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Chrysler Town and Country EX/LX/LXi/Limited
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Comments
We got great price on the van with a little haggling.
As for the VCP we couldn't be happier with it. I think my son is still trying to figure out how we got a TV in the car. The current unit does have jacks on the back that could be used to plug a portable DVD player into the system if you wanted. I haven't heard anything about the previously mentioned integrated DVD player. If the current system can be upgraded I'll be first in line.
As for the removability, I've heard some say that the VCR console can be moved regardless of where its installed (we were told as much be the dealer, but we all know what their info is like sometimes). I'll have to try it tonight and see. I'll post the result tomorrow.
80% City, 20% Hwy -- I usually get 17-18 mpg
Reinstallation took about as long.
http://www.car-truck.com/chryed/buzz/buzznews.htm
It talks about the DVD system about half way down the page.
I'm sure it is possible for an installer to splice wires and connect the LCD to both console slots, thereby allowing the VCP to function in both slots. But that is not how the product is designed, nor how the product is described in Mopar literature. This would have to be a special request with the installer.
As for removing the VCP, I wasn't so much concerned about wanting to swap it with the second row as I was about taking it out all together and having the regular console upfront for the storage for times when we weren't hauling the kids around.
If your car is truly a lemon, then there should be serious disabilities that seemingly cannot be repaired. Have you brought the vehicle into the dealer in response to the poor mileage? I hope time will fix this.
very concerned about my van stalling. It seems to
be heat related but I can't pinpoint the problem.
During the winter months I don't have this problem. It started last summer and is happening again now. At any given time it will just die. It doesn't matter if your going 65 mph down the why
or just pulling out into an intersection. I can put it in nuetral and immediatly start it right back up. There are no fault codes given on the computer and the dealer is no help. I also have the luggage rack noise, the wipers that decide to come on on their own and the continual door lock problems. At 93,000 miles I feel somewhat fortunate that I haven't had any transmission problems. However, I don't feel right selling or trading this vehicle with the stall problem. Anybody out there with any clues. I think I have narrowed it down to an electrical problem but I sure could use some advice.
Well, today, I test drove a '01 T&C LX (pretty well equip'd) and right after I stepped out of that, I test drove a '00 GC Sport (very well equip'd). So, I was able to compare one right after the other. I know this is probably old news to most of you.
The '00 only had 23k miles, so it wasn't over-used.
Anyway, I found the '01 very much (very much) smoother. The '00 is really a nice van, and moreso in the range of price that I was looking in; but, the stereo, the ride, even the air vent placement was much nicer in the new van. I actually probably skewed my view by doing them back to back. I probably should have done one and then the other the next day. But, the dealer had them both on the lot, 50 feet from one another.
The '01 had a firmer feel to drive and sit in, and just seemed designed better (say, taking into factor 5 years use on each van, the '01 would still feel like a better quality van because it just seemed designed and put together better than the '00).
Anyway, I just wanted to share my impressions.
I will say that the engine-transmission setup in the '00 seem set to get more low-end torque, and that was actually nicer (felt more powerful).
But, I'm kind of sold on the '01 now. Its a smoother van (of course its new, but the design seems smoother also). I was willing to foresake some things to save the money and still get a nice van (which I feel the '00 is). But, I guess the extra several $$K is worth it for what is a better product (and may give more overall value because its just a better product).
Also, for those looking now, the dealer told me off the bat about the incentives ($2500 below invoice), showed me the invoices (actually gave me copies) and said whenever I'm ready, he's ready. I didn't get the impression at all that they are trying to hide money and get anything over invoice for the car.
Perhaps its because its the end of the month?
dsoIAM
the fuel pump.
Keep in mind, though, that on domestic cars in good supply, as the T&C is, you should be able to beat CarDirect.com price by 5%.
After taking a close look at the Limited, I decided it was hard to justify $1,800.00 for the few added features. Also, with a daughter getting ready to hit the terrible 2's, I decided the suede would end up looking pretty terrible too.
While I had a horrible experience at the first dealership where I tried to buy the car. -- Colonial Chrysler of Belmont, MA, -- my CarsDirect experience was fantastic.
At Colonial Chrysler, I waited more than 5 weeks for a car and still did not get one. After I realized that they forged my signature on the invoice -- Yes! Forged my signature, I sent them a letter telling them that I was cancelling my order and wanted my $500.00 deposit back. Luckily, no-one from the dealership signed the contract, as clearly indicated in the documentation, and I was able to get out of the deal. In fact, someone at the dealership forged my signature (and a bad forge it was) where the dealer was supposed to sign. My letter did not mention that they forged my signature, only that they had failed to sign the contract and that 5+ weeks had expired, and still I had no car. My letter resulted in the manager calling me at work and screaming at me at the top of his lungs. He exclaimed that I never meant to buy the car, that he had spent $35,000 on the car the he had ordered, yada, yada , dada. It was a horrible experience. Luckily, I got my deposit refunded to me. - Thank God it was on a credit card! The worst part of this experience? This was a Five Star dealership. Can you believe it? I even told the manager that I was going to report him to Chrysler and he said go ahead and gave me the spelling of his name!
