stusrt Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 great reading on this forum - this is my first post - a little history: in 2009, I was getting a divorce, my ex was a Chrysler employee - we always leased the cars through the company - but upon splitting up, I had to go buy one. I only went with Chrysler because I could use her employee discount still. And - this was when the big 3 were in deep trouble, and leasing was not available. I live in the Detroit area, so buying a foreign car is not smart. Also, I have 2 little kids, so I had to get a family car (SUV or crossover). So, basically I bought the Journey because it was the cheapest option for the minimums I needed in a car. I got AWD, premier sound system, DVD system, 3rd row, etc… All for about $22,500 – no other car could come close. I ride a Harley all summer – so this is only for winters and when I have to drive my kids around. After 2.5 years and 24,000 miles – I don’t have anywhere near the problems most others seems to have. I guess I got lucky. The rotors had to be replaced at 16K miles, which really upset me. But nothing else so far. I have just started to feel a shimmer at the front end when driving over 70, or braking at higher speeds. I also sometimes have a rattle inside the dashboard that I can’t locate the source of. These are minor problems – so I feel I got my money’s worth. However, I just don’t like the car. Feels like I’m driving a cheap piece of plastic and it has the worst interior I have ever seen in recent years. I rent cars all the time for business trips, and would say I like 90% of the rentals more than the Journey. The 2011 model is much, much nicer inside (no more cardboard seats) – however it still has the cheap feel to it I don’t like. I also don’t trust the reliability of the car – I will not feel comfortable owning it past the warranty period. GM and Ford seem to have made huge leaps in quality over the last 5-10 years, but Chrysler just seems to be lagging behind. When the 3 year warranty is up – I’m trading it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stusrt Posted July 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 I must say that the AWD really works - after 2 Michigan winters, it is AWESOME in the snow. again - I feel that I got my money's worth - the Journey is just not my style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSUJourney Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 I've had my 2010 Journey SXT for almost two weeks now. I completely agree about the cheapy interior of the Journey. My boss took us to lunch in his rented 2012 Ford Escape and it just felt...I don't know, richer. The plastic surface was more detailed, the buttons and knobs looked more detailed. I got jealous, but overall the Journey is for my wife and two kids under 3 years old, so the industrial plastic doesn't bug me too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derekmclain9 Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 I love the interior on my 2011 journey and i dont find it cheap at all. Everything feels soft and smooth and the seats are really comfortable. I had a pontiac G6 before this and i love this interior much more than i ever did that car. Hopefully they dont have the issues that they have in recent years but i guess only time will tell. I test drove about 9 or 10 suv, crossovers in the 35,000 dollar price range in canada and the journey is the one me and my life feel in love with and felt the nicest to drive. Hopefully you can find that when you trade yours in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stusrt Posted July 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 I rented a 2011 journey - along with some other 2011 chryslers (advenger, charger, and town & country) I agree the 2011 restyling to all chrysler products is a huge improvement - and long overdue - however, they are still behind GM and Ford - I have driven a GMC Terrian - which is the GM direct compeitior to the journey - and the Terrian felt like a much better made car - and just more detailed and better made on the inside. The Ford Flex just blows away the Journey - but is much more expensive. The cheap Japanese cars are the only ones I feel Chrysler is beating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derekmclain9 Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 I also test drove the terrain and it was a bit more expensive for all the options and had less cargo space than the journey. I did enjoy the Terrain and would have considered it but my wife hated the look of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMissouriShooter Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 We have 2009 SXT AWD just turned 54,000 miles and it needed new tires , the dealer checked the brake pads and said the front had about 10k miles remaining. I told him to change them. Rotors were fine. We had a rear axle seal leak at 36k and they repaired it under the lifetime warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archy.69 Posted October 9, 2011 Report Share Posted October 9, 2011 I'm new to the forum,bought a used journey 2010 SE,so far so good,run pretty good .Got 60 000km(37 000 miles) on it.have to do 2 minors recalls(keyswitch and the modules).The brakes are fine wont have to do for a long time.I'm sorry to ear that some peoples have issues with tere journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Official Dodge Support DodgeCares Posted October 10, 2011 Official Dodge Support Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 I'm new to the forum,bought a used journey 2010 SE,so far so good,run pretty good .Got 60 000km(37 000 miles) on it.have to do 2 minors recalls(keyswitch and the modules).The brakes are fine wont have to do for a long time.I'm sorry to ear that some peoples have issues with tere journey. Archy, If you want to PM me your VIN I will check for any other RRT's or TSB's that may apply for when you take the vehicle in for the recalls you have mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archy.69 Posted October 10, 2011 Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Archy, If you want to PM me your VIN I will check for any other RRT's or TSB's that may apply for when you take the vehicle in for the recalls you have mentioned. thanks but the recalls just have been done.And i've check on dodge.com for recalls.Everything have been done . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1pig Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 I rented a 2011 journey - along with some other 2011 chryslers (advenger, charger, and town & country) I agree the 2011 restyling to all chrysler products is a huge improvement - and long overdue - however, they are still behind GM and Ford - I have driven a GMC Terrian - which is the GM direct compeitior to the journey - and the Terrian felt like a much better made car - and just more detailed and better made on the inside. The Ford Flex just blows away the Journey - but is much more expensive. The cheap Japanese cars are the only ones I feel Chrysler is beating. i have the 2011 Journey and agree that its far better than the previous generation. as for being behind GM and Ford? disagree. I have been in the Escape and Edge. The design of the Edge is nice, but... the "feel" is cheap. I think the layout is spotty on the controls... more scattered. The exterior is not as nice. i'm not a huge fan of chrome, and the fat chrome grill is nasty to me. the sport version is nicer, but FAR pricier. As for GM. the plastics are ugly and hard with the feel of a tonka toy. i sat in a friend's Traverse. the interior has a nice layout and the seating room is decent... but the cargo room in the back suffers with the rear seats up. (seating for 5) The Journey has lots of room with the 3rd row stowed. The seats of the Traverse are my biggest gripe. That two-tone textured/netted look may be appealing, but the seats in my '07 Rubicon have the same basic material. they are a PITA to clean, much less KEEP clean. I prefer the darker, softer seat covering in our 2011 Journey and I'm very happy we have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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