Ask the Car People.SM


Chrysler Town & Country Prices Paid and Buying Experience

1653 messages,  Last post on Apr 25, 2013 at 4:44 PM

You are in the Prices Paid - Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chrysler Town and Country, Car Buying, Van

    

Messages Page 165 of 166

#1639 of 1653 Shopping for a new van(Sienna vs T&C) by 007bing

Jun 16, 2012 (6:00 pm)

Took a few test drives of each. I had never been in a Sienna in all these years. Always a Dodge or Chrysler buyer. My last 4 family cars have been either T&C or Grand Caravan. So, my natural thought was to go to the Chrysler dealer and look at the new 2012 T&C vans. Here are my pros and cons:
 
1) T&C (test drove the Touring-L and Limited)
      PRO:
      - Lots of stuff in this van. Navigation, DVD in middle and back. Leather, and I
         really liked those blind spot sensors. Don't know how well they work.
      - Strong engine. Highway speed faster than in my Dodge GC, 2005.
      - Transmission shifted just fine.
      - Sto and Go seats. LOVE EM.
       
 
      CON: A lot of con
      - Cheap CHEAP CHEAP materials. Where the jack was located it had a plastic cover
         that didn't even meet the panel hole with the tab. Not loose. Just made that way.
      - Padding in leather seats have gone minimalist. I had to ask the guy, "Is this leather
         or vinyl?" Getting out of the van, I touched bottom on that leather seat. A lot of pieces
         had plenty of movement making me wonder how long it would last.
      - For me, too much stuff going on in the instrument cluster. LOTS OF stuff in there. Not
         a very clean presentation. I just did not like the speed display in the middle(digital)
         and then another speed display to the right(analog). I'd probably get used to it.
      - I opened the hood and closed it . Wow! What a tinny sound. They really cut a corner
         on that sheet metal.
      - Somewhat new engine design. A con for me. Not sure about others.
      - I didn't care much for the homelink buttons on the visor. Not enough room for fat
         fingering with a bit dirty hands. I can see that visor spot quickly getting dirty.
      - Display panel cutout for the digital speedometer was not straight. It was off kilter a bit.
         Second one I drove was not like that.
       
2) Sienna LE and XLE Premium:
      PRO:
      - Engine was great. Transmission shifted fine.
      - LOTS of legroom in the back. A function of non-Sto and Go I think.
      - Clean instrumentation panel.
      - No gaps I found offhand. (although, the van in showroom had a cracked piece of
         plastic from where the "8th" seat is stored. i was thinking that could be a problem
         then.)
      - Good padding on seats. No bottoming out on exit.
      - The wide 16.4 inch DVD in the premium was quite nice.
      
      CON:
      - Cheaper materials than in preceding Toyotas I've had. Not as cheap as the Chrysler.
      - You have to take out middle seats and store them in the garage if you need the space
          to haul something.
      - WAY less stuff on Sienna for a bit higher price. I really liked those Chrysler blind
         spot mirrors.
      - Who in the world can sit in that 8th seat? No one. It's too small. It cannot even fit a
          child seat.
 
I'm disgusted at the cheapness that both vans have. I have Toyota cars before and this is the cheapest material I've seen in any of them. EVERYONE is cutting corners too much. What happened to quality stuff? Did the Japanese start using the American model or what? My 2005 Dodge GC doesn't have flimsy junk like the 2012 T&C. Like it or not, that's my two cents on the two vans I drove. I was really really debating the two until yesterday when I decided to put an offer in on a Sienna LE. The 0% financing at Chrysler was really tempting, too. I liked the navigation and dvd stuff for the price.

#1640 of 1653 Whooo. T&C Must be dead . No talk here. by 007bing

Jun 17, 2012 (12:01 pm)

No one must be shopping for T&C vans and the current owners are out riding in them constantly...so they can't come here and chat about what a great van they have.

#1642 of 1653 Any other experience? by nokoni

Jul 22, 2012 (9:27 pm)

Thinking of making an offer on a T&C Touring-L but not really sure what to offer. The one I'm after has the following option add-ons.
 
-Driver Convenience Group
- Dual Screen DVD Entertainment System
- UConnect 730N with the navigation
 
Looks like adjusted internet price for this van is $31,200, which is well below what Edmunds is saying is the true value. So there's some sort of disconnect there.
 
