Seems like Fiat Chrysler builds a crappy product these days?

Chris

Chris

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Okay, so maybe I'm wrong, and I'll admit, I've never owned a modern Jeep, so I'm just going off what I've read online.

However, in the search for a minivan as our family hauler, I obviously knew about the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey being the two top choices. However, those things hold their retail value tremendously well, and so this got me looking into something that isn't talked about as much... The Chrysler Town and Country minivan. I have to say these things are nice! They have a better looking interior than any minivan out there, and more standard features than all the others as well. The one we looked at had dual HD screens and played blue rays as well.

But anyways, I started doing my research and it appears the Town and Country uses the 3.6 Pentastar engine in it (same engine as the JK), which is also seemingly used by almost every other Fiat Chrysler vehicle as well. The Town and Country has a much lower resale. I was finding 2016 models left and right with 40k miles or less for 18k all day long.

I thought to myself why are there so many of these with low miles when they seem nicer than all the other minivans? Well, a bit of internet research led me to massive amounts of complaints about transmission issues, engine issues, and electronic issues. Don't get me wrong, some people praised the minivan, but I found far, far, far more complaints about the Town and Country than I did for the Sienna or Odyssey.

So this got me thinking, does Fiat Chrysler build a crappy product these days? It would sure seem that way. I see more complaints about Chrysler products than I do for any of the import vehicles. I'm not sure when the quality may have went downhill (or if it was just never there to begin with), but it seems our TJs don't suffer from these issues.

What is your experience with Fiat Chrysler (if any)? Have your modern Jeeps, Dodge, or Chrysler vehicles been okay to deal with or not?
 
Had an 08 T & C with enough electronics to launch the space shuttle. Had a few bugs but was not terrible....my father still has it to this day. But, by and large Chrysler has pretty much always built below par, thus the resale value!

oh and my previous 2012 JKU had it's fair share of issues.
 
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I wonder if it's the use of low quality parts, or just bad design.
 
I have a 2003 rusty caravan. In the last 3 years I put 40000 miles on it driving around the USA. 1 blow out hitting a huge bump in an avalanche zone. Brake pads some where in a small town in the shade of a warehouse. 1 heater resistor, really bad smell while it was 106 degrees in Big Bend NP on a long rough dirt road. Oil and gas. That's it.
I did buy a 2017 Caravan this year, mostly because I wanted power doors and sto n go, and more mostly because my wife did a test drive and kept talking about it.
The caravan is the most perfect vehicle I have ever owned. When I got stuck rebuilding my sisters bath room, It fit all the materials, 4x8 sheets, 2x4s toilet sink shower encloser, ect.
It is our camper, plenty or room for 2 to sleep above the milk crate and plywood bed. The only time we rented a room was at Key West. The rest was COE, National Parks, National Forest. When it is time to hit the road in the morning, we pack up the cooking gear and go.
My son uses the 2003 to haul band equipment, One time all six members, drum kit, keyboard, 3 guitars, and amp heads road it 150 miles to Cleveland.
I could go on, but I don't feel like it right now.
Don
 
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xackley said:
I have a 2003 rusty caravan. In the last 3 years I put 40000 miles on it driving around the USA. 1 blow out hitting a huge bump in an avalanche zone. Brake pads some where in a small town in the shade of a warehouse. 1 heater resistor, really bad smell while it was 106 degrees in Big Bend NP on a long rough dirt road. Oil and gas. That's it.
I did buy a 2017 Caravan this year, mostly because I wanted power doors and sto n go, and more mostly because my wife did a test drive and kept talking about it.
The caravan is the most perfect vehicle I have ever owned. When I got stuck rebuilding my sisters bath room, It fit all the materials, 4x8 sheets, 2x4s toilet sink shower encloser, ect.
It is our camper, plenty or room for 2 to sleep above the milk crate and plywood bed. The only time we rented a room was at Key West. The rest was COE, National Parks, National Forest. When it is time to hit the road in the morning, we pack up the cooking gear and go.
My son uses the 2003 to haul band equipment, One time all six members, drum kit, keyboard, 3 guitars, and amp heads road it 150 miles to Cleveland.
I could go on, but I don't feel like it right now.
Don
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That’s one of the reasons I really like the Town and Country and the Caravans. The stow-and-go seating is really amazing.
 