I then went to CarsDirect. Within three days they had located a vehicle. Within a week I got it. The local dealer with whom I dealt with was great. His name was George Manthorne at Bill DeLuca Chrysler in Haverhill, MA. I can not recommend Bill or CarsDirect.com enough.
If I had dealt with Bill at first, perhaps I would have had a better experience. All I know is that I am very happy and that CarsDirect and Bill both delivered.
My only reservation with CarsDirect.com is that the financing that they used has a prepayment penalty. I did not know about this until the closing. Bill, the local dealer's rep, was great in that he brought this to my attention and did not try to hide anything. In fact, Bill's dealership even has a 1,000 mile money back guarantee. (How many have that?)
While I might have saved up to 5% by going directly to the dealer. My first experience shows that unless you get lucky and find a great salesman like Bill and a reputable dealership like DeLuca Chrysler, you might get burned by sleazy dealerships and salespeople. Nothing was worth what I went through at Colonial Chrysler of Belmont.
Meanwhile, our 1999 GC SE with 3.3L has an OVERALL average of 23.5 MPG. Whenever I have topped off before a trip, reset Trip Computer, and topped off at the end of the round trip, the Trip Computer is the same as using a calculator.
On our first trip to Disneyland in 2000, the round trip was 1402.8 miles and it used 51.615 gallons of 87 octane gasoline. That is 27.178 MPG but the Trip Computer read 27.1 MPG (indicating I should have kept trying to put gasoline in after it shut off 3 or 4 times until 0.341 gal more gasoline was put in at last refill).
On 4 round trips of approximately 1400 miles, our 99 GC SE has delivered 27.1, 27.0, 26.0, and 27.5 MPG. During the 3rd trip we were driving through a rain storm both going to and returning from Disneyland...and thus the lower economy.
We got a used 1977 VW Bus in January 1979 when it had just over 20,000 miles. We took it on a 210 mile round trip 2 days later and had to refuel 3 times! I drove at 50 to 55 MPH to get the best gas mileage possible. Can you believe 11.1 MPG for a road trip? By comparison, our 1999 GC SE with 3.3L V6 got 31.4 MPG on the same road on a test where the 1977 VW Bus got 11.1 MPG.
Although we had a written 1000 mile / 30 day warranty, the Volkswagen Dealer would do NOTHING to help us. Said VW Busses do not get very good gas mileage in cold weather, etc.
Eventually we were referred to the Volkswagen Factory Rep by another dealer. When we described the problem, the VW Factory Rep told that was nonsense and a 1977 VW Bus should get as a minimum 20 MPG. He said to have the dealer check the Cylinder Head Temperature Sensor. We took it to another VW dealer who replaced the Cylinder Head Temperature Sensor and then tested it. WOW...30.4 MPG on a similar test drive.
The critical Cylinder Head Temperature Sensor was a very inexpensive part and the entire service by the 2nd VW dealership cost $106.31 on 3/27/79. List of work which was done: Replace Head Sensor, Check Compression, Check Spark Plugs for leakage, Check Ignition, Check Secondary Ignition System, Check for fuel contamination, Check Injection system pressure and flow test, Remove and Replace Air Flow Control Box, Fix squeak in hand brake.
As with Volkswagen dealerships, it is probable that some Chrysler dealerships are completely incompetent while another dealer may have an outstanding service department.
I too have a 1996 Grand Voyager 3.3L that have stalling problem while driving,it turn out to be the Idle air control motor hope this would help.
I am astonished at the lack of information available on child-seat compatibility with different vehicles. I can look at any car audio chart and find multiple detailed speaker recomendations for every nook and cranny of any vehicle on the road, but no published set of recommended child safety seats for different vehicles? Even the kings of kid-haulers, the minivans?
I have tried to get an Evenflo Ultara to fit either the mid-row buckets or the back bench, but no amount of strategicly placing tightly rolled towels, forcing my weight into the seat, and cinching the belt will yield the desired tightness. The reason seems to be that the bucket, and to a lesser extent, the rear bench, both are contoured so that the receptacle for the seatbelt ends up being FORWARD of the slots for the seatbelt in the carseat. So even though I have the seatbelt cinched so tight that the child seat is making a VERY deep impression in the vehicle's seat, nothing prevents the seat from "rocking" forward and side to side under stress.
