Ask the Car People.SM


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 72 of 145

#710 of 1446 Re: Handling in snow [samnoe] by arts

May 25, 2005 (6:05 am)

Replying to: samnoe (May 24, 2005 8:06 pm)
Regarding handling in snow - I have had several 4 wheel drive cars (Subarus, Jeeps, Toyotas) as well as 2 Dodge Caravans (1998, 2005) and have strong opinions regarding snow and snow tires. I believe my Caravans with 4 first quality winter tires (I've used Blizzaks on the 1998, and Michelin x-Ice on the new Grand Caravan) are BETTER all around in snow than a 4 wheel drive vehicle on 4 season tires. I have a long steep driveway and the Caravan with 4 winter tires climbs 99% as good as the 4 wheel drives, also it corners and stops BETTER than the 4 wheel drive vehicles I describe. Some of you may disagree but that is my experience developed over many decades of driving in New England and the Canadian Maritime provinces. Thanks for listening.

#711 of 1446 Re: Handling in snow [arts] by shipo

May 25, 2005 (8:45 am)

Replying to: arts (May 25, 2005 6:05 am)
No disagreement from me. My winter tire shod 530i (Michelin Arctic-Alpin) was certainly more capable in the snow and slippery stuff than our two all-season tire equipped GCs (at least until the snow got so deep that the 530i turned into a snow plow). I can only imagine how capable the Caravans would be if I was to spring for winter rubber for them too.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#712 of 1446 Re: Purchased 2005 T&C over Odyssey by gonavybeatarmy

May 27, 2005 (11:10 pm)

Replying to: ottsm (May 23, 2005 6:01 pm)
I also recently bought the TnC Limited over Honda. We wre going to get an Expedition, but when gas price shot up we reconsidered. Am military living overseas transferring back to U.S. Local dealership (Pomoco Chrysler Jeep in Hampton, VA) was great to work with, and let me take delivery of vehicle while house hunting and then stored it for me for free until we returned to States. Customer service is a winner for me always, and Pomoco is top drawer.
 
Test drove the TnC, Odyssey, Sienna and liked the ride of the TnC best - very smooth and quiet, along with price and stowngo. I thought the Honda had great features and acceleration, but a little too "tourqey"; it oulled to the right when accelerating hard. Also didn't like the steering wheel reach distance with the driver's seat all the way back (I'm tall).
 
Got the TnC with zero pct financing, tax, title, and additional 7/70 GE bumper to bumper warranty for about $34K. Although the car seems very tight, it was delievered with 2 flaws: no GPS antenna installed for the nav system, and right rear quarter window was out of alignment (about 1/4 inch not flush with the vehicle side). The dealership jumped right on these, but I'm feeling like the additional warranty was a good roll of the dice if we keep the car for 70K miles.
 
First 2 tanks of gas neeted 17-18 mpg in urban driving. No road trips yet, so hope to see better. Overal, love the TnC Limited initially. We'll see how it holds up.

#713 of 1446 Question for Marine2 by hansienna

May 28, 2005 (12:01 pm)

People have posted here in Town Hall that 2005 GC does not have lighted controls on the doors that are on my 2002 T&C LX.
      Does your 2005 GC SXT have the lighted controls on the doors for the door locks and power windows?
      More shopping for 2005 Odyssey EX (cloth) and 2005 GC SXT has these pricing results:
            
           2005 Ody EX MSRP $28,710.....Discounted Price $26,508
           2005 GC SXT MSRP $27,625.....Discounted price $22,825*
           * If financed thru Chrysler Financial. Can make 4 monthly
             payments and then pay off balance with no penalty.
 
      My choice of the Ody EX would be Ocean Mist Metallic to get the nice gray interior (Taffeta white would be my choice if it had the gray interior).
      My choice of the GC SXT would be Stone White Clearcoat with the nice gray interior.
      Both vans are very nice but for $3683 less, the GC SXT is the BEST BUY for me. Ody EX 2nd and 3rd row seats slightly more comfortable but the GC SXT flexibility with complete overhead console containing outside temp/compass and trip computer are more important to me than the slightly more comfortable 2nd and 3rd row seats of the Odyssey.

