Need help ASAP RE: 08 Town and Country

Help! I'm in a bind. I need to know all I can about an 08 Town and Country and fast! I am seriously considering buying one and if I do so in the next few days I can get $13,000 off the list price. The problem is that I can't actually see or mess with the car because there aren't any in our area and we would be ordering it and having it shipped to us overseas.

Anyway, what I really need to know is the LATCH and top tether situation with this van. Are there top tethers points for all seats? Is there LATCH in all seats? Are there good RFing tether points?

In general, is it a carseat friendly van? If not, what would be a more carseat friendly van? We don't *need* a van now, but this is a really good deal and it would be nice to have one. The only one I can get new here (which is a must for us) is the Town and Country or a Caravan. If there is a better van for carseats, we could wait a year and get it when we get back to the States.

We have 2 Radians right now, both kids ride RFing. My 3 y/o is 30 pounds and 36.5 inches and my 19 mo old is 24 pounds and 32 inches. Both harnesses are on the 3rd slot and there's a lot of room above both their heads so I suspect they will RF for awhile. I might even be able to get the 3 y/o to RF until he's 4 because he's all legs, while the 19 mo old is all torso. I'm paranoid about either of them FFing here in Germany because it can get crazy on the road.

We plan on having another kid in a little over a year and that kid will go in a Snug Ride and then probably another Radian, unless something new and more enticing comes along...

Also, does anyone have any general info on this van? Anyone love or hate it? If so, why? I feel kind of dumb buying a car I've never driven, even though I've driven a few Caravans before, and that is why I am very open to any thoughts people have on it.

Thanks so much!

I would totally get it. We tried to trade or 07 caravan in for an 08 but it didnt end up happening. It was quite depressing.

I believe there is one set of LATCh in the back and one tether hook (correct me if I am wrong).

There are latchs in the captain chairs also.

I had Seth rear-facing in the back row borrowing the tether hook from the seat in front of him. But I installed his seat with seatbelt.

Installing rear-facing seats in the captain chairs is a sinch!

We had to drive with Seth ff a few times to the base and I as a wreck. All the hills and the way the Germans pass even when they cant see around the curve. LOL. Yeah I was glad when that ride was over!

mybabysmomma said:

Help! I'm in a bind. I need to know all I can about an 08 Town and Country and fast! I am seriously considering buying one and if I do so in the next few days I can get $13,000 off the list price. The problem is that I can't actually see or mess with the car because there aren't any in our area and we would be ordering it and having it shipped to us overseas.

Anyway, what I really need to know is the LATCH and top tether situation with this van. Are there top tethers points for all seats? Is there LATCH in all seats? Are there good RFing tether points?

In general, is it a carseat friendly van? If not, what would be a more carseat friendly van? We don't *need* a van now, but this is a really good deal and it would be nice to have one. The only one I can get new here (which is a must for us) is the Town and Country or a Caravan. If there is a better van for carseats, we could wait a year and get it when we get back to the States.

We have 2 Radians right now, both kids ride RFing. My 3 y/o is 30 pounds and 36.5 inches and my 19 mo old is 24 pounds and 32 inches. Both harnesses are on the 3rd slot and there's a lot of room above both their heads so I suspect they will RF for awhile. I might even be able to get the 3 y/o to RF until he's 4 because he's all legs, while the 19 mo old is all torso. I'm paranoid about either of them FFing here in Germany because it can get crazy on the road.

We plan on having another kid in a little over a year and that kid will go in a Snug Ride and then probably another Radian, unless something new and more enticing comes along...

Also, does anyone have any general info on this van? Anyone love or hate it? If so, why? I feel kind of dumb buying a car I've never driven, even though I've driven a few Caravans before, and that is why I am very open to any thoughts people have on it.

Thanks so much!

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myboysmylife said:

We had to drive with Seth ff a few times to the base and I as a wreck. All the hills and the way the Germans pass even when they cant see around the curve. LOL. Yeah I was glad when that ride was over!

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Yes! It is nuts! We almost got hit a couple of mornings ago because the idiot in front of me tried to pass the truck in front of him and then halfway through decided he wouldn't make it because he didn't see the car coming around the curve so he slammed on his breaks and shot back into my lane, right in front of me. Oy. Makes me crazy! Not to mention all the people who tailgate me because I refuse to pass on curves or hills!

Do you like your Caravan? I have no problem installing seats with a seatbelt, but LATCH makes it so my kids can't mess with the shoulder belts while RFing. That freaks me out. I'm most concerned about the top tether situation, I think.

Also, I've been doing some reading since I posted the OP and it seems like some kids have trouble sitting in the 3rd row as they get bigger and between booster and no booster age. I wonder if that is specific to the older models?

