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[C.Ann]

Thanks!

 

[mickeysgal]

What are they going for lately? Wasn't 2005 the first year they came out with the stowaway seats? Isn't the Honda Odessey rated higher?

 

[bananiem]

I LOVE my 2002 T & C EX. The only way I could love it more is if it had the stow and go seating.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

"The Town and Country is the Cadillac of Mini-vans" - Danny DeVito, in Get Shorty

 

[C.Ann]

-------------------------------------

 

[bananiem]

My sister has an odyssey. It's in the shop all the time. The seats are not nearly as comfortable as ours were in our Plymouth Grand Voyager. My SIL has an odyssey too. She's going to go back to the caravan or t&c for her next van.

 

[lemondog]

I love my Town & Country. It's a Limited, not an LX, but same thing basically. I have a 2002 so no stow and go, but overall the car drives and rides like a dream. We test drove 7 different make/model of minivans and the only thing that came remotely close to this in comfort and driveability was the Toyota Sienna, but it was more expensive so we opted for this. We have not been disappointed.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I love my T & C too! I don't have stow and go but I will when we trade in this van.

I wanted to buy an Odyssey. I really wanted to love it but I didn't. The seats weren't comfortable. The interior seemed smaller to me. JMHO.

Lori

 

[mckryan]

I know this doesn't help, but I had a 1997 T&C LXi that I loved! It was so comfy. When DH and I went looking for a new car, we checked out the new vans with Stow & Go. The biggest reason I didn't go for it, the S&G seats were not as comfortable as my old seats. They were smaller and were mostly foam so they would fold easy. If the T&C had an option for just a rear S&G, I would have been all over it.

We test drove the Odyssey, and while I loved it, it was louder than my 8 year old T&C when we took it on the highway. It was like there was no insulation in the bottom of the car. Had it been quiet, I probably would have bought it.

We ended up getting a GMC Yukon XL because we needed the cargo space that we would have had with a folding seat system.

 

[disneymom3]

Have had a T&C and have one now and had/have an Odyssey too. Yes, the Odyssey is rated higher, but comes therefore with a much higher price tag. And actually, the latest buying guide I read from Consumer Reports, rated T&C only a tick below the Honda. When we were looking at used vans, the Hondas were $10K higher than a comparable Chrysler. We went with the Chrysler and yes, the seating is wayyyy more comfortable and it has a quieter ride overall.

All that said, I am a huge Honda fan because we have had such good experiences over the long haul as far as repairs, etc. However, it would have doubled our monthly payment and we wanted it very low.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

When my twins were born in '97 I bought a '98 T&C LXi AWD. I never considered any other brands because a) we are longtime Jeep (Chrysler) drivers and the T&C felt a lot like I was driving my Grand Cherokee and b) I needed 4WD/AWD to get to work at night in the snow and not many minivans had AWD back then. It was a great van, very beautiful, always got lots of compliments on it, no mechanical problems ever.

We lugged all kinds of baby things, 2 German Shepherds, a MIL, the kids and us and we were never lacking for space. When the kids were little I even had room to always have a potty on hand! I traded it in last year and still miss the space (but was ready to give up the minivan, LOL). If I were ever to buy another it would definitely be another T&C.

 

[Lars624]

I have a 2005 T & C and I absolutely LOVE the stow & go seats!

 

[2kidsnutsfordisney]

Ok, here is my 2cents without going into painful detail (pm if you want the juicy details) we currently own a 2001 lxi. While I do love the "luxury" level of this car - comfy leather seats, nice trim, etc. I will never buy a chrysler vehicle again! This is due to numerous trips to the shop for repairs! I have also had really bad experiences with 2 different chrysler dealerships in addition to corporate. With that being said, I know alot of people who own t&c and have not had near the problems that we have had! Only posted this so that you can hear from someone who has not had the greatest experience with a t&c Just one last comment, when it is running correctly I really do like it

 

[Dznypal]

we had a Voyger van and had nothing but trouble--(the first problem was still under warranity but we only had the car 6 months)

we went through 2 batteries and 2 starters in 3 years before we took it just to a mechanic and he said the alternator was bad--you'd think the dealership would have been smart enough to figure out that starters and batteries dont go out within 3 weeks of each other and have this happen every 18months

things went good then for a few years but then we had tranmission problems(which I heard that Chrylers are famous for)

the first one was under warranity which I didnt even know about 3 years later tramission went out again!! no matter how hard I fought I couldnt get them to fix it (with all the other repairs I first tried to fight the dealer then I went to the BBB so the repairs were either under warranity or BBB won for me!! )

we traded it in after that!!

my DH said that if Chrysler was the only manufacturer wed be taking the bus

I had a another chrysler it was my second car and that was a lemon also so I told DH no more chrylers I even told them at the corporate office that I will never buy anothe one

 

[mookie]

Very interesting thread, so I'm subscribing. DH and I are also going to be moving to a minivan soon, and the T&C and the Nissan Quest are in the top running. Haven't heard many things about the Quest, so if anyone has any input on that, as well, I'd really appreciate it. (Feel free to PM me...I don't want to hijack this thread!)

 

[stevenpensacola]

From what I've heard and read, the Chrysler stow-and-go seats are nice, unless you're the one having to sit in them. The seats are not comfortable for adults. Comfort was sacrificed to make the seats thin enough to accomplish the stow and go function.

We've been minivan owners since 1995 (95 Dodge Caravan, 2003 Honda Odyssey). I can't ever think of a time when I needed to get rid of my seats "spur of the moment". If I knew I was going to be hauling something, out came the seats. The Ody middle row seats are easily removed if needed, back row folds into the rear floor.

If you're cargo is stuff, the stow and go would suffice.
If you're cargo is people, they're going to pay for the convenience.

here's a good comparo from a forum similar to the DIS:
http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29079

and http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28623

Remember: you only pay for quality once, and you really do usually get what you pay for. If it's cheap, there's a reason.

Go Honda or Toyota.

 

[raammartin]

Crud, I've been wanting an Odyssey...now y'all have me considering a T&C.

 

[mckryan]

We've been minivan owners since 1995 (95 Dodge Caravan, 2003 Honda Odyssey). I can't ever think of a time when I needed to get rid of my seats "spur of the moment". If I knew I was going to be hauling something, out came the seats.

For us, it wasn't so much the need to get rid of seats at the spur of the moment as much as we wanted to have the seats when we arrived at our destination. When we traveled, the dog was in his crate. That meant having to take a seat out of the T&C and leave it behind. Then when we would get to our destination, we'd need to haul people, and we'd be short a seat. One of the teens would sit on the floor, but it always made me nervous since they weren't in a seat with a seatbelt.

 

[C.Ann]

..

 

[Bearvet]

I have a 2000 T & C Lxi (AWD) and I love it! It now has 170,000 miles on it (we drive from MA to FL every year) and it's still going strong. It is VERY comfortable for our family of 5 and when it's time to buy a new one, I don't think I want the stow and go seats - the seats we have now are great! My only complaint (and apparently this is common in Chryslers) is that we had to replace the transmission (at 150,000 miles). It's all paid for so I'm hoping it lasts a few more years.