I was wondering if any of you have a Chrysler Town & County Mini-van. If you do, how do you like it? I've been looking into them. I like the room of the van and what it seems to offer. I also like the fact that the front of the van doesn't slope down like a lot of the other mini vans do. I've never been one for mini vans but we need the room and a vehicle with better gas mileage than what we have currently (Chevy Silverado truck). So if you could share what you like or don't like about your Town & Country I would appreciate it! Thanks!
Just wanted to say thanks so far and to tell Beth, thanks for the info about the grand caravan and the t & c being the same. That helps a lot!
My dad has owned three Dodge Grand Caravans since the early 90's and two weeks ago traded the last one in for a 2011 Town and Country.
He cant' stop talking about it. It has all the bells and whistles. Mom says she starts it from inside the house.
We used to own a Grand Caravan but traded up to a Full size conversion. If I were to buy another I would go with either the Dodge or Chrysler, same car, T&C has more gadgets.
We had a DGC and then got a T&C. I loved both. The T&C has a nicer interior than DGC, but overall are the same vehicle. I think the T&C might have a slightly upgraded engine.
I can't say enough good things about my T&C. It's like a mom designed it. Personally, I've never liked the set up of Hondas and Toyota was not willing to negoitate price in the slightest (a little proud of their product - although with all the recent recalls, maybe that's changed).
FYI - The town and country and the Dodge Grand Caravan are the same vehicle with different stickers on them... We have a GC and I LOVE the stow and go... Our van is a 2006 and we have not had any problems with it at all... Good on gas also...
I do have one but I am not in love with it anymore. The inside is cheap plastic, and the front where the DVD and navegations is, the beige paint came off within months. We keep having to get the brakes change all the time, the place where I take my car said that he see many Town & Country had the same problem. The metal part of individual seat of the back (they can fold or turn) got broken a couple months ago and we don't used that much.
The door had a problem lucky it was still under guaranty and Chrysler fix it.
There are things that I like about it, it is very spacious, we have the one with the table but never could use it because of the baby carseat. We were able to take off the seats and move lots of stuff when we moved. I love that the doors and the back open automatically. etc.
But they have to make some improvements and at this point I would rather the Odyssey, I think is a little better made, I love the bigger TV, and no so cheap plastic.
I have an '03, so no fancy fold-down or swivel captain's chairs. It's up to about 93,000 miles and gets 22-25mpg. It fits my 5 kids okay, but it's not enough room to also take our 2 large dogs out and about.
I like it enough that I'm not running out to take on a new car payment! ;-)
I have a Grand Caravan (same thing - my best friend had the T&C, same year and they were identical). Mine is 2006, bought used in 2008, and I've never had any issues. We drove it from TX to FL a couple years ago and over spring break the kids and I went from TX to WI without the hubby. I never worried about breaking down or anything. Like Michele S said, I'm not crazy about the fact that I drive a mini van, but it fits what we need at this stage of our lives. Kids, carseats, 2 big dogs, luggage, etc and it gets pretty decent mileage. I could tell a big difference when I switched from my Explorer. And the stow and go seats and automatic doors can't be beat! We don't have any of the other bells and whistles either but I don't miss them.
I am also looking so I appreciate reading the comments. The Chrysler is cheap plastic and probably could never drive 200,000 miles like a Honda or Toyota could. the T&C looks great wtih bells and whistles but the Oddyssey and the Sienna have the same whistles, not cheap plastic, drives nicer, starts and drives smoother, and probably CAN drive to 200,000 miles or more. Have fun shopping!
I have a 2003 T&C and I like it OK enough. Mine is currently having some engine/transmission issues, but it's probably because of the age of the car and not due to some design flaw. Overall, it's a pretty good van and I got a decent deal on it. I got it in 2008 for about 5 grand, so I guess I got my money's worth..
Were on our 2nd T&C, our current one is 2006. Hubby is the main driver and he loves it. I like that it's very roomy and has a comfortable ride.
On the down side. Both of them have had issues with the brakes wearing out very quickly. Maybe it's just hubby's driving style, but at least 50% of the miles are highway. Also, both of them had problems with the sliding doors. Also, the first one started having issues arround 80,000 miles, so I wouldn't expect them to last much more than 100,000 without having to invest some money in repairs and maintenance.
Recently while having some regular maint. done, we took a look around the lot at the newer models. Hubby is all excited because the new models with all kinds of bells and whistles. I'm not impressed, as all the bells and whistles are things to make them luxery, things we don't need (i.e.heated steering wheel), and a hefty price tag to go along with it.
If you're not planning on keeping it years and years, it should be great. I LOVED ours until it hit 100K. Unfortunately, since then, it's been quickly downhill in spite of being well-maintained. If you're not planning on keeping it until that mileage, I say go for it. Otherwise you may want to look into Toyota or Honda, which tend to not have as many problems with high mileage.
We had a 1997 Town and Country and just got rid of it last year when we bought hubby's sedan. It was a great van, no issues, we sold it at 12 yrs old with less than 60,000 miles! It was kept in excellent shape. We are a bit OCD with our cars, LOL
I loved the feature where I could walk between the driver and passenger seats to check on daughter.
We actually miss our van. We rent the Home Depot truck when we need a big load of something.
We have 3 Mercedes now and I will never drive anything else... LOVE my Mercedes.
We have owned two Chrysler Town & Country Minin-Vans in the past 12 years and I will have to say that I have mixed reviews. Both of them we bought used with low mileage. The previous owners had been older people with no kids. They bought them as a cheaper alternative to an expensive luxury car like a Cadillac. We have been fairly pleased with them, especially since we got a good deal on them, but they do have problems. Our first one was a 1992 and it was much sturdier and better made than our second one which is a 2001. With the 1992, we had to replace the transmission at about 75,000 miles and with the 2001, we have had to replace the brakes twice and it only has about 85,000 miles on it. It is a nice size car with lots of extras for a good price, but it is not as well made as the Hondas or Toyotas. We replaced the 1992 at about 130,000 miles because it was beginning to need regular repairs. We are already talking about replacing the 2001 and it only has about 85,000 miles on it. My husband says we are not buying another Chrysler.
I am not a fan of the Chrysler or Dodge. I discourage anyone buying Dodge anything. I LOVE the Honda Odyssey. Here is a site to go to so you can compare.
http://www.newcars.com/reviews/chrysler-townandcountry-vs...
My paster and his first lady have a town & country. They have 4 kids and this van is great for them. We have a Jeep Commander that seats 7 with stadium seating. Personally if I had to go to a van I would do the 15 passenger van thing instead of the mini van this way I could fit my teens and their friends without having to make additional trips. I have 4 teens and 2 twenty somethings on a fairly regular basis (family outtings and church).
I love mine; in fact, I've owned two of them and I think they're wonderful! My brother-in-law sells cars (not Chryslers) and he's always told me that they're the best mini-vans out there. I haven't driven mine to a really high mileage, though, so I can't address the issues people are saying about maintenance once you hit 100,000 miles. But I love the features on mine and wouldn't trade it for anything!
I have a T & C and although it's 10 years old, I STILL hate the fact that I drive a minivan, but it's the nicest car I've ever had. We do have a Limited and I think that makes a difference in how it's made (plastic vs. wood/leather interior). Mine has 175,000 miles on it and we've only had minor maintenance issues in all of its years. We just took it on a 2,000 mile trip for Spring Break and it still is comfortable and totally reliable. If I were buying a new one (totally ditching the minivan next time....just my silly thing) I would spend the extra and splurge on the Limited edition. Good luck!!
