[DexterMorgan]

One of my Friend was exactly in the same spot. He ended up trading his year old Camry with a Highlander, for that occasional third row seating (used one or twice in a year). Though it is a wonderful comfortable vehicle, he is still getting in terms with increased gas bills and insurance.

But i would advise the same what i advised him. For occasional use, its better to rent a minivan or SUV when needed then buying new one.
I recently rented Dodge Caravan for 10 days in Dec in NJ and paid 680 dollars total.

Originally Posted by amitoj

We'll most likely go for a used one. And will probably pick something that seems like the best deal, brand/model no bar.

Totally agree, i was shopping around in NY with my uncle for a used minivan for his twins last weekend and we picked up one silver 2012 Chrysler town and country with leather dvd rear camera for 21k (quoted price was 23k) with 22k miles on ODO. It has 6 years/80000 miles warranty left on it.

Saw few 2010-11 Honda Odysseyes and Toyota Siennas with double the mileage for same price. Not worth it IMHO.

Note from the Team-BHP Support: Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the same thread.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by DexterMorgan

Totally agree, i was shopping around in NY with my uncle for a used minivan for his twins last weekend and we picked up one silver 2012 Chrysler town and country with leather dvd rear camera for 21k (quoted price was 23k) with 22k miles on ODO. It has 6 years/80000 miles warranty left on it.

Indeed, but we Indians do have a fixation to the Honda/Toyota fraternity, I guess. A colleague of mine is letting very nice fully loaded Chyrsler Town and Country models go as he is adamant on getting used Odyssey only. To each his own! I for one, like a lot of the recent Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/RAM vehicles. They have really stepped up their act after the 2009 bankruptcy and getting acquired by Fiat.

[amitoj]

^^ True that.
I do intend to lean more towards Chrysler T&C when my time comes. Would have leaned more on Dodge Grand Caravan but since we have one Dodge already, Chrysler edges it out slightly, although they are both sisters.

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Indeed, but we Indians do have a fixation to the Honda/Toyota fraternity, I guess. A colleague of mine is letting very nice fully loaded Chyrsler Town and Country models go as he is adamant on getting used Odyssey only. To each his own! I for one, like a lot of the recent Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/RAM vehicles. They have really stepped up their act after the 2009 bankruptcy and getting acquired by Fiat.

Couldn't agree more. The Jeep trucks are really good, powerful and feature packed. But yea with nice 3-4L engines comes loss of mpg.
Infact I was shopping around for Jeep and was hitting 2011 GC with 25-30k miles for around $22-$25k

[josejoseph]

Originally Posted by josejoseph

The fix is covered as I have extended warranty. Deductible is $100.

So I should be fine, right?

Thank you!

I finally got my car fixed by the dealer for power steering leakage. Though this was supposed to be covered under warranty, during repair they found some other parts to be faulty (please don't ask me what it is) that needed replacement which will not get covered under warranty.

Had to pay $370 out of my pocket. Power steering repair came to $1400 which was covered under warranty and for the other repair I paid $270.

Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions.

Since my car is still under warranty is it okay if I take it to independent garage for regular service like oil change? Will this void warranty?

-- Jose

[aah78]

Originally Posted by josejoseph

Since my car is still under warranty is it okay if I take it to independent garage for regular service like oil change? Will this void warranty?

-- Jose

Yes, it's absolutely fine to take your car to an indy. No, it won't void warranty.

[amitoj]

But i would avoid places like Jiffy Lube. They do the work in a jiffy indeed but I've heard that its a gamble.
I've taken my car to a dealership only for the regular oil changes.

On a related note, has anyone heard of QuantumBlue oil from BND Automotives? People on the Charger/LX forums who have used them swear by them. BND claims to custom blend the oil based on application (year/model/make/customizations done etc) and are supposed to really extend the oil change intervals and engine life.
http://www.bndautomotive.com/page/page/929427.htm
You cant order this oil just by going to this website. You have to call them up and give them all the details about your car, where you drive, how often and average mileage etc. And then they tell you how much it will cost.
You get the oil delivered to you in cans with your name written on it.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by josejoseph

Since my car is still under warranty is it okay if I take it to independent garage for regular service like oil change? Will this void warranty?

-- Jose

Originally Posted by aah78

Yes, it's absolutely fine to take your car to an indy. No, it won't void warranty.

Also make sure you keep the receipts of oil change and other work done. If a warranty work is required, dealership would like to see if you regularly performed preventive maintenance like oil change.

On a side note, found this great article about huge demand of used cars.

http://business.time.com/2013/02/27/...ars/?hpt=hp_c2

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

The Pilot/4runner etc. are a little too big for just one person driving around most of the time. But then its a compromise, the RAV4 and mitsu are too small of a third row also.
The E class station wagon, yes I was aware of that, but it's quite an expensive option also, even in the used guise, correct?

Not necessarily costly.
Here is an E class wagon, 74k miles , CPO , 2007 4 matic for 24k.
I would get , maybe an extended warranty (MB or aftermarket) for another 3 more years and call it good.

http://www.mypreownedmercedes.com/us...uh87x37x211169

Originally Posted by amitoj

On a related note, has anyone heard of QuantumBlue oil from BND Automotives? People on the Charger/LX forums who have used them swear by them. BND claims to custom blend the oil based on application (year/model/make/customizations done etc) and are supposed to really extend the oil change intervals and engine life.
http://www.bndautomotive.com/page/page/929427.htm
You cant order this oil just by going to this website. You have to call them up and give them all the details about your car, where you drive, how often and average mileage etc. And then they tell you how much it will cost.
You get the oil delivered to you in cans with your name written on it.