Thanks for your help! Are you enjoying the lovely weather here? All I know is it is 49 degrees and blowing here. SO cold!

The rear seat is small. There is NO WAY I could fit between 2 seats back there. Well maybe your radians. But the center has the lap only anyways so it isnt usable for anything but a carseat.

I have had Seths Blvd, a roundabout, an Apex 65 and a FPSV booster installed in the rear-seats of a T&C with no problems...

I LOVE my van. I wanted the sto and go and captain chairs so that is why we were trying to trade it in for an 08. We are going to be adding a 3rd car seat in about 7months so that should be interesting. LOL.

I have installed Seths Blvd rf using the lap/shoulder belt b/c I can get a more reclined angle this way. He couldnt even reach the lap/shoulder belt..

But there are 3 top tether positions. 2 on the captain chairs and one in the back.

Yeah it is cold, windy and rainy here also.

You know I was driving through the town of Hohenfels today and some big rig comes flying around the corner. I have no where to go and he runs me up the dang curb. Now I have a nice long and wide white scrath all the way down the side of my van from the building he ran me into.. I was LIVID!!!!!!!!!!

I hate the small roads ehre and big trucks should be banned from driving thought the towns!

We have an '08 Grand Caravan and love it.

The seatbelts are all switchable seatbelts now. Which means if you choose to install with a seatbelt, you pull the seatbelt all the way out to switch it to locking mode and then let it click back in. Since it locks at the retractor now, the kids can not play with it when it's locked.

We have the Swivel n' Go option. The seatbelts are built right into the captain's chairs on this option.

The first 13 photos in this set are of our '08.

D-Ring location under front seats...


D-Ring 'installed'...


RFing Tether attached to D-ring. Move the front seat all the way forward to attach the D-ring, then allow slack in the tether. Move the seat all the way back (or into desired position) and then tighten tether...


The Captain's chairs in the 2nd row slide back/forth so there is plenty of room to RF the Radian. Ours were installed at about a 30 degree angle when RFing...


LATCH is offset in the 3rd row on the driver's side (the 60 portion of the 60/40 split seat). The top TA can be used for the center position or the offset LATCH...


There is only the one TA in the third row. Then an additional two on both captain's chairs for a total of 3 in the vehicle.

There are head restraints and lap/shoulder seatbelts in *all* positions now, including 3rd row center.

We have the 3.8L and it has nice pick-up and go. It's also quiet on the highway. We test drove this one and an '07 Odyssey and found the Caravan (surprisingly) to be quieter on the highway. Road noise is important to us because we do a lot of 6 hr car rides to grandma & grandpa's.

Mom features that I just adore...
*Power sliding doors
*Power hatch
*The driver's window has an auto down *and* up feature, which as a mom, I .
*60/40 Stow n' go seating in the third row
*2nd row windows open now (power sliding)
*2 separate glove compartments up front... nice and roomy for kleenex boxes
*Cup holders galore up front (6 in total in the front console/dash) for storing kids drinks when they are not holding them... no more spilled/lost cups in the back
*2nd row in floor storage... all those projectiles are stored now.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

I don't like our Town & Country (2006). I have three kids and plan to add another munchkin next year and I only have three tethers. Very annoying. I'm hoping to trade it for a Kia Sedona in the spring. I do love all the storage space, ours is Stow & Go.

I have a quick question, Jen. Can you get the Radian in the center 3rd row with the lapbelt? I just got my Radian, but it's been pouring and I only gave it a half-hearted try. I also forgot about the FFing recline which may help.

keri1292 said:

Can you get the Radian in the center 3rd row with the lapbelt?

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Yes, I can... there's tricks to it and I made a pretty detailed thread with pictures here for people.

CDNTech said:

Yes, I can... there's tricks to it and I made a pretty detailed thread with pictures here for people.

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You rock. I'll tackle this beast if it ever stops raining. I just didn't want to go crazy out there if it wasn't compatible.

myboysmylife said:

The rear seat is small. There is NO WAY I could fit between 2 seats back there. Well maybe your radians. But the center has the lap only anyways so it isnt usable for anything but a carseat.

I have had Seths Blvd, a roundabout, an Apex 65 and a FPSV booster installed in the rear-seats of a T&C with no problems...

I LOVE my van. I wanted the sto and go and captain chairs so that is why we were trying to trade it in for an 08. We are going to be adding a 3rd car seat in about 7months so that should be interesting. LOL.

I have installed Seths Blvd rf using the lap/shoulder belt b/c I can get a more reclined angle this way. He couldnt even reach the lap/shoulder belt..

But there are 3 top tether positions. 2 on the captain chairs and one in the back.

Yeah it is cold, windy and rainy here also.