This is true even with tightly rolled towels squeezed between the seat and child seat. This seems to me to be a huge oversight in the design of the seatbelts in these minivans.
The child seat specialist at my local fire station was unable to improve on my installation as well, and he agreed that the seats/belts are not well suited for normal child seat placement. He sent me away in the same condition I arrived, and stated that I should look for a toddler seat that is a better fit, but he knew I would have a difficult time finding one.
A trip to Toys 'R Us revealed that virtually all convertible toddler seats possess the same slot placements for the belts, so I am faced with the grim reality that I am endangering my 1 year old every time I load the family into the van.
So how about it, minivan experts? Has anybody found a good, tightly installable carseat anywhere in these vans? Any seat selection or install advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Greg
For the record, we haven't had problems with any stage of car seats in our 94 T&C leather/quad (very different seats from the 98) nor in our 01 T&C leather/quad (similar seats to 98). For our 14 month old we use an older model Fisher-Price seat. For toddlers we're using 2 year old Century NextStep 20-60 lb booster seats, which are among the easiest to install I've seen.
Two suggestions: 1. Check with the car seat manufacturer, either on the instructions or via their web site. They usually have an 800 number to help with installations. 2. Look into retrofitting a tether hook on your current seats. The tether strap started being shipped with US car seats in 2000 (and with Canadian many years before) and US cars started having tether hooks starting in MY2000. Most car seat manufacturers sell kits that will allow you to put a tether hook into a pre-MY2000 car. I did this with our 94 minivan with little trouble.
First, I suggest finding a convertible seat that has a rear-facing weight limit of 30 or 35 pounds. Rear-facing is the safest option for children. Under no circumstance should your child be front facing before 1 year AND 20 pounds. Once your child is near 30-35 pounds, you could then turn the seat front-facing until 40 pounds.
As for compatibility, there is a user-submitted list which may or may not be of help to you:
http://www.carseatdata.org
Third, with the types of seatbelts you describe (buckles that come from in front of the bight), you might try the Fisher Price Safe Embrace or the Britax Roundabout. Their built-in locking clips may also help. A "good" fit is one where you can't move the base of the seat more than one inch front-to-back or side-to-side when pulling at the point where the seatbelt holds the carseat (i.e. dont wiggle the top or sides to test).
Using a tether may help also. For '96-'00 Town&Country the part number for the second row seats is 04864118AB. For the 3rd row its 05018506AA. You may be able to get a dealer to install one or more free.
If your vehicle has switchable locking retractors, make sure you extend the seatbelt fully, then retract it into place as you put weight on the seat. This will retain all slack and help get it tighter.
Next, you must NOT place a rolled up towel or noodle under a front-facing carseat. This is only acceptable for rear-facing seats to get an appropriate recline for young infants.
It is unlikely the LATCH straps will interfere with regular seatbelt installation on any current models.
Last, but not least, try a different certified child passenger safety expert. Police stations and hospitals sometimes have one on the staff as well, or you can search for one online. Going to an organized checkup event is also a good idea. There will usually be some experienced techs who can help, sometimes an instructor with significant experience.
For more information, see also:
http://www.car-safety.org
We have had a great experience with our Britax Roundabout for both our young children. It has a tether and as Caviller aptly says, it's own belt locking system.
I assume your child is over 22lbs and more than a year old. We kept ours facing rearward in our Britax seat for a few months after that. Most good seats today let toddlers up to 30-35 lbs face rearward.
Anyway, the odd thing is that the speedometer needle is on the wrong side of the pin, so it does not show any speed. It gets stuck when it hits the pin. The dealer said he will fix it for me. Has anyone seen this before? Makes me wonder about the quality control at Chrysler.
Other than that, it is a great van. I have no regrets that I didn't settle for an Odyssey for thousands less.
I live in western Pennsylvania. I am looking for an LXi with leather seats, an automatic tailgate and to automatic doors. Does anybody have any experience with the recently leased similar vans?
Also, I drove a 2001 Voyager that had the speedometer needle on the wrong side of the stop-pin --- just as you described. It made it difficult to determine how the car felt at normal speed (couldn't tell whether it felt smoother because I was going slow or what). And, it made it a bit stressful when a cop pulled up behind me (he turned off later). I thought that it was just an anomaly; but now I wonder?
