We purchased a used vehicle with 103,000 miles on the odo, knowing that we might take a huge risk in terms of expected life span but also that we got a huge amount of car for relatively little money (less than 7000 USD). There is a huge supply of used T&Cs and the private seller was more than happy to accept my offer.

Despite its age, our car looked almost like new, with the paint still in excellent condition and all exterior parts with no visible sign of wear and tear. Same for the interior, except for some stains on the cloth and the carpets. The engine compartment looked like that of a low-mileage car with very little oil stains and the motor looked like new.

We love our T&C. First of all, the interior is absolutely fabulous in terms of ergonomics and space. Even with the third row in place there is ample space for luggage and there are handy storage compartments throughout the interior. One such compartment consists of a drawer underneath the passenger seat. The second and third rows are sufficiently comfortable for long trips, but the driver's and passenger's seats really stand out in terms of their support and comfort. I can drive for hours at a time without the slightest discomfort, which I cannot say about our 98 Suzuki. The driver's seat not only is comfortable and full of lateral support in curves, it also is excellently placed for a commanding view over the road ahead, and it can easily be adjusted to various positions. From the seat all major control buttons can be reached with ease. Other points of strength of the interior are the two sliding doors which make getting in and out of the vehicle a breeze and the various anchor points for the second and third row seats which allow you to change the seat layout at will. If you take out the seats altogether, which is somewhat tedious since they are quite heavy, you get a huge cargo volume making this an ideal furniture hauler. We even used it to go camping and slept in the car when it rained. I wish I had this car when I was windsurfing all the time in my late teens and early twenties. The dashboard is perhaps not an aesthetic masterpiece, but it is certainly not unpleasant to look at, is well finished and all buttons are easily accessible. The A/C is very strong, quiet, and can individually adjusted for all passengers, and there are several power outlets all over. The only thing which bothers me just a little is that the car only seats 7, whereas 8 would have been possible.

The T&C has been often criticized for its gearbox, and we were a bit nervous with our purchase since the car had more than 100,000 miles on its odometer. But the gearbox shifts with remarkable smoothness and the 3.3L V6 propels the car with ease. Fuel economy is decent and the engine is very quiet, smooth, and has this elastic feel when we hit the accelerator. Very impressive, I've seen much worse V6 engines.

The car is very comfortable and yet the suspension is sufficiently stiff to prevent lean in corners. The turn radius is sufficiently narrow so you don't feel like you are navigating an oil tanker. Also, when I drive I've got 360 degree visibility and curbside parking is relatively easy for such a large vehicle. Whereas smooth depressions in the road surface are easily mastered by the suspension, brisk bumps can be felt quite well and manifest themselves with some noise. This is perhaps the fault of the sheer weight of the rigid rear axle.

So far the only problem we have is that, as with many T&Cs as I've been told, the check-engine light comes up all the time. I purchased one of these code scanners that you plug into the interface under the dashboard to read error codes and it turned out to be a minor issue related to some sort of sensor which senses fuel vapor fumes from an overflow. Basically, a small tube connected to the air filter is porous and needs to be replaced. This really is a minor issue but more serious problems might not come to our attention since the indicator light is always on. Another issue is that the clockspring makes a rattling noise when I turn the steering wheel. I suspect that this is due to improper installation of the clockspring which had to be replaced because the cruise-control didn't work (the seller had it done).

All in all, we love our vehicle and hope that it will last for another 60k miles or so. I think that Chrysler deserves more kudos and I think that this minivan might be the best in its class. I've been in a Honda Odissey and did not see anything that the T&C didn't do or better.
Amount Paid (US$): 6550
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: LE