purchasing 2002 town & country limited

[piening]

looking at buying a 2002 t&c limited, just wondering if there were any particular trouble areas i should be aware of or look at before commiting. i have a '99 montana now and didn't find out till too late that they have intake manifold gasket and tranny problems. thanks for any advise.

[pastaben]

I just bought a 99 Venture w/ 48K miles cause it seems more reliable than the Chryslers, even w/ the intake problems.

I owned a 1997 Gr Caravan and went through 2 transmissions by the time I reached 92K miles, when I traded for my 2002 TC new. No other problems w/ the 97 Caravan.

The 2002 TC has annoying suspension/sway bar noises/klunks, and also, I'm waiting for my first transmission problem. I have 29K miles on it. At 18K the dealer found a leak on the transmission that was fixed under warranty. I went for another TC because of the 7 yr / 100K powertrain warranty. But I don't think I"ll get another new Chrysler van. The transmission does not shift as smooth as my 99 Venture.

[piening]

Originally Posted by pastaben

I just bought a 99 Venture w/ 48K miles cause it seems more reliable than the Chryslers, even w/ the intake problems.

I owned a 1997 Gr Caravan and went through 2 transmissions by the time I reached 92K miles, when I traded for my 2002 TC new. No other problems w/ the 97 Caravan.

The 2002 TC has annoying suspension/sway bar noises/klunks, and also, I'm waiting for my first transmission problem. I have 29K miles on it. At 18K the dealer found a leak on the transmission that was fixed under warranty. I went for another TC because of the 7 yr / 100K powertrain warranty. But I don't think I"ll get another new Chrysler van. The transmission does not shift as smooth as my 99 Venture.

good luck with your venture. i did the intake manifold gasket, as i said, quoted at $600 (i think) did it myself and saved some cash. i have a hard shifting problem, was told there is a tsb on sediment build up in a selinoid and that a rebuild was the only solution @ $1500. it has a bad wheel bearing quoted @ $500. the drivers window has never worked right. the power door won't work right in cold weather. a few other unimportant but annoying problems. it's also a real pain in the a$$ just to do routine stuff like changing plugs and air filter. we've only had the van for about 2 years and it has about 75k on it. i also understand that the o-ring seal on the shaft that drives the oil pump leaks frequently, and to change it you must pull the head. i'll never buy another.

thanks for the reply, something to think about.

[chigger_ns]

I would take it to a garage you trust and get them to check for old trouble codes. This will let you know past problems. Transmissions are their main problem, or was. The 2001 and up are beefed up a little more.
If you do purchase it. I would get the filter changed and put new atf+4 in it. But I think its a good puchace. If its all wheel Drive change the tranny fluid and filter.