You know I was driving through the town of Hohenfels today and some big rig comes flying around the corner. I have no where to go and he runs me up the dang curb. Now I have a nice long and wide white scrath all the way down the side of my van from the building he ran me into.. I was LIVID!!!!!!!!!!

I hate the small roads ehre and big trucks should be banned from driving thought the towns!

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Congrats on your 3rd baby! I had a really great experience giving birth on the economy (assuming you are pregnant and not adopting) and I hope you have one too! We are stationed at your sister post... I think my husband spends more time in Hohenfels when he's here in Germany than he spends here. That sucks about your car! Those streets are so narrow and it's really challenging to drive on them. There are a few like that around here and I try to avoid them at all costs.

Thanks for your info! It helps to know what can install in there and how. We would be getting the stow n go. The swivel seats wouldn't be beneficial for us because there are always going to be carseats in those seats. We tend to get bored of our cars after about 4 years, lol!

CDNTech said:

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

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Those pictures are really helpful! Thanks! You answered a lot of my questions.

When you go on the long trips, do you feel like you have enough space to put all of your luggage? We will be doing a lot of traveling and will need quite a bit of space for suitcases and strollers and/ or a pack n play. Also, do you think there's enough room for a double stroller and $150 worth of groceries to fit?

I don't want to be crammed and I've been reading some reviews where people don't feel like there's enough space. Not sure if they don't have the stow n go, though or how much of a difference that would make. I have a feeling I would really like the stow n go. I tend to keep a lot of stuff in the car because when we do go out, we are gone for most of the day.

Now I have to figure out future carseat configurations. I think I can handle 3 carseats but I'm not sure what I would do with 4, if I'm brave enough to have that many. By the time we would have 4 though, my oldest would be in a booster for sure. I'm not sure if that would make configuring easier or harder. I know absolutely nothing about boosters.

So much to think about...

keri1292 said:

I don't like our Town & Country (2006). I have three kids and plan to add another munchkin next year and I only have three tethers. Very annoying. I'm hoping to trade it for a Kia Sedona in the spring. I do love all the storage space, ours is Stow & Go.

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That is really good to know about the storage because that's a big deal to me. Is it just the lack of tethers that you don't like about the car, or does it have other issues? I can see how only 3 tethers would be a big pain in the behind. I guess if you have 4 kids, you'd have to have one RFing and one FFing kid in the 3rd row if they are all in carseats. I can imagine that getting a RFing kid in the back would be a challenge, unless the FFing kid is old enough to help.

We have tons of storage space in this van and find the 3rd row easy to stow n' go when we need more (I usually stow the 40 side if I need to... but it's not often I need to).

The footwell is really deep which allows even more storage space in the 'trunk'. It also makes getting RFing kids in/out of the 3rd row *super easy*. Step into the footwell, lean over the seat, unbuckle and pull kiddo out. I'm 5'7" and don't have any problems doing this (no back hurting from having to slouch, ect.).

We used to have an '03 that did not have the footwell and I found it quite a bit harder to step into the 'trunk' to get RFing kids out of the 3rd row (sore back from slouching/bending over too far). Once we got the '08 with the deep footwell, I understood why people said it was so easy... because it is.

ETA: I also used to regularly keep a Phil & Ted's E3V2, Maclaren Twin Techno, and a Quinny Zapp in the footwell... plus pile groceries (usually $150 worth) around them as well. Never even came close to the top of the backseats... lots of space.

I didn't actually drive an '08 Grand Caravan, but one thing I didn't like was where the shifter is located. In Jen's third picture you can see where it is to the right of the steering wheel. That just seems to be such an odd placement to me for a shifter that's made like the ones that go on the console.

LuvMyGirls said:

I didn't actually drive an '08 Grand Caravan, but one thing I didn't like was where the shifter is located. In Jen's third picture you can see where it is to the right of the steering wheel. That just seems to be such an odd placement to me for a shifter that's made like the ones that go on the console.

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I definitely didn't like it at first either. It took me a whole two days to get used to it though and now I look for the shifter in that spot in other vehicles I get into.

Thank you, everyone, for your help! I really appreciate it. We've decided to be responsible (blah) and go ahead and wait until our current car is paid off to buy something new. We only have 12 payments left on the car and I can probably pay it off in 7-8 so we will buy a van when we move back to the States and then keep our Passat for my DH to drive. He deserves to drive a nice car. Poor guy has been driving beaters for the past 10 years so it's about time. We don't want to have 2 car payments so if we sold or traded the Passat now, we'd have to get him a 2 door hatch back of some kind that we could pay cash for or lease for $99 a month. Plus it would be nice to have a reliable spare car that had airbags!

Again, thanks for all of your help!