1990 Chrysler Town & Country | Retro Review

Happy Holidays from all of us at MotorWeek!

[@Motorweek]

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[@mark_warrior998]

Nothing is more comfortable and practical than a box with four wheels. I love these old-school vans

[@The_Hulkster]

1994 Renault Espace F1

[@PearComputingDevices]

I still drive a 2010 Chrysler T & C touring. It's got the heated leather, navigation, DVD all the goodies... best of all it's paid off. Might not look sweet, but it still sounds sweet! I say it was a sound, if pricey investment. It has sure paid for itself driving us in complete comfort.

[@finecorinthianvideos]

Yes they were great the last of those kinds of minivans were the Chevy Astro and GMC Safari

[@scdevon]

So ugly, yet so roomy comfortable and great on winter roads. That 3.3 engine had nice low end torque. The ultimate winter beater.

[@MrMenefrego1]

@@PearComputingDevices You sir, are a very logical and practical man. Kudos!

[@mcp12300]

whelp if this meme belongs anywhere, it belongs here. Merry Chrysler.

[@nlpnt]

Happy Honda Days and a very Goodyear to you!

[@gertraba4484]

these vans were likefungus all around and some priced at 25k !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@lornaleatherman7450]

prefer a VW van or ford flex myself

[@ProducerLare]

Growing up we had the “poor man’s” version🤣... the Plymouth Voyager... with a 4-cylinder, 5-speed _manual_ transmission!👍👍

[@john-vy1ml]

Same here, WITH NO AC. but that voyager ran over 300k.

[@JDMHaze]

lol

[@CountryCarReviews]

Drop a penstastar in it and make it a sleeper

[@johnnymichael1804]

My mom only owned Plymouth Voyagers until Plymouth went out of business. Then she switched to a PT Cruiser woody edition, then back to Caravans.

[@250gto9]

Yeah, we had a '90 Caravan. 4 cylinder, short wheelbase, no tachometer, no A/C, no rear window defroster, no tape player, crank windows. By design, the only way to open the hatch was with the key, lol.

[@HoosierDaddy_]

Tuxedos? I've only seen a bunch of kids, old French fries, and kool-aid stains in the back of any minivans!

[@justanothertroll9476]

Oh that would never happen in a minivan... LOL

[@LakeNipissing]

Well... if you allow kids to eat and drink in a car... expect it. ;)

[@HoosierDaddy_]

@@LakeNipissing * well, those tuxedo wearing parents must have. I haven't seen a minivan without stains and junk everywhere!

[@LakeNipissing]

@@HoosierDaddy_ My aunt and uncle had an '82 or '83 Reliant K wagon. My cousins had spilled enough milk in that car, the only way to describe the smell inside of the car was 'sour'. But when it was really cold in the winter... not so bad.

[@HoosierDaddy_]

@@LakeNipissing * oh man, that reminds me of a Ford Taurus my son now drives. A milk jug leaked in the back seat floor and it smelled so bad I couldn't drive it! After removing carpet and padding and further cleaning it did smell better. After a few years the smell actually completely disappeared!

[@dkt1976dt]

This style of the Chrysler Town & Country was only made for one year and that was 1990 before the 1991 redesign and revamp when they got more rounded and had airbags and offered optional AWD.

[@dkt1976dt]

@Donald Trump is a Ghetto trick Technically 1984 to 1990, 1987 was the introduction of the Grand Caravan, Voyager and the 3.0 liter V6, 1990 was the introduction of the 3.3 liter V6.

[@gertraba4484]

and the info binnacle too................

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

Even rarer are the very first models sold during the spring and summer of 1989 that had the Mitsubishi 3.0L V6 engine. Chrysler hoped for the Town & Country to be available for the 1989 model year, but it missed that target by six months.

[@DJBiv788]

I’ll take this as a Christmas present. Merry Christmas everyone.

[@ryanpatterson9526]

My junior high crush was delivered to school each morning in one of these beauties. It was like seeing a royal carriage arriving.

[@MrMenefrego1]

Her pappy had cash!

[@t.b.g.504]

Very Preppy.

[@braddietzmusic2429]

I just spent an hour watching this series, and it feels like just a minute passed. Then again, 30 years has passed...

