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.
