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Comments
I was just pointing out that Ody or any Honda (as long as you're now bashing any Chrysler product) has had it's share of problems also, not going on and on bashing every Chrysler vehicle, and name calling i.e...turd. Over the past 22 years, Chrysler has sold many times as minivans as anyone else. What I found out looking at Odys was, one needs lots of "gold" to buy one, not that they were that superior to other minivans available.
How did the Odyssey become the #1 selling minivan in 2007 despite Chrysler practically giving them away to rental companies? I have only seen one Honda ad proclaiming this, and in small print at end of ad, indicating a very specific time period, not actually the entire year i.e....best selling from May to August 2007 (or something like that). I have not seen the final Full Year sales figures for Dodge yet, maybe you have and can link it? Lets ignore that Chrysler stopped producing the 2007s for plant change over during the summer, or that Total Chrysler Corporation minivan sales (Caravan and T&C) still makes them the number one minivan seller in the country, and that Honda is still dumping 2007s off their lots and heavily discounting the 2008s. (big discounts compared to dealer markups back in 2005)
Why does a one year old Odyssey that stickered for about $33,000, sold for about $29,000 have a resale of $25,000 yet a similar Chrysler mini can be had for about $13,000. A similar Chrysler minivan never sold for $33,000 to begin with. I bought my 2005 GC SXT for $20,000 (about $9000 less than a similar Ody EX at the time but I also got tow package, power hatch not available on Ody), and from what I see on Craig's list or Autotrader for my area, it's still worth about $13,000. So if I had purchased the Ody back in 2005, financed that additional $9000 difference for 4 years vs. pocketing the difference and potentially earning interest instead of paying it, I'd hope my 2005 Ody EX would be worth about $20,000? I decided I wanted the gold in my own pocket, instead of driving it around.
It'll be interesting to see, as Honda continues to dump Odys for $4-5k off sticker, what it does for their vaunted resale value? It'll have a trickle down effect no doubt as people go to buy used 05s, 06s when a new 07 is about same price.
Really? And what does that say for Chrysler for offering 0%, a rebate and no payments for six months on its much ballyhooed BRAND NEW minivans?
A similar Chrysler minivan never sold for $33,000 to begin with.
So, all these people who bought 2007 Limited models with MSRP over $33,000 were hosed?
You can say what you want but the facts do not justify your argument. A quick look at the used car lots support my argument.
A bit off target but I bought a 2003 Olds Silhouette with an MSRP of $33,315. When I traded three years later I was very lucky to get the $10,500 I got and I shopped every brand, including, in a moment of ill mental health, Dodge.
In October, 2004, I was selected for a marketing research panel and was afforded the opportunity to drive a minivan from DCX, Ford, GM and Honda back-to-back. First I got to explore the van's features - Stow N Go was brand new, then I drove with an evaluator recording my comments to a number of preselected questions. Without a doubt the Honda was superior in every way to the others. Remember, at that time my Olds was two years old and I had no intention of having it replaced. After the experience of that Saturday morning I decided to buy a Honda when the time came as it did one year later.
I have no first hand experience with the 2008 Chrysler vans except to comment how much they resemble the last generation Kia Sedona in appearance. My comments are based on the the VW van I owned, the Nissan van I owned, the Pontiac van I owned, the Ford van I owed, the Grand Caravan I owned, the Olds I owned and the Honda I now own. My experience tells me that Chrysler built and continues to build vehicles more unreliable than most.
I'm tracking prices paid for T&C and Ody, as I'm itching for new vehicle later this years. My personal decision is whether to buy a T&C with incentives and a friends employee's discount, or buy an Ody or Sienna with just their incentives? The difference this time won't be $9000 though - Dodge vs. Honda. You must also be interested in possibly a T&C since you're participating in the thread so actively? That or you so hate Chrysler and just want to whine?