[@jacobnewkirk3385]

I've often wondered why Chrysler went to the trouble of creating the one-year-wonder '90 T&C. They're nearly extinct these days, but that's also becoming true of the 1st-gen Caravans and Voyagers, too. My parents bought a '90 Grand Voyager with the new 3.3 and Ultradrive transmission. The first 6 months were hell on wheels, with the transmission going out twice, and the distributorless ignition packing it in on a trip to St. Louis. Back then, you couldn't get a car repaired in St. Louis on a weekend, so we drove it back to Indiana on something less than 6 cylinders. These were the kind of problems that sullied Chrysler's image for a number of years ... some folks still haven't come back.

[@jacobnewkirk3385]

@Aluminum Chicken True, and to a large degree it worked. The Dodge Journey STILL uses that same transmission and it's probably one of Chrysler's best. I've heard it's going to be discontinued next summer, which is a shame.

[@dillonh321]

Yeah it's a shame Chrysler has a bad rep from their mistakes. I do love their products. You just gotta be careful which one/year you buy. For example, I have a loaded 2005 PT Cruiser. 2001-2002 PT had some mechanical issues, 2003-2005 were reliable, 2006+ had electrical issues. Most PTs were trash really. Except for 3 years out of the 10 years of production.

[@guynese977]

they are not exstint..lol

[@cpufreak101]

I mean, these days it isn't even Chrysler anymore, it's Fiat.

[@CJDiecast]

0:43, brand new van and already a parking light is burnt out. Good ole Chrysler quality at its finest.

[@21Piloteer]

Burned out or never installed! lol

[@fernandochaves9665]

You may like the 2D Toys channel with hot wheels and others.

[@igotajopamerica3040]

I had total of 7 of these vans. Two I actually drove, others for parts good motor or trans. I get right around 377,000 to 400,000 miles on a transmission or motor pretty consistent for me. I'd write down the miles of the vehicles I got the trans or motor out of so I knew when it was getting close to changing time. I had a mechanic friend that would pull the motor or trans and put it in the one I drove for $150 GOOD VANS.

[@leonardwashington6456]

Garbage when new, garbage now.

[@robwwhit3453]

Brett, your life?

[@leonardwashington6456]

@@robwwhit3453 my life is fine, thanks for asking

[@igotajopamerica3040]

@@leonardwashington6456 which part was garbage?

[@nicholashargett2040]

The old 90s town and country is better than the 2000s town and countrys minivans

[@thetetons744]

I love both of them. I'd say the pre-facelift gen4 are just as good as the ones from the 80s and 90s (the ones from 2004 and earlier before they gave up on build quality and interior comfort)

[@ReadyRock215]

The third gen had the best build quality 96-00

[@howtobebasic2122]

@@ReadyRock215 they rotted out at this point

[@howtobebasic2122]

@@thetetons744 they rotted out from rust

[@nicholashargett2040]

@@ReadyRock215 true

[@TurboMan942]

Oh yeah, Motorweek gave us a woody on Christmas morn

[@boisegameshowguy]

Faux Craig Singhouse 😂

[@eltonjohn3236]

The leather in those Town and Country's smelled so good.

[@socialray4252]

My dad accidentally ran me over with one of these when I was 7.

[@chrisj197438]

Social Ray How bad were you hurt?

[@socialray4252]

@@chrisj197438 I got a nice gash in my rib cage from the sliding door and tread marks from my ankle to my ass on my right side. No broken bones.

[@chrisj197438]

Social Ray I bet it scared the hell out of your parents!!

[@sdrape4964]

Yes... "Accidentally" ☺😁😂 I say that in jest, of course. But yes, it's amazing it's taken as long as it did for rear cameras to become standard.

[@shanet7511]

Their post-birth abortion failed

[@sczuylevch13]

Used to ride in one of these every Christmas for years as a kid! Merry Christmas!

[@heathersanborn4914]

I remember that the seats especially the front were super comfortable and had a great driving position, I've always had Suburbans for my family hauler but the minivan wasn't bad at all, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

[@keithmartin1328]

Brings back memories. My family had this as a rental car back in 1990 when we visited the west coast of America.

