Early in 2008, with a pregnant wife and two other kids, we decided we needed something that could easily haul three kids, one of them in a big car seat–in other words, something with three rows. Our list ended up being pretty short. At the time we didn’t want a SUV, and wanted to be able to pay cash for something. With a budget of about $7,000, we were limited to the third-gen Chrysler minivan, which I figured might not be the most reliable thing on the planet but would be pretty economical. I ended up being right about one of those two statements.
I could be wrong, but this might be my longest term of vehicle ownership. It definitely was the most expensive. In February 2008 my mechanic called from the dealer auction and had found a cherry 1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager that was “loaded”, and he thought would fit right in our budget. After about 30 seconds of consideration and hearing the word “budget”, I said “Go!”. After he brought it back, I realized it was completely loaded and had the “good motor”. Today, I cringe while typing that last statement.
(taken in Feb 2015)
While I’d driven a lot of Chrysler minivans with the 3.0L and 3.3L that left me completely unimpressed, the 3.8L in our van was a whole different animal. I know many have lamented how underpowered their 3.3 extended vans are fully laden with kids and gear; had Chrysler put in the 3.8, that complaint would have been alleviated in favor of another: fuel economy. On the highway I quickly learned it would exceed 20 mpg, but in the city it cold barely muster 13-14, generally turning in an SUV-like 12.
My mechanic mused when we got it that it likely had a replacement transmission, as it had 135,000 miles when we bought it and that no Chrysler van’s original transmission lasted that long. My second dislike came on a cold day just over a year after purchase when it literally shelled the transmission, with the whole family on board, about three miles from home. I took it to the best transmission place in town, one with a stellar reputation for which they charged a healthy premium. I was out nearly half the purchase price for a transmission at that point, but it carried a three-year, no-questions-asked warranty, so I sucked it up and called it good.
Yet for all its faults, it was a fantastic family hauler. That thirsty 3.8 proved to make it an excellent highway vehicle since even loaded to the brim with everything young kids could bring, it always held speed without much drama on the Interstate. It was relatively comfortable and spacious, and I was able to bring my bike along inside the van when we would go out of town. That’s probably what helped to keep it around so long, that just about nothing else without the financial penalty of a SUV could do what it did.
Oh and the faults. Let’s start talking about the faults again. About nine months after the transmission issue, we went to visit my grandmother-in-law’s home in Arkansas for Thanksgiving. During a panic stop on the Interstate in Kansas City the front brake pads literally disintegrated (I wish I had pictures of the remnants I pulled off) and I had to be hyper-aware for the next 200 miles until I could replace the pads on Thanksgiving Day, in Granny’s driveway. After that it would eat pads yearly despite the few miles we put on them, and despite trying numerous brands of (only expensive ceramic) pads.
Ceramic pads on a minivan? I also made sure to change the oil every 3,000 miles with Mobil 1 oil and Bosch filters, used synthetic transmission fluid, and kept up on every bit of maintenance I could. While it may have been a basic minivan, it was maintained like a Ferrari; after all, I entrusted the thing with my family. Did it ever let me down? Almost always!
After about four years of ownership, I had replaced so much that I figured we should keep it as long as we could and focus on other bills. It rewarded my loyalty, of course, by breaking–a lot. It ate water pumps (two by my count), two starters, a fuel pump, every power-window motor, struts, valve cover gaskets, serpentine belts and a timing chain.
Let’s see – what good did it do? I already established that it had plenty of power and could haul down the Interstate just fine; in all honesty, it did a great job at that. It had the Infinity stereo, which was frankly pretty fantastic, probably one of the better stock audio systems I’ve heard in a pre-2005 vehicle, although with a terrible, awful little joystick to adjust balance and fade. It also had two air conditioners that did a decent job of keeping all occupants comfortably cool, but required filling twice per summer despite never having a perceptible leak.
