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Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan 2005+

1446 messages,  Last post on May 15, 2013 at 8:51 AM

You are in the Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Grand Caravan Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chrysler Town and Country, Dodge Grand Caravan, Van

Messages Page 30 of 145

#288 of 1446 Re: SE Power Seat ? [samnoe] by hansienna

Aug 30, 2004 (9:28 pm)

Replying to: samnoe (Aug 30, 2004 8:25 pm)
No...according to the 2005 Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan brochure published 1/04. Power driver's seat is NOT available in either the GC SE or GC SE Plus.
     Overhead compass/outside temp/Trip computer is NOT available in the plain Grand Caravan SE but is standard on the Grand Caravan SXT and is included in Grand Caravan SE Plus Popular Equipment Group that costs $1465.
     The short wheel base regular Caravan SXT Popular Equipment Group at $1365 includes the 8 way Power Driver Seat and complete overhead console with all items.
     The short wheel base Town & Country (the former Voyager) does NOT include a tachometer.
     THE SXT is the best model to buy whether it is Caravan or Grand Caravan....unless one wants a cheaper model with only the most basic features. The GC SXT has the same feature content as the T&C Touring at about $700 lower price.

#289 of 1446 Grand Caravan SXT versus Nissan Quest by leotaur

Sep 05, 2004 (7:04 pm)

Steve will recognize me from the Quest Town Hall. I rather like the Quest. It is better equipped for the same money, and in 2005 this will be even more so. I want side curtain air bags AND a sunroof, but in the DGC you have to choose one or the other. The DGC looks rather plain and common after all these years, and the interior seems a bit dark and grey.But it may have the advantage of not being a brand new model with problems still to be resolved, and the new seats which fold right into the floor will be great, as we have to transport 2 adults, 2 greyhounds,and lots of stuff. However, I will be driving from Canada to Mexico to stay for the winter from now on, and the Daimler Chrysler warranty on a van bought and registered in Canada is (I have it in writing from them) honoured in the US and in Mexico. Nissan Canada advise me on a telephone enquiry that the Canadian warranty is accepted only in Canada and in the US. I do not want to be in Mexico without warranty coverage, even though there are both DC and Nissan dealers in the place I will be. It is 2 to 3 days drive from the US border, so going back to the US for service is out of the question. Tell me, if anyone can, why I should be happy with a Grand Cravan SXT after all. Most van comparison articles compare the Quest, and Odyssey and Sienna to each other, but little seems to have been said about the DGC versus the "imports", which are not all imported anyway. Doug

#290 of 1446 Re: Grand Caravan SXT versus Nissan Quest [leotaur] by hansienna

Sep 05, 2004 (8:35 pm)

Replying to: leotaur (Sep 05, 2004 7:04 pm)
If you like Nissan and have good experience, buy the Quest. Warranty work on either the Quest or GC SXT is NOT very likely to be needed. BUY the vehicle that you like the best and do not worry about a possible need for warranty work.
     I had very bad experience with a 1970 Dodge van and said I would never own another Chrysler product. Now some 30 years after getting rid of it, I recently bought a pre-owned (used) 2002 Chrysler T&C that has gone just under 27,000 miles.
     One son got a new 2001 Ody EX in 2001 and and another son got a used 2002 GC Sport in Spring 2003 for about half the money. The GC Sport is quieter, smoother riding, has more nice features than the Ody even though the Ody "Magic Seat" and more flexible 2nd row seating give the Ody that advantage.

#291 of 1446 Re: Grand Caravan SXT versus Nissan Quest [leotaur] by leotaur

Sep 13, 2004 (7:28 pm)

Replying to: leotaur (Sep 05, 2004 7:04 pm)
On Saturday we went for test drives of the Quest and the DGC SXT with leather. To our surprise we preferred the ride and handling of the DGC as well as the seats system, and so despite the enviable new look of the Quest, and in part because of the uncertainty of warranty coverage while in Mexico with Nissan, we have ordered a black DGC SXT with Premium Group and Khaki leather seats, and we have accepted the fact that we will look like the 10 million others who have bought Chrysler vans! Doug

#292 of 1446 Advice by dragonjax

Sep 19, 2004 (7:31 pm)

Have been tossing the idea of purchasing a GC SXT 2004 loaded. We are currently car payment free and have nothing to put down... would prefer to sell one vehicle person to person instead of trading in... The price tag was around $30,000, not mentioning taxes, transfers etc...
 
