I just wanted to say hi to everyone here. I picked up our new 2008 Town & Country Touring today and even though I only logged 50 miles, I can tell you that I'm loving every minute of it. We just had a baby two months ago (our first) and I decided we need a more "family" vehicle. I wanted a conversion van, but a commerical on our DirecTV Tivo that we watched convinced me that this might be the van for us. It's acutally for my wife, but she hasn't driven it yet (test drive included). In case your interested, here's what we got:

2008 Town & Country
Touring
Bright Silver Metallic
Medium Slate Gray/Light Shale
Standard Equiptment +
25L Package
Swivel 'n Go Seating
MyGIG Multimedia with GPS Navigation
SIRIUS Backseat TV
Factory Alarm

We were originally going to lease the van for 3 years (it's our first lease, usually we buy but we weren't sure if we'd like the van) and 15K per year, however I realized that we would be without a warranty for ~9,000 miles, which I didn't want. If we did take it for 3 years, it would have been $8 cheaper, per month.

We paid $2,000 + MV fees and $408 per month for 27 months, 15K per year.

First of all, I'm not sure how the average Joe uses all of the features in the van. I know for a fact, my wife won't use 1/4 of them. If it was my daily driver, I'd try and use as many as possible, but I'm into technology, she isn't. Overall, I think the ride is wonderful, the pickup is decent considering the size/weight of the vehicle. I'm not fond of FWD vehicles, and this one is no exception. Torque steer can be felt around turns if you push it a bit. I also think the engine is a bit loud in the higher end of the band.

I love the backup camera. I was considering installing one on my Coupe {terrible backup angles} and this convinced me to do it. I love the remote/auto doors and trunk...it will make my wife's life so much easier when trying to get our son in and out of the van.

I was able to pair my Blackberry 8830 to the vehicle but it didn't read my contacts (boo!). The quality of the microphone/speaker for the bluetooth headset is wonderful. I don't like the speed of the voice system, my other vehicle is much faster between questions and responses.

I haven't played around with the navigation...I don't have very high hopes as I have had a ton of experience with systems and I rate OEM systems midway between aftermarket installs and portable units. Tonight I was able to find how to change the day/night map and even though it was set to auto and it was 9:45pm and dark out, the day map was still on. Strange.

I really wish the TV could pick up more stations...real stations...maybe in a few years. I already talked to the salesman about a 2010 model with the new WiFi internet they announced yesterday (or was it the day before) so I'm glad I'm only stuck for 2 years.

I'm going to order the lockpick thing tomorrow, that is a must. I have the huge task of showing my wife how to operate this mobile command unit, I can't wait

That's about it. Thanks for reading.

Erik

 

Congratulations and welcome to the "08 "T and C club"! I have an 2008 Limited with the 4.0L engine. I really do like it, despite some of the *major* [:@] issues I have been having. Specifically with the MyGig/ Navigation that crapped out on me as well as the power 3rd row seats that failed to stow back to the original position. I have had a few other issues, but those are the major ones. It is frustrating, but there is a hellava lot of technology going on in this Chrysler right now. It is still no excuse for sub standard part quality in a 50k + van![&:]

I do enjoy the drive, as I mentioned the engine is quite powerful and the suspension is *kinda sporty* (lol). I did drive a regular Grand Caravan SE and clearly the suspension is more robust in the Limited. We do not have access to Backseat TV up here in Canada, something to do with the CRTC and the regulations. I have heard good things about it. Yes, the backup cam is great, sometimes when reversing out of a stall in a tight squeeze, I can see the other driver wincing as I get closer and closer (not knowing that I can see EVERYTHING)...

I am the same, when our Mazda 5 GT was destroyed (my wife was driving) in an accident last October, I was faced with getting another vehicle in a short time frame for her. I looked at some SUVs as well as some other vans, but it was Chrysler that seemingly had the best deals as well as I read many reviews and watched some car reviews on TV (MotorWeek) and they could not say enough good things about it.

Anyway, this place is great to get good information and is generally a "cool" place to hang out...lol!

 

Thanks for your reply. The "Limited" was way more then I was willing to spend right now, but I loved some of the options it came with. If I had time to sit and order the van I would have put a few more options in, but nowhere near what the limited gives you.

Sad to hear about those problems...I've found most new cars (especially with a lot of tech) have glitches. Hope they get resolved soon.

Erik