With young kids, having a not-so-perfect vehicle allows them to spill, drop, track, and do kid-type things without us caring too much. They all quite literally grew up in the thing and, aside from some minor issues, it never let us down completely with the kids inside. Except for the brakes shelling. And the transmission explosion. Oh, and that time it kept overheating last summer in Kansas City.. ok, that’s redacted.
About 2011 we started thinking about replacing it, but neither my wife or I had relished the thought of a car payment. We would look on and off, but never was it the right time to commit to either putting a ton of money away again or getting a car payment. While there were lots of nagging things wrong, I knew the transmission was solid and the motor seemed to be reliable. I even put new tires on it in early January of 2015, since on another brutally cold morning my wife called me from the store to say the back end was sitting very low. Somehow the sidewall had blown on the passenger-side rear tire. Well, if I’m keeping it for another year or two why not, right?
Over the first weekend of February 2015 I took my sister car shopping. While she was eyeing the Fit and CR-Z, I took a look at the new Pilots and Odysseys. Great vehicles, without a doubt, but my stomach went into knots when I ran payment calculators on my iPhone. As I sat reading CC, as I always do on Sundays, in my head I decided to keep it going for another couple years. Shortly after, I took the van to go get my sons their Sunday morning breakfast muffins and I noticed it was low on power. While stopped at a light, I heard a sound. Oh, son of a…..
What’s funny is that I watch that video and notice the duct tape on the breather hose. A good six weeks before that, on another brutally cold morning, I noticed it running more odd than usual when cold so I popped the hood and noticed the hose had basically fallen apart. Annoyed, I quickly wrapped it in duct tape and shook my head. I think that’s probably the point where I had just had enough.
My Dad asked me what I had done after I heard it rattling like death. Well, I took it home, checked the oil (maybe a quart low) and was rewarded again by the Chrysler Curse with a oil fill-cap that came apart in my hands while I was trying to top it off. I grabbed my vise grips and took it off. After taking another quart it did the same thing. I put my foot to the floor and went to go visit him. If it was going to blow, I was going to blow the wretched thing. To spite me, it somehow held together.
I threw it on Craigslist for $650, and had it sold within a few hours to someone who was willing to do a motor swap. I picked up Dad’s regular-cab 1999 F-150 Sunday night, and started looking online for local dealers that had what I wanted to replace it with while working on a plan on how to take Monday off work. I may have been willing to finally suck it up and get a auto loan, but one thing I wouldn’t do – deviate from the list of vehicles I’d already researched to replace it.
This proved to be the most expensive vehicle I ever owned: $15,000 of depreciation and repairs over 7 years and 50,000 miles of use. Of course, that doesn’t count fuel and tire costs–and, more importantly, the cost of frustration. It definitely made me gun-shy toward older vehicles, and will definitely be the last Chrysler product I ever own.
As with every other of my vehicle changes, this actually worked out perfectly in the end. Once everything had aligned just right, I found a absolutely stellar replacement, and couldn’t have been happier to have the Chrysler out of my life. If I could give one piece of advice to anyone considering Chrysler minivan ownership: Don’t. Just “Nope!” the heck out of there and go pick something else. I know I had some argument over my feelings about the Honda CRX COAL, but I’m guessing I won’t get many of those on this one…
That pretty much summed up every chrysler product i ever owned. NEVER, EVER again.
I had a lemon of a Sunbeam Rapier but for some reason I’m still interested in Mopars from both sides of the pond.
Well, as they say: your mileage may vary. Altho it’s the next generation, I bought a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan in 2007 for $12,000 with under 50k miles (don’t remember exactly) with the 3.3L engine. It now has over 200k miles and has consistently averaged 24mpg city/highway and still uses no oil between 5k mile changes. We have had the transmission fluid changed at 150k, and use the Chrysler proscribed carbon based liquids. I have heard these engines and transmissions don’t like synthetic oils and fluids, and particularly if they started their life with standard oils.
It’s had it’s wear items replaced; brake shoes and pads last about only 20k, but we live on 55mph two lane toads with lots of stops and corners every few hundred yards, lots of uses of the binders, changed the calipers at about 180k, water pump, radiator, sliding door seal. still has original starter.
