To buy a town & country or not

[Oldmoparguy1]

Originally Posted By: MikeHigg
Chryslers are OK if you get them cheap enough (sort of like GMs and Fords), get the 3.3L if possible, change the trans fluid to AF4 and put on a trans cooler. I've got a friend with 200,000 miles who has had few problems but did rebuild the trans at about 100,000.

Mike, all mopar vans since 2012 have the new 3.6L engine. It is without a doubt the best V6 that Chrysler has ever built. The new 6 speed transmission is excellent and has proven to be very reliable.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Originally Posted By: MikeHigg
Chryslers are OK if you get them cheap enough (sort of like GMs and Fords), get the 3.3L if possible, change the trans fluid to AF4 and put on a trans cooler. I've got a friend with 200,000 miles who has had few problems but did rebuild the trans at about 100,000.

Mike, all mopar vans since 2012 have the new 3.6L engine. It is without a doubt the best V6 that Chrysler has ever built. The new 6 speed transmission is excellent and has proven to be very reliable.


You also want to get a 2013 and up model with the HD brakes. The 2011 and 2012's need frequent brake repairs since the brakes aren't large enough.

 

[moklock]

Parents have an '11 bought new. I think it's close to 70K mileage wise now. Replacing the liftgate struts and its about due for rear pads have been it so far (knock on wood).

Even though its smaller it is more comfortable to ride in than their previous Astros surprisingly. Less overall space but more relaxed seating position in the 2nd and 3rd rows.

 

[exman123]

I had a 2008 T&C. The powertrain was solid. It had the 3.3L with the 4 speed transaxle. Never had a problem with the engine at all. The tranny had a soleniod pack leak and it was replaced under warranty.
The rest of the van is total junk! I can't tell you how many times I needed new brakes. 2 calipers froze on the rotor and almost caught the van on fire. A/C went out in both front and back. Expensive repair. Coolant leaked out at a Y joint in the engine. Known problem. Not fixed under warranty. I think it was around 300 to fix that. Wheel bearings went out in the front..Pricey fix...ABS module went out...500 to fix that. Power steering rack went out 1200.00 to fix. It happened again and Chrysler said too bad for a goodwill claim. I told Chrysler so long. I will never buy a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Fiat ever. Traded the piece of [censored] in for a 2014 Toyota Sienna XLE and I LOVE it. Drive them both and you will notice a difference.
The Toyota 3.5L is smooth and shifts very smoothly. The Pentastar 3.6 is nice, but the tranny is very clunky and shifts very weird.
The T&C are the rental vans dream. Put a lot of miles on them and dump them right before the warranty ends. They flood the market with them so the consumer thinks they are getting a deal.
I would stay very very far away from a Chrysler.

Just my 2 cents! OH. My T&C had less than 120k on it when I traded it.

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: JC1
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
From what I can tell, both of the people who speak of the Sienna... neither happens to actually own one. Thanks for the worthless opinions, guys.

One guy speaks fondly of the Aerostar, which was butt ugly and hasn't been in production for decades now. Again, thanks for the worthless opinion.


The newer Sienna's aren't as stellar as the previous Generation. If you want real world feedback visit Siennachat.com. Toyota's bean counters have gone to great length to cut quality.

One guy on Sienna chat had the tranny fail on his Sienna before he got it home from the dealer (less than 100 miles on the tranny/van). Here's the link here.
http://www.siennachat.com/forum/89-general-discussion/207537-did-i-make-mistake.html


Other people have had numerous VVTi oil failures with the 3.5L engine. https://sites.google.com/site/toyotav6oillinescandal/

Read that and tell me if Toyota=quality....
If you're paying 10K more for a Van shouldn't it be better than a Caravan?





Vehicles are mass produced-as are the parts for said vehicles. Failures are bound to happen. It's just too bad when it's you who plucked down 40K for a vehicle.

We both know if I searched I could find an example of a similar cases (failure) for just about every vehicle manufacturer.

 

[daves87rs]

Mom has a 2012 T &C. Besides needing new pads and rotors (rusting because the van sat a while while she was sick), it has been pretty much flawless. It is on a road trip to PA as I speak. 30k miles. Still made sure they got the extended warranty, just in case. Have not needed it yet.

The newer vans seem to be better, and a bitoger (someone who cares for a car) should last a while....

 

[cptbarkey]

2012+ grand caravan. dont waste money on garbage fluff the t&c has when the caravan had be had for thousands less.

 

[Shrubitup]

Got a whole fleet of them at work. Do they drive the best? no. Are they super awesome fun to drive? No. Are the interiors and buttons clunky? Yes. Do they get the job done on the cheap? Yes.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Nope, not a good car. Transmission problems galore!

Better alternatives are the Sienna, Odyssey, Quest, Mazda 5, Transit Connect, and Kia Rondo.

