?
It's pretty clear you have a strong bias against those brands since you make subtle digs at pretty much every opportunity. Personally, I'd rather go with the independent data which is available, Identifix, Truedelta and yes--even Consumer Reports, and make a determination...
Besides the years in which the Odyssey suffered from transmission problems (which is not every year, BTW), the Sienna and Odyssey look like the most reliable options out there for minivans, by a significant margin.
Really? We have owned a previa since new and it has 230k trouble free miles. So don't tell me what bias or issues I might have. CR or truedelta or whatever can say what it wants, and may or may not be accurate. But I'm not going to swoon over Toyota or Honda as the best vehicles ever, when their new and especially used value proposition is quite poor, especially given the transmission reliability issues, ugliness and quality issues of late.
There are other threads on here stating that their toyota/Honda van is horrible. It's just people reporting. For the excessive $$$, neither the Honda or Toyota are good values. That's not bias, just opinion of value proposition. The T&C may not be a great value in the end all either, I can't say. But to blindly swoon over t/h is no different than to not care for them.
Well, just recently, Consumer Reports Mag reliability data shows that the imports are a bit more reliabable but, not long ago, none of them were any better than the other in that area. Although the imports(Honda/Toyota) are the higher scoring and the more recomended minivans, their quality is showing a decline especially in interior quality and suspension design, namely in handling where Honda had always shined and the Toyota Sienna was considered the Cadillac of minivans.
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Indydriver
The auto rags don't think so, although IIRC, they moved up with the improvements to the 2011. Appearance wise, it's pretty doggy, especially compared to the Sienna SE, hands down the best looking minivan even built.
Seriously? The new sienna??!? The only things worse are the new odessey's rear half and the Nissan!
Only on BITOG will "men" argue over which minivan looks the best.
Originally Posted By: Indydriver
The auto rags don't think so, although IIRC, they moved up with the improvements to the 2011. Appearance wise, it's pretty doggy, especially compared to the Sienna SE, hands down the best looking minivan even built.
Seriously? The new sienna??!? The only things worse are the new odessey's rear half and the Nissan!
Only on BITOG will "men" argue over which minivan looks the best.
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
[/quote]Only on BITOG will "men" argue over which minivan looks the best.
Well, at least the "men" that are not so vain that they have to have to drive (or not drive) a certain kind of vehicle to boost their weak self esteem.
[/quote]Only on BITOG will "men" argue over which minivan looks the best.
Well, at least the "men" that are not so vain that they have to have to drive (or not drive) a certain kind of vehicle to boost their weak self esteem.
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