All in all it’s been a great vehicle, has a good stereo, lots of room for kids and grandkids; the 3.3L reminds me of the 318 I had back in the 70s, good gas mileage and plenty of power, though you do have to wind it out a bit if your going to pass, cruises at 85mph on the freeway no problem. It could be quieter on the highway and the drivers door pod where the electric window switches live sticks out and hits your left leg; but it’s my wife’s car and doesn’t bother her. When we were looking for a people mover; we tried a Chevy van, Nissan and Honda but they either were too slow or too small inside; Chrysler seemed to hit it right with these Caravans.
I always thought the 3.0 and 3 speed auto was the drivetrain of choice…the A670 being a strong-ish transaxle, and the Mitsubishi engine being sturdy despite its smoky tendencies…
Upon my recommendation, 3 friends of mine bought Mopar mini-vans with this powertrain combo.
So far, they are all still talking to me; so I assume their vehicles held together.
Now, the co-worker that I talked into buying a brand new, fresh off the assembly line Neon is not.
There were two of these minivans in my family, a regular wheelbase stripper Voyager of that generation my uncle drove, and my mom’s first brand-new car, a ’96 Grand Caravan with almost every option checked that stayed in our family for what had to be 10-12 years. Oh, it ate transmissions, for sure, three of them I believe, and there were various other issues it had, but my memories of it are quite a bit more positive than yours were with that purple sinkhole. It was candy apple red and performed admirably for us (its appetite for transmissions notwithstanding). I think it had over 300,000 miles on it when it finally stopped running, but Chrysler, while putting out some striking vehicles, does have some serious issues when it comes to long-term reliability. The last time I was home, you rarely saw any of those LH sedans, but there are a few of these minivans and the Stratus/Breeze/Cirrus ones, too.
Having read most of the horror stories folks were having with their Chrysler vans, our minivan needs were met by a trio of used Toyota Previas, each with over 100K – and each one giving us zero problems. Current one we’ve had for over 4 years – just oil and filter changes, a coolant flush, and front brake pads (replacing originals).
Ditto here with our ’04 Sienna after 110Kmi. Only fail was with the 3rd-seat Rube Goldberg latch mechanism, a real puzzler as to how that got misaligned.
No complaints about the 3.3 3MZ-FE’s power/economy, other than its step-function throttle response.
Great story and cautionary tale. But my favorite part is how the banner ad beneath your write-up is for the Chrysler Town & Country, “The Most Trusted Minivan In History” according to the avertisement.
Just wow… I have always had good luck with Mopars, though i have never owned one of their mini vans. I consider myself a patient and persevering person , but you Sir are in a league of your own!
Pity, I’ve heard vans like these go well over 300,000 kms with little trouble.
We got 279,000 miles out of our ’98 GC (3.3l). The transmission is what finally killed it (link to COAL), but other than topping off the fluid every now and then, it never gave a lick of trouble until the very end. The 3.3 was starting to smoke a little, and my son had to resolder the instrument cluster (common ailment at around ten years old). Other than that, it was easily the lowest cost-per-mile vehicle we ever owned.
So, YMMV, I guess!
Weak transmission seems normal for Chrysler, first to go. That killed my Durango.
My mom had three of the Mopar minivans, including a Dodge Caravan of your generation, and had good luck with all of them. She even sold the second one to her friend, and she got good service from it as well. She now drives a Honda CRV, but she always speaks well of her old Minivans. They were all off-lease vehicles driven by Chrysler managers (my brother-in-law is retired from Chrysler Canada and was always able to get her a good deal) and had always been well-maintained when she got them. It seems that with Mopars (and some other makes) you either swear by them or swear at them.
