The Chrysler Pacifica is only appealing in top trim

"LJ909" (lj909) 05/15/2016 at 14:07 • Filed to: None

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To get me away from my dreams of my family riding with me in this FR-S I had been looking at, my girlfriend decided that we should go look at family vehicles. After seeing those new Chrysler Pacifica commercials with Jim Gaffigan, she said “ oh thats nice. Lets go check that out.” Before I knew it, we were at the local Chrysler dealer looking at Pacificas. Im not against minivans, especially this one. I believe they are great vehicles. Comfortable and capable of handling family duties. But I was not impressed by what I saw.

The dealer was being stupid and wouldn’t let me take pics of the actual van so I have to stick with the stock images from Chryslers site.

To start off, it is very nice in person. But my whole problem with why I wasn’t impressed was the simple fact that most of the family features, and things that make this van stand out from the competition are on the top trim. That means all the stuff like the Uconnect Theater package, the nice cognac leather etc will set you back. This particular dealer had theirs for just about 50 grand, which I told my girlfriend, if I’m spending 50 grand on a car, it wouldn’t be a damn van. So to get the van Chrysler wowed us with on its release and anything of substance, you’re going to have to pay 500 bucks a month.

In its 4 basic trims below the top level limited, its nothing but a redesigned Town & Country. The only things of note on these trims are the 9 speed auto, which most families don’t care about. The things like the Uconnect Theater, the vac, etc aren’t even available as an option on these trims and that’s what turned me off. I even brought this up to the sales person. I was hoping I could get a mid level, 34 grand van with no other luxury options and just add the Uconnect Theater and the glass roof. But no dice. So would I recommend the Pacifica? No, unless your wanting to pay 50 thousand dollars for a van that wows you. Its still just a Town & Country.

Steve in Manhattan > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 14:11

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What about a 2 or 3 year old Sienna?

LJ909 > Steve in Manhattan 05/15/2016 at 14:13

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I suggested one of those. Especially the one with the body kit. But both her aunt's have one and she's against it.

My citroen won't start > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 14:14

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People think I’m joking when I recommend these to families. I’m never joking.

jkm7680 > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 14:18

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How many kids/animals?

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 14:18

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Y’all should look into a CPO 2011+ Odyssey Touring.

LJ909 > My citroen won't start 05/15/2016 at 14:18

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Wish I could find an R63. Even the R500 is good. But the ones I've seen have been used hard.

My citroen won't start > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 14:20

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No need for something that extreme. A low mileage R350 will get you a panoramic roof (that also opens in the back if I’m not mistaken), rear entertainment, 3rd row with room for luggage, 4 Matic, and over-all great build quality for around 25k-35k.

Steve in Manhattan > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 14:29

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So you lost that battle. Is there a Dodge version of the Pacifica that might be a bit less? And I wonder why they stopped calling it the T&C? That name had some cachet. Honda makes a Sport version of theirs, I believe. Tom and Ray recommended the Kia Sedona a lot. And is the Nissan Quest reliable?

Steve in Manhattan > My citroen won't start 05/15/2016 at 14:29

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A car service sent one of these for me once. That is a very nice vehicle.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Steve in Manhattan 05/15/2016 at 14:32

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Nope. No dodge version

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > jkm7680 05/15/2016 at 14:33

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Basically the same thing :p

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 14:49

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I’m in the same boat, but we’ve narrowed our choices down to the odyssey and the Pacifica. I prefer the ride of the Pacifica best, but the odyssey will be a more reliable vehicle and better resale. Honda does the same thing with their trim levels, you can’t get hids or 2 position memory seats in anything less than the touring elite models. Those two vans are tit for tat on options and pricing, but the the Pacifica hasn’t been crash tested yet, and the Honda is going to be refreshed in the next year or two. The cpo odysseys for the touring and touring elite models offer a decent savings and a decent warranty. But the lower level trims don’t save you enough to really justify buying used.

We are still on the fence. But we will be making a purchase within the next month or two. Baby number 3 should be here in less than a month.

Good luck. You really can't go wrong either way, but if you plan to sell it off in a couple years, the Honda will give you a better return.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > My citroen won't start 05/15/2016 at 14:50

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No slidy doors.

LJ909 > jkm7680 05/15/2016 at 15:03

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One 5 year old and if things go right another one here soon.

LJ909 > Steve in Manhattan 05/15/2016 at 15:05

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Yea Dodge is out of the van game. I like the Sedona however.

