Hey folks, our family is in the market for a used minivan. Our mind is set on a late model Chrysler Town & Country, must have the updated interior and 3.6L Pentastar engine. Pretty sure that puts us in a 2011+.
Stopped by the local Chrysler dealership and they had about a dozen certified-used ones on the lot. Turns out they're all ex-rental fleet vehicles. I test drove a 2013 whose life started out as a rental, then had a second owner, price was 14.5K. The vehicle was in good shape, but had its fair share of wear, clearly the second owner had dogs that traveled. Exterior was average for a 3 year old car.
I loved the van(s) inside and out. The powertrain didn't feel much different than my 12 year old Honda Odyssey in terms of power, I think the Honda could beat it in a stoplight to stoplight drag race, however the Pentastar had plenty of zip. The 6-speed felt a little numb and mostly transparent in normal driving, but seemed to have a slow, somewhat abrupt shift when you punched it, or when it was shifting at WOT. The 5 speed in our Honda is smooth as butter in all conditions, feels more direct and quicker to shift. The Pentastar (never drove one before) isn't as smooth as the J35, and was definitely louder. I prefer the subtlety of the J35, and when VTEC kicks in its just as smooth with more growl. The 3.6L pulls much better at 5k+ RPM though. The manual shift mode on the Chrysler 6 speed I consider useless, as the computer overrides your choice anytime you do something half out of the ordinary. Like give it full throttle at 3k, it still downshifts to the lower gear.
Curious to see what you guys think of the Town & Country & Powertrain. Especially durability, as we plan on keeping this ride for 5+ years. I do all my own mechanic work (so long as I have the tools), so ease to work on is a consideration. We need to stay under 20k, and would consider other makes/models. Not a fan of the bubble shaped minivans and strange interiors that seemed to appear in 2010+ minivans from the Japanese makes, but would certainly go test drive them to get a comparison. Trying to avoid a Honda this time around unless we found a killer deal.
Also what do you think of purchasing a previous rental? The 2015-2016's are under 20k and have 30-40k rental use. Very interested in what you think of the price. Sorry for so many questions, but any input would be appreciated. Here's an example of what we're looking at:
http://www.perkinsmotors.com/used-Colora...4RC1BGXFR716241
Stopped by the local Chrysler dealership and they had about a dozen certified-used ones on the lot. Turns out they're all ex-rental fleet vehicles. I test drove a 2013 whose life started out as a rental, then had a second owner, price was 14.5K. The vehicle was in good shape, but had its fair share of wear, clearly the second owner had dogs that traveled. Exterior was average for a 3 year old car.
I loved the van(s) inside and out. The powertrain didn't feel much different than my 12 year old Honda Odyssey in terms of power, I think the Honda could beat it in a stoplight to stoplight drag race, however the Pentastar had plenty of zip. The 6-speed felt a little numb and mostly transparent in normal driving, but seemed to have a slow, somewhat abrupt shift when you punched it, or when it was shifting at WOT. The 5 speed in our Honda is smooth as butter in all conditions, feels more direct and quicker to shift. The Pentastar (never drove one before) isn't as smooth as the J35, and was definitely louder. I prefer the subtlety of the J35, and when VTEC kicks in its just as smooth with more growl. The 3.6L pulls much better at 5k+ RPM though. The manual shift mode on the Chrysler 6 speed I consider useless, as the computer overrides your choice anytime you do something half out of the ordinary. Like give it full throttle at 3k, it still downshifts to the lower gear.
Curious to see what you guys think of the Town & Country & Powertrain. Especially durability, as we plan on keeping this ride for 5+ years. I do all my own mechanic work (so long as I have the tools), so ease to work on is a consideration. We need to stay under 20k, and would consider other makes/models. Not a fan of the bubble shaped minivans and strange interiors that seemed to appear in 2010+ minivans from the Japanese makes, but would certainly go test drive them to get a comparison. Trying to avoid a Honda this time around unless we found a killer deal.
Also what do you think of purchasing a previous rental? The 2015-2016's are under 20k and have 30-40k rental use. Very interested in what you think of the price. Sorry for so many questions, but any input would be appreciated. Here's an example of what we're looking at:
http://www.perkinsmotors.com/used-Colora...4RC1BGXFR716241