Owners opinion of Town & Country
 

I Was thinking of getting a 2012 Town And Country because we had recently loved one that we rented when we went on vacation. I just was wondering what current owners think of their purchase and would you have done it again. I know alot of post are on problems they are having. Is it a common thing. I would love to know your thoughts. thanks Trevor:)

I've not had mine long, so still in the honeymoon period. It seems natural to me that sites like this will mostly list problems (and hopefully some shared solutions too). That does not reflect on whether the motor is a pleasure to own or not.

The general impression that I get from folk on this this forum is that most owners really like/love their Voyager/Town&Country in spite of a few problems. I looked around a lot before buying mine and I'd say that the Chrysler is the best in class. Great value for money if you don't do high miles. It's tough to be stylish with a family work-horse/Van/Hauler, but the only other vehicle that looks this good in this class is a Volkswagen Caravelle...for over twice the price.

Another important item, something I've overlooked and then regretted in the past, is that my Wife really likes this vehicle. If SWMBO is happy then the world at large is probably a better place.

Happy Motoring.
Munro
UK South Coast/New Forest
Jaguar XJR
Triumph Spitfire

I too have only had my G.Voyager a short time. It's had it's problems -- the usual sort caused by lack of maintenance -- all too common when you buy a vehicle second-hand but new to you.
One endemic problem is a too-small battery plus a too heavy drain by the system's various microprocessors. But read Qinteq's postings about using a solar charger mounted on the front parcel shelf. (There's a ping-pong discussion about this on "How to change the battery without losing the radio code").

If you get a petrol one, expect it to be thirsty; but it's not at all bad compared to others of the type, say a petrol Range-Rover at 9mpgUK. in London traffic! The GV should do around 12 to16mpgUK. urban, something over 20 on the motorway. If you find a decent one with an LPG conversion, bite his hand off! Otherwise, the diesel 2.8 CRD is very reasonable on fuel. Remember the GV weighs 2.1 tons british.

I find the ride is very soft and relaxing, typical old american design philosopy. Suits me fine. Of course it IS what it is, a "bus", so don't expect it to handle like a Jaguar.

This is the most practical motor I've ever come across. You can shift lots of people in it, or shift lots of furniture - great if you are an antique dealer, with the "stow and go" seating system, giving you a flat loading floor.

Size-wise, it's a bit smaller than a Tranny, a bit bigger than a Tranny-Connect.

I find the autobox is excellent, but then didn't Chrysler invent automatic gearboxes around 1935? The 6th gear ratio is an overdrive, so should make fuel consumption on the motorway more reasonable. Full marks for the autobox dipstick, something missing on many modern autoboxes. Don't ever believe the nonsense about autoboxes being "sealed for life". One american wag called ZF autoboxes as being "sealed for death". And he was dead right. There is even a website called "The lurch" dealing with all the problems with ZF's 6HP26 box.

So.... if you're buying one of these, give it a good test ride, get the engine fully hot which will take 10 to 15 miles if it's a diesel. Check starting as this engine is a 'chugger' when cranking, it doesn't spin rapidly, but it does start easy if the battery is ok. Check the electric loading doors that both work.
Apart from that above, make the usual checks when buying any second-hand motor.
Enjoy your experience.....

Leedsman.

Thanks for your opinions any one else have one?

2012 tc
 

We did the same as you, we went on vacation last year and rented a 2012 TC and loved it. I would have never even considered buying one (come from a Chevy family) until we rented one. Well, we bought a used 2012 TC with low miles and LOVE it. We have had it for a little over a month and it is great for kids, DVD player, power sliding doors and lift gate. Love the storage area and soft ride. Can't wait to take it on a long road trip to see how it handles. :D

My curreny vehicle is an older one but I love this 2007 Chrysler Town and Country Touring. I dont know if a prior owner did any tuning but with variables in favor i can get little over 33 mpg with cc set @ 65. This 3.8 is strong and the same 5 quarts of oil that goes in is the same that comes out in my 5000 mile intervals.

Hi from Sweden

Although we now call it Lancia Voyager, same car as your T&C :)
Im 40, surfer, had set my mind on a Jeep GC, or Audi Q7, but, prior had a T&C 2003, and the inside size, Stow&Go, power doors, reverse camera and all other gizmos, and not least, my daughter can "recline" her passenger set at 2nd row and sleeps like a baby on long trips, I love the car sofar.

Ok, the 2.8 Diesel isn´t a racer, but, who buys a car like this and want speed ?. Sure, could use little more grunt when overtaking other cars, but at lower speed the torque is sufficient for overtakes and fuel consumtion is awesome, 0.76l/10km for my longtrip we are on now here my petrol V6 took 1.1l/10km.