[@mikeyveloster7615]

I love the woodgrain on this Town & Country minivan and the woody PT Cruiser

[@FoDaddy]

Those brakes must've had some serious fade. The average was 147 feet, but in the video the van is shown getting stopped just before the 130 ft mark.

[@fernandochaves9665]

They also hit the brakes well after the first mark, or i'm not seeing well.

[@SP84Fanatic]

These are the rarest Chrysler minivans. I’ve seen less than 10 of these in New England, and all were white like the one tested in this video.

[@AWDfreak]

The first two generations of the old Chrysler Town and Country are so insanely rare. I've seen only one generation, and only three second generation models of my short three-decade-ish life.

[@drivedb7]

SP84Fanatic - I just saw one yesterday in the grocery store parking lot and was stunned. It was (predictably) white, no rust anywhere and was driven by an old man. God bless old people and their pristinely-kept cars I guess lol

[@SP84Fanatic]

AWDfreak Growing up, one of my neighbors had a green second-generation Town & Country minivan and I always admired it because it was so uncommon amongst the other minivans in my area. I liked the faux crystal hood ornament, gold accented alloy wheels, and body-colored waterfall grille.

[@leonardwashington6456]

Most of them have been crushed because they were garbage when new

[@mercurysable9921]

i saw a 2nd gen town and country (admittedly in terrible condition) back in october. i've never seen a 1st gen though

[@tuowl0564]

As others have said I don't remember this particular T&C design. They became extremely popular in the Northeast once they were redesigned in 1991. I was born in '82 so as a kid I caught the tail end of land yachts still around, station wagons being family haulers and the rise of the minivan. My dad was always a Ford guy so we got the '91 Aerostar/'96 Windstar combo. The Windstar was legitimately pretty nice but the Aerostar felt too trailerparkish from the time it was new.

[@donaldwilson2620]

I don't think I've ever seen a 1990 Chrysler Town & Country on the road because it's such a rare model. Yet it did pave the way for current high end luxury minivans such as the Honda Odyssey Touring and Elite, Toyota Sienna Limited, and Chrysler Pacifica Limited.

[@dkt1976dt]

Yes this particular style of Chrysler Town & Country was only available for the 1990 model year, however the 1991-1995 models would be everywhere until the 1996 radical redesign.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

It first went on sale in May 1989, and it initially used the Mitsubishi 6G72 3.0 V-6 engine. Four months later, it switched to Chrysler's 3.3 V-6 engine.

[@davidaubin3902]

1:23 John: BUT THE WIDE EXPANSES OF OBVIOUS PLASTIC AND AGING DASH DESIGN WILL NOT PLEASE BUYERS USED TO THE TEUTONIC EFFICIENCY OF MANY CURRENT LUXURY CARS! LOL

[@Poopsticle_256]

Oh my god I love this. Thank you for the Christmas present Motorweek. Long live the K-Vans!

[@thejesusgeek24]

My parents had a 1990 Plymouth Grand Voyager SE 3.3 V6. They bought it new and sold it in 2005 with over 200,000 miles on it. We used it on several trips and even towed an 18' boat on the weekends. Probably the most practical vehicle they ever had.

[@250gto9]

How many transmissions did it go through?

[@thejesusgeek24]

@@250gto9 My dad knew that they were prone to transmission failure so he put a temperature gauge for the transmission on the dash. When they first bought it they had a few issues but never had to replace the transmission.

[@dragon81heart]

Haha now THIS is a Christmas present!! 🎁 Thank you Motorweek!!! Merry Christmas to you all! 🎄

[@PistonJunkeez302]

Love retros! Remember as a kid growing up!

[@redneon06]

A new video! What a great Christmas present! Thanks Motorweek!

[@TralfazConstruction]

1990 is now _thirty_ years ago. Let that sink-in. I began to think of that perspective on New Year's Day.

[@MadMac5]

So, $25,000 in 1990 is about $49,200 in 2019/early 2020. That sort of cash gets you into a fully-loaded Sienna or a fully-loaded Pacifica PHEV these days, and still have some left over for taxes/registration.

