I bought a totally GERMAN van not at all associated with the late Lee Iacocca. Nope, nothing Chrysler here.

"Tristan" (casselts) 07/03/2019 at 00:10 • Filed to: Seriously? It's only Tuesday and you've bought two cars this week??? Get help, man.

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It’s a 2013, loaded with all the wizzgigs, a 3.6 Penta-er... Volksastar V6, and came with massive depreciation courtesy of the previous owner who paid $41,000 for it 6 years ago. We paid $8,500.

It’s infinitely better at everything than the stupid RAV4. The wife’s fleet company comes to retrieve that turrible tin can tomorrow. Never again will I squirm with excruciating back pain on every drive longer than 15 minutes. Never again will I be driven mad by the overwhelming amount of NVH. Never again will I beg that awful transmission for a shift. Never again will I pull its rickety dollar store door handles. Never again will I shut its doors with the satisfying hollow plunk of an old Rubbermaid storage bin. Gah, I’m getting weepy-eyed...

His Stigness > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 00:27

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Apparently customers who bought those new were none too pleased when they found out who really made it.

Oh, and the guy at VW who came up with that deal lost his job. 

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > His Stigness 07/03/2019 at 00:36

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My sister in law was stunned when I told her she bought a Dodge Caravan with VW badges on it. It was a good van, just not the premium German car she thought it was.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 00:39

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Sorry about your wife’s job...

Also, you seem pretty handy with swapping transmissions based on your other posts. You'll be putting that to good use soon.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 07/03/2019 at 00:42

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Hard to feel sympathetic towards consumers that don't do their research though... Five-figure purchases should have more time put in than one uses when select graphic t-shirts.

ranwhenparked > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 00:50

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That’s one  fine piece of German engineering you’ve got yourself there.

vicali > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 00:50

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$33k in six years.. C an’t get any farther from Toyota than that..

I  would be sad that these don’t have the heart, soul, or chance of burning of the old vw, no matter how much you may hope.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 01:02

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Didn't these have some weird recalls?

Future Heap Owner > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 01:10

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I’m happy to hear the Rav4 is going away, though I will miss seeing your rants about it a little

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 01:22

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I had a former co-worker who was stunned when I told him what he bought. He didn’t believe me at first, but after doing minimal research he finally relented. He and his wife are both highly-educated people and wanted a nice German car for a change instead of the Chrysler stuff they had before, and yet they didn’t do basic homework and got duped.

It was a nice enough vehicle, but the only thing lower than VW long-term reliability is Chrysler long-term reliability . Sure, they’ve both had their moments, and not everything that those brands make is that bad, but when it comes to the long-term I wouldn’t put my money on either one. If you get a great deal and are aware of what might happen as the vehicle ages and are OK with that, I’d say go for it. There’s good reason why Chrysler was the leader in minivans for so long, but just know what you’re signing up for beforehand.

Tristan > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 07/03/2019 at 01:54

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Probably? Carfax shows no open recalls. It's a Chrysler, sooo...

Tristan > ranwhenparked 07/03/2019 at 01:55

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You can really feel the Nurburgring coding through its DNA.

Tristan > Future Heap Owner 07/03/2019 at 01:56

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I’ll miss how free and paid for by someone else it was!

Tristan > vicali 07/03/2019 at 01:57

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I wanted a Town and Country or Caravan, my wife likes Volkswagens. We compromised and bought a Caravan.

Tristan > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/03/2019 at 01:58

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The loss of income and the free car stinks, but it's going to be nice having her home with the kids. We were talking about her quitting anyway because daycare negates most of her income... The layoff was a blessing because severance!

Tristan > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/03/2019 at 02:02

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Most vehicles are as reliable as the owner makes them. I plan to keep this thing on the road for at least 15 years, so it'll be totally worthless with nearly 300,000 miles on it by then. I'll probably have many hours of repairs and maintenance into it. The major plus of doing my own wrenching: it's not a Volkswagen. Chryslers tend to be a ton easier to work on with way cheaper parts.

