got a fella with a 97 town and country with 116000 miles. loaded with the 3.8 leather and all. interior mint except for carpet which needs a good cleaning he says theres a tranny leak in front main seal. hes asking 3000 but i would like to get it for about 2000 or so. what would be a good price for me to get this considering the problems that will need instant fixing.

Look: http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/pricing.aspx?year=1997&make=Chrysler&model=Town%20%26%20Country&trimid=-1 Looks like he already has a hefty discount in his asking price. Being the sceptical bastard I am, looks a little fishy to me. Or maybe he's just not too concerned about getting what it's worth.

I recently had a tranny forward pump leak fixed for $700 on my 96 GC. Included removal and installation of the transmission. Make sure he has used nothing but ATF-3 transmission fluid. Anything else will eventually cause problems.

Body Control Modules (BCM) are a common problem on these vans. They control just about every electrical function except anything to do with the engine. Ask him if the wipers come on by themselves, any problem with the instrument gauges going dead, have the door locks and power windows always worked, is the ventilation system working ok? New BCMs cost $3-400 plus labor.

Well I Bought It. Got It For 2000 And Dropped 600 In It Right Away. Got The Front Main Seal Replaced, New Tranny And Engine Mounts, New Fuel Filter, New Front And Rear Brakes, And Now Shes Fine. So For 2600 I Got A Steal. Thanks For The Input Though. Was Helpful.

Good luck. Thanks for the return post.

yup sounds like a fair deal if it doesn't have any more of the usual chrysler/dodge van problems... like the ones I been readin about here

I picked up a 92 T&C myself recent, the guy wanted 1500, I ended up givin him 825, and got 125 back for my old 88 from the junk yard, so I figure I got it for just over 700. The wife was so used to drivin the 88 she didn't want anything else, so what ya gona do. Its just for her local use anyway.

The problem I found right off was this guy had covered the ABS light with black elec tape so you couldn't see the light was on, I didn't even notice it it was so well placed. The dealer found it and asked me about it when I took it to them to check the weird buzzz noise from the master cyl.

Seems it was the ABS parts that were bad, and to my surprise thought they said it was covered under recall, man, a 92 with 147K was still covered for the repair. I said cool deal , so looks like the joke is on the fool that tried to rip me off. I'm just waitin for the parts now.

Congratulations on your purchase and very good deal! This particular van is loaded! Just to give you peice of mind hopefully, I have a 97 Town & Country LXi with about 80K on it now and have not had a single problem with it! I know the Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouths have had their fair share of problems through the years, but this one has been great! So hopefully you'll get the same reliability!

Oh and just a note... One of the best features in this van is the Infinity Acoustic 10 Audio system! You mentioned you had the LXi so you should have this same audio system and hopefully it hasn't been abused by the previous owner. Put a CD in, set the audio controls to your liking and enjoy! I've read some posts recently about people replacing the audio sytem with aftermarket systems and I really don't understand why? The original system is not stock... it's Infinity! Enjoy your van!

Good car and engine- I have one with about the same mileage. Had it from new. In 9 years, I had to replace serpintene belt, starter motor( stuck on had to disconnect battery to stop it). Most recently, the passenger front wheel bearing went. The wheel studs got so hot they broke off and the wheel fell off while driving. Not a hard replacement, but bearing assembly costs $80 per wheel. Bake pads wear out quickly, so replace before they ruin rotors. Change the oil frquently and you should have a great Van. Yes the stereo doe sound awesome.
Jerrylss