[@cameronlovesevolve]

Oh my god. Merry Christmas indeed 😍

[@DANNYN224]

merry Christmas and happy holidays to the motorweek family love the retro reviews

[@saabstory69420]

Wow what a Christmas gift! Thanks Motor Week!!

[@denzelbullock788]

Not even 45 seconds into the video and the Town & Country already has a fault! The front turn signal is blown.

[@ce9345]

You think MW would have checked the lights to make sure they all worked before filming?

[@goodfellatony84]

I noticed that right away too!

[@dawicked2k8]

@@ce9345 why would MW worry about that? Its Chrysler's fault not sending a working van

[@ce9345]

@@dawicked2k8 because motor week was the one filming not chrysler!

[@dawicked2k8]

@@ce9345 yeah they were filming. But If your company sends your company's product to a reviewer, do you send them said product in perfect condition or do you send them the product in whatever condition? Of course you want your potential customers that you have a quality product

[@Jsah11]

Love these old retro reviews

[@rightlanehog3151]

Merry Christmas Team MotorWeek!!

[@rileysmith9843]

I remember going to Grandma’s in this van.

[@landyachtfan79]

Probably the only old school RR you have posted yet that I didn't see first-run!!!!!! A luxurious leather-lined minivan to take us all to Grandma's/the relatives'!!!!!!!! Happy Holidays to everyone at MotorWeek!!!!!! 2:55..........AH...........THE INFAMOUS ULTRADRIVE TRANSMISSION!!!!

[@jtckentucky3481]

A new retro review video for Christmas, yes!! I love it!!

[@ohguy1991]

Hahaha passenger side marker light already has a burned out bulb!

[@scdevon]

If it was even the bulb at all. Quality control was pretty bad on these. Missing parts. Connectors not plugged in, etc.

[@mlpattersonfisher1901]

I've owned three of these. A '92, an '05, and our current '11. Absolutely love the T&C.

[@turbominivan60]

Been through several of the turbo models. love these things.

[@MrMenefrego1]

*My uncle custom ordered 1990 Chrysler 'Town and Country' minivan, with all the bells & whistles. He is a Chrysler guy from way back, and still owns several classic Chrysler products from the '60's-'90's which are still stored in his massive garages; including the 1990 minivan. The odometer now reads over 200-k on the American designed and manufactured six-banger, but, she looks and runs like new. Due to his persnickety attention to every detail, it has never needed any major drive-train work at all, just typical maintenance. He is a cabinetmaker, and even went so far as to carefully fit authentic (thin) wooden panels where the fake ones once resided, looks great too! The Minivan was a Chrysler innovation, sadly, one of their last... unless you consider being mostly owned by Fiat an innovation.*

[@COYGunners]

j.d. di giusto 90’s Chrysler was the best Chrysler

[@MrMenefrego1]

@@COYGunners *I agree that the '90 Chrysler T&C minivan was an awesomely designed and well engineered vehicle... but, Chrysler manufactured so many amazing and innovative automobiles that it would be difficult to choose just one that was their best design. BTW., Merry Christmas!*

[@COYGunners]

j.d. di giusto Merry Christmas mate. I agree with you, Chrysler was a great company, k platform was one of the first attempts of what we know today as modular platforms. So sad Chrysler was so mismanaged in the 2000’s, everything was fucked up with the Mercedes merging.

[@mikeyu3159]

You should email Doug DeMuro and have him review it

[@MrMenefrego1]

@@mikeyu3159 Who?

[@carterandhisfamily7888]

Just brings me back to being a kid

[@crazysteve9390]

Nice looking van

[@MrChrisbreezy10]

Love those town and country vans so classic and retro even the ones up to 99

[@adamsooker3667]

I remember as a kid we had one where the A/C didnt work and we always got cooked to death in the back seats lol.

[@eoinmaclean6478]

Oh the nostalgia! As a kid I thought the fake exterior wood paneling on vans and station wagons was a cool touch. On a side note, my 7th grade teacher had the Plymouth version in a maroon red color.

[@garbage854]

Cool 😀 Happy Holiday's

[@thetetons744]

THIS IS THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER

[@Sanpedranoazul]

This was a very classy design, loved it!