Wow; compared to this, our ’92 Grand Caravan (3.3/Ultramatic) was a pillar of reliability. Yes, it ate a few transmissions, the first one shortly after I reluctantly allowed a transmission shop to change its fluid to synthetic. But it was under warranty, as well as the following two, although I had to pitch in some on the last one. I would never put anyhting except the recommended fluid in these.
And the 3.3 V6 was still running very strong at 180k, and all it ever got was cheap dino oil at 6-8k changes.
The radiator eventually gave out near the end, and before it did, it did overheat once or twice hauling 8 boys and all of our camping equipment on steep rough mountain roads.
But all the basic stuff survived fine. I did my own brake jobs, and they lasted well enough. It actually impressed me with its ruggedness, given the abused life it lived, as a family hauler and long-distance vacation-mobile.
That’s what’s maddening about domestic cars; like the “Girl with a Curl” nursery rhyme: when they’re good, they’re very very good, but when they’re bad, they’re horrid.
Sticking with the factory schedule & parts is the way to go, for otherwise one has no way of knowing how tolerant the car is. That’s proprietary engineering data few ever see. Alas, this plays right into Mr. Goodwrench marketing, but what can you do?
My wife’s uncle owned a Chrysler Plymouth dealership throughout the 80s and 90s until Chrysler forced the dealers in our area to consolidate so most everyone in the family drove the products he sold. My father-in-law bought new Voyagers in 1987, 1989, 1993, 1998 and 2001 as the grandchildren grew up in them and he was quite happy with all of them. I can’t really speak to the reliability of the earlier ones as any minor issues were fixed under warranty and none of them accrued an incredible number of miles. The ’01, with a 3.3, was his last one as he retired in 2005 and was no longer amenable to an extended loan or lease. That van proved to be quite a reliable workhorse as it served as his commuter for the last of his working years and took us on numerous road trips to far flung family get togethers. It was involved in a couple of minor accidents and got only basic maintenance but continued to soldier on northward of 200,000 miles with only basic maintenance. It finally died in a chain reaction wreck on Christmas Eve 2013. He had been so pleased with the old van he worked vehemently with the insurance company to get it fixed but they would not budge and he finally had to let it go. Oh, and about that stereo; I liked it so much I bought a remanufactured one for my ’93 Sundance Duster. I find that the instantaneous joystick balance/fader control to be way more useful than buttons I have to hold down, visually monitor and wait for a response before it finally registers and maxes out the adjustment faster than I can get my finger off of it.
My extended family has been buying Mopars (not exclusively) since 1960. If there was ever a “Bi-Polar” car company, it is Chrysler.
Either you get a very good one….or a very bad one.
Luckily (for us) the good ones have been more frequent than the bad ones. Other friends and co-workers that I recommended Mopars to cannot claim this.
(I still have mental lusts for a time machine new ’60 Valiant V-200 and a ’62 Plymouth Fury.)
You nailed it. I personally have never been much of a Chrysler fan, but know people who are. And you are correct; you either get a really good one or a really bad one. My friend Mike’s last Chrysler minivan, a ’96 Voyager, was a great rig other than needing front brakes every other week. It was replaced by an ’02 Honda Pilot
$3500 is about right for a minivan transmission. My roommate was charged that to redo the one in her ’05 V-6 Honda Odyssey. It’s held up fine otherwise, only needing a front brake pad replacement in the past year. Over 155,000 on the odometer. Her gas mileage is about the same as your 3.8.
Around here, $2500 seems more the sweet spot for Chryco transaxles. The Hondas are considerably more expensive, and several shops won’t touch them.
Honda Odyssey’s were afflicted with transmission problems as well. I once looked into that and found an outfit called “Monster Transmission” that did more than just rebuild those transmission. The modified them so the manufacturer’s faults were fixed for good.
I think this is their website:http://www.monstertransmission.com/
I’ve noticed this with the early Toyota Siennas as well.
Perhaps the manufacturers weren’t able to figure out the real world load/stress that a new design, the minivan, would have on existing, off-the-shelf transaxles then available.
First, well written write-up. Very interesting run-down of problems and experiences.
