Advice for used pacifica purchase
 

Hello, I am new to this forum and never owned a Chrysler. I fell in love with a 2007 pacifica fwd, v6 with 106k miles. If I purchase this would be my daily driver. I love the unique styling, the handling and the safety ratings as I have two kiddos. The vehicle has good service records and has been well cared for. I'm just here for anyone to tell me if there are any major problems to look for. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

While a nice car when taken care of and when new...If you live in the Rustbelt Northeast USA, have the engine/subframe checked for rot out...they are known for it! Also if higher miles, the 3.5 V6 was known to drink motor oil and the timing belt probably also is due for replacement by now(age). IF it breaks, you ruin the motor(expensive)!

Thank you rebel! I live in the southwest. My husband crawled underneath and did not see any rust. It was clean so that is good news! I was wondering about the timing belt as I did not see it on the service records. I will call my mechanic in the morning and see what that will cost. That will give me an idea of cost / purchase value. I really like this car but I am finding mixed reviews so I appreciate your input. Thanks again :)

I purchased an 97 touring with 130k in February this year.I bought mine with a bad transmission,I rebuilt it,changed the timing belt,and the drivers side front wheel bearing/hub.
I absolutely love mine I have the 4.0 in mine but they also came with the 3.8 engine...The 4.0 has a timing belt and the 3.8 has a timing chain.

Yes the 2007 touring 4.0 has timing belt, 3.8 has timing chain, but the OP's 3.5 definitely does have a timing belt that prolly needs to be changed out. R&R'ing the 3.5 timing belt is middle of the road difficult, possible by most any shade tree mechanic, though a moderate number of cuss words will be required to complete the job. The transmission is a weak link in the Pac (be kind to it and it will be kind to you) and the hubs on all four corners do need replacing periodically, but are easy and cheap to do.
PS- Install a genuine Mopar water pump when you do the belt job, the chinee pumps fail quickly, don't ask me how I know...

The OP is looking at an 07,it should have either a 4.0 or 3.8. The 3.5 was not an option in the 07 I don't think.

Did you have to change your on the side of the road,if so I bet that was tough.

Sorry, My Bad. Yes, the '07's (my dream Pac), had either 4.0 or 3.8. The 3.5 was phased out in '06.

No, I made it back to my shop to change out the chinee water pump. Was so #issed! Only 30k miles on a fresh water pump/timing belt job and the chinee water pump seal decided to take a leak. Never again for me! Will always goto Ebay/Amazon/RockAuto and score a OEM pump whenever the water pump is one of these almost-impossible to replace installs. Strangely enough, my Pac has never seen the hook of a wrecker, always has managed to break down at my house or shop, 313k miles on the clock and counting.

Yes, this one is the 4.0 with belt. Has not been changed and I've had some scary high estimates for it. It's at a dealer and I wish they would change it and roll the cost in! I'm still not sure what to do. I love this car but dont have the means to drop for the loan and the belt right away. If the belt could wait awhile.....also is driving 100 miles a day being nice to the transmission?

Belt is 10 years old w/ 106k. I like to change my own at about 120k, at that point belts still look ok. If you are short on cash, I would not worry too much about rolling the dice and putting another 10k miles on it.
The cost of a Gates timing belt, Gates serpentine belt, tensioner & OEM water pump and will be about $250 for parts, check around and see if you can find a decent mechanic who will do the job for $250 labor; total will be less cost than Dealer who prolly wants 1000 to 1200 to complete that task. You can do the belts yourself, takes me about 10 hours total wrenching (I work slow) and 10-12 cuss words; not too bad of a job.

Long distance will not unduly wear the transmission; it is the hauling of heavy trailers (like I used to do a lot) and jack rabbit accelerations that do the damage.
Hey if it is a clean low miles '07 Pac, especially loaded out and well taken care of, odds are it will be a great lux vehicle! As said, the '07 is my dream Pac. a vehicle to be cherished.

I bought a 2008 Pacifica Limited FWD (4.0 Engine / 6 Speed auto) 5.5 years ago. It had 70k on it. I now have 175k on it. Has been very reliable. As to rusty subframes I believe it was the earlier models that had the problems. I live in New england with lots of snow and salt and mine is still in very good shape. I did the timing belt and water pump at 100k. Unfortunately I went with aftermarket water pump and it started leaking at 138k. Get the Chrysler OEM water pump. I think it is made in Germany. Stay away from the aftermarket chinese stuff. I redid the job a few thousand miles after it started leaking and no issues. The only other problem I had (recently in last 2 months) were corroded ground wires. There are about 30-40 wires that terminate into maybe a half dozen connectors that bolt to studs on the inner driver side fender wall. Apparently this is a common problem and can cause all sorts of symptoms. This can be a maddening problem to fix. I had lots of very weak and no starts on the car. Car would randomly shut off driving down highway. Engine immoblizer on dash. I redid about 3/4 of the wires and connectors (cut off connectors restripped wires and put on new connectors). Was better but I was still having problems. Was ready to give up on car and get something newer. I finally did the rest (it was actually the last 2 wires that made the difference) and have had absolutely no issues in the last few month. As a matter fact the car starts more readily than it ever has. Next task is replace both lower control arms on front suspension. I am getting lots of rattles there. Other than normal maintenance and these issues described car has been great. Loves to cruise the highway at 80 all day. Very quiet and stable.

Dave