So, all these people who bought 2007 Limited models with MSRP over $33,000 were hosed? LOL, I doubt anyone paid anywhere near MSRP for a Chrysler T&C. In fact you have me really confused now, cause I thought Chrysler was basically giving minivans away per your local papers???
I have no first hand experience with the 2008 Chrysler vans except to comment how much they resemble the last generation Kia Sedona in appearance. My comments are based on the the VW van I owned, the Nissan van I owned, the Pontiac van I owned, the Ford van I owed, the Grand Caravan I owned, the Olds I owned and the Honda I now own. My experience tells me that Chrysler built and continues to build vehicles more unreliable than most. I don't see any resemblance to anything but to the early 90s Caravans - boxy and slab sided. I hate when people have a bad experience with anything and it forever taints their attitude/outlook. People who'll never buy "such and such" POC vehicle ever again, even look at it first hand. One can find people like that for every brand on Edmunds. I had a terrible Honda Civic in the early 80s that burnt oil like crazy and got terrible gas mileage, I had a 1990 Acura Integra that had all sorts of electrical problems. I had a 1983 Cavalier that I put 180k totally trouble free miles on. I haven't had a GM since. I've seriously considered an Ody in 2005, and contemplating one for end of year. I hope I never get so tainted as some.
In December, though, Chrysler did make a big play to hold on to one of its important leadership positions. The automaker posted a 51.3% gain in Dodge Grand Caravan sales, enough to beat the Honda Odyssey for the No. 1 position in the minivan segment.
If anyone else knows how these work, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks!
In the meantime, it is available elsewhere right now. Version 9.561 for a MyGIG with nav is the latest. You can get it here:
http://www.nitroforumz.com/showthread.php?t=7658
That will not update any maps, just the application software. I've read that map updates will eventually be available from the dealer but they will be quite expensive.
You did say that it is parked in the same place when this happens?
So, after paying many thousand of dollars for a POC Dodge van I should pay more just to see if what I had was a fluke? Tell you what, you give me the money and I'll buy the van, fair enough?
Thanks for your future cooperation!
I leased an '08 T&C Limited, my first American car and first minivan, a couple of weeks ago and have been quite happy w/ it! It is amazingly luxurious, quiet, and comfortable and imo feel the design is more sophisticated inside and out than the other minivans currently -- this is the advantage of having the most recent redesign in the market. Having driven a german SUV for the past few years I didn't feel like I was taking a step down too much in terms of interior design/feel/fit/finish in this particular Chrysler product -- some of the Daimler probably made it into this minivan. Of course, w/ the help of the EC discount from tedebear, I paid much less for this vehicle than my SUV w/c is another big bonus. Unlike some others I'm proud of paying as little as possible for a great product, as well as supporting the economy -- there's no shame in that.
Other major positives for me:
- Good engine torque/power. The engine does sound and behave like it is a V6 that should be in an SUV; those who drive an SUV will know what I mean -- it has a certain grunt to it which I like. It is not anonymous and lifeless like I've found in other vans I've driven.
- Of course, all the features and amenities eg HID lights, interior LED lighting, DVD x 2, SatTV, realtime traffic, MyGig HDD nav/media, power everything, stow n go, super soft leather, power 3rd bench, etc. All of this has really improved our daily routine w/ respect to getting around town. btw, you can get OEM all-weather rubber mats now for all three rows from your dealer; these just came out.
A neutral point, though by no means negative, is the transmission is not as smooth-shifting as I'd like (here, the Odyssey is better). The maual said that it takes a few hundred miles for the car to smooth out the shifts -- likely all ECU mapping, etc. -- so we'll see what happens. For me, it's not a big deal. Also, the handling is kind of soft -- which likely is a factor of being a big minivan and geared towards family travel. Most SUVs, except for say the X5 and MDX, drive this way anyway... I can get my driving thrills from my other car.
