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Hey Guys, We have a Chrylser T&C that we've had it with. (ot) know the best way to sell it?<P>Anyhow, the question here is this: Which new Buick would you recommend? It has to be easy to get in and out of, and not cost an arm and leg. Trunk space is a consideration for wheelchair storage. This would be the replacement for the shitty T&C we have.<P>I ask you, our fellow Buick enthusiasts for your opinions. Our brand choices besides Buick are Toyota and Honda. Any and all info is greatly appreciated.<P>Thanks Guys!<P>Scott

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If all you want is a quiet, boring sedan Buick really doesn't make a bad car. All of them are decently reliable and attractive. <P>The Century (Buick's least expensive car)competes directly with the Accord and the Camry, which I assume are your other two choices. It's Buick smallest car, and the only one (besides the Rendezvous) that doesn't come with the 3.8L. It has a 3.1L V-6. It is also rated one of the most reliable among GM's cars by Consumer Reports, one of very few U.S. cars that rate "Above Average" in their survey. Only the Impala, Monte Carlo, Lincoln Town Car, and Saturn S equal that mark among U.S. cars.<P>The Accord and Camry are, of course, rated "Well Above Average" in reliability as usual. Only one U.S. car has made that grade in (I believe) 30 years, the 2001 Chrysler P.T. Cruiser.<P>No Buick is rated "Below Average" or "Well Below Average", something no other U.S. "brand" can say. (One exception, the Rendezvous is too new to have a rating as yet.) Therefore, based on the most recent data Buick is probably the best bet among "American" cars. However, be aware that Buick has by far the oldest clientele of any make of car. As the elderly (the <I>average</I> buyer's age is 68) tend to be easier on their cars than younger owners, this may be slightly misleading.<P>As far as comfort, size, performance, capacities, etc., it's best to judge these for yourself in the showroom (making sure you visit <I>all three</I> before judging. Basing you decision on who has the most room or biggest trunk or fastest motor will usually result in little more than buying more than you needed in the first place! smile.gif" border="0<P>Good luck, take your time, and enjoy! smile.gif" border="0

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I went to a Buick dealership to test a Century with my aunt, who is over 70 and has a broken foot. We drove the Century Custom, with cloth interior. I liked the ride and the car felt very competent. My aunt felt the same way, she wished for a little more room to enter the car. Leather is popular with older folks just for making it easier to get in and out. (my aunt likes ultrasuede dresses-we joked that would be like Velcro on the cloth seats!)(Where's your dress? OH! I left it in the car!)<BR>Trunk is a good size, you would have to see if it would meet your requirements. Overall, we agreed we like the car, but even my aunt thought it was boring! Gosh, she was starting to like the cloth psuedo convertible tops this dealer installs to make the car look more CLASSIC! She will buy a Century Limited(with leather) if it comes in time to get the rebate-$2502 here in this region.

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Guest John Chapman

Scott,<P>I can relate to your experience... I had a '89 Dodge Grand Caravan. More things went wrong with it than all my other cars combined. Should it catch fire, wait 30 minutes to call the fire department.<P>Suggested vehicle: Toyota Highlander (built on the Camry platform)<P>Cheers,<BR>John

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John,<P>Funny you should mention you had a '89 Dodge Caravan.. The car before the Town&Country was a '88 Dodge Caravan that lasted 10years and gave no major problems until the 6th year. Hence why we went with another Dodge/Chysler. :-/<P>I went roaming around everyones suggestions and came to the conclusion that overall, the Highlander seems best suited. While I like the other suggestions and Dave's advise to just look around and take our time. Something we didn't do with the T&C purchase.<P>I plan on going looking today after I get this blasted 77 Impala started. Junk car imo, anyone want it? tongue.gif" border="0<P>Thanks Guys for everything!<P>With anyluck we'll get a car and this house remodeled without killing anyone.. lol<P>Scott