[@jessieharbinjr.6589]

I like the 94-95 interior better than the older models

[@chrisj197438]

I had a 1990 Caravan with the 3.0 Mitsubishi V6. It was a very reliable vehicle for over 200K miles. I gave it to a friend in need and she drove it for a few years without trouble until she was in a position to get a newer car.

[@fernandorocha-dx1wv]

VEry beuatiful the Chrysler Town & coubtry, my faovrite styling

[@m.stewart7208]

OMG, I forgot that I was alive when minivans had only one sliding door... which I also incidentally just now remembered that minivans had only one sliding door.

[@fortunatejeremy]

It's been so long since I've been in a minivan I didn't even know they had two sliding doors now.

[@svtirefire]

Suburbans used to have 2 or 3 doors

[@steveespinola7652]

How can you forget that, Even I remember when Minivans use to have only one sliding door and I'm an 80's kids though it is rare now to see them around.

[@mattdavis9601]

Depending on how you classify the Mercedes Benz Metris, some minivans still only have one sliding door.

[@quentinwooten30]

Those Serial killer gloves while he was testing the van really gave me chills

[@jaydenfajardo833]

merry chrysler

[@derekchisholm972]

Jayden Fajardo underrated comment. Best place to say it!

[@azk8584]

Jayden Fajardo HOW DARE YOU

[@azk8584]

Derek Chisholm ‘underrated’? Lol stupid comment

[@derekchisholm972]

Thanks!

[@minivanmaster]

Marry crisis

[@veenus93]

I can't recall going any place when I was a kid where you wouldn't see these vans. I remember my friend's mom had a 1995 Plymouth Grand Voyager in dark blue with gray leather and captain's chairs in the second row.

[@jeepthing98]

My fam bought a 1990 Grand Caravan LE new, blue with the wood-grain applique also. Didn't have the leather or fancy wheels but was otherwise similar. If I recall correctly, it was around $21,000. John mentioned these T&Cs came in black or white. Iv'e never seen a black one but I bet it would look cool with those wheels and grill in matching black.

[@805NAVE]

I’m dying , just DYING to see a motorweek retro review of the 2002-2006 Lexus ES300/330! There has to be a video

[@annieoakley5022]

Geez motor week...forgot to check the marker lights before filming? Lol. Pass front half on...half off

[@crazyeyez1502]

🤣 3:33 i noticed that too

[@markgoldenberg870]

The Chrysler town and country first generation was only sold for 1 model year in 1990

[@pho3nix-]

We need to bring back wood paneling

[@oliverdelgado6952]

Nice jacket John

[@rightlanehog3151]

Incomparable.

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

HE'S AGED REALLY BAD. I THINK HE DIED.

[@keanuuchiha1306]

@@captainamericaamerica8090 you do realize he's almost 70 right

[@jaybee2344]

@@brandon18054 I watch new episode's almost every Sat

[@drewandjeffers5695]

Is there a programming mode for this vehicle like when your programming a key remote?

[@dimaslopez-dejesus2371]

Merry Christmas from MotorWeek Chrysler Town & Country 1990 model year!

[@giovannimartinez1077]

My mom owns the 2014. THIS WONDERFUL VAN IS GETTING FAMOUSSS

[@sarvente889]

I will take this as a Christmas present :D

[@FoDaddy]

@1:10 check out that panel gap between the bumper cover and the grille. There's a about 1 inch variation from one side to the other.

[@daniellowell2157]

4:06 ...and Chrysler would deliver for the next model year. That leads me to ask: why did Chrysler bother to release a 1990 Town and Country at all? They should've waited until 1991.

[@cameronlovesevolve]

Daniel Lowell they probably had so much old stock sitting around they were looking for any excuse to toss a trip computer into anything 😂

[@brettcannon74]

Because they were in high demand, why not if they could make a buck?

[@jesuscrust13]

Daniel Lowell whatever the reason was, the end goal for all was money.

[@daniellowell2157]

@@cameronlovesevolve Ooh, good point. We take trip computers for granted these days.

[@sdrape4964]

Of all the Gen 1 Chrysler minivans, I liked this one the best. I only ever recall seeing about 5 of them in my youth, but since it was a 1-year only van, I guess it makes sense.