Hmm my yardstick for engine oil is,
1, Find a person who tracks the car regularly
2, Find out what oil he uses- Mostly they will have an used oil analysis for their oils.

If it is good for his track, It must be good for me.

2a, Keep a watch on that car on the forums, if somebody says it has blown the engine- change oil ASAP :-).

I haven't seen any Chargers/ challengers on the track though. It kinda seems they are track shy. Lots on the dragstrip though

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Indeed, but we Indians do have a fixation to the Honda/Toyota fraternity, I guess. A colleague of mine is letting very nice fully loaded Chyrsler Town and Country models go as he is adamant on getting used Odyssey only. To each his own! I for one, like a lot of the recent Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/RAM vehicles. They have really stepped up their act after the 2009 bankruptcy and getting acquired by Fiat.

Have quite a few friends who work for Chrysler. They fired quite a few people after the merger and subcontracted most of the work to Indian Bodyshops . Most of the workers are on contract, so their major motivation is to get a permanant job, rather than get the product done properly.

I would not buy any Chrysler product, which is designed in Detroit, in recent years. Think abut it, that company is cutting costs like crazy & first place to cut costs in any automotive company is quality.

I would trust my car designs to be done by competent/experienced/passionate engineers, rather than underpaid freshers.

Anyway the above is just my opinion.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Jomz

Have quite a few friends who work for Chrysler. They fired quite a few people after the merger and subcontracted most of the work to Indian Bodyshops . Most of the workers are on contract, so their major motivation is to get a permanant job, rather than get the product done properly.

I would not buy any Chrysler product, which is designed in Detroit, in recent years. Think abut it, that company is cutting costs like crazy & first place to cut costs in any automotive company is quality.

I would trust my car designs to be done by competent/experienced/passionate engineers, rather than underpaid freshers.

Anyway the above is just my opinion.

Interesting. Although the first place to cut costs in any industry will be the bloat or dead wood it acquires over a long period of time. And the big three did have plenty of it when they were near bankruptcy. Did your friends give any examples of shoddy work coming out of these body shops?

I am asking because I would like to have some more information before i stop recommending a company or a product to others. I mean, the whole iphone is made in China but still no one compares it with any other "made in China" kind of product.

Btw, did anyone see Ralph Gilles driving a Jeep around the track?
http://jalopnik.com/watch-srt-boss-r...roun-415068253

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by Jomz

I would not buy any Chrysler product, which is designed in Detroit, in recent years. Think abut it, that company is cutting costs like crazy & first place to cut costs in any automotive company is quality.

Interesting view Jomz. I have only felt the quality go up in the Chrysler group products - in terms of design, fit and finish, performance, efficiency etc etc. The media and the consumers have also taken note of the same, reflected in the glowing reviews and rising sales.
However, if long term quality is an issue, like your friends think, it is not yet time for the results to show up. I would wait to see in the next couple of years, when a lot of the revamped chrysler product line turns 5-6 years old, and are way past their initial warranties. Till then, I would take these comments with a pinch of salt.

Originally Posted by amitoj

I am asking because I would like to have some more information before i stop recommending a company or a product to others. I mean, the whole iphone is made in China but still no one compares it with any other "made in China" kind of product.

Btw, did anyone see Ralph Gilles driving a Jeep around the track?
http://jalopnik.com/watch-srt-boss-r...roun-415068253

+1 to that. I also recommend products like the Jeep GC to my friends. I have driven it, know people who own it and haven't heard anything out of the ordinary from any of them as yet in the last 3 years.

Btw, good fun, that video, This was the SRT media event for the Grand Cherokee. A lot video review folks were at the event.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Interesting view Jomz. I have only felt the quality go up in the Chrysler group products - in terms of design, fit and finish, performance, efficiency etc etc. The media and the consumers have also taken note of the same, reflected in the glowing reviews and rising sales.

Design and advertising was one area where Chrysler Excelled at.
I always admired Chrysler products for their radical designs, including

Charger ( They took the boring looking W124 Merc and changed into that)
Challenger ( I still believe that looks more retro muscle car than the other two)
The Neon ( which was different for its time)
The Dodge Ram's (way back in 1990'S... those semi truck inspired looks is what, every truck manufacturer is basing their trucks on now, If those were not there- all pick ups would be boxes)

Those are good for making an intial customer impact ( and Chrysler Excels in this - think about the Chrysler 300 & dodge Dart ads), But i believe ( I might be wrong here), most of Chryslers emphasis is in making the initial impact.

And add on top of that the experianced people they lost. Each project brings new lessons and unless those lessons are used in the future, they will still repeat the mistakes.

I'm completely alright with trimming bloat or daed wood, But laying off people and outsourcing the work - so that it can be done cheaper by some people who maynot know about the previous mistakes- does not sound ethical.

I might be completely wrong, and maybe that might work out for Chrysler , and maybe the bodyshop guys are working on something which might be mundane, I don't know.

On the positive side....

The engineers I know say that the FIAT products are well designed and FIAT has a pretty nice system in place for releasing new products. I hope eventually that mindset will trickle down to the guys in detroit.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by aah78

Yes, it's absolutely fine to take your car to an indy. No, it won't void warranty.

I wouldn't be so sure. Maybe oil change, but anything else, could become an issue very quickly when making warranty claims. I would read the manual and the parts about warranty.If it says authorized dealers you can't use independents.

Jeroen

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by Jomz

Design and advertising was one area where Chrysler Excelled at.

Jomz - read this today online. I guess the trouble spot for Chrysler could even be production quality, with the high demand for their products! RAM quality in question
I believe you were talking about quality in design and development. But looks like there are other areas where things could be suspect.