Chrysler Town & Country

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eugenem

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Morris County, NJ
My wife and I are expecting our third child and considering a 2012 Town and Country. The missus is under 5' tall, so the power adjustable pedals (and tilt/telescope steering wheel) appeal. She also likes the box styling on the Town and Country.

The other minivan on our short list is the Toyota Sienna. The Sienna has an AWD option, although that option requires run-flat tires. Reviews I've seen on the Bridgestone RFTs are fairly negative with complaints about tire life and snow traction. A Sienna FWD model optioned to an equivalent Town and Country costs more, although the Sienna may have higher resale value down the road.

We would love to hear from those who have experience with either van.

Also, one question for the T&C owners:
I've read that some 2008+ T&Cs experienced short brake life. Some owners have reported installing new brake pads and/or rotors around 20,000 miles. Did Chrysler update the braking system on the 2011+ models with the Pentastar? The Chrysler website also makes it seem like the Touring L and Limited models had an updated braking system--Anti-Lock 4-Wheel HD Disc Brakes--where as the base Touring makes no mention of this.

Thanks for any help!
 
Definetly the Town and Country or Dodge Caravan. The Pentastar is a great engine and the ride on the 2011+ models is excellent, perfect for beat up NJ roads. If you're on budget shop around for a leftover 2011 model that the dealer is looking to move and bargain hard. A lower purchase price could offset the resale value.

As for the brakes, Toyotas are no better, many are notorious for warped rotors.

Personally, I'd pass on AWD in any make. MPG often suffers and the more complicated drivetrain can be troublesome and expensive to repair. Front wheel drive with traction control, ABS, and a good set of all-season tires is more fine.
 
Its your money, so you can do whatever you want. I would not touch a ChryCo van with a 10 foot pole. Boom and bust company, has been that way for years.... Now owned by Fiat (and the Gov'mt) - WOW, remember the old saying? Fix it again, Tony. No thanks. I don't care what kind of deal you get, the resale WILL be lower than a Sienna. End of the model year deals happen @ Toyota too! Look at the reliability ratings, there is a difference. I would not go with the AWD, that is just asking for problems IMO. Happy van hunting! I have two vans - living the dream baby!!
 
Originally Posted By: DutchBrad
Its your money, so you can do whatever you want. I would not touch a ChryCo van with a 10 foot pole. Boom and bust company, has been that way for years.... Now owned by Fiat (and the Gov'mt) - WOW, remember the old saying? Fix it again, Tony. No thanks. I don't care what kind of deal you get, the resale WILL be lower than a Sienna. End of the model year deals happen @ Toyota too! Look at the reliability ratings, there is a difference. I would not go with the AWD, that is just asking for problems IMO. Happy van hunting! I have two vans - living the dream baby!!


I've never seen a post containing as much bile as this one. Also, the reliability on the redesigned Chrysler vans is immediately, noticeably, vastly better than the 2011 and prior models. Somebody likes toyota. =|
 
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: DutchBrad
Its your money, so you can do whatever you want. I would not touch a ChryCo van with a 10 foot pole. Boom and bust company, has been that way for years.... Now owned by Fiat (and the Gov'mt) - WOW, remember the old saying? Fix it again, Tony. No thanks. I don't care what kind of deal you get, the resale WILL be lower than a Sienna. End of the model year deals happen @ Toyota too! Look at the reliability ratings, there is a difference. I would not go with the AWD, that is just asking for problems IMO. Happy van hunting! I have two vans - living the dream baby!!


I've never seen a post containing as much bile as this one. Also, the reliability on the redesigned Chrysler vans is immediately, noticeably, vastly better than the 2011 and prior models. Somebody likes toyota. =|


Not to play too much of the devil's advocate here, but how do we know that? The redesigned vans are BRAND NEW. They don't have any sort of track record to go by at this point.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: DutchBrad
Its your money, so you can do whatever you want. I would not touch a ChryCo van with a 10 foot pole. Boom and bust company, has been that way for years.... Now owned by Fiat (and the Gov'mt) - WOW, remember the old saying? Fix it again, Tony. No thanks. I don't care what kind of deal you get, the resale WILL be lower than a Sienna. End of the model year deals happen @ Toyota too! Look at the reliability ratings, there is a difference. I would not go with the AWD, that is just asking for problems IMO. Happy van hunting! I have two vans - living the dream baby!!