LJ909 > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 05/15/2016 at 15:07

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The Odyssey is nice but I don’t really like the design of it and your right about the cpos on them. It's basically a new price for certified. The Pacifica and Sedona are the only two vans I care for. Thing is though, I dont even want a van. I’ve been trying to get her to look at a Mercedes GLK 350.

jkm7680 > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 15:12

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No need for a minivan yet! Don’t give up that soon!

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 15:18

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Why wouldn’t they let you photograph the interior? That’s bullshit.

I like the Pacifica's shape, and if my wife decides she can live with the minivan "stigma" she would consider it next year when we look to get her out of her '03 Liberty. My thing is the color selection sucks. I'd want to have it painted a cool color, like one of the old Mopar hues. Vitamin C Orange, or B5 Blue.. Something fun.

Steve in Manhattan > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 15:25

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Kia has done a 180 on quality have one, and they like it a lot. Did the wife at least drive the Pacifica?

David Baker > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 16:08

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I bet these will drop like a stone in value. I wouldn’t be surprised if a loaded CPO a year from now is $25k. That’s the way I would go, if you liked it.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 16:17

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“my wife decided that we should go look at family vehicles.”

I’ve heard so many stories of a wife wanting something expensive... but expects the husband to pay for her expensive tastes. I find it irksome and it’s just another thing that makes me not want to ever get married again.

Anyway... If you can, wait a year or two when the ‘newness’ has worn off and they start offering discounts or ‘loaded value packages’ or end of the year discounts to clear out the ‘last years inventory’.

OR... buy/lease the Dodge Grand Caravan which can be had for half the cost for the ‘value package’ model.

LJ909 > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom 05/15/2016 at 17:06

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Some bullshit about they just got it in or something. You know, typical car dealership bull. I do like the shape of it as well. Its a van shape but at the same time its not because it has curves.

LJ909 > Steve in Manhattan 05/15/2016 at 17:08

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Yea we drove it. It was really quiet and the ride was super smooth. Surprisingly though she called the ride “a bit too soft”.

LJ909 > David Baker 05/15/2016 at 17:09

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I was thinking the same thing. By the time that happens though I hope to be in something entirely different.

LJ909 > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 05/15/2016 at 17:12

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I hate the same thing. Thing is though we both went there not expecting it to be that much. That thing I said about wanting a mid level trim with the glass roof and Uconnect Theater for about 35 was something we were expecting. The high price for the things that make it appealing were a turn off. It ceases to be a family vehicle at the 50 grand mark, because at that point there are so many other choices across the vehicle spectrum new and used it doesn’t make sense.

Steve in Manhattan > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 17:27

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You could offer to put stiffer shocks on it, but she’d find another reason to reject it, methinks.

IanZ - limited-slip indifferential > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 20:38

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My grandmother has few-year-old Sienna. It’s an SE, so I don’t know where that falls on the price spectrum. But it is incredibly cheap inside. Gray plastics and mold lines abound.

LJ909 > IanZ - limited-slip indifferential 05/15/2016 at 20:43

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I love the Sienna SE. The current gen with the body kit. But they hold their values incredibly well. The average price I saw for them on Autotrader is in the high 20's with 30-40 thousand on the odo.

Tapas > LJ909 05/15/2016 at 21:59

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If I had 50 grand for a family hauler, I’d get this:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

As a UTheatre alternative - buy a pair of tablets and wireless headphones, slap them on the back of the front seats and strap ‘em tight. Cos it can be a fun land yatch on spirited (solo) drives :)

Dru > LJ909 05/16/2016 at 10:16

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Yeah unless the convenience/comfort of it is a major selling point I don't see any need for it. Especially since it doesn't seem like you're to keen on the idea to begin.

LJ909 > Dru 05/16/2016 at 10:18

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I’m really not. Like I said to the other guy, I’ve been looking at cars and large luxury sedans. The only family hauler type I’m willing to go for would be something like an MB R Class, a GLK or an Audi Q7. All of which we are going to look at sometime this week.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > LJ909 05/16/2016 at 10:34

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While there's only so much you can do with a basic box, they did manage to make it look lower and wider, and the rear window treatment is a cool effect.

My Skoda is the most Superb > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 05/17/2016 at 15:23

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The Odyssey EX-L (with L standing for leather) can be had for only 36k. It not only has leather but a lot of other great stuff like forward collision warning and lane departure warning. To me, it stands as a pretty great value.