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Chrysler Town and Country EX/LX/LXi/Limited
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I'm in the market for a T&C LXi AWD.They seem to be in very short supply around here. Is this the case everywhere?
The best prices I've been able to find around here are invoice minus the $1500 rebate (if I take delivery by April 30). That means about $32,000 for the less fancy AWD LXi (non leather), plus some options (e.g., tow package, side air bags, console, power liftgate, CD changer). Is anyone aware of anything any better? I did call Melton and they can order one with AWD, but it sounded like their price would only be $300 less than from a local dealer, that is invoice less $1500 rebate, less $300 (although I would be able to ditch some unwanted options). $300 would barely buy my air ticket to Oklahoma, plus I'd have two days of driving to get home, probably not worth it.
Also, is anyone aware of what my happen with rebates after April 30? Better? Worse? Gone? Thanks for any help anyone can provide.
Marilyn
TIA
Glenn
I'll give it a try tonight.
I'm trying to decide whether to buy the MOPAR system or the Audiovox system. The MOPAR doesn't have a tuner so you can't watch TV but having up front is a requirement. I can get the Audiovox system VCP installed for $1400 but they can't mount the VCP in my current console. They want to install it in the back. The dealer will sell and install the MOPAR system for $1640. So... I'm wondering how often you watch TV in the car vs. videos and if anyone has any suggestions for getting the MOPAR system for less.
Thanks.
Are you or kids going to be doing most of the watching. My wife will drive this as her van and I will be in the passenger or drivers seat and the kids will be in the back. Many people want only the video so that the kids are not clamoring for tv on short trips. They want the video/game for medium to long trips.
If you do not have kids or will have adults riding in the back often then having a non - chrysler tech alter the mopar or going with another product would be the other choice.
Most people who have installed tv say the reception is horrible as it fades in and out as you travel. Some have installed mini dishes for sattelite reception.
It really depends if kids are watching, where you are traveling for tv reception and dealer installed as opposed to after market. Be sure to check with your dealer service manager to see if adding a non chrysler/mopar accessory affects the warranty on the van. Cosmetic changes will not , but anytime you are wiring an outside product into the vehicle electronic system - no matter how well installed- a dealer may refuse to honor the warranty if they feel that you have violated the agreement or if a future problem results in your wiring. I am glad that you did not mention the floor models that are tethered to the headrests on the front row seats. I have read numerous posts about how, although inexpensive -$300-500- they are not safe in accidents - basically a 50 lb.+ projectile in the van - and how if young children are in car seats - many get car sick from having to look down at the screen since they are usually propped up and reclined in the boosters.
I had a friend who stupidly installed those cheap "xenon" bulbs in his car to make the headlights look like HID headlights. One melted into his light casing and the dealer made him pay full service to replace the light housing even though the car was still under warranty. He had taken out the manufacturer's recommended bulb and put in something not covered under the warranty. Just an anecdote for you.
Cary
Regarding pricing...I went to the parts department after I bought the van and they very willingly sold me the unit for list less 10%, they sell parts and accessories all day long at this discount so the unit cost me $1260. I had seen the specs on this unit in the dealer's accessory sales manual before I purchased the van and noted that Chrysler listed the installation time at 2hrs. The dealer quoted me $200 installation fee which I thought was high but I felt the total installed price of $1460 was very reasonable. I also bought two extra wireless headphones.
Last weekend my wife and I took four large soccer players to a tournament. The entertainment system with all four wireless headphones were the hit of the trip. The van with its video system, remote doors and tailgate, and the Infinity sound system with 8" subwoofer was described as "awesome" by a bunch of very hard to impress teenagers. By the way, they even liked how comfortable the van was...especially the ride! It's amazing how fast these boys are maturing!!!
It does partially block the rear view mirror as someone else indicated, but not a big deal. Actually at night, it blocks the headlights which is nice. It is expensive but I would by the Mopar unit for the warranty, the fact that it blends in great with the van, and that it is permanently in place and up high for ease of viewing. Only problem I have is that the deal cut the headliner installing the screen and has to replace it. They say they are waiting on a template from Chrysler to do the work so they dont make the same mistake. The cuts are between the front of the unit and the sunglass holder. Its only about an inch but I dont want it to get bigger. Anyone else have this problem. I think it was a bad installation job.
Overall, I love the van. Had no significant problems. Had to have the power tailgate adjusted as sometimes when you opened it, it would beep, unlock, and then stop. They adjusted something and its fine now. Also have some kind of metal spur that has poked its way up through the carpet right in front of the video console. When the template comes in for the headliner, the dealer said they would look at the spur. Other than that, it drives great, and is very comfortable. Not to mention the Odyssey in here, but it beats it hands down in my opinion. Traded it a AC for it with 80M miles on it and I had no problems with it, including nothing ever going wrong with the transmission. Also have a 94 Concorde with 90M miles on it and I've only had a couple minor problems with it. Both AC and Tranny work fine.
