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Buying a Used 2014 DJ SXT


madhat111

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Hello there,

Buying a used 2014 DJ SXT 7 passgr. The car has done 51700 kms. Drives well. It's been sitting in the dealer lot for sometime I guess. There are 2 small stone chips in 2 different places in the front fenders. That has been neglected all the while and has started rusting. The dealer negotiated the price needed to fix the paint. which would cost us around 700$cdn. The body shop said that the whole fender needs t be removed and sanded and repainted.

Has anyone encountered this? If I get the body shop work done , any chance of the rust recurring/bubbling back?

Any inputs appreciated here.

thanks.

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Not if it's done correctly. You could request a warranty if you are concerned. Are you buying from a Chrysler/Dodge dealer? If so, make sure all the applicable TSB's, recalls and whatever else needs to be done by the dealer is done before you take posession of it. Welcome to the forum!

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thanks for the response jkeaton. I am buying from a certified dealer [GM] . They are supposed to do a GM certification inspection before they sell the car. The car has done 51700 kms and they have changed the oil and filter in sept 2013. The car has been sitting in the lot for the whole time after that. I guess they would do another service and give it. The car also has one Kumho tire in the driver side and the rest are fuzion tires. Is it also ok to have 2 different brands in the front? Should I be concerned for that?

The dealer said they don't have a body shop in their dealership so I asked the body shop guy who had repaired the fender of my 2012 fusion for me. This guy was recommended by my car mechanic who I have been going to for 16 yrs now. So it is a trusted place. He gave me a quote for 700$.

My only concern was that after it is repaired, the rust should not spread. The price quoted for the car is 15,000 cdn out the door. Trading in for my 2003 chev. venture.

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I'd be more worried about the tires then the rust returning. As was said, it repainted correctly it won't be an issue. The different tires, that might give you a problem if it has AWD. Not so much the tread pattern, but tire size. Even if the tires say they are the same size, it varies a little from manufacture. If not AWD, just put two of the same make on the front and go.

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So the oil was last changed 18 months ago? At what mileage? Or has the unit been sitting on the lot, unused all this time?

That's quite a bit of mileage for a vehicle that's less than 2 years old - and if the oil hasn't been changed - coupled with the 3 replacement and 1 original tire I would be more than concerned about possible abuse and the long term reliability - you only have 9,000 km of bumper-to-bumper warranty left and if there is a major power train claim they may well ask for maintenance records - that 18 month gap could be very costly if something goes wrong.

The battery and tires are areas of concern and, depending on maintenance, there could be more . . . .

One more question; Has the vehicle been in an accident?

I hope the price reflects the risk.

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thanks for replying bramfrank.

Sorry for the typo. the oil was changed sept 2014. No the car has not been in an accident. I saw the carfax reports. The vehicle was a enterprise rental bought in aug 2013.

Yes, the warranty does expire in 9000 kms. I sort of got ready for that one. The vehicle for me will not be making more than 10000kms per year . May be even less so I can adjust with that one if noting major happens.

These people bought the car from rental lot in sept 2014 and then did the oil lube and filter change. They have put it up for sale .since then. As the car is actually listed wrong as 4cyl 2.4L engine and doesnot show the 3rd row or say 7 passenger so it might have missed the search filter for many people.

The car is also in a small town of Scugog about 1 1/2 hrs north from Toronto. The sales might have been pretty slow there too.

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I'd be more worried about the tires then the rust returning. As was said, it repainted correctly it won't be an issue. The different tires, that might give you a problem if it has AWD. Not so much the tread pattern, but tire size. Even if the tires say they are the same size, it varies a little from manufacture. If not AWD, just put two of the same make on the front and go.

the car is not AWD . it is FWD. That's what we were thnking of doing. Maybe changing 2 tires of the same make as soon as we can.

Edited by madhat111
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sorry but what is a TSB?.

They give this GM certified warranty for 10 days I think that I can exchange the vehicle for something else.

BTW, I did go to a few dodge dealers in Toronto, they all seem to be slimeballs. This one didn't seem like that.

Edited by madhat111
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I personally would avoid the vehicle and move on to something else. Aren't the fenders aluminum anyways (shouldn't be rusting). Mismatched tires, sitting on a lot for half a year has to show something bad about the vehicle.