Tristan > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/03/2019 at 02:05

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Consumers are pretty gullible, and in their defense it does say VW on it... You of all people should be able to appreciate a well-depreciated badge on a good car! ;)

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/03/2019 at 07:38

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Take care of the trans, the trans will take care of you.

These things eat transmissions because their owners think 100k+ is a proper fluid interval instead of the recommended 15-30k.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 07:39

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Seems a good buy. Hope it goes well for you. Like most Chryslers, take care of it and it will take care of you.

Tristan > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 07/03/2019 at 07:50

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This has always been my experience with Chryslers. They've always been better to me than my GM products have.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 08:02

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9 times out of 10 if I find someone ripping on Chrysler’s reliability they’re 1 of 2 types:

1. Someone who’s never owned one.

2. Someone who thinks an oil change every 10k is proper maintenance.

Yes Mopars are a little picky, but if you maintain them properly, they can easily last just as reliably as any other car.

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 08:18

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I like how these look, although that doesn’t erase the memory of the horrible commercials about how people were having a lot more sex now that VW has a minivan.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 07/03/2019 at 09:20

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I wouldn’t call most VWs "premium ”

Your boy, BJR > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 11:10

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FUCKING PREACH! I was a GM/Cadillac fanboy for YEARS, despite every gm car o owned save for my beater pickup being a complete money pit, then I got my 300. People don’t believe me, but the only other car I’ve had that compares, quality wise, was my Honda Pilot. It’s such a well made and reliable car. It’s given me 50k problem free miles over the past 2.5 years, and I’m hoping for many more to come.

Tristan > Your boy, BJR 07/03/2019 at 11:50

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I had an ‘05 Magnum RT that I beat the snot out of constantly. It was still dead nuts  reliable when I sold it at 185k miles.

Tristan > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 07/03/2019 at 11:52

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It’s usually people who are told what opinions to have but don't actually have one of their own.

Tristan > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 07/03/2019 at 11:53

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*cringe*

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Tristan 07/03/2019 at 13:30

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Will honestly admit that I had no clue these were rebadged Chryslers...honestly I think it looks great. What’s the interior like? Assuming dash layout is more VW, or is it literally a Chrysler in there too?

It’s a handsome looking van, congrats! 

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 07/03/2019 at 13:35

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I mean, we had an ‘06 T&C LX and it shat the bed after I believe 60 or 80k miles? This was in 2012 after we paid it off and we used to treat it very well for a family hauler and then pop goes the radiator. However, the ‘03 Stratus (also bought new) that rust inhabited and that we beat on relentlessly and refused to change the oil (my then-young-and-pretty-irresponsible dad’s doing) lasted us a solid 10 years and over 100k miles with no major problem until karma bit us. Had we treated it better, it would’ve easily gone for a lot longer.

Tristan > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 07/03/2019 at 15:02

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Thanks!

It’s mostly Chrysler switchgear with a sort of attempt to make it look Volkswageny. The seats are comfy and it’s very spacious. It’s based on the Caravan R/T so it’s got slightly stiffer suspension. The seats are VW-specific, and as such no Routan got stow and go, but I don’t plan on needing it anyway.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 07/03/2019 at 16:10

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6 years/80k and you retire it over a radiator?

Yet you guys are still dumping money into that Odyssey?

I would think that Odyssey alone would be enough to make you see the light.....

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 07/04/2019 at 10:33

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It was radiator, head gasket and a few more things that weren't covered by warranty. Literally the only reason we're keeping/bothering with the Odyssey is because it's all covered by warranty so we don't have to pay a cent.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 07/08/2019 at 07:06

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For the year/mileage on that thing, it should have NONE of those issues, warranty or not.

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 07/08/2019 at 08:42

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All the problems started after the dealer worked on the Odyssey so my dad's really suspicious of that, plus the fact that they've been shady to us and the service manager threatened to refuse service to us if we go to corporate to see why this is all happening. The name's Coggin Honda of Orlando, if you look it up every negative review has been our experience so far.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 07/08/2019 at 10:08

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Point is it shouldn’t have needed any work at this point.

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 07/08/2019 at 11:41

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I understand, and I agree. It really is frustrating that a newer car is doing this so early on.