nycphotography

Soooooo...... the Ford Freestar work truck died a dramatic freeway death (transmission failure stranded in the middle of nowhere) and is going to the big Ford scrapyard in the sky. Or maybe just the damn crusher, my punishment for stranding me. ha.

So now I have to replace it. The search is easier these days... no Fords, no Chevys, nobody left in the minivan market but Dodge. (Toyota and Honda don't count... they're tall cars, not trucks with seats).

So I decided on a 2012 or newer Town and Country with under 30k miles. They are leather. They ride nice. They are almost like the Mercedes minivan that Mercedes never made. You can see the MB influence throughout... leather, chrome on dash, black ash trim, grille and exterior chrome treatment. I guess if you have to drive a damn mini van 1) it should be nice and 2) it should at least somewhat dignified.

So I'll get some nice wheels for it too.

Now... the big question: Dark Blue, Charcoal Gray, or Black?

I'm thinking the chrome (and wheels) really begs for black. But my g/f is fixed on "not black". I could say black it is and that your punishement for liking Brady and the %#^@%^4-!#$@# Patriots But I figured hey lets get some outside opinions.

FWIW, the other car in the garage is a black on black on black CLK63 cab. Lots of black and chrome going on already.

So what do you think? Feel free to include pictures :-)

smo0othride

Mercedes does make minivan, it's called the R class.

nycphotography

The R class is not a minivan, it's a crossover. It's really not even a crossover, it's really a tall wagon. The GLA and GLE are crossovers.

It does not have one (or two) side cargo door(s).

What makes a Pacifica or an Edge unsuitable for my purposes is not (primarily) the lower roof... it's the lack of removable or fold down seats and side cargo access. If I wanted to crawl in through the back on my hands and knees, I'd just get a pickup with a cap.

Shadow5501

Mercedes does make a minivan. It's called the V-class or Vito. They don't sell it in the US, but I've ridden in a million of them overseas.

Don't understand your comment regarding Honda and Toyota. All minivans are unit body, front drive - essentially tall cars. None of them are body on frame construction like a truck. The Honda is substantially larger than the Chrysler, if that matters to you. Chrysler has those seats that fold into the floor, though they are not at all comfortable for actually sitting in...

nycphotography

There you go... V class. Never heard of it, but yes, it looks like I would have considered it.

As to the Honda and Toyota, fair or not, I just don't think they're built as sturdy. Ford, Dodge and Chevy all used to build solid minivans. You could grossly exceed their "rated" capacities without hurting them. The Toyotas just seem like Africa vans to me... a bullet proof shell that will run forever. And the Hondas... just never really seem to have any soul. Like if a minivan isn't already generic enough, the Honda is like the generic of the generics.

I wish the new Ford or Dodge minis were viable... but they just aren't yet. Neither holds a 4x8 sheet. And neither can be built with a comfy cabin and a back that can do real work. The contractor models are SOOO horrible that I wouldn't want to drive them 3 miles to Lowes, let alone 3 hours. I think in a few years they'll realize comfy sells... I mean just look at the 150/1500 pickups.

nycphotography

I wonder why they never sold them here? Unable to get even close to the US and Japanese on price maybe?