Always interesting too how experiences can vary. As with another well written article on CC the other day about another car (Chevy Malibu- my experiences were different and not as good), my experiences with Chrysler are also different. This time for the better.
I currently own 2 Chrysler products, both around 5 years old. No troubles yet, and they are the only new cars I’ve ever owned that didn’t have to go back to the dealer for something under warranty. We’ll see long term, but so far, so good (and I enjoy my Dodge Challenger so much I would probably forgive minor failings).
We got through our minivan years with a Mazda MPV and a Mercury Villager. The MPV was perhaps the worst vehicle we’ve ever owned (rust, transmission issues, poor dealer service, etc.). The Villager was actually quite good up until a bad accident. Then we moved to a Volvo wagon for a family car, and it has been excellent.
You reinforce me in my rule that around $7k is the dead zone for good used cars. Lots of good ones for over 10, and also lots of good ones for under 4 if you are choosy and patient. Also, auctions for middle aged used cars scare me.
I had a 99 T &C that I bought in maybe 2010-ish. I put money into mine too, but I bought it cheaply. It is still on the road under another owner at maybe 225K now. From all I have read, there is a maddening variety in quality. Some are quite good and others tuen into money chomping disasters. Mine was somewhere in the better range of the middle.
For the life of me I don’t understand why people continue to buy these things – the low price point does not compensate for a vehicle that’s unreliable right out of the box. I come from a family of cheapskates who love these vans despite the fact their experiences are pretty similar to the story in the article. No thanks. When my Odyssey craps out I’ll be spending my $20k on a used Toyota or Honda van instead of a new Caravan.
We’re on our fifth Chrysler-platform minivan (two 3rd gens, two 4th and our current 5-gen Routan (CC link). They’ve been really good to us, which is why we keep returning to the well.
…..and speaking of replacing mini-van transmissions……
My local AAMCO dealer LOVES Honda mini-vans….even more than Mopars.
Sloomis, I agree with you completely. It seems that people I know who buy these types of cars (ones known for problems) always have the same reasoning: “The Hondas and Toyotas are too expensive.” The way I see it is you can pay now, or pay later. And, while paying later, you get the added inconvenience and heartache that goes along with it.
I worked in body shops for 13 years. It seems like almost every time we repaired a Chrysler, the owners would bring them back in a couple of weeks with some unrelated problem and wonder if it had anything to do with the previous accident. They were usually completely unrelated. I came to the conclusion that those cars were so unreliable that they broke down regularly, and their owners so clueless about cars that they just assumed because the car had been in our shop recently the problem was our fault. We never had those kinds of problems with Toyotas or Hondas.
It’s a damn shame, because this gen of the Mopar minivan had one of the most beautiful bodies of any auto, car, minivan or otherwise. It almost, in profile, resembles a womb. But like most Chrysler products post 1975, it was put together with spit and tissue. And this is coming from a Sundance AND Neon owner – you would have thought I learned my lesson the first time…
IMO, the third gen is “Peak Minivan” (link)!
But you remind me that there is still a pretty good number of these on the road around me. Most of them are worn beaters any more, but they sure seem to outnumber the Windstars and early GM U vans.
Yup! I cannot recall the last time I saw a Windstar, beater or well preserved, around New Orleans? I STILL see an occasional 1st or 2nd Mopar Min-van on the road here.
Yes, they are still around, even in the corrosive Midwest. I was passed by one on I 35. It looked decent. My former ’05 still lives.
I was in the auto repair business, knew a lot of dealers and independent shops. The tranny rebuilders would have a 55 gallon drum of the MOPAR ATF. It’s been over 20 years with the knowledge you only use that oil; nothing else.
I wonder what kind of abuse the DPO inflicted on it. I had company cars, and put 500,000 miles on them. ’82 Skylark, ’85 LTD, ’90 Spirit turbo, ’95 Neon, and some other ’80s and ’90s iron. No engines, trannies, water pumps, fuel pumps, exhaust repairs, starters, alternators, AC components, window regulators or motors, radios, electrical repairs, or much else on the cars.
