My Journey With DJ

About two months ago I hit a quarter of a million miles on my '09 Journey (I have a video of it rolling over but it exceeds the allowable upload limit). I bought it in December 2011 when it had 44,268 miles on it. Two of the years I've owned it I was working overseas so all my mileage was put on in a nine and a half year period (~22,000 miles per year). My children were still little when I bought it and I would say we have put as many memories on it as we have put miles on it. "DJ" (my youngest was the one who started calling it DJ and the name has stuck for obvious reasons) has its quirks, but then again, so do I, lol. So I don't think this Journey will come to an end in the foreseeable future.

If I could change one thing on my Journey it would be for the back end opening to be at least 48 inches wide. Those extra couple of inches would make a big difference when buying materials for home DIY repairs.

Add alternator to the list of repairs; mine went out late Thanksgiving night about five hours from home. I was at a highway rest stop when it died so I just slept in the car til morning then called around until I found a mechanic who was open and could fit me in. Not the best thing you want to happen during holiday travel but they had me in and out under two hours and didn't charge an exorbitant price even though they would've had me over a barrel given my situation.

Not just teenagers, I was older than I care to admit before I really became diligent about car maintenance. I think maybe it's because I didn't grow up around that kind of example but fortunately I finally got there.

Thank you!

Thank you, I have the 3.5L. Aside from some body work and routine maintenance (e.g., oil changes, filters, tires, etc.), the only major repairs since October 2018 (which is how far back my Excel spreadsheet I use to track expenditures on repairs/upkeep goes) include radiator, engine mounts, brakes (twice), water pump (to include timing component and serpentine belt), heater core flush, sunroof leak, TIPM, and a tire/wheel issue I don't recall the specifics of (I didn't annotate the details in the spreadsheet so I need to find the paper copy of the receipt). I have all maintenance receipts stored away somewhere from the entire time I've owned the vehicle so I can update this list later after I've had a chance to locate them. Based on the spreadsheet, I averaged ~$187 a month in repairs/upkeep since October 2018. Aside from routine upkeep and periodic suggested preventative maintenance, that includes six instances where I had a repair bill over $500 (mostly the things listed above). Given the number of "larger" repairs during this period, I'm curious to see how different that average will be over the nearly eleven years I've had the vehicle once I get the paper records out of storage and update the spreadsheet. I can (and intend to) cut that figure down dramatically by doing more maintenance and repairs myself, especially with everyone raising their prices these days (e.g., the cost of an oil change by my mechanic in February of this year was 20% higher than what he charged in October 2020). The last time I took the vehicle to a mechanic was April of this year so the average over the past six months is extremely low. I started doing a lot of the work on my own this summer; YouTube videos are very helpful for familiarizing yourself with things you haven't done before. I charged the AC myself for the first time, which might not seem like a big deal to someone with a lot of mechanical experience but spending $5-10 on a can of refrigerant versus who knows how much a mechanic would charge made me happy. But the one that really made me happy was the TIPM. My mechanic said it would cost me $1,200-2,000 to have a new one installed, or maybe only $300-600 to have someone try to repair it. I watched a bunch of online videos on how to replace it, then I found a local junkyard that had my model and I was able to get one for ~$20 that I then installed myself. I also bought one of those diagnostic modules that plugs in under the dash so I can read the error codes and start doing more repairs on my own. I agree with you about the miles and the maintenance. Due to the high amount of miles I drive, I probably go through tires and brakes quicker than the average driver. Also, in the past when I didn't know as much about car maintenance, I typically drove vehicles into the ground. When I bought this one I already had a good mechanic who was as ethical as he was knowledgeable, so it was easy and affordable to maintain it. He retired a couple of years ago and his shop recommended me to my current mechanic. It's a NAPA shop, they do good work and they're good people, but being a corporate shop you are paying corporate prices.

Thank you!

I fully understand about the minivan. Before the Journey, I had a '99 Grand Caravan and used it often for cargo transport. On one occasion I fit 16 sheets of drywall inside it and on another, 25 bundles of roof shingles. It sat low on the axle with the shingles but I got them home (which was only a few miles from the store).

I bought this vehicle in 2011 with 44,628 miles on it. My kids were still little (my youngest is now a senior in high school) and we have had many family trips and adventures with "DJ". Every now and then I think about getting a new vehicle but I really like not having a car payment (plus the insurance is so low due to its age). Truth is, I've driven DJ for so long that I've gained a familiarity with it that I would miss with a new vehicle (e.g., seeing a parallel parking spot and knowing exactly whether I will fit or not, handling expectations based on road type/conditions, hitting buttons without looking, etc.). When I think back over the past eleven years about all the people that have come and gone in my life, major changes that happened in the world, and all the places I have been to, DJ has really been one of the biggest constants in my life so it is hard to imagine my life without DJ. I don't know how long I will be able to keep DJ going, I know that all good things eventually come to an end, but until that day arrives I will keep on enjoying the Journey.

2009 Dodge Journey SXT 234,406 miles

2009 Dodge Journey SXT 234,406 miles No major mechanical issues that I recall off the top of my head (when I get the chance I will look through my service records to double check), most of my major repairs have been collision/accident damage-related. The biggest repair headache was a leaking sunroof after it was replaced due to damage from a hailstorm. But the repair shop finally got it fixed right (even sending a tow truck over 100 miles to my house to pick it up and drop off a rental). I bought it in 2011 so it is definitely the longest I have ever owned the same vehicle. I'm very pleased with how long, and how well, it has lasted. I'm not the gentlest driver and I definitely put on the miles so for it to still be running so well amazes me to be honest, lol

I went to U-haul and had a trailer hitch installed for less than $400 on my '09 SXT; an option to keep in mind if you still have your '11.

In May of 2020 when you posted this I had just over 187,000 miles on my 09 SXT. I'm at 234,406 now and just curious how much yours is up to at this point?

My 2009 SXT has 234,406 miles on it. I bought it used in 2011 with 44,628 miles so I am coming up on 200,000 miles that I've put on it myself.