A couple of quick questions for other owners re: MyGig: if you're listening to the radio or an MP3 file, how do you turn the music off? For example if I just want the nav map to be showing w/o any radio or music playing. The other question is: when I upload mp3 files into the HDD they all show up in alphabetical order only, not the native order on the CD -- is there a way to have them show up in the right order? When I try to change the file names to say "01 Sunday Blood Sunday, 02 Daughters" they still don't go in order.
Anyway, hope this review is helpful! :shades:
you have it exactly right - the ECU/TCU (engine and tranny control modules) learn your driving habits over time. What kinda MPG are you getting??
Sounds like you're enjoying your new ride. It certainly has a lot of gadgets to play with. Glad I could help out with some savings off the MSRP - remember me on your Christmas list.
If I am not understanding you correctly let me know. Thanks.......
farout
How much are these? Mine is on order. Since you seem to be gaga over these mats how do I get mine? Should I contact my dealer?
A friend who recently bought a T&C with S&G ordered a full set of these slush mats. They were around $141 plus tax, or slightly less than $114 total cost at the employee discount price.
Your local Chrysler dealer parts department should be able to order them for you.
They only show the third row mats on the Mopar website. I know from recent experience that the complete set retails for around $141.
http://mopar-accessories.com/chrysler/1_08_RTY53_3220.html
I also have the same question, if I only want the navigation working, but not radio/media - is there a way to shut it off? I can't find my answer in the manual.
2) Another question. The key you get is not a regular car key, just a fob with a big head (feet?) which is used instead of the key. Now if I am locking myself out of the van, how do I use the other fob to let me in? In the manual it states that you should never leave your key inside and getting locked out (Thanks for the advice, Chrysler), but fortunately, I am a human being, and it happened already many times in the past that I accidentally locked my car & ignition running (probably with my hand when opening door). Unlike my '05 Dodge GC, which when I pressed the unlock key from the second key fob the door unlocked, the '08 does not work when ignition is in on position (car is running). And interesting, there is a key hole at the drivers outside door handle, but you don't get a key to that? I wonder.
3) another question, is about the antenna. Before a car wash you must (?) take off your antenna in order to prevent damage. I did a car wash last week, but I was unable to take off the antenna. Seems like built-in. This is also not mentioned in any manual. Am I missing something?
I hope someone could answer me my qusetions. Thanks in advance!
By the way, my MPG indicator always shows between 10-11 MPG. Horrible! How can this be?
1. If you want to use the nav without listening to the radio a quick way to turn the volume off is to press the Radio Media button. That will switch it to the HDD - JB - DISC mode. If you don't have a CD in it and it is on the DISC option you won't hear anything. Press the NAV button to begin using the navigation. The voice commands can still be heard.
On the MPG indicator, mine reads about 1 mpg lower than it actually is but it's not THAT far off. Check it with a calculator. If you're really getting that kind of mileage have a dealer check to see what's wrong.
I have an old Taurus SHO with an antenna motor that takes it up and down. But just about everybody who has one of these also has a broken antenna motor. I am not sure why they stopped embedding them into the wind shield though. Unless you are a stickler for following the rules I would not expect to see any problems with leaving it up when you get a car wash.
I noticed that the new floor mats are for Stow n Go only -- I am getting the Swivel n Go. Bet the ring for the table base is creating floor mat problems and nothing is available yet. I do hope they bring out some type of floor mat for these new swivel seat packages. My biggest complaint about the 08 T&C was that all the interior colors are so light. We mothers would prefer as black as possible. Chrysler will probably offer one someday but that will be too late for me.
You should be getting better MPG. I get around 19 MPG with only 2500 miles on the van. So far it has been great with the 3.8- 6 speed Trans. Swivel and Go seats.
1. In order to turn off the radio/media and listening only to the NAV commands, simply turn down the volume when the radio/media is working to ZERO. and when you hear the NAV prompts, just turn it up! Interesting those 2 are NOT mixed. They work separately. Lowering one volume will not affect the other. That's excellent.
2. About my MPG, I did a long highway trip, about 40 miles, and I reset my MPG meter before. In the end it gave me about 19-20 MPG. What a relief. I guess the 4.0 NOISY engine uses a lot gas, especially for stop & go traffic.