#714 of 1446 Re: Question for Marine2 [hansienna] by marine2

May 28, 2005 (1:48 pm)

Replying to: hansienna (May 28, 2005 12:01 pm)
Does your 2005 GC SXT have the lighted controls on the doors for the door locks and power windows?
 
If I remember right hansienna, there is only one that lights up. It could be the one for the driver's window. Too light outside now to go out and check.
 
Ody EX 2nd and 3rd row seats slightly more comfortable but the GC SXT flexibility with complete overhead console containing outside temp/compass and trip computer are more important to me than the slightly more comfortable 2nd and 3rd row seats of the Odyssey
 
I agree. The Odyssey second and third row seats are more comfortable than on the Dodge, although they are not uncomfortable. But my wife and I set up front and they are very comfortable. I also would rather have the flexibility of the storing of the two back row seats and having the overhead console. That flexibility is the only reason I gave up a three year old truck with only 23,000 miles on it.
 
Mine is stone white. I bought a gold pin stripe and put it on that really makes it stand out. While I think the Honda and Toyota look nicer inside. I still think the Dodge/Chrysler look better outside.

#715 of 1446 Options on edmunds by mazda6_5door

May 30, 2005 (3:27 pm)

Can anyone help me decipher the options available on the GC SXT listed on edmunds page. There appears to be 3 differant options called ANF, they all seem to be exactly the same, yet they all cost differant amounts. SO whats the deal with them?

#716 of 1446 Cargo net/cage? by 307web

May 30, 2005 (3:52 pm)

Does Mopar or any aftermarket vendor make a divider net for Chrysler vans that will prevent loose objects from flying forward to the front seats and dogs from climbing forward out of the rear area?
 
Actually, what I am talking about is more substantial than a net. The ones I've seen in European wagons (Mercedes, Volvo etc.) look more like a fence that stands vertically behind the seats.

#717 of 1446 Stow-N-Go in the U.S. by marine2

May 31, 2005 (12:49 am)

Auburn Hills, Mich., Jun 07, 2004 -Due to the popularity of Chrysler Group's 2005 Chrysler and Dodge Minivans with the Stow 'n Go TM seating and storage system, the company today announced plans to invest $113 million at its St. Louis (Missouri) South Assembly Plant to accommodate increased Stow 'n Go production. The investment will be put towards the tooling, facility and process changes needed to add flexibility, enabling the plant to build short-wheelbase, long-wheelbase and Stow 'n Go minivans on the same production line. Previously, Chrysler Group only manufactured Chrysler and Dodge minivans with Stow 'n Go at its Windsor (Ontario) Assembly Plant.

#718 of 1446 Our search is finally over by tamu2002

May 31, 2005 (7:27 am)

Man, what a journey it has been! My wife and I went back and forth between the Quest and the DGC SXT. This evening we finally made the committment and bought a base S model Quest for $650 under invoice (yes, you read right). After the 2K rebate, the price was $21751, and we paid a hair below $24K out of the door. The van has standard side curtain airbags, traction control, 4 wheel disk ABS, power passenger side door, power liftgate, parking sonar assist, power rear flip out window, and of course the small stuff like floor mats, splash guards, microfilter, cargo cover and cargo organizer.
  
It came down to the price. To get all those things in an SXT, we would've paid about $23K, 1K more than the Nissan. We tried real hard in the beginning to get the DGC, but sort of gave up on it once we realized it wasn't gonna happen for $22K. The feature we miss the most in the Caravan is the 3rd row plit seating. We love the 2nd row stow-n-go as well, but the Quest's 2nd row almost folds flat although without the two storage wells. On the other hand, we love the Quest's vast head and leg room, big and comfy seats, and its modern querky looks inside and out We also considered the base model Quest which doesn't have the power door and hatch and rear sonar but is $15K cheaper. Finally we decided it'd be worth paying the extra for the added convenience. BTW, the Dodge salesperson was very nice to work with. Happy motoring everybody

#719 of 1446 Re: Our search is finally over [tamu2002] by marine2

May 31, 2005 (7:38 am)

Replying to: tamu2002 (May 31, 2005 7:27 am)
I think you also made a good buy. I think you'll be glad you spent a few thousand more for those extras. After the good looks of the van wears off, you'd really wish you had stuff like power doors, hatch and etc. Especially for the little woman. You got them without having to give up an arm and a leg to get them.

Messages Page 72 of 145

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