I've never seen a post containing as much bile as this one. Also, the reliability on the redesigned Chrysler vans is immediately, noticeably, vastly better than the 2011 and prior models. Somebody likes toyota. =|


I hope the reliability is better going forward, but why risk it? Toyota has been making great vehicles for decades. I would not buy a new vehicle, but if you are going to spend the big coin, I would go for the vehicle that meets my needs with a history of a quality product. The best part is it does not matter. If this guy buys a Town and Country the world will not end. I don't care what he buys.
 
Originally Posted By: DutchBrad
I don't care what kind of deal you get, the resale WILL be lower than a Sienna.

The resale value may be lower but if an equally lower purchase price can negotiated its a wash.

Plus, you're not tying up as much cash hoping for future return with inflation ravaged dollars.
 
Drive them all and get which ever you're most comfortable with.

I'd put Nissan Quest, Kia Sedona and Honda Odyssey on your list as well.

Sure, Toyota and Honda are going to have higher resale, but you'll pay more upfront like you say. Then again, have you priced used Chrysler minivans these days? Prices are WAAAY up, so things are changing.

A modern day Chrysler minivan has no more problems than any other MV.

If winter traction is an issue, you'll need a good set of snows on a FWD van. They've all got so much power now, combined with stiff, low profile tires- they're horrible for snowy/hilly conditions. Our Odyssey can be absolutely horrible in the snow depending on the condition of the rubber.

Joel
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: DutchBrad
Its your money, so you can do whatever you want. I would not touch a ChryCo van with a 10 foot pole. Boom and bust company, has been that way for years.... Now owned by Fiat (and the Gov'mt) - WOW, remember the old saying? Fix it again, Tony. No thanks. I don't care what kind of deal you get, the resale WILL be lower than a Sienna. End of the model year deals happen @ Toyota too! Look at the reliability ratings, there is a difference. I would not go with the AWD, that is just asking for problems IMO. Happy van hunting! I have two vans - living the dream baby!!


I've never seen a post containing as much bile as this one. Also, the reliability on the redesigned Chrysler vans is immediately, noticeably, vastly better than the 2011 and prior models. Somebody likes toyota. =|


Not to play too much of the devil's advocate here, but how do we know that? The redesigned vans are BRAND NEW. They don't have any sort of track record to go by at this point.



Many, many of the quality issues on the last gen Chryco vans manifested within a few months of ownership. Rattles, warping plastics, screwy electronics. Not all, but many of them manifested early in the life cycle. Check out Edmunds.coms long term test of the last gen grand caravan.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: DutchBrad
Its your money, so you can do whatever you want. I would not touch a ChryCo van with a 10 foot pole. Boom and bust company, has been that way for years.... Now owned by Fiat (and the Gov'mt) - WOW, remember the old saying? Fix it again, Tony. No thanks. I don't care what kind of deal you get, the resale WILL be lower than a Sienna. End of the model year deals happen @ Toyota too! Look at the reliability ratings, there is a difference. I would not go with the AWD, that is just asking for problems IMO. Happy van hunting! I have two vans - living the dream baby!!


I've never seen a post containing as much bile as this one. Also, the reliability on the redesigned Chrysler vans is immediately, noticeably, vastly better than the 2011 and prior models. Somebody likes toyota. =|


Not to play too much of the devil's advocate here, but how do we know that? The redesigned vans are BRAND NEW. They don't have any sort of track record to go by at this point.



Many, many of the quality issues on the last gen Chryco vans manifested within a few months of ownership. Rattles, warping plastics, screwy electronics. Not all, but many of them manifested early in the life cycle. Check out Edmunds.coms long term test of the last gen grand caravan.


The electrical issues in my boss's wife's van took a solid year to start happening.

Did I mention it went through three transmissions?

Why would I want to check out the Edmunds data on the last gen when we are talking about the current gen? That is the one you are saying is better, but we still lack any long-term reliability data to say so.

I'm not saying they are bad. I'm saying we don't know what issues they will have or will be "common" as they age. It is too early to know.
 
From a guy that has been a BIG FAN and owner of many Honda/Toyota products over the last 25 years or so, I have always liked the Chrysler Mini Vans better than HonYota's offerings. I just liked driving the Caraven/Voyager[RIP]/T&C better(especially the T&C).