Anyways, does anyone know if Ally is still offering rebates for using their financing?
 
I'd like to get the price in the low $28,000 range. Would you just contact the internet department and say 'Hey, I'll give you $28,000 for that van'? Would they take me seriously? I think this price range is doable from some of the posts I read.
 
I'm not a very good negotiater and am just looking for some help and pointers.
 
Thanks.

#1643 of 1653 Used 2008 T&C touring by jwreich

Aug 02, 2012 (4:21 pm)

We just purchased a used 09 T&C with 32k miles. It was locally owened and serviced and I called the previous owner when I found his name and number in the glove box. The wife gave the all clear so we bought it.
 
Came with touring package
Dual screen DVD
Separate DVD player as well as the fancy fold down face in dash DVD player
Back up camera
Cloth seats
 
They had it listed for 20,950
Paid $18,600
 
Bought a Chrysler extended service plan (Premium) after I cancelled the junk sold to me by the Honda dealer. I walked in and cancelled it the next day.
 
Anyway, my wife really likes the car. We had them put new tires on all 4 corners, new battery, new wiper blades, fresh oil change, 4 wheel alignment and of course a full detail.
 
The precious owner hadn't even taken the ear phones and remote out of the plastic and box. We are excited.

#1644 of 1653 Purchase Completed: 2012 Town & Country Touring by artdr

Aug 19, 2012 (4:18 pm)

I decided to go with the T&C Touring base model because of the price. I had seen some local places advertise it for 20,995, but that is strictly if you are in the military and a Chrysler employee. I also test drove the Sienna, but the pricing was probably $5K more for the similar options. The DVD option on the Sienna is $2400! The base models are drying up, so I decided to buy sooner rather than later.
 
My "base" T&C has the following std options:
Back-up cam
40GB hard drive for MP3s
Rear dvd with 2 headsets
 
I picked up a Pearl Black with Black interior T&C for $25219 plus tax, title and license.
 
The base model has an MSRP of 30,930. I received friends and family pricing. Toledo OH has several chrysler plants, so they give F&F pricing to everyone. I also got the $1750 cash back instead of the financing, and $1000 cash back for lease termination bonus cash. I turn in my Toyota Camry in October and they give you cash for switching brands.
 
I was working with a dealer in Sylvania, OH, and the best price he could give me was $25,762. The day I came in to sign the papers, he told me they didn't have the car in the color I wanted and that both cars that met my specs had been sold the day before. They tried the ol' bait and switch, and I wasn't buying it.
 
So I called a dealer 45 min away in Archibold OH, I told them the price and the financing I had qualified for and they agreed to sell me the car at that price. So I show up and they tell me that the numbers actually worked out to paying $25219 AND they got me a lower interest rate. (2.99% for 72 months instead of 3.5%). I ended up taking the 75 months at 3.09%. Monthly came out to $410 a month. In any case, I am a very happy customer.

#1645 of 1653 When to buy by gauger01

Aug 23, 2012 (7:39 am)

I have been thinking about buying a 2012 T&C later this year, but now am concerned that since this will be the last year for T&C that the availability of vehicles will be getting more scarce.
 
The 0% finance offer expires 9/04/12. Does anyone expect Chrysler to renew that? I was originally planning to buy in Oct/Nov timeframe.

#1646 of 1653 Re: When to buy [gauger01] by artdr

Aug 23, 2012 (7:32 pm)

Replying to: gauger01 (Aug 23, 2012 7:39 am)
It depends if you are particular about color. My wife really wanted blue, but 6 dealerships within a 150 mile radius had none at the price I wanted. Seems like there are plenty of red and cashmere color. There were plenty of town and countries in a higher trim level. Pretty sure they will continue the financing, and prices will get cheaper. My lease was up in October, but I bought now to make sure we got the t&c we wanted.

#1647 of 1653 press request by kirstie_h HOST

Oct 04, 2012 (10:22 am)

If you bought a Chrysler "Man Van" like this one http://edmu.in/Nyzoly (Grand Caravan R/T) a reporter would love to chat with you about it. Please email PRedmunds.com no later than Wednesday, October 10, 2012 and include your daytime contact information.

Messages Page 165 of 166

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement