The Pacifica would be the automotive equivalent to a jail term.

The LT1 was a great motor in stock form and it also had tons of aftermarket development and support.

Any wagon that weighed 4500 lbs and could turn consistent mid 14 second quarter miles (stock) is worth its weight in fake wood grain.

It’s not hard at all to find videos of 12 second wagons that are just lightly modified…and even those owners that aren’t up for drag racing seem to LOVE these cars.

Any fan base for the Pacifica yet? Any at car shows? Aftermarket parts?

*crickets chirping*

Oddly enough the SWB version sold comparitively well in Canada. One of the reasons I think the Journey is selling is because customer’s accustomed to the older, smaller minivans are put-off by the super-sized Caravan and go for the smaller alternative. (I still think that IF Chryco survives, they could have a winner on their hands, as humdrum as it may be, if they play their cards right. Remember, cars-as-appliances is a huge market.)

BDB: “The thing that pisses me off about the Journey is that they killed the short wheelbase Caravan to make room for it. Dumb move, especially when gas prices when through the roof.”

Didn’t seem like too bright an idea to me, either. The SWB Caravan was a direct descendent of the tremendously successful 1983 Chrysler minivan and retained all the correct dimensions and corresponding benefits of the original. Killing it in favor of the less practical (but more stylish) Journey was a bonehead move.

Going to a traditional, four-door, station wagon configuration (even a tall station wagon that mimicked the look of an SUV) eliminated a couple of major features of the minivan, ie., the sliding doors and walk-thru from the front passenger seat to the rear.

Of course, the Mazda MPV minivan was packaged even better and it, apparently, didn’t sell well enough to stop being eliminated and replaced by not one, but three vehicles: the smaller Mazda5 and larger (but substantially more expensive and less practical) Mazda CX-7 and CX-9.

The MPV and SWB Caravan were sized ‘just right’ but, unfortunately, the American auto consumer just didn’t see it that way when they were shopping for a new family mover. Those buyers were all gravitating to the much bulkier Sienna and Odyssey which, like the sole remaining Chrysler ‘minivan’, the Grand Caravan, had all really crossed over into large van territory.

I wonder that same thing. Of course, it seems like the only people left who still officially like station wagons are… car guys. Go figure. Everyone else wants something station-wagon like, they just want it called something else.

Steve Green: “In short, she needed a station wagon.”

I wonder if this was the real issue with the Pacifica. Chrysler kept tap-dancing around calling it what it really was, avoiding at all costs what all auto companies have for years perceived as the kiss-of-death in vehicle class: the large station wagon.

It will be interesting to see how the Toyota Venza fares. That thing has Pacifica written all over it.

Dude, seriously! The four-wheeled egg with the mid-engine motor that NO ONE wants to work on? The one with barely enough beans to puff its way through traffic and rusts faster than Limbaugh swallows another Oxycottin? Please tell me you’re kidding.

It rusts way slower than Limbaugh’s pill habit. Only a 70s fiat or a dodge aspen can match that.

OK it’s not super sexy OK.

Mid engine – allwheel drive – 93 with 187000 – runs like a very slightly wobbly top. Fine around town – if you’re coming to a really steep hill: gather all the speed you can and don’t slow down.

I take it back – SUPER SEXY – to meet more girls you’d have to buy a puppy.

Awesome and super sexy.

Dude, seriously! The four-wheeled egg with the mid-engine motor that NO ONE wants to work on? The one with barely enough beans to puff its way through traffic and rusts faster than Limbaugh swallows another Oxycottin? Please tell me you’re kidding.

Oddly enough, here in Germany I heard a Dodge ad on the radio:

“Ich bin ein Berliner”
“Mr. Gorbachev: Tear down this wall”
“Yes We Can”

“And again, three other Americans that changed the world. The Dodge Journey, the new family van – now very affordable from your friendly Dodge dealer”

So, here in Germany even an American company is OK with calling a minivan a minivan.

She needed four seats and lots of cargo space, or sometimes to seat five or six. In short, she needed a station wagon.

She didn’t want to spend too much money, and at the time DaimlerChrysler had a very nice deal for Lockheed-Martin employees.

Other than a tire-pressure sensor problem, the wagon has been trouble-free.

Powerful? Nope. But it gets up to speed just fine on highway onramps — even where we live at 7,500 feet above sea level. The seats are comfortable, easy to adjust (that’s one detail Mercedes has had right for years), the interior materials are nice to the touch and well-assembled. And the height is especially great for expecting mothers to get in and out without too much hassle, even during labor.

It’s not a faux-macho SUV. It’s not as stodgy as a minivan. It’s a station wagon. And what she needed was… exactly that. A mom car.

A great car? Nope. But for someone with a kid or two, and a large dog, and a love for buying hundreds of pounds of potting soil at a time at Home Depot, it’s pretty close to great.

The ’90s Chrysler cars were lightyears better looking than the Daimler-Benz models. The 300c, the Charger, the Magnum, the new T&C – these now look cartoonish and crude.

The Concord, the 300D, the old T&C – sculpted, elegant, graceful.

I know, I know, it surprised the hell out of me, too. I happened to look over at a 300c, and noticed it was parked next to a well-preserved Concorde that looked like it just drove off the lot. I was shocked – I remember hating on “cab-forward” so hard when it came out, yet here it was, all sleek and seductive. It wore off when I remembered what kind of powertrain it had, but man, what a good looking car. The old 300, too.

Old Dodges and Sebrings still look like ass, I checked.

Good for you, not for Chrysler. Very good used car bargain.

“the vehicle was plagued with quality problems throughout its run?

You can start here. Enjoy the 212 pages.”

Umm, Jeff if you go to the same website for problems with the 2007 Toyota Camry you get 482 pages:

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0c6927!make=Toyota&model=Camry&ed_makeindex=.f0c6927

So what was your point?

They should market this Pacifica. American families still likes bigger van made in America but saving gas is not on this car. The Van can haul 1/2 of your household furnitures but not this one.

Mileage wasn’t anything to write home about though – 22-23 mpg 100% Highway @ 80mph.

You can start here. Enjoy the 212 pages.