Used 1996 Chrysler Town and Country Minivan Consumer Reviews
lemon
Our Town & Country has been nothing but trouble. We have had problems from trandmission to air conditioning to broken axle pins (twice). Not to mention all the smaller, somewhat less costly repairs. I do not recommend this van to anyone. It has been a thorn in my side for six years.
not a good reliable vehicle
My 96 Town and Country, i have put more money into the van than it is worth from new air conditioner to new main computer, it has left me stranded every time, too many sensors that make it turn off, and then back to the mechanics shop it goes for another 1000 dollar bill. Now 6 months after the new computer it has done it again, just another day out with the fam and boom off it goes again, back to shop with this one maybe I'll sell it and buy a Toyota or a Mazda or even a Ford, anything but a Chrysler. Oh ya Ive only had it for 2 and a half and total bill has been $2,300 not to mention the tranny leaks and bad gas mileage. So no I won't rate this a reliable vehicle you're better off walking.
My 96 Town and Country LXi
My van had 57,000 miles on it when I got it. Around 80,000 miles it left us stranded. The engine computer outside under the hood went bad. Then a few months later the computer inside the van went bad. Both times it caused the van not to run. The next problem I had was the engine not spinning through when I turned the ignition switch. I replaced the starter. It didn't help. I replaced the ignition switch. It didn't help. Come to find out it was the starter relay in the fuse box under the hood. Also the dimmer switch for the interior lights shorted out and smoked up the van. I haven't had any problems with the engine or transmission. We continue to drive it everyday.
Loving it
Seats a bit short and legroom tight for tall people. PLenty of headroom, though. 3.8l V6 hauls but still is not too bad on gas. Still sounds and feels like brand new (except for a crinkling noise from the dash). See www.allpar.com for info about possible transmission problems and how to avoid them.
Should have had a toyota motor
Stay away from Chrysler products. This van has served my family well but if I were not smart enough to repair my own vehicle it would have taken a lot of money to maintain.
Not too bad, but not the best
Loved the van as a first family vehicle, especially for the price I got it for. Rides great, and plenty of room. Only gripe is that at about 100k and to drop 2.5k on the transmission, replace an O2 Sensor, and the door locks go on and off like crazy while driving. My wife was about to commit herserlf to a nut house after dealing with that during a 4 hour road trip. All in All T and C's are known for a more prestigeus van, but I should have spent the extra money on an Honda Odyssey. Better Engine and quality, and more power.
Nice while it lasted
First 5 years were great, love this van. I still love it, but transmission problems have done me in. I'm on my 3rd one, and still having problems. Would buy another except for the transmission issues. Was nice while it lasted.
Transmissiosn Problems
Only at 130,000 and am on the thrid transmission. Replaced first transmission when we hit 90,000 miles, sicne then have been replacing transmission every 2-3 years. Been to several different mechanics, get the same story Chrysler doesn't have a good transmission. At 2000 for repair and towing each time, plan to get rid of it before it happens again. Was great when it was new, not worth it once it starts to go. My family drives all of their vehicles until they will go no further, oldest is an 1981 Chevy truck. It is more reliable then the van at this point. The rear air conditioner blower is also broken, not worth the cost to repair.
96 T&C Lemon
I was one of those idealist that hoped that Chrysler had resolved their design and reliability problems (remember the K car). This vehicle was engineered to fail at 60,000 miles. Beyond the repeated brake pad replacement, we encountered, water pumps, O2 sensors, valve gasket leaks. Eventually, we expereinced what others had experienced as early as 30,000 miles; our transmission failed. You can use any search engine to find an unbelievable amount of transmission failures (enough that a recall should have occurred). However, If you call Chrysler's Customer Service headquarters they plead ignorance. They failed in every point of customer service.
Rob, van
has been a dependable car but transmission went out with out any warning at 81000 miles