This was my first post. Enjoy reading everyone elses, especially on the TC.
Thanks
The sound from the headphones is good as well. I watched X-Men a few weeks ago on a trip long enough to watch the whole movie and everything worked great. That may be the only time I use the VCR for a movie I want. Went out with another couple for a day trip and we made the women sit in front. However, the front occupants cant have their music too loud as you can here it even with the headphones on.
I have about 3,500 miles on my LXI and I am just taking it to a local jiffy lube. I need my headliner replaced but since the dealer doesnt have the template for the video unit, I havent taken it in yet. If they did, I would just have them do it. I only take my cars to the dealer for the major service intervals (15M, 30M, etc.) or if something significant seems to be wrong with it. The quick oil change place near my home has always done a nice job. I have heard the occasional horror story from people, but I have never had a bad experience at one. I would get the first oil change done before 4M miles, but after that, I would wait till 5M miles or so. Thats just my opinion.
Our second choice was the Odyssey. Great crash tests, etc. But all research I've done indicates Chrysler's reliability is up relative to '97 and the Odyssey's is down, so that the difference isn't that great. But the deciding factor was cost: not MSRP, what you actually pay. We got $8000 off the MSRP of $36,435. So, $28,435 for T&C Limited FWD with all the options versus an Odyssey EX for $27,340 (best price I could find in the SF Bay area). Factor in a few dealer-installed options on the Odyssey and the prices are nearly equal. The Chrysler wins on features.
One thing I'd like to see Chrysler change in 2002 is the 50/50 split bench. The Limited has a full rear bench, but the LXi and EX do not. If you have 4 kids there is no benefit in splitting the bench, as you need the seating room. However, you also need the maximum cargo room, so the ability to shift the full bench forward is a real plus. Chrysler should modify the 50/50 split bench to allow it to move forward, as Toyota did with theirs for the 2001 model year. Also, this is the main reason I am not a fan of Honda's magic seat ... When the seat is in use I want it to be shifted forward to maximize the cargo area.
BTW, the high-end minivan market is really softening up, at least in SF Bay. I had the Honda dealers I contacted calling me back and promising me Odysseys for delivery in a week, albeit none came down to MSRP. There are T&Cs and Windstar SELs gathering dust on the lots. The price we paid included $2900 for rebates ($2000 car rebate, $500 owner loyalty which I see just expired, and $400 college grad rebate). $5100 was the dealer discount. This translates to $1400+ under the mythical dealer invoice. When you factor in the $500 dealer cash and the dealer holdback the "official" profit was $49. However, this dealer had a lot full of 75+ T&Cs that were not moving, and so I'm sure there were unpublished regional incentives to get some of those T&Cs sold by the end of the month. The whole negotiation took 10 minutes and was very pleasant ... the salesman started by writing down MSRP+$3000 mark up, I interrupted him and showed him my figures, started taking the kids to lunch, and on my way out he said he'd meet my price.
On the other hand, the 2001 Toyota Sienna 50/50 split rear seat WAS comfortable in the middle. Honda Odyssey 3rd row Magic Seat was not comfortable at either edge.
Odyssey has more space behind the 3rd row seat than does either Sienna or DC when the 3rd row seat is slid forward. However, for comfort and luxury, it is clear that T&C is THE choice, Sienna 2nd, and Odyssey 3rd.
Hmmm. I measured each before I bought, and of course the Toyota loses due to being 6 inches narrower. But I'd rate the DC over the Honda. The Honda of course has several extra liters of volume due to the magic seat cavity in the floor, but the DC gets several more inches of front-to-back space with the seat forward. Not clear which has the most cubic volume, but since I do not typically transport liter-sized ballons of water, but more likely square boxes of stuff from Costco, the flat surface in the DC is much more accomodating.
Last summer we sat in a loaded T&C limited with the perforated leather seat. I almost felt sinful and decadent to be surrounded by so much luxury. My GC SE felt quite cheap after sitting in that luxurious T&C. There is leather in many vehicles....but none has ever had the extremely comfortable feel of that T&C Limited.
I thought getting the Ltd for about $1500 over the Ody EX w/leather is already a pretty good value for us, but you take the cake with the same pricing. I am impressed! I suppose it helps that the dealer have lots of inventory and Chrysler is hurting finacially, and offering another $500 than March.