Only one little "issue" as I´m tall, the driver seat could use a higher back, then I would sit more comfortable, but that so far (had it 3 days only) is my only "complain" and do note, this aint a problem for normal guys (I´m 192cm tall).

//Fred

I have the 2013 Chrysler T/C and love it. We can't get the diesel in America but the V-6 has plenty of power and averages about 25mpg on the freeway. This is my second Chrysler mini van. My first was a 2005 Dodge GC and I had good luck with that one which is why I got the Chrysler. Does Chrysler make the minivan in Europe, or is imported?

I think the diesel situation in the US is changing. More motors seem to be available with diesel engine options. This is prob. european makers influence, the VW Golf or "Rabbit" springs to mind.
I read one time the Grand Voyager was made in Austria, there nay be a Mercedes connexion here. No Merc. diesel though -- its a VM Motari -- and I do believe it's now a a V6 3ltr. diesel on the latest GVs. Nothing wrong with the Motari, there must be thousands of London taxis using them, so it's likely a very long service life will be had from them.
BTW, 25mpgUS translates to 30mpgUK near enough.

Leedsman.

What kind of mileage does the diesel get over there on these mini vans?
I didn't realize till I found this site that Europe even heard of Chrysler, as they exported very little besides the Jeep and I didn't think many associated the Jeep belonging to Chrysler. When I was over in England, Ireland and Scotland yeas ago, I only saw a couple of Chrysler mini vans. Are they pretty popular there now?

These new 5th generation mini vans are so much nicer than any of them built before. I helped it along by buying the imitation wood trim that goes around the video screen, temp. controls, door switches, glove box lock, air vents and even the gear shift lever. Really sets it off, as it matches the wood look trim Chrysler puts on the dash and door. Wasn't sure it would stick in this hot Arizona weather, but it does.

I am in England with a 2.8 diesel 05 reg Grand Voyager. I get an average of 18 to 19 miles per gallon (UK gallon) around town/city with traffic (can drop down to 15 or 16 in the winter when I idle the car on very cold mornings to warm up and demist windows before heading off.

On the motorway/highway I get between 27 to 30 miles per gallon depending on traffic. Best I ever did was 38 miles per gallon, but I was at 55mph on the cruise control on a quiet motorway and often drafting very large hauliers doing my speed. I was at a safe distance where I could easily stop my GV faster than they could stop their eighteen wheelers.

On the original thread of "Owners opinion": I was a very passionate fanatic about cars as an 18 year old aircraft industry apprentice when I bought the first of my Alfa Romeos (Veloce, Alfetta and GTV) in 1979 and constantly performing maintenance jobs (really just polishing everything in sight), inside the cabin and out, in the motor and out over weekends, while driving in the week.

Once I became a family man, turned into a regular driver with regular cars (Nissan, Mazda) with low maintenance, the occasional wash and never a thought about the vehicle other than to turn on the ignition, turn on the radio and drive; until I bought my Chrysler in November 2011.

This car has stirred up my passion for cars to a worse degree than I had as a youth. I sometimes think there might be something wrong with me when I catch myself looking at the car and constantly admiring things on and about it, even standing next to it in winter, after climbing out and locking it, waiting for the auxiliary cabin heater (Wabesto) to turn off with its blowing sound and smells while reminiscing of my days when I worked as an avionics engineer and enjoyed the smells and sounds of aircraft auxiliary power units and the smell of avgas, until I joined this forum and realised I was not crazy, just really passionate about good engineering and a lot of thought that has been put into the creation of this vehicle.

As someone said to me: "Chrysler is not a car, it is a way of life!"

I hope you have many miles of happy motoring with yours. I am off to see my therapist again hehehe. :)

HH

I bought my used 2012 TC Touring L with 18k in April 13. I have to say that overall I like this vehicle very much. Lots of options which I thought I wouldn't need but now I like a lot such as back up camera, lane departure warning, park assist,etc. Even has the tow package. My biggest gripe so far is some minor quality control problems, misaligned panels, cheap plastic bits. But I love stow and go and is great for my dogs!

My 2010 4.0 TC touring has had no problems since new, up to 26 mpg highway (when flat) about 17 local (hilly). My only annoyance is an occasional bulked hard downshift.
I wish that it had a backup camera and Bluetooth.

Thanks for all your opinions we decided to get one last night and its awesome, I'll post some pics later but I have a few questions. First, it didn't come with headphones other than factory is there any other people recommend. Secondly, I think it has navi but I dont know to find it in the menus. Thanks for your time. Trevor

I don't think you can beat it for the money and features that you get with it. I have used Stow & Go many times hauling stuff for my kids. I found out I can stow the seats and get more stuff in it than I could get in my old pick up truck, as I could stack the little stuff higher and not worry about it blowing away. I know I'll have this minivan a long time, as I kept my old one for 8 years and this is much nicer.