The Skylark got a vacuum pump. LTD had a heater hose split and a TFI module. Spirit had a radiator at 125K, O2 sensor, a brake caliper and disc at 70K. Neon I had to pull the blower motor that a mouse had got into, and unbalanced it so bad, the whole dash shook. The cars were maintained and driven sensibly, so no special treatment. They got an oil and filter change at 5k with dino oil, ATF at 40K, flush the coolant every 2 years. They got tires and batteries and brakes when they needed it.
People just beat the living shit out of their cars;that is what I suspect kills most of them.
Sometimes you get a good one sometimes you do not and sorry you got a catankerous Voyager.
Sure am glad my folks bought a base model 95 Voyager with the 3 Liter V6 and 3 Speed Torqueflite. Sure it was (somewhat) underpowered when heavily loaded and going up hills plus you had to turn off the AC, but at least it lasted nearly 20 years without being too expensive. Now the 2.4 Liter 4 Cylinder in my 03 Caravan is a joke, I can feel a difference when I have about 30-50 pounds of groceries in the back or when driving a friend around. The lack of sufficient leaf springs on the rear live axle does not help either.
Great account of ownership on a vehicle I have said a lot about in the past: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/automotive-history-the-1996-2000-chrysler-ns-minivans-the-culmination-of-nineties-chrysler/
Like many Chrysler products, these minivans’ reliability was pure luck of the draw.
My parents owned two fourth gen Chrysler Town&Countrys, a 2001 and 2005, both with the 3.3L. Both vans proved to be super reliable over the course of ownership. The only problems they had was with their love for going through brake pads, but all in all, they loved their vans and spoke highly of them. The 2001 was sold to some family friends when it had 120k on it and they now have over 250k on it and haven’t had to do any major work. The 2005 was sold to my aunt and uncle when it had 75k on it and they now have 180k and they haven’t had to any major work either. I’ve heard quality problems with the third generation vans and think the fourth ones are substantially better. They still think highly of Chrysler vans.
Okay so perhaps not the best generation of Chrysler mini-van out there.
But I’m still seeing a lot of them on the road where I live that has to say something.
I remember when my parents traded our 1992 Explorer in on a brand-new 1999 Grand Voyager back in the early spring of 1999. It was white with black bumpers (which over time, they all seemed to turn gray)–a great color combination on these I thought. Very comfortable bucket seating in the front and middle rows, CD player. Air conditioning vents dispersed throughout. I really loved the cab-forward design and was intrigued with the “different” windshield wipers. I thought that this car was futuristic.
I was in second grade back then and thought that it was the coolest thing ever. I still like them, though they’re getting old and are almost always no longer in caring hands that will wash it, change its fluids and oil, and bring it in for maintenance. Most seem to be dirty, dented, scratched, missing hubcaps, maybe have some rust and fading paint. They still seem to soldier on though. I often see no less than 10 on my daily commute of 50 miles round trip.
My parents kept their Grand Voyager until 2010 or thereabouts, despite the “daily drivers” coming in and going out of the garage over the years. It became the hauler and the Home Depot runner when my sister and I became driving age; soon after, it was sold. I don’t recall my parents ever having a major issue with it.
Ben, there is something I noticed: you kept it too long and you pretty much left the selection to your mechanic.
A mechanic can be great help. I asked my mechanic about the repair experience regarding the cars I considered. However, I always searched for my own car and I made my own buying decisions. I never bought a car without having it driven myself. In giving your mechanic the “go ahead” you set yourself up to buying it, no matter what. Your mechanic had a buyer for this car, and that may have lowered his critical attention.
Do you think he would have bought this car at auction if he were not sure of having a buyer? His risk was much lower that way. I don’t think the resulting bias can be avoided.
BTW: you live in a nice neighborhood. It is very similar to mine.