[@McRocket]

Not first comment. Merry Christmas all.

[@punchy207]

merry Chrysler

[@SS-ug1qy]

In 90s having wood interior wasn’t luxury enough, they put it outside of the vehicle

[@XLGravy]

1990 is 30 years ago...

[@briandjordjevic9969]

Gorgeous

[@beezertwelvewashingbeard8703]

In 1990, new minivan buyers might have opted for the new Lumina MPV or its GM twins, of which you see zero of those on the roads anymore. I don't think I've seen one of these T&C vans in forever either.

[@peter455sd]

Great car,super comfy

[@mayclarque4123]

Where do you get a shirt like John was wearing in the beginning? It’s very nice.

[@AaronSmith-kr5yf]

$25,000 in 2019 dollars is about 50k. Which is what a loaded Sienna or Oddessey sells for now days, but man those vans have so many more toys, more power, so much better brakes, more room, and way more useful folding seats.

[@ThorMaxx]

I like how the test vehicle had a burnt out turn signal lamp

[@nickgee7291]

My mom had one! Ha! It was so popular when I was in elementary school!

[@kariboobins]

X-Mas special? Not bad. Thanks MotorWeek.

[@steveespinola7652]

The last time I saw a First generation Chrysler Town&Country was three years ago and I haven't seen one since then ( by the way it was white with matching rims and in excellent condition, the owner took really good care of it)

[@baronvonjo1929]

I think the modern Chrysler Pacifica does a good job of living up to being a Chrysler minivan. I'm not sure how it will be compared to reliability but it is for a minivan a looker and has many nice features and especially a better name.

[@nicolasnicolas999]

My mom had the 1990 Grand Caravan LE. It had all the same options as the T&C. Even our mirrors were body colored. I’m guessing it was done by the dealer because our Caravan seemed to be the only one with body colored mirrors.

[@drewgus6769]

Even the 3.3 v6 was too slow, but they were fun to drive and would squeal the tires.

[@bobbydavenport5121]

I really like minivans you can haul quite a bit in them pretty versatile

[@jwagner1993]

Nice box! Like AstroVan.

[@tgardone]

Ha ha, I remember we had a 1990 Dodge Caravan when I was a kid. All I remember is the square interior and extremely heavy sliding door

[@darnezzi]

This is the rarest of all Chrysler Van's. And the first to wear the Chrysler name. They were some very reliable vans much more than today's vans.

[@christianobrien4465]

It's so funny I'm watching this 1990 Chrysler Town and Country minivan MotorWeek and the first thing it shows is that the front shot of the minivan that yeah the two lights the Amber running lights on the passenger side one of the light bulbs blowing out so funny

[@303nitzubishi4]

Yeah that was the first thing I noticed. Chrysler made leaps and bounds in quality in the early 80s but it faded fast, and that little detail was The norm by the early 90s

[@RomanM803]

The van that pave the way for Honda and Toyota.

[@richardunicorn7879]

Chrysler must have known what they were doing. There's still a lot of this body style Town&Country/ Voyagers on the roads today.

[@zanesutherland406]

I've got an '89 Dodge Caravan that I got for $400 from my pastor. Acceleration is terrible but still fun to drive.

[@Timbrock1000]

$25,000 sticker price from 1990 is equivalent to about $49,000 today .

[@42luke93]

Makes sense. Our loaded minivans can go to 60 grand now.

[@MAGNUM05]

You don't see too many of these anymore. Most of them nowadays are very rare and hard to find.

[@disan9135]

This is a true gem. I only saw ONE in my life compared to the Caravan and Voyager models.

[@COYGunners]

It’s amazing but I still see A LOT of these (and it’s siblings) roaming around in rural american roads.

[@scdevon]

They are easy to work on and they get around pretty well in the winter with decent tires. Parts are dirt cheap too.

[@COYGunners]

@@scdevon well that’s pretty reasonable. Now I c the appealing to struggling families.

[@scdevon]

@@COYGunners Ugly as F and boring, but they are really practical for broke families. You can't beat a shoe box on wheels for moving people and stuff around.

[@drewandjeffers5695]

Excuse me, can somebody tell me how do you turn on and off the hazard lights in this vehicle?