Although never owning any mini-van ourselves, I have driven all of our friends/family and family vacation rentals. And not just a test drive, I dive 'em alot still.

I have always had a fondness(not a Hondness) for the Town & Country in particular. The others(HonYotIssanTure) did little for me and the GM offerings[RIP] especially, were at the lower end of all MV's, IMHO!

As all mini vans do most things well especially for hauling folks/kid around and LARGE Stuff as well, It's the Chrysler offerings that stirr my soul for just sheer driving enjoyment(not excitement) but, just nice to drive. Driving position, view outward, overall ride and handling and quietness(for the way I drive).

Others may disagree that, the Honda is a better handler or the Toyota is quieter or the Nissan is faster/torquier but, it the MOPAR that gets it for me.
 
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Thanks to everyone for their feedback. We are going to test drive many of the vans tomorrow.

For those who mentioned the Nissan Quest and Kia Sedona-

Nissan Quest: Very limited supply in NJ. Most dealerships only have 1 or 2 in stock. Many of these are fully loaded (SL or LE) models with $40K+ stickers.

Kia Sedona: It's an attractive minivan, but we crossed it off our list for two reasons. 1) It was one of two minivans to receive a "poor" rating in the IIHS roof strength test; and 2) Local dealer is a bit lacking.

Thanks to everyone again. I'll update this post when we make the final decision.
 
I'd be willing to bet that he chooses the Chrysler if he actually drives one.

They really are superb as a daily driver, very smooth, fast, comfortable, etc.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
I'd be willing to bet that he chooses the Chrysler if he actually drives one.

They really are superb as a daily driver, very smooth, fast, comfortable, etc.


I think so too Steve!
 
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Many, many of the quality issues on the last gen Chryco vans manifested within a few months of ownership. Rattles, warping plastics, screwy electronics. Not all, but many of them manifested early in the life cycle. Check out Edmunds.coms long term test of the last gen grand caravan.


What keeps me out of another Mopar minivan is that many of the quality issues have persisted for NUMEROUS generations. The same issues from the 3rd gen are plaguing the 5th gen. To me, that's not acceptable. I do hope the '12 models are better, and I will say that I do like the Pentastar engine. But our '07 T&C didn't have any trouble with the engine itself...it was other stuff that kept failing, and that was the reason we got rid of it when we could.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Many, many of the quality issues on the last gen Chryco vans manifested within a few months of ownership. Rattles, warping plastics, screwy electronics. Not all, but many of them manifested early in the life cycle. Check out Edmunds.coms long term test of the last gen grand caravan.


What keeps me out of another Mopar minivan is that many of the quality issues have persisted for NUMEROUS generations. The same issues from the 3rd gen are plaguing the 5th gen. To me, that's not acceptable. I do hope the '12 models are better, and I will say that I do like the Pentastar engine. But our '07 T&C didn't have any trouble with the engine itself...it was other stuff that kept failing, and that was the reason we got rid of it when we could.


The new Mopar minivans still have transmission problems, which is just sad that they can't fix that. Also, the brakes wear out within' the first 10k miles, that's ridiculous.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: hypervish
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Many, many of the quality issues on the last gen Chryco vans manifested within a few months of ownership. Rattles, warping plastics, screwy electronics. Not all, but many of them manifested early in the life cycle. Check out Edmunds.coms long term test of the last gen grand caravan.


What keeps me out of another Mopar minivan is that many of the quality issues have persisted for NUMEROUS generations. The same issues from the 3rd gen are plaguing the 5th gen. To me, that's not acceptable. I do hope the '12 models are better, and I will say that I do like the Pentastar engine. But our '07 T&C didn't have any trouble with the engine itself...it was other stuff that kept failing, and that was the reason we got rid of it when we could.


The new Mopar minivans still have transmission problems, which is just sad that they can't fix that. Also, the brakes wear out within' the first 10k miles, that's ridiculous.


Well as much as I like driving the Chrysler/Dodge Mini-Vans, I have never owned one. But, the four most troublesome vehicles I have ever owned were:

1)Chrysler
2)Chrysler
3)Plymouth
4)Dodge

I sure do like the Mini-Vans though!
smile.gif
 
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