Gee…I wonder why Toyota Siennas are so popular?
i could tell the same story about my 2008 town and country. it’s the best family car ever, i love it, but repairs and deprecation make it expensive. I’m currently deciding about keeping it or buying something new and after looking at everything i keep coming back to chrysler. they make a great minivan product.
anyway, i want to know what you replaced it with. maybe it will help me decide.
There are a fair number of these Chrysler minivans in the St Louis area. Just this morning I checked craigslist and a few are to be had, all with upward of 175,000 miles or more.
My uncle has a mid 90’s version. He’s driven that thing all these years and continues to nurse it along on a shoestring budget.
I wouldn’t mind having one as a winter beater or hardware-store runner.
They seem like decent performers but probably not as a main daily driver – at least not any longer.
Sounds like the secret is to put Dino-based oils and lubricants into these and keep a stash of brake pads in the garage.
I had one of that model (a 96) and was not as impressed of it as I was of my 92, or now my 2003. The 96 only went 150,000 miles before I traded it in. It never gave me problems, but there was something just not right about it. The 92 had 250,000 miles on it and the 2003 now has 250,000 on it and I am thinking about trading it in. the 03 has had it’s faults, a new rack (not needed as it needed ball joints due to the dealer cutting the zerk fittings off and no one greased it) The water pump impeller disintetegrated and needed to be replaced (happened in my driveway) and I think that the CV joints are going bad. All in all I have had great luck and pleasurable driving in my 3 Chrysler minivans.
I had a 2000 Voyager with the 3.0 liter and 3 speed auto. Transaxle blew 300 miles after the warranty expired.
I had it for 8 years until I couldn’t stand it anymore….constant small repairs, if it was a really cool sports car I might have been able to put up with it being in the shop a lot, but it was a boring ass minivan, so after our daughter graduated from college and we didn’t need the room- I sold it and bought a used 24 valve Taurus.
The Taurus held together better and it was a hell of a lot faster then the Voyager.
I just skimmed it over, but if you are looking for a replacement look for a Ford Windstar, I had experience with a 1995 and it is bullet proof, built like a truck underneath, great crash test scores, great ride and handles nicely. Not sure if the redesigned ones are as nice though or if it is just the old “1st gen” ones.
I’ve had good luck so far with my ’06 Dodge Magnum. I’ll buy another Chrysler. As far as minivans I like the Caravan RT. The man-van for a guy with a sense of humor.
We had a 1999 Town&Country Limited, i agree, it had its problems, but it was reliable considering the abuse it was under. Two teenager drivers ( Me included) and my ex step dad who destroyed cars on a daily basis. Engine was good, with overheating being a problem, making the engine bay hot and causing plastic parts like oil cap, connectors and hoses to desintegrate.
I sort of did like the Infinity stereo, rear speakers tended to crack on heavy bass, i absolutely adored touches like the memory seats and outside dimming mirrors. I think this generation of minivans is the one with the best styling too. Ours was dark grey with dark leather/suede interiors. It looked nice when it was new.
Transmission design is not bad, in the USA don’t really repair stuff, the only time i had problems with the tranny, it stayed in 2nd gear as a limp mode unless you turned off ignition while it was moving, restart engine and the trans went to corresponding gear. It was just the solenoid pack at a $200 cost with labour ( god bless mexican mechanics).
Service at the dealer was OK but expensive, the only thing we all hated was the brakes, really underpowered and small to that vehicle size. I drove a SWB Caravan of the same year it was much better.
Overall, after several minivans, i still prefer the 3rd gen Chrysler, Ford Windstar was simply terrible and A/C always smelled bad, the Honda Odissey was expensive and also ate transmissions and it wasnt as luxurious as the T&C.
Now we own a Mazda 5 Touring, very reliable, great MPG, great driving but the only thing we miss, is gadgets! Mazda 5 has none, even being the top trim, also the suspension is not very rugged for Mexico, it has already 3 sets of shocks replaced, and various items like bushings and hardware… And it still groans and moans on bumps.