02 chrysler town and country ok car?

[mrpike1973]

hi i bought this van 130,000 miles on it. seems to run good 3.3 liter engine i'm going to put sway bar links in it. i was told by other peaple this van is total junk is this true? i plan on towing my boat with it. i weighed it at a station its 700 lbs loaded gas tackle etc. i would think this could tow it ok this is the best car i've had in a while please be honest did i get a clunk when i bought it the mechanic said most of mopars trans problems were with older pre 99 caravans we looked at other vans but most were just out of our league thanks

[Jeremy airjer W]

97 was the worst year for the transmissions but there will be plenty of other failures for you to fix on your '02.

rack and pinion

p/s cooler hoses

water pump

a/c compressor

rear a/c evap core

front a/c evap core

alternator coupler pulley

numerous evap emissions problems

EGR valve

blend door actuators

blower motors

blower motor modules

sway bar bushings

solid state fan relay

trans cooler lines

input speed sensor

output speed sensor

wheel bearings

rear taillight socket assemblies

power sliding door harnesses

and that just the stuff I know will go wrong

BTW, I would find out if you have the first or second design HVAC assembly. there is about a $700 difference in labor times to replace the blower motor. I don't remember what year was the split.

I also would not tow anything with it. A couple miles would be fine. 30-60 miles I would be concerned, and more than 60 your just asking for trouble.

[mrpike1973]

sounds like im a sucker but thanks very much i like your honesty is there any thing good on it and you dont recommend towing should i just skip the hitch and buy something else for a tow vehicle thanks

[SpecialK]

I have a 2000 Town and Country and I tow a 14' aluminum boat with it just fine. I am super leary about towing with mine and don't drive like a mad man. I keep it in overdrive on flat ground and drop into 3rd when I get on back roads with hills. Take breaks and let it cool down often on longer trips.

Big things to worry about when towing are to make sure the tranny is not shifting constantly.

In the winter, if you lose traction do NOT give it more gas and spin the tires. Let off the gas and hope the tires catch. I blew out the torque converter and had to have mine towed to a shop.

When the transmission does go out it's going to be about $2500 to $3000 to fix.

Not sure if Airjer mentioned rear brake lines or not but those will rust out as well.

Over all they aren't a bad van but I won't buy another one.

[mrpike1973]

thanks for the comments i basically would be towing around 10 - 15 miles round trip thats about it thanks again

[Jeremy airjer W]

10 or 15 miles will more than likely not be an issue.

[MNexpoler]

I had a 1996 T&C with the 3.8liter and I got 355,000 miles on it. The thing just wouldnt die. The tranmission did go out at around 70,000 miles but the replacement lasted 285,000 with no problems, other than the tranny it was a great car. I'd get one with the 3.8 and not the 3.3