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Re: “Anything made by CHrysler/Fiat should be off anyone's list..imo...”
My wife's CHRYSLER minivan is still running great at 203k miles and 13 years of age. However, the company has discontinued the Town & Country for some stupid reason. I'd have definitely recommended it to anyone in the market.
We'll almost certainly be buying a 4 wheel drive car or SUV for my wife later this year. This is no place for 2-wheel drive minivans in winter. That said, I may keep it and just drive it in the temperate months. I have a feeling it could go to 300k miles and beyond.
My Chevy Silverado, though, is another matter. At 50k miles, it just FAILED its safety inspection. The power steering rack and brakes are both bad. The brakes are understandable. Everything needs brakework now and again. The power steering, though? It shouldn't be leaking!
There are other problems. The driver's control of the passenger windows is no longer working. The radio has failed too, with the speakers only working if the weather is warm and dry. The truck can't seem to keep the battery charged - if the headlights are used, the battery gradually drains. My suspicion is that water gets into both doors and has corroded the wires, taking out the window controls and the speakers, and possibly creating a drain on the battery.
For years, I've known that Chevy makes good engines but builds vehicles that fail in a million little ways: Buttons, knobs, speakers, weather stripping, bulbs, solar sensors, etc. No single problem seems like that big of a deal, but they add up and eventually wear you out. That was the problem with my brother's Corvette back in the '80s and it seems to be what I'm experiencing with the Silverado today.
The Chrysler, though, I love.
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