hmk123

We have had our 2009 Journey SE now for 4 years. Only option it has is the family package. It has 48k miles on it and we are still very happy with it. My wife drove it for the first 3.5 years but we got her a little Fiat 500 and I have been driving it now since the summer as my daily driver. It drives well and is comfortable. I use the Journey primarily around town for shopping trips and to drive to work each day (40 miles round trip). I am still amazed how much car we got for the money and I love how much room it offers. This is an easy, uncomplicated car. Nothing beeps at you or annoys you. It has also been very reliable. Yes, the brakes wore out a bit prematurely but Chrysler reimbursed us for that. So I cannot complain. No other issues other than an occasional odor out of the vent for a little while. Thought it might be a radiator leak but the pressure test was fine and the smell went away over time. So it might have been something environment related. I have also been fine with its powertrain. I think the shifts are smooth and if you know how it delivers power it is all good. There is too much silly talk about avoiding the 4 cylinder. If you live in a flat area and drive this car around town and on freeways it is just fine. I appreciate it for what it is: a very comfortable, reliable, roomy, inexpensive vehicle.

We have an 09 Journey SE. We have 18k miles on it. We bought it in Dec 08 and I think it was built in April or May that year. Done service every 3000 miles and havent had any problems yet. Tires are ok. Brakes were checked at 15k miles service and are still ok. I hope/assume they will last another 10k miles. So far no problems at all.

Don't get me wrong. Overall I think the Edge is a very attractive car and it looks like the Ford 3.5L V6 is a pretty good engine. The Dodge V6 has been around for a while and will one day be replaced by their new Pentastar engine. Everyone has different needs. I wanted a cheap car with cheap tires and not much to it since our other car is a Magnum SRT8. Brakes, tires, etc. on that car are expensive enough :-) So did you get the white R/T? And if so how do you like it so far?

We have had no issues at all. Bought the car about a year ago for $18k (SE with Family Package) and have put 13.5k miles on it. Only been to the dealer for oil changes and while there they did two TSBs. And although the deal seemed stellar, a few days after we had bought it the local Ford dealer had the Edge SE on sale for around $19.5k for about 2 weeks. I felt a bit stupid at first because for just a little more we could have gotten a car with a V6. So I sat in an Edge. I am pretty tall and I didn't like the way the windshield sloped. I didn't try different seating positions but with the way the seat was I didn't like it. Too close to the roof. Also, other than the instrument panel I like the interior of the Journey better. Must be personal taste. I never like how many buttons Ford puts onto their dash (and don't like the look and feel of their buttons; had a new Thunderbird a while back). I always find the Mopar layouts a lot more functional and practical (two outlets in the front (well located), plenty of room in the front for phones, MP3 player, drinks, etc). And if you don't get leather on an Edge I don't find there to be a world of difference in interiors. We love the YES seats and how easy we can clean them. Also, the Dodge came with a 6 disc CD/DVD player with 6 speakers. The Ford did not. We have used the car for hauling several things including a bathroom cabinet. Not sure it would have fit in the Edge. About the Escape: friend of mine has the first gen and I can tell you the Journey does have quite a bit more backseat room. The only complaint we had in the beginning was the power of the 4 cylinder. But the engine got better after about 3000 miles and now feels adequate. Especially around town. And we like the ride quality. Took it to Yosemite and it rode and handled just fine. Also when I learned about the Edge last year I checked out two Ford Edge forums and there were sure some very concerning complaints. I don't remember but there were some about either the transmission or suspension where the TSB was very complicated and the owners didn't feel comfortable that their dealer could perform it. But I assume that is an issue of the past.

Too bad to hear about all your troubles. We have had our SE now for about a year and have $13k miles on it and so far had no problems at all. TSBs were done during oil changes. We got the car at a good price and really appreciate its versatility. Am also pleased with the suspension and ride quality.

I noticed the same. After about 3000 to 5000 miles the engine seemed to have a better pick up. At first it felt underpowered, especially going up hills. Now it feels adequate. After one year and 13k miles I am very happy with our purchase.

We have had our Journey SE since last December. Almost 5000 miles on it and no issues so far. It will go in for the recall soon (power outlet cable issue). We do have the family pack so we have the stain resistant seats. Had no problems getting stains of those with just water. We use it as a work horse and mainly around town and so the 4 cylinder is just fine. When merging onto the freeway you have to plan right since of course it does not accelerate too fast. But once it is going, it goes well. My Magnum SRT8 is on the other side of the spectrum. It goes almost too fast. Around town the Journey makes a lot more sense and we like it a lot. And I do like the turn signal thing. The Magnum does the same.

Have the basic SE as well. First thing we did is go to the local Circuit City store. They installed an Alarm system for $199 (including the install) and now we have keyless entry (it came with two remotes). So far it has been working great. Install was done in 3 hours. We got the Python 460HP.

Out here in Northern California (SF Bay Area) I don't see too many Journeys yet. I think that it is a very practical and good looking car. Wonder if Dodge needs to advertise it more. How is it in your neighborhood? Do you start seeing more?

Thanks! Your Journey seems really nice with Rear Video etc. And your truck looks very fast!!! Which one do you have there? Is that an SRT10? Bet it goes up any mountain in no time!

Wanted to help out the domestic auto industry and so we traded in my wife's 2002 Nissan Sentra for a Journey SE with Family Package. It was on sale at the local dealer for $17888. To me that is a lot of car for the money. Especially if you consider it got several airbags, ABS, ESP, etc. I think it drives very well and has lots of room. How good is the 2.4L in this car? Granted, I think it can use a bit more power but it depends on what you use it for. This car is intended for driving around town and so this engine will do more than fine. And it is ok for the highway. My wife sometimes complains a bit about the lack of acceleration. But I just wanted something basic since our other car is a 2006 Magnum SRT8 in which we have more than enough power. Overall we are very happy with the car: we like the way it looks and drives and how roomy it is. Although have to admit one thing: a week later we saw a new 2008 Edge SE at the local dealer for 30% off. First it was like $19.5k and now it is down to $17.5k. Given that it has a bigger engine it might have been an alternative. I sat in one though (could not move the seats) and it felt tight for a 6'2" person in the front.