Shopping for Town & Country Minivan`

[KrisZ]

I have a 2015 Grand Caravan Crew Plus, which is similarly equipped as T&C Touring L I think. So far it's been great, with the exception of the nav unit that was freezing. It was replaced under warranty without any fuss. I can't say, from personal experience, anything about the long term reliability of this van yet, but from the information I gathered, it's not as bad as some, even in this thread, make it out to be. They have their known issues, just like any other manufacturer, and the good news is that most of these issues were pretty much fixed from 2013-2014 model years. These were: weak brakes, transmission shift programming and a small percentage of problems with heads.

As for buying an ex-rental. I would not have a problem with it provided that, upon inspection, the vehicle looks clean and the price is right. I would not buy a 3 year old vehicle that already shows signs of heavy usage in the interior. However, since these vans are so popular, I would try to find either a private sale, or a privately owned one at the dealer. CPO means extra warranty, but as far as the condition of the vehicle, it means very little.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

A coworker had a Pentastar / 6 speed minivan that started having the transmission slip at 100K miles. I would have hoped for longer life.

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
You're keying-in on something that has become a big factor to me lately -- transmission programming and smoothness. Very few transmissions are programmed how I want them to be -- Honda is one of the few that seems to do it the way I like it. Most domestic brands don't, and Chrysler is no exception. Most rave about their 8-speed, but I find it to be programmed far too mushy and biased towards economy. While I haven't driven their FWD 6-speed, I wouldn't be surprised if it drove the same. I like the Pentastar engine -- like you, I find it to be no smoother (and a lot louder) than the J35, but it's a vast improvement over what Chrysler had before -- the pushrod 3.8L and the OHC 4.0L. I do like that it has a top-mounted canister oil filter.

The last Mopar van we had (a 2007 T&C we bought new) wasn't reliable, and the experience turned sour because of how Chrysler treated us. This was 8 years ago, but I'm still gun-shy on the brand. I would recommend, if you do this, that you find a really good dealership who will stand behind you. Ours didn't, and essentially just told us to call Chrysler's 800 number all the time (and they weren't helpful either). I would hope that, after a few corporate mergers and acquisitions now, their customer service program is back on track, and that a "5 star dealership" really means something (if they still use that scale).


After our experience with a 08 Wrangler, I guarantee there will never be a brand new Chrysler product again. I may buy a 07+ wrangler if I can find one cheap with a spun bearing, but I wouldn't trust one as DD duty.

 

[macarose]

I do this for a living. In fact, if you Google "Steven Lang and used cars" you'll know exactly who I am.

The most recent generation of the Chrysler minivans had problems from 2008 thru 2011. This was a combination of folks who never had their transmission fluid serviced and Chrysler's decontenting of the vehicle when it came to the long-term durability of many of their components.

The 2012 on forward generation tends to be a lot better overall than the earlier models. If you're serious about this, look at getting a 2012 to 2013 model with fewer than 60,000 miles and get the transmission fluid serviced every year using the least machine-oriented changing tool you have available to you.

Also, avoid anything that has power doors or if you get have the power motors switched off if possible. I have a variety of companies and private schools purchase who I purchase minivans for, and I generally opt for the Nissan Quest and Kia Sedona instead of the Chrysler minivans. The Quest is cheaper in the used car market and generally holds up over the long haul as long as you get the transmission fluid serviced, and the Sedona is an even better value overall. Although a few of my customers believe that the Sedona isn't an equal to the Chrysler minivans. In the used vehicle market, I find both to be better buys. In fact, I just bought a 2015 Quest SV (mid-level model) with 47k miles on it that I sold for $14,800 to a prep school up in Connecticut.

If you're interested feel free to go here

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=48 hours and a used car

I also have co-developed a long-term quality study that you can find here.

http://longtermqualityindex.com/

All the best

 

[BrocLuno]

There you go. And I'd look at the KIA too

 

[skyactiv]

I wouldn't buy a used rental vehicle because how I've driven them. One example is railroad tracks.in my own car, I drive over them slow. In rental cars, I hit them at my typical 5 MPH over the speed limit I drive tend to drive at. And I like to see if the vechiles I rent can spin the tires.

 

[badtlc]

Get a 2015 or 2016 for less than $20k. No reason not to.

Mine is a previous rental. Just make sure you get one from a southern or western state origin. Many former rental T&Cs out there are from the rust belt. Avoid those.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: JC1
The 2013 and up have the HD brakes..


HD brakes were still an option in 2013, at least in the States. For 2014+, all have HD brakes.

Like others have suggested, for long term reliability, go with as basic as you can stand. We're at ~63K miles with our 2013 Grand Caravan SE. Bought it new in August 2013 for just over $20K.

I wouldn't let previous rental status scare me away if it's a vehicle I want for a price I want to pay, especially if it comes with any type of extended warranty. I've owned previous rentals before. No unusual issues.

 

[anl0109]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
what do you think of purchasing a previous rental?


I was very hesitant but ended up buying one that was, I believe, in Enterprise's fleet somewhere in the southeast. The car is doing very well. It's a 2014 Mazda5 van. It's much smaller than Ody/Sienna/T&C so probably won't meet your needs if you need something large. But it was in very good condition at ~2 years and ~30K miles when I bought it knowing it was a rental in its previous life.

P.S. I inspected the vehicle myself pre-purchase and then had a mechanic I trust do a more thorough inspection. I would have had that done pretty much no matter who the previous owner was.

 

[doitmyself]

I'm surprised at the number of people that admit to beating up rental vehicles. Seems like a lack of character and integrity to me.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
I'm surprised at the number of people that admit to beating up rental vehicles. Seems like a lack of character and integrity to me.


Honesty screams lack of character or integrity? This world is getting crazy.

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
I'm surprised at the number of people that admit to beating up rental vehicles. Seems like a lack of character and integrity to me.



Yep-and then brag about ripping off Walmart on jugs of oil because the oil (unit price) is not put on to Walmart's website correctly.

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
I'm surprised at the number of people that admit to beating up rental vehicles. Seems like a lack of character and integrity to me.


Honesty screams lack of character or integrity? This world is getting crazy.


No, I'm referring to treating others property unlike you treat your own. And, I am no saint and am guilty of this on occasion also. Its human nature. But, some people actually brag about intentionally beating up rental vehicles.

CKN is correct too. This costs everyone else at some point, something that one realizes with age and wisdom. Live, learn, make a few mistakes along the way.