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Nope, not a good car. Transmission problems galore!

Better alternatives are the Sienna, Odyssey, Quest, Mazda 5, Transit Connect, and Kia Rondo.




Really how many is "galore"?

 

[Subdued]

I have an '08 T&C and I would absolutely buy another one.

Maintenance on mine is easy. I have the 3.8 so it does burn a bit of oil, but it's not that bad and I'm obsessive about checking the oil level anyway.

Lots of room in the engine bay, great van for a self-maintainer.

I had an EGR code at one point, replacing the crumbling gasket took care of that.

I had a liftgate motor fail (probably because the kids beat the [censored] out of the thing), replaced under warranty.

Brakes done once, they're ridiculously easy on this van.

Plugs and wires at 90K, very easy.

The only thing that really annoyed me was a radiator leak. Also replaced under warranty.

I do a transmission drain and fill yearly. Fluid always comes out clean.

I know Chrysler takes a beating around here but I don't consider any of this out of the ordinary (aside from the radiator) considering what my van goes through.

 

[cptbarkey]

Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Nope, not a good car. Transmission problems galore!

Better alternatives are the Sienna, Odyssey, Quest, Mazda 5, Transit Connect, and Kia Rondo.




Really how many is "galore"?


one or two horror posts someone wrote on a forum, in short, hogwash.

 

[stchman]

Originally Posted By: JC1
Originally Posted By: stchman
It's a Chrysler, don't do it. Chrysler = junk.

Get a crossover, they are almost as roomy and a lot cooler AND a lot more choice.

The last and only great minivan was the Chevrolet Astro.


Crossovers will not have as much room inside.


That's why I said "almost".

Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Originally Posted By: stchman
It's a Chrysler, don't do it. Chrysler = junk.

Get a crossover, they are almost as roomy and a lot cooler AND a lot more choice.

The last and only great minivan was the Chevrolet Astro.

Junk post by someone who drives a rusty chevy pickup. Ignore

Guarantee my Chevy will outlast any POS Ram and be worth more money.

Chryslers are [censored].

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Nope, not a good car. Transmission problems galore!

Better alternatives are the Sienna, Odyssey, Quest, Mazda 5, Transit Connect, and Kia Rondo.




Really how many is "galore"?


one or two horror posts someone wrote on a forum, in short, hogwash.

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: Subdued
I have an '08 T&C and I would absolutely buy another one.

Maintenance on mine is easy. I have the 3.8 so it does burn a bit of oil, but it's not that bad and I'm obsessive about checking the oil level anyway.

Lots of room in the engine bay, great van for a self-maintainer.

I had an EGR code at one point, replacing the crumbling gasket took care of that.

I had a liftgate motor fail (probably because the kids beat the [censored] out of the thing), replaced under warranty.

Brakes done once, they're ridiculously easy on this van.

Plugs and wires at 90K, very easy.

The only thing that really annoyed me was a radiator leak. Also replaced under warranty.

I do a transmission drain and fill yearly. Fluid always comes out clean.

I know Chrysler takes a beating around here but I don't consider any of this out of the ordinary (aside from the radiator) considering what my van goes through.



Chrysler and Subaru don't get any love here on BITOG. But hey - if you got a 10 year old Crown Vic........

 

[meep]

both I've owner are early 2000's. they have an odd cult following with lots of DIY advice. Parts are easily available and not very costly.

yes, some AT's quit. others can last a while. My first - an 01 3.3L never had any issues at all. base model.

The 03 in our sig is fully loaded and has had small electronics issues and one medium trans problem. did some DIY repairs to the AT and it's still holding on. Not bad for a used vehicle bought barely rolling due to neglect. it goes out of state regularly as it has been reliable enough.

that 01-06 generation is comfortable to ride in--- these were high volume machines with many high-level trim units sold, so the base models also get the benefit of better matierals inside.

HOWEVER for a young family, I'd get newer. I had a newer (boxy) rental for a couple of weeks not too long ago. back seat room wasn't as good, but it drove Great, the 3.6 was well-mated to the AT, the trans programming was spot-on to me, and the interior & ergonmics were very, very good. I was /sold/ by the roll-down (electric) windows in both rear doors. If I needed a newer van, yes, I'd look.

My wife also had an 01 odyssey. it was a great car but hit and miss with vehicle systems. Multiple A/C and electric door repairs. if the electric doors in the ody fails, you MUST get it repaired as they don't latch mechanically. on the T&C, they work fine as manual doors. OTOH, the odyseey held up very very well in a collision that ended its life, and it took a big hit--- everyone walked away from it. it gets my respect.

I hear of the newer minivans still not being able to break 200k on the transaxle. compact unit crammed in a small hood sideways pushing a relatively heavy machine. Chrysler has had it's AT troubles, but so has honda. I have no experience with the toyota.