3. About the key to open the door, I still can not figure that one out, I need some more explanation. Below the power sliding door controls on the fob there is a black piece that seems to be something which I can't figure out. Is that what you're talking about?
4. The antenna problem I was reffering to is the REGULAR antenna, not the satellite. I also wonder why Chrysler is still using this old-time tech instead of integration in the back windows, like most other manufacturers are doing.
5. Interior has light colors which makes it look much nicer IMO. But I believe that Chrysler should also offer a dark interior for those families who needs it. They used to offer dark colors (dark navy) on previous models (2002?), but seems that they had too few requests for that practical - but unexciting - color. When my mats get dirty, I always think that it's easy to replace, and I don't make a big deal about it. What really bugs me that in the Stow'n'Go version (which I have) tha second row mats is just a joke. Looks like a thin piece of garbage, and so small covering only about half the space. My old 2005 GC had much better (bigger & thicker) mats for second row.
I still have a lot to write, and one day (in the near future...) I will make a full detailed review.
It is a single.
I'm an employee and that's what I had to use last year when shopping for my Chrysler. When I finally went to the dealer I knew they had the car I wanted and there wasn't another one in that same color and configuration within 150 miles.
I'd test drive em all and make up your own mind.
I have had 17 Chrysler vehicles in my life, only two had any problem and they were fixed by Chrysler. The big noise about chrysler transmissions is 95% rumor and 5% fact.
There is a huge bias against any vehicle made in the USA. Just look at any car or truck magazine, foreign vehicles are the envied of the car writers. That burns me up! Right now Toyota has dropped in the score related to the number of times buyers have to bring back their vehicles back to be worked on after delivery. We sure don't hear much about that do we?
I am an 62 year old who buys American when ever I can, even if it cost more! We are so deep in debt to China, Japan and countries we once were at war with, and rescued their economy to restart them, we have been taken over by our kindness and mercy given to Germany and other European Countries.
With the CHRYSLER LIFETIME POWERTRAIN WARRANTY i DON'T SEE ANY REASON TO FEAR ANY POWERTRAIN PROBLEM THAT MIGHT COME ABOUT. There is no other vechicel that comes even close to LIFETIME at least that I have found. And that is a no decuctable too!
As far as I am concerned most American vehicles are about the same and have drastically improved to more than beat the foreign vehicles. I am sure there are some who will dispute me on that, but that's how I see it. Check out some parts on a vehicle made in Europe or Asia and see how much more they cost and then check out an American list of the same parts.
farout
And, I would add that I don't believe the Japanese cars are more reliable. However, I do believe that the service departments at the Japanese dealers do a much better job to give the appearance of reliability. They really seem to emphasize fixing it right the first time. The priority at the American car dealers always seems to be "Get it done".
Since 1988 (before my van), I've owned a 88 Mazda MX6, a 1998 Honda Accord, a 1992 Ford Taurus, a 1994 Ford Windstar, and a 2002 Pontiac Bonneville.
When I had the Accord and the MX6, the dealer always gave me a loaner when I dropped the car off for service. And, on a few occasions, they asked if I could use the loaner another day so that they could do a few more things or check things out a little more thoroughly.
When I had my Ford and Pontiac, the dealers never did that. The goal always seemed to be getting the car ready when promised; regardless of whether or not the underlying problem was fixed.
I've seen this at a Mazda dealer, two different Honda dealers, a Ford Dealer, a Pontiac Dealer and, now, a Dodge dealer. And the pattern always seems the same; the Japanese car dealers have repair shops that emphasize customer service.
Jeff
Friends: $30,654
The above Friends price includes a current rebate of $1,500 in your region.
Also, you can determine the Friends price on any vehicle by looking up the invoice on Edmunds. The Friends price is 1% below invoice. Any rebates or other price incentives are subtracted from that for even greater savings.