Car search continues - thoughts on AWD V6 Dodge Journey?

"MUSASHI66" (musashi66) 10/13/2016 at 11:38 • Filed to: None

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Yesterday, we test drove a 2016 Ford Flex Limited with eco-boost, a used one with 20k miles Asking price is $33500. I have a feeling that trading both cars in would still not bring the monthly payment down to what I’d like. But, I love the car - it is quick, it is quirky, I love the way it looks with the appearance package, and I’d love to have it, way more than the car below.

My local Dodge dealer has 20% discounts on MSRP for their 2016 Journeys with AWD and V6 - I could pick up a nicely loaded one for $24000, maybe even less. Heck, they even have a leftover Limited from 2015 - I’m sure they’d like to see that one gone. That Pentastar V6 seems like it has some oomph, 283HP. AWD would be great in Colorado, and I can remove the third row so that dogs have the space they need. It seems like it is optional anyway, so I am not sure if the car even has it.

Has anyone driven a V6 Journey? Is it soul sucking boring? I might be giving up a Forester XT and FIAT 500 Abarth Convertible for it - I know that no three row CUV will match the fun factor of those two, but I signed up for the dogs and I have to deal with the dogs.

Have you ever sold a car to a private person, but you still owed money on it and you didn’t have the title? Was it a hassle? My cars are financed through Chase so it might be simple to meet there and have the buyer pay of the balance of the loan, and have the title transferred to them right there and then. Is it as simple as I am imagining or is there more to it? In general, I always trade for convenience, but this time it might make more sense to sell privately so I can have a larger down payment.

I am doing all this to preempt the possible hit on our finances when my wife opens her own law firm - there probably won’t be any income from her for a while. Then again, there might be plenty, and I might not need to sell the Abarth, just trade the Forester for the Journey so I have room for the three dogs and 4 adults.

Little fart for your time, chillin’ on my wife’s pillow :)

Cash Rewards > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 11:41

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For a while when jalopnic was doing car reviews, I think the one for this car was essentially “just don’t buy it”

Edit: http://jalopnik.com/dodge-journey-jalopniks-buyers-guide-1729233722

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 11:43

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I have long said that the Dodge Journey is likely the worst CUV on sale today, if not one of the worst cars, but it’s so effing cheap at this point that people keep buying them. But yeah, it’s not just your local Dodge dealer. Everyone’s Dodge dealer is offering enormous discounts in order to move those things.

shop-teacher > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 11:52

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The platform these are riding on, if I’m not mistaken, dates back to the early-mid 90's. FCA’s reliability is pretty horrid, so expect to make lots of trips back to the dealer for repairs. One of my wife’s friends repeatedly recommended one, despite never being asked for her opinion. When I asked her why, all she could respond was, “It has a real smooth ride.”

MUSASHI66 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 10/13/2016 at 11:53

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What part of it is bad? Same engine/transmission as Jeep Grand Cherokee, right, and people love those.

N51fanatic > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 11:55

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I recently sold my BMW that I still owed a sizable balance on. I got 5k more privately than what the dealer was offering. I thought it was going to be a hassle, but it wasn’t. The buyer had his bank send BMW financial my payoff balance. BMW sent his bank the title directly. Buyer paid me the balance when he came to pick up the car. The whole process was quite smooth.

That being said, there was a jalopnik story on this very thing, a level of trust is necessary when selling privately. So be wise.

MUSASHI66 > Cash Rewards 10/13/2016 at 11:56

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Well, it seems they bitch a lot about the lack of power on the i4 engine which I wouldn’t get, and 19mpg average consumption on the V6, which I get anyway from the Forester XT. I don’t expect much more than hard plastic on a low $20k car. Also, they complain about handling, and if you go buying a 3 row SUV expecting good handling, you are slightly delusional.

What I really would like to know is if there is really anything bad about this car, especially is I can get it for $20k or so.

MUSASHI66 > shop-teacher 10/13/2016 at 11:59

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I have a FCA car now - FIAT 500 Abarth, no issues knock on wood. I don;t drive much, only 10k per year or so, maybe 12k on a busy year. I probably would not keep it much longer than 2-3 years anyway.

Platform is old - it is old Mitsubishi. I might go test drive it just for shits and giggles and see how cheap I can get one.

MUSASHI66 > N51fanatic 10/13/2016 at 12:01

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Cool, thanks! I am not sure I’d be OK waiting on a buyer to pay the balance. I would prefer to finish everything at Chase and be done with it, unless they need my signature or something down the road. I’d much rather they wait on me than me on them...

But, it might make sense - I think I could get $3000-4000 more if I sell privately than if I trade, and that is more than enough to offset the tax savings of trading in.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:03

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Whenever I think of the journey, I think of this story: http://www.motortrend.com/news/disgruntled-dodge-journey-owners-crush-cuv-with-a-tank/

I don’t know if that’s representative of most ownership experiences but for mid 20s, I’d be looking at the golf sportwagen(does it have more space than the forester?).

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:10

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Frankly, saying it’s the worst CUV on sale makes it sound worse than it is. It’s not going to be terrible at anything as long as you don’t expect fun or luxury. It’s just not better than any competitive vehicle. Basically, if you want the cheapest CUV you can buy, here it is. That doesn’t necessarily make it the best value, but as I said, if you can’t justify spending more, then it should work ok for you. I believe once you drive one you’ll see why the price is so low, but if after that you still think its’ right for you, go for it. It’s not unsafe and probably won’t leave you stranded so I can’t exactly warn against buying it.

shop-teacher > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:13

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You are one of the lucky my friend :)

I like a lot of FCA’s products, but their quality control, or lack thereof, has always scared me off.