I have been trying to become a very informed buyer before even going to the carlot...have been to this site and carbuyingtips.com...
 
I have the tvm price which was about 20,000 or so invoice. Is it unreasonable to offer 20,000 even though MSRP is over 30,000?
 
((We have already obtained financing as first time buyers we were sitting ducks for high APR with having little credit and no down payment))
 
My wife and I have also considered a new 2004 Chevy Venture as I get a GM discount. The features really don't even come close...but the price is definately better!!! Should we inform the dealer of this? Would they be able to match a GM Discount?
 
Should we have insurance information available before we even go to the carlot arranged through our insurance company? Just in case?
 
Thanks ahead and all advice is greatly welcome!!

#293 of 1446 Also by dragonjax

Sep 19, 2004 (7:34 pm)

Also, sorry, but is this a good time to purchase? When will the 2006's become 'it' and 2005 be deeply discounted? Is there more rebates/incentives toward the end of the year? Chevy right now is offering some good deals I guess...
 
Thanks again!

#294 of 1446 by steve_ HOST

Sep 19, 2004 (7:37 pm)

When to Buy Your Next Car
 
Steve, Host

#295 of 1446 Re: Grand Caravan SXT versus Nissan Quest [leotaur] by paulm

Sep 23, 2004 (7:08 pm)

Replying to: leotaur (Sep 05, 2004 7:04 pm)
Just a comment. You can get the Grand Caravan equipped with both a sunroof and side curtain airbags, just not so equipped direct from Chrysler (as stated in their brochure). We just purchased an SXT with side curtain airbags, and after inquiring from several sources, were told that a sunroof could be installed aftermarket. It's more pricey that way (about $1100 vs. factory cost of $895), but installs in the same roof frame slot as the manufacturer would use.
 
I asked why the factory won't install both. Did you ever ask people who don't know directions, but tell you anyway? One dealer told me that installing a sunroof would require them to cut out support beams that impeded vehicle stability and safety. I thought about this, and realized that it was unlikely that the van is crafted with two different roof designs (one for sunroof, one without), so I dismissed this.
 
It was speculated that the side curtain bags would not work with a sunroof. I asked a national after-market installer in Dallas, American Sunroof. They said that the side curtain airbags are not affected, that they pull them out, install the wiring, etc as needed for the sunroof, then reintall them and this does not affect their safe operation. They also said that, yes, they do cut a beam or two in the roof, but then reinstall different beams that more than make up for the lost beams. The person to whom I spoke sounded very knowledgable, which may account for nothing, but I believe him.
 
FYI, my dealer wanted to charge me $1800 to install an aftermarket sunroof. I found out who they used, and they quoted me $1095. What an incredible markup! This capped a very difficult sales experience, so it didn't surprise me. Be wary!!

#296 of 1446 Re: Rebate on T&C [rcf8000] by paulm

Sep 23, 2004 (7:13 pm)

Replying to: rcf8000 (Aug 16, 2004 2:08 pm)
Agree with edklein. The can charge you anything you are willing to pay. My dealer told me I wasn't eligible for the $500 Chrysler loyalty incentive, even though we were standing next to my Jeep Wrangler at the time. Another common practice: waiting until you are personally invested in the purchase and sitting with the finance person before they show you dealer price additions like document processing ($50+), dealer additions, advertising surcharges (yes, they try to charge you to send you mail. Unbelievable.)
 
Always walk in with invoice costs for the vehicle and options / option packages, and always know all the dealer adds and charges up front. And, of course, always be prepared to walk out the door.

#297 of 1446 Re: still can't decide... [acenj] by paulm

Sep 23, 2004 (7:17 pm)

Replying to: acenj (Aug 17, 2004 3:35 pm)
It's a $3500 rebate through September 30 if you go with "regular financing" - higher rates, but not sure how high, or $2000 if you want 0% for 36 months, 0.9% for 48 mos or 1.9% for 60 mos. $500 of this incentive is for current Chrysler owners.
 
I'm 6' 1" and I thought the middle seats were fine (not great, but good enough). The rear seats are a bit tight, as I expected, but better than most.
 
Mileage is 18/25 officially, about 19-21 combined in real world driving.

Messages Page 30 of 145

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