I'm thinking of buying a 2001 TC Limited. I live in BC (Canada). I'm wondering if anyone could tell me the price I should expect to pay for it.
Note, though, that there is a chance that you WILL pay off your loan in advance (car is crashed, stolen, you sell it, you refinance your mortgage and put the car payment into the mortgage for tax reasons, or you just decide to pay off the loan). If any of these happens, you'll have been better off taking the cash rebate.
Also: answering shepherd5's comments on the price I got. Several special factors came into play there. 1) The dealership I went to is not known for great deals, but I targeted them because their lot was way overstocked with T&Cs. I also chose the last weekend in the month, and was lucky that I was the only customer there at midday on a Saturday. Their mood was definitely biased towards closing a deal, any deal. 2) They expect to get some of it back with my trade-in. I normally sell my old cars myself, but this one needed repairs. Factor in the required repair work and cost of selling, and my net gain was the same whether I traded in or sold it myself. However, they can do the repairs for less than I could and sell for more, so although I got a good price for my trade-in they will get some profit that way.
Is there any experience with this system and/or comparison of features with the Honda's
The real difference for me came in weighing the 1.9% financing over 48 months or the 3.9% financing over 60 months. Over the life of the payment schedule, I saved over $1,900 by opting for the 1.9% financing based on the $30,729 I financed. The payment is a little hard to swallow at $665 but it will be worth it in less than 4 years when I have a paid for T&C in the driveway with only about 40K miles on it!
The 2000 version has a nice concave panel. Will I get used to it? or do I have to wait til enough complaints force DC to change the design.
Enquiring minds want to know.....
The price, MSRP $31,350.00 purchase price after $2,000 rebate, $25,489.00, no trade.
The T&C, the optional roof rack howls something awfull. I positioned it as instructed in the book and it doesn't help. The LX has the upgraded stereo with 4 CD Changer and 10 Infinity speakers and does not sound anywhere near as good as an Infinity system I had in a previous Jepp Grand Cherokee. ther than those two complaints, I like the T&C very much the 3.3 is plenty of power for this vehicle.
cgaydos- I took the 2.9 with $1000.00 cash back. This worked out to be a better deal than than .9% or the higher cash back which was &1,500.00 at the time.
Turns out that the rebate also applies to grad school graduates, and applies to degrees as far back as 2 years ago. This is not published anywhere that I could find -- I had to ask. In fact, many local Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep newspaper ads incorrectly state it is for only 4 year schools within 1 year. In my case, I used my night school masters diploma from '99.
Oh well, certainly an annoyance and it gives me no confidence in the dealership's service dept, which did the dealer prep. But so far for the car itself I've witnessed no initial problem symptoms or or what CR calls "sample defects", and I've been all over and under the car looking.
I do not have any problems with my knee in my non-power seat 2001 T&C LX. I also lean my leg against the door when I drive. I did have the problem you describe on a rental Astro a few years back.
A little about me and my van: I live in Northern Colorado and recently purchased a 2001 T&C Limited AWD. I have about 1800 miles on it to date. It's Steel Blue with blue interior. It's pretty much has all the options except the entertainment package. I have two kids, 2 & 5. Both boys. My wife and I take turns with the van, so the memory seats were an option we really wanted.
I look forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences with everyone.
For example, you are traveling down a flat road at 60 mph. In 3rd gear, you might be running at 3000 rpm, Now in 4th gear or OD, you might be at 2300 rpm. Your engine is operating at a lower speed therefor burning less gas. Which equals more MPG.
spreadsheet:
http://www.carbuyingtips.com/download.htm
BTW, I opted for the low APR. We went with a 36 month loan and put just enough down to pay for tax & license. At 1.9% it didn't make sense to put money down on it if my money could make more in a regular savings account. And at that rate, I felt it best not to tie up my money in a depreciating asset.
First time poster. Been reading a lot of post about T&C AWD Ltd. And finally after going back to Chrysler dealership in x amount of time we finally order one. Can anybody tell me if I got a good deal on this one or not?
Limited option w/ AWD
heated seat
child seat
50/50 rear bench (new option from last time I test drive one)
for: $34837 before tax and extra
and $36500 out the door.
thanks
f1_nut, do your kids know they could be playing Nintendo while cruising in the van? Best not mention it .
franning, you can compare your deal with Edmunds' True Market Value while waiting for other members responses.
Steve
Host
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the smooth ride and quiet cabin. Just a couple of questions
for fellow owners.
1)Do many owners have rear mud guards on. The rear tires
seem to throw a lot on to the rear bumpers. What is your
opinion.
2) Has anyone tried to Scotchgard your cloth seats?
Thanks for your help.