Yes, Chrysler products have always been lacking in quality compaired to the other manufacturers, but they are serviceable.

That being said, you see more complaints on the minivans because they sell more units than Honda and Toyota combined.
 
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I have owned 3 Chrysler/dodge/Jeep vehicles. A ‘99 Dodge Ram Sport, my current ‘05 TJ, and my wife’s ‘12 grand Cherokee.

I have had very good luck with the TJ. Had a few recalls with the grand Cherokee. But so far so good.

I have read, and heard, of some horror stories on other Chrysler/fiat/Jeep vehicles.
I told my wife the other day, these will probably be our last vehicles from them. The next vehicle will be a GM or a Ford.
 
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ohiopatriot said:
Yes, Chrysler products have always been lacking in quality compaired to the other manufacturers, but they are serviceable.

That being said, you see more complaints on the minivans because they sell more units than Honda and Toyota combined.
Click to expand...

I’m not sure what the sales are every year, but the Sienna and Odyssey outsold the Town and Country for 2015: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2015/02/usa-minivan-sales-figures-january-2015/

I think one of the reasons we got so lucky with our TJ being reliable is that the engine is an old AMC engine that was designed in the 60s, and there are very few electronics (and therefore less things to break) on them.
 
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xackley said:
Oh and the caravan/ T&C has classic styling, not the weird shapes of all the others, including the Chrysler Pacifica.
I like that it looks like a van, and not a van in foreign SUV disguise.
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Agree with that. I don’t like the looks of the import vans very much. Like you said, they look like SUVs disguised as vans.
 
Not sure how big of a van you want or if you're looking for US only but when my sons were younger we purchased a Mazda 5. It's their "full size" van in Asia and Europe. My sons liked the individual captain chairs in the middle row. A little under powered but trouble free for 100,000 miles.
 
FIAT-Chrysler is not really up to par nowadays.
I have a new Renegade and is built like crap (cheapo).
Engine is a down graded Abarth and electronics is mediocre.
Their transmissions are not good either.
 
KMG said:
Not sure how big of a van you want or if you're looking for US only but when my sons were younger we purchased a Mazda 5. It's their "full size" van in Asia and Europe. My sons liked the individual captain chairs in the middle row. A little under powered but trouble free for 100,000 miles.
Click to expand...

That was one we were looking at, but people kept saying online that it barely has any leg room in any of the rows, and I also kept hearing that it was very underpowered when carrying 4 people through the mountains for instance. I kind of like the look of them though, I must admit.
 
So... my 0.02. Chrysler invented the minivan... they sell more, and people complain more. Anything, from any make, you buy now is pretty high quality... sure, there will be some issues, but vehicles have got so complex, I'm surprised there are not more. One thing Chrysler had always struggled with is transmissions. I seem to hear more about them than any other marque.

These days, i think its tough to buy a bad vehicle. I'd go for the best deal on what you like.
 
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I know they are all the same, but when I bought my dodge caravan around mid 80s for my first baby, there were no other van in the market then. The following year or so, Town & Country came out and about. I lived in Michigan those years.

Maybe you are younger than I am :) older guys may remember those days when the Caravan was selling like "peanuts".

Then the Chrysler built their luxury version thereafter.
 
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I’m not a van person. But I’d rock this...

xt19MgA.jpg
 
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The Nissan NV high roof I owned before I bought my Jeep is available as a low roof passenger model (NVP) from Nissan Commercial dealers. Pluses: V8, 6 speed auto, legroom like a truck not a van with encroaching wheel wells, each rear seat can be removed or arranged individually, seats 11, tows 5,000 lbs., full frame not unibody, built like a tank! Negatives: Cost, Fuel economy. Man I love "spending" someone else's money. :)
images.jpeg
 
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