[ja7918]

Me and my wife are very interested in buy a 2013-2016 Town and Country. i've been doing alot of looking and im basically trying to find out if theres any major differences through the years. I don't really care about differences in the frilly stuff, just the engine, suspension, things like that. i'm finding a huge price difference between the 14-15 and i can't figure out why. a friend said it had to do with the year and that banks don't want to deal with 14's but they will put out for a 15. i found a 14 with 78k miles on it for 8.5k$ then a 16 with 93k miles for 13k$. not just these two specifically but across like 6 months of sales at the auction.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/compare?trims=12839-369305_13051-377542_12237-353024

 

[J Wikoff]

I think it was '14 where the bigger brakes became standard as opposed to requiring the towing package.

 

[ja7918]

So 14+ might have better brakes? Like 6k$ better?

 

[Long_Voyager94]

2014-15+ will have the better brake package.
It will have the updated oil cooler design that is less prone to failure.
It will have the updated rocker design that is less prone to failure.

Price has a lot more factors to it than just year/miles.
What package the van is.
Any accidents.
Maintenance records.
Etc.
All affect price.

I understand cost is a concern, but I would be more concerned with the PO of the van.
My rule of thumb on any of these vans:
1. Buy it under 30k miles so the PO hasn't had enough time to do any irreversible damage.
2. Buy it with full maintenance records so I know it's been well cared for.
3. Buy it so dirt cheap I can afford to go through and fix everything the PO wrecked.

The only given with these vans is that they haven't been taken proper care of, unless there are records to prove otherwise.
You want to see oil changes every 4-5k miles. Transmission service every 30-50k. No use of ECON mode. Cooling system service w/thermostat every 60-80k. Coils/plugs well under 100k. If these things haven't been done, walk away.

 

[Michalb]

I'd like to clarify about the brakes. The HD brakes were available starting sometime 2012 for most trims, and then became standard for all vans for 2014 and newer. And I know as I had retrofitted HD brakes into my 2009 van and I did extensive research on this topic.

There are always revisions between year to year on some components, but I would say the 2012 to 2013 model year change was the biggest for the late 5'th generation vans and not much past that. This included graphics refresh for the radio displays going from light blue to black and also the screens, higher definition overhead screen(s) with the dvd player being replaced for the bluray player, and HDMI port for the rear entertainment.

Apart from that, I know the blind spot monitoring system was changed for the 2013 year and newer. They deleted the blind spot module which would communicate with each sensor and then transmit the data through the data lines, and made it so that each blind spot sensor became a module and communicated directly through the data lines system. I'm not sure how good this new system is compared to the older version.

It's entirely up to you what you'd like to do, and also luck. Just make sure it was taken care of by the previous owner and runs sounds and feels good. I'm on a budget so I'd buy the oldest vehicle in best shape. Prices are higher then ever right now too!

 

[john619]

2014-15+ will have the better brake package.
It will have the updated oil cooler design that is less prone to failure.
It will have the updated rocker design that is less prone to failure.

Price has a lot more factors to it than just year/miles.
What package the van is.
Any accidents.
Maintenance records.
Etc.
All affect price.

I understand cost is a concern, but I would be more concerned with the PO of the van.
My rule of thumb on any of these vans:
1. Buy it under 30k miles so the PO hasn't had enough time to do any irreversible damage.
2. Buy it with full maintenance records so I know it's been well cared for.
3. Buy it so dirt cheap I can afford to go through and fix everything the PO wrecked.

The only given with these vans is that they haven't been taken proper care of, unless there are records to prove otherwise.
You want to see oil changes every 4-5k miles. Transmission service every 30-50k. No use of ECON mode. Cooling system service w/thermostat every 60-80k. Coils/plugs well under 100k. If these things haven't been done, walk away.

Hi. Your advice makes solid sensé. I bought, one month go, a 2016 t&c with 100 kms, or 60 k miles. One owner since new, not much for service records, or CARFAX. What would transmission service be? Last time I changed trans fluide, (2007 caravan) I got a chudder out of the deal. Scared to go near à transmission, but I guess it should be looked at soon. Same for cooling ? Is the econ mode à bad thing ? My major problem is... New tires, shimmy after 3 balancing jobs. Going to service brakes next. Suggestions welcomed !

 

[Long_Voyager94]

Hi. Your advice makes solid sensé. I bought, one month go, a 2016 t&c with 100 kms, or 60 k miles. One owner since new, not much for service records, or CARFAX. What would transmission service be? Last time I changed trans fluide, (2007 caravan) I got a chudder out of the deal. Scared to go near à transmission, but I guess it should be looked at soon. Same for cooling ? Is the econ mode à bad thing ? My major problem is... New tires, shimmy after 3 balancing jobs. Going to service brakes next. Suggestions welcomed !

1. If you got shudder after doing a trans service, it's likely you either used the wrong fluid, filled to the wrong level, or your transmission was already on it's way out. The transmission fluid/filter should be changed every 60k miles MAX. It uses only ATF+4 fluid.

2. Cooling system should be serviced with a new thermostat every 80-100k, or you can wait for the thermostat to fail on you and leave you stranded with an overheated engine.

3. ECON mode has been noted to destroy these transmissions. Some will claim it's no issue, yet others need transmissions well under 100k miles while using it.

4. The shimmy can be a number of things. Chances are it's still a balance issue, but improper lug torque, failure to clean the mating surfaces of the wheel/hub, a 'warped' rotor, or a bad tire can all cause it as well.

 

[john619]

Thank you for your prompt reply! Yes, The chudder started about 5,6 years ago, dealer wanted to change trans, I just avoided shifting at those rpms on that 2007. traded à month ago with 130,000 kilomètres, trans is still doing great. Smoother ride than my shimmying 2016 T&C. Scared to shake the front end too much and cause other fails. I did à lot of tiré research before purchasing the 4 cheapest I could find. I,ll never learn. Someone on YouTube tracked their probs down to à bent driveshaft . No more econ for me ! Be safe out there .

 

[YotoWerks]

I bought a 13 Limited with all the options except no Sunroof and No 3rd row power seats, good luck finding one of those but to me these options are the ones I dont want to deal with when they go bad, Flooding the interior with the sunroof and the 3rd row stuck when you need to move the seats. I have read enough stories on these things failing so it was a no go for me.

Find yourself a 13-up say a Limited trim or at least a Touring L and as long as it's got good maintenance history, low rust levels, and cleanish engine compartment its a good to go. Most of the failure points are DIY doable and you should not be afraid of the repairs. With a simple tool kit, I am able to replace quite a few items on the van without needing a lift. Recently did a front wheel bearing took me 40min on the driveway with a few hand tools. Shops will easily charge you 500+ for that stuff.

If you are gonna go to the dealer for every repair then no van will be cheap to own, not even Honda and they are known also for their transmissions going out like no other almost worse than the T&C and all due to lack of oil changes.