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Guest John Chapman

Scott,<P>Yep, I've heard that about some of those vans... "...drove it 398,000 miles and only added windshild washer fluid...."<P>My experience was somewhat different, but on whole close to average, I think:<P>July '89: Took delivery. Fully loaded LE Grand, about $23,500 out the door. Complete down to heavy duty carpet protectors. Turned over to newly minted ex-wife to haul kids in.<P>Feb '90: 12K miles. Following repeated dealer returns for a 'mystery' oil leak where nothing was found amiss, the oil pressure sending unit failed on the PA turnpike, in the snow with an 18 wheeler hot on the tailgate. The engine hemmoraged all the oil and locked up before a safe exit could be made. Dodge ate the overhaul, but the engine was never 'right' again. Not unserviceable, just not quite right (NQR) mad.gif" border="0 Engine leaks and service problems plaqued the van for the rest of it's expensive service life (8 ys/85,000 miles)<P>At 25K or so, the transmission began to shift funny. Control module replaced. Despite repeated returns, the trans is NQR for the duration.<P>About the same time, the rear A/C went out and remained AWOL for the duration except for short periods when it would work... usually following a $300 attempt to fix it.<P>Tailgate got out of rig somehow and remained NQR (leaks and rattles) for the duration. Three dealers couldn't fix it.<P>At 60K, engine is smoking noticably... but was a small problem compared to the collapse of the right front strut.<P>At 70K or so, new rotors on the front because on the first change out at 40K or so, the dealer service tech didn't install the wear indicators, so the pads went... then the pistons... <P>Minor stuff:<BR>-Clear coat failed at five years (so much for that $400 option...)<BR>-The simulated wood grain followed in failure shortly thereafter<BR>-There was a bag (owner supplied option) in the map compartment to hold the little bits that kept falling off <BR>-After three years windshield leaked like a sieve in cold weather. This was PA, remember.<BR>-Rear popout window motors failed<BR>-Left headlight structure failed internally and fell to pieces<BR>-Driver window fell out of the track several times<BR>-Electrical contacts in side door failed<BR>-Rear deice failed internally one cold crisp morning and the thermal shock of the small arc it cause destroyed the rear hatch glass<P>My only regret is that I didn't persevere and dump that POS following the engine rebuild.<P>My other observation is that the car wasn't completely at fault. The area dealers appeared to be devoid of competent techs to service the vehicle. This probably accounted for a lot of the woes.<P>There were two notable good qualities. For a van, it was very nice handling (the trailer tow package helped) and the Infinity II Stereo may have been the best OEM unit in production at the time. I really liked the joystick balance/fader control. <P>I think I'd rather buy a Trabant than another Chrysler product.<P>Cheers,<BR>JMC<p>[ 04-22-2002: Message edited by: John Chapman ]

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Guest Skyking

John, I bought a new 89 Chrysler LeBaron convertible probably right around when you bought your van. Mine, on the other hand has been a great car. With the 4cyl non-turbo engine, it still runs new with 113,000 miles on it. We drove the car from R.I. to Florida 14 times without a problem. The only major repair was a new power rack at 90,000......The clear coat does suck though, started flaking in 96. We still have the car today. I would not hesitate in buying another Chrysler product......

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Scott,<BR> One thing you might want to think about is the vehicle theft rate. Accords and Camrys are always the top two cars on the list of most stolen cars. And since you live in the Valley it could be of concern. The Buick would be the better bet in that case. On the other hand, if you don't plan on keeping the car very long then an Accord will probably have the highest resale value. Personally, I wouldn't buy a Honda simply because I would have trouble finding it in a parking lot wink.gif" border="0

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Good grief John! They were known for their problems, no doubt. Specially the tranies. We had problems with the engine, it would constantly overheat and nobody could fix it. Until one guy here found it and fixed it. The tailgate shocks were never great, the drivers window kept falling off the track, and the power window buttons had a mind of their own. But that's about it for that '88. I can't believe you didn't just deciede one day to torch the thing and claim insurrance on it. shesh! Whatta pain in the ass.. frown.gif" border="0<P>It did seem tho that dealerships really didn't know how to fix those cars, they remind me of what Philips and HP did with the first CDR burners. Known hardware flaw, they knew about it, failed to fix the flaw, and just kept passing out 'refurb' drives to ppl under waranty until that ran out. They just ho-hummed around until the waranty ran out and you sat there screwed without the thank you. mad.gif" border="0<P>To Skyking: Don't buy Chrylser, they're owned my MecedesBenz now, I believe mainly for the tax writeoff. May be 'pretty' cars, but quality is crap.<P>Tom: Yea, I know bout them Accords and Camerys, but still we need a 'good' car. I think it's planned on being 'in the family' until it croaks, so resell value is a good point. I do agree with ya, I woulnd't own any of those 'common' cars that get lost in parking lots. Thats one nice thing about our classics, they always seem to standout when you hit the lot. :-) If 'I' were to buy a new car I'd get a Honda Insight tho, that way I have my guzzler amd a frugal car to romp and roam around in.<P>The still undecieded...<P>Scott

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