Nothing aginst buying rental vehicles, I owned a prior rental Malibu a few years ago and it was a great, problem free vehicle. But something seems fishy as to why this vehicle has been sitting so long. What price are they asking?

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Why don't you try out some Oshawa Dodge dealers like maybe Durham Dodge . I have been dealing with them since 1999 haven't had a problem ,if you go let me know I will give you a name to see there or go to new car manger like Ted till him who sent you like Bill. I have a 2014 LTD Journey .

Edited by ltdjourney
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I personally would avoid the vehicle and move on to something else. Aren't the fenders aluminum anyways (shouldn't be rusting). Mismatched tires, sitting on a lot for half a year has to show something bad about the vehicle.

Nothing aginst buying rental vehicles, I owned a prior rental Malibu a few years ago and it was a great, problem free vehicle. But something seems fishy as to why this vehicle has been sitting so long. What price are they asking?

Thats sound advise. Too many red flags. I would pass on this too.

Not all Dodge dealers are slimebags.

TSB: Technical Service Bulletin. For issues that don't require an official recall, but the manufacturer has a "bug fix" so to speak.

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Thats sound advise. Too many red flags. I would pass on this too.

Not all Dodge dealers are slimebags.

TSB: Technical Service Bulletin. For issues that don't require an official recall, but the manufacturer has a "bug fix" so to speak.

X 2!

Edited by rolly
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You can buy an extended warranty from Chrysler - up to 7 years and 160,000 km from the in-service date - if anything electronic goes bad it can be VERY expensive.

You should ONLY buy a warranty from Chrysler - no aftermarket ones. If you can get by with a 7 year 115,000 km zero deductible warranty (Chrysler calls it plan 419), you should be able to negotiate a price for less than $2,000 (and before all the Americans start commenting about how expensive it is, that is just the way Chrysler Canada does it and there are no lifetime warranties and such . . . period) - if your vehicle has the 8" screen with navigation the radio alone is a $2,000 item if it breaks . . . though I'd wager that this vehicle only has the 4.3" screen, which precludes navigation.

Edited by bramfrank
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TSB = Technical Service Bulletin. This is something that may need to be done, but it is not an all out recall. If you still have a warranty, the TSB will be covered. If your warranty has expired, you will have to pay for the TSB if you want it performed.

The more I reread this post, I am of the opinion to just walk away. If the DJ was at a Dodge Dealer, I might be more inclined to purchase the vehicle. With all of the things listed, you would be in for the fight of your life with a GM Dealer. Ultimately, the decision is yours. Good luck.

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Getting it for 15,000 cdn on the road for this vehicle. Yes, there is only a 4.3 inch screen. Navigation is not necessary for me. Well, I pulled the string and went with it. Will go a dodge dealer to get a maintenance done and will register the vehicle with them for recalls. If there is extended warranty maybe I might take that.

Thanks for all your inputs. Will update on how this car goes.

Edited by madhat111
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Good luck with it. And good decision to get it to a Dodge dealer asap to have it checked out. If they find anything, take it back to the GM dealer and tell them to fix it (unless it is covered under whatever warranty is left, if any). We'll keep or finger crossed that this turns out good despite the warnings and reservations posted. Would hate to turn another first time DJ owner into a Dodge hater because they purchased a used DJ with questionable history. Keep us posted! :)

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Being that you are in Canada your going to need to put snow tires on it in the fall, start saving up for a new set of tires in the spring so they all match. Take it to a Dodge Dealer and have them do a complete look over, It may cost you say $100.00 or $200.00, call the to make sure what the cost is up front! Once that is done that should be your piece of mind. If they find anything major that is not under warrantee, take it back to the GM dealer. If they do not find anything wrong, then inquire about the extended warrantee, since they know nothing is wrong with the vehicle it may be your best bet.

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  • 7 months later...

madhat111 -

Just wondering how things turned out with your Journey -- Are you happy with it? I'm considering a 2014 SXT for a cross-country move to New Mexico.

Thanks,

Jessica

Make sure you have maintenance records and proof of all recalls/TSB's done. Should be no problem depending on mileage and condition. Welcome to the forum.

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