D
When I got there, I showed the service guy the TSB number. His immediate response was to explain to me the difference between the TSB and a recall -- telling me they are not free. I told him they should be. He then proceeded to say, only if the car is under warranty. He asked me what year my car is -- a very strange question from a service manager, given I drive a 2K1 LTD -- I was under the impression he's seen enough Chrysler to know what year my car is -- couldn't be a 2K2 and definitely not a 2K model. Nonetheless, I told him anyway -- then he checked my odometer -- also kinda strange, given that 99% of the people who's owned this thing since it came out less than a year ago, probably hasn't driven 36k miles.
He then asked me, "Can you leave it for two days?" He wanted to have his mechanic check it and make sure the roof rack is the reason for the howl. I said no. He then asked me to make an appointment to have this checked -- the earliest being a week from now (I understand it's a short week, but this is a low volume dealership), so I told him, "Absolutely not".
For those who went through this -- does it have to be difficult?
I get the impression that these guys are trained to make it difficult so Chrysler doesn't have to replace this part! But don't Chrysler pay them to swap out my roof rack?
Suggest you change dealers. If he gives you trouble with a simple issue like this imagine how bad he'll be later when you need him to give you the benefit of the doubt.
Nice Trick! I didnt have the spedo problem, but Like Car electronics. How did you know about this "Holding the Trip Button for 10 Seconds" thing?
Are there any "Goodies" you may know about with the Overhead Trip Computer? I know there is a whole bunch of Diagnostic Info Avail over the OBDII interface. (Like Fuel Remaining etc) Do you know if you can access any of this with the trip computer?
THanks!
-gerry
Grh7: Thanks for your help. Here's a question you might be able to answer that I've not seen answered here previously: The A/C symbol on my T&C Ltd climate control never goes off when the CC is in auto mode, no matter how cold the interior is relative to the temperature setting. And from what I can tell, the A/C compressor is always on when the CC is in auto mode. Is this as designed?
I got a 2001 T&C LX for $500 under invoice (Dealer's rebate of $500) plus $2000 customer rebate. Total financed came to something like $19k (I threw in some $$ to get the payment down). It is a simple Steel Blue LX with 25h pkg and rook rack. I like it a lot (color and smoothness). We're all taking it on a 100 mile trip today to see some relatives.
Wife did complain that it didn't have the "oomph" going up a hill. But, I really don't see the problem. I do think that I recall someone saying here that the engine gets better after break-in (it only has 55 miles on it).
Oh, and the dealer found me a 6.3% rate for 60 mo! The best I saw on-line was 6.4% or 6.7%. I couldn't get Chrysler's special 3.9% rate because I took the $2000 rebate.
Dealer was very nice (though they skimped a little on my trade-in; they're going to make a lot of money off of that car). I got a 7yr/100k miles bumper to bumper warranty from the insurance company tacked onto my regular ins pymnt for about $7 a month. (Insurance actually went down between 2001 T&C and my 96 SUV!)
All in all the van costs less than my old RAV4. And, insurance went down (crash test results from what I understand).
Somehow I ended up with 10 speaker even though its not supposed to be on the car. And, I can go back and get about $200 of parts for free. I'll probably get mudguards, rear net or organizer, and wind visors. I may want a spoiler later (they handed me a dealer-priced accessory catalogue that they said they didn't need any more because the 2002 one would be out soon).
I tried to get 2100 rpm rattle to happen on the test drive. I couldn't. I couldn't hear any roof rack wind noise either. But, I wouldn't know what it'd sound like. To me the car is quiet.
Only negative that I know of now: how do I go back and figure out what TSBs to haggle over?
Lessons learned:
I mis-calculated when trying to figure out what my financing would look like. You take dealer cash off the top (it lowers what you are paying for the car so the IRS doesn't need to see it). Then, you do the taxes/tags and add that the cost. Then, you take off the customer rebates. Thats your financed amount. I made the mistake of adding dealer/customer rebates together, then taking that total off of the car cost, then doing taxes/tags, then calculating pymt from that. It makes a difference (taxes slightly higher) when you do it my way.
I used carsdirect as a guide, but I couldn't get them any lower (to get them to the 5% below carsdirect price that I've seen mentioned before). I tried but he told me that I was eating into the dealer holdback and they couldn't do it. So, I just settled.
Anyway (sorry for the long post), I like the van, and will check back with updates. I'll also try to remember buying experience tips to share with those who are thinking about buying (I found some things here really helpful as I was considering but some more things may help others).
Oh, I did find that the tires were under inflated. I added air. Does everyone else have 45 psi pressure? Am I reading that right? I only inflated UP TO 40 psi for now to be safe (I think the dealer had it down to about 35 psi; that can really affect mileage). Should I go up to 45 psi? I have goodyear something or other.
Thanks for all your help.
D
Drew
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