MUSASHI66 > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle 10/13/2016 at 12:15

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That is some funny stuff :)

Now you have me comparing stuff online - I was positive that the Sportwagen would have more room in the back, but now I am not sure, It has less front and rear leg space, but it is virtually the same wheelbase and car lenght as the Forester. So, there might be a bit more space because of the packaging, but probably not a lot more.

I might be better off with a cheap lease on a base Outback, and keep the FIAT for fun.

MUSASHI66 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 10/13/2016 at 12:17

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I feel that is a very good description of it.

gawdzillla > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:19

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why would anyone willingly buy / consider one of those is beyond me....

if you are really buying one i guess get one of those lifetime warranty and keep it forever ....

MUSASHI66 > shop-teacher 10/13/2016 at 12:20

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Actually, if you visit Abarth forums, huge number of people are very satisfied and have no issues. Few have some unexplained coolant leaks, and there were some teething pains on the 2012's, but in general, Abarths are solid.

Now, their other products.. I was never a fan of Dodge, and I still am not, but I am always open to options and the low price/ 283HP engine/enough room for dogs are the only reasons why I am even considering one.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:20

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Customer totaled their 2 year old Journey without having an accident. They wore through the plastic panel near the door and shorted out the electrical system. Nope nope nope to FCA Cars.

MUSASHI66 > gawdzillla 10/13/2016 at 12:22

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Why is that? Can you think of other cars that would offer 283HP, AWD and three rows for $24k?

Is there a solid reason why you have that opinion, or just personal preference?

I am not defending this car - I never even drove one - but it would do the same job that a Flex would do for $10-20k less when buying new.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:27

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As for the Flex, we had one, and I can attest to it being an excellent and unique family hauler. Interior capacity is also enormous. However, if it’s too expensive, it’s too expensive.

IanZ - limited-slip indifferential > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:30

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My grandma has had an older-model one for a month or 2 now, and it’s fine. The interior is okay, pretty plasticky. The newer models are a lot nicer inside. Although I’ve never driven it, the power has always seemed good. The A-pillars are enormous though.

Textured Soy Protein > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:33

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The Journey is a dreadful vehicle with a decent motor. Just, no.

As for the loan, I can answer that. If you sell to a private party, you need to go with that person to your bank, bring enough money to pay off the loan, pay off the loan, and get a lien release certificate from the bank. In my case they were giving me more than the loan payoff so I had them get a cashier’s check which I signed over to the bank, and then the bank gave me a new cashier’s check for what was left over after paying off the loan (this bank was only where I financed the car not where I do my normal banking).

If you already have the title, you sign the title over to the buyer, give them the lien release, and send them on their way with the vehicle and documents.

Here in Wisconsin, you no longer get a paper title if you have a lien on your car, so after we paid off the loan, I and the buyer took the lien release to the DMV, had them print out a title, and then I signed it over to the buyer for them to register it.

According to my bank, the original paper title was held at their HQ in Milwaukee and I’m in Madison, which is why I had to get a duplicate title at the DMV. I’d wager that if you go to a local Chase branch they probably also won’t have a paper title so you’d have to do that trip to the DMV. Best to confirm with your local branch and DMV about the title.

MUSASHI66 > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 10/13/2016 at 12:35

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How do you wear through a plastic panel and short the whole car with one wire?

MUSASHI66 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 10/13/2016 at 12:37

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Well, what I want is too expensive :). I want something fun about the car if I am to trade my Abarth and the Forester. If I do that, I want eco-boost. If I trade in the Forester only, then I can go with a larger, boring car that would work for dogs and winter.

MUSASHI66 > IanZ - limited-slip indifferential 10/13/2016 at 12:38

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Every new car has huge a-pillars. But they also don’t crush you in case of a roll-over, so there’s that.

MUSASHI66 > Textured Soy Protein 10/13/2016 at 12:40

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Great info, thank you!!

IanZ - limited-slip indifferential > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:48

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I know they’re that size for safety reasons (which I’m thankful for) but they’re even a lot bigger than the pillars on our Mercury Mountaineer.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:49

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It cut into the wiring harnes. The magic of FCA crap is unbelievable.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:52

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Not to add to the bad news but, yeah, Journeys are absolute trash. Driven plenty, and I have yet to drive one that was even remotely pleasant.

shop-teacher > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 12:55

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Well, forums tend to give a skewed perspective, because they’re always populated by fans. I’m glad that people are happy with them though. They have one hellacious sound to them!

MUSASHI66 > Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage 10/13/2016 at 12:59

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What was bad? Did you have the AWD pentastar 3.6l V6, or base engine?

Stapleface > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 13:34

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If you want space, why not a minivan? They’re really the best thing out there for people who want to carry stuff, be it people, animals, or cargo.

How many people do you need to carry around at any one time? If it’s only two, you can even get a Kia Soul/Scion xB and remove the rear seats. They’re surprisingly roomy without the seats in them.

MUSASHI66 > Stapleface 10/13/2016 at 13:52

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Minivans are pricey. I need room for 3 dogs and 2 adults most of the time, but sometimes I need 4 adults. That is why I can’t go without the second row seats.

Jack Does Cars > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 14:01

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We have a 4cyl Journey and it makes me cry.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 15:41

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I’ve had everything from a base 2.4 fwd to a 3.6 awd. Cars were just not built well, even the 3.6 was pretty gutless if you ask me, handled like garbage, don’t get great fuel economy, etc. That would be fine if they were cheap, but they aren’t. I’d MUCH rather have the Flex.

gawdzillla > MUSASHI66 10/13/2016 at 20:50

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just bad past experience with dodge / chrysler et al