Geer

Not sure, but I'd definitely NOT wait to that mileage to change oil, especially the first oil change which is critical. I bought a brand new '10 Grand Caravan and waited to 5k to change oil. I would not let a car go past that, given the break-in wear metal that will have gone through the engine until being trapped in the filter. On the other hand, you don't want to change the factory fill too early either, as it contains special additives and supplements to break the motor in properly. 5k is a good compromise, IMO.

Very nice! Hell of a deal, I'd trade on color to get almost $3k in options for nothing - you did well!

I ordered the 8.4N but no addiitonal V/C or bluetooth. My salesman and the sales brochure both said/say that the 8.4N comes with V/C and BT. Furthermore the online build sheet for my car indicates "wireless connectivity" under Options. Awaiting delivery any day now (R/T's in town!) If I don't see V/C and Call Buttons on the steering wheel, I will refuse to take it because I have on 3 pieces of paper telling me I'm suppose to have it. I have a good feeling either the dealer or Chrysler or both will be kicking in $300 to give me what was advertized.

I can officially say take the INSIGHT info with a big grain of salt insofar as shipping tracking! My delivery-to-dealer date is still May 10 yet its sitting on a train only 45 minutes away from Winnipeg, after a substantial delay. I learned that the trains tend to stop many times along the way, to offload cargo, so they don't exactly rocket full-tilt to their shipping end points, and they can take obscure routes through small towns, avoiding major centers. Expecting delivery and PDI on Monday and a call to pick it up - exactly 12 weeks after order date of Feb. 04 and build/ shipping dates of 3/08 and 4/12 respectively. On a side note, I still have not seen a single '11 Journey in Winnipeg with the new fascia - either on the road or on a dealer lot. My dealer is the largest in the prairie provinces, and based on their inventory and incoming orders, my R/T will be the only '11 to drive off their lot with the new fascia. Their early build R/T's are also disappearing fast.

The old 3.5 has been plagued with head and valve train problems...I hate to say but you're in the company of many others!

Yes...fingers crossed...that they have worked most of the bugs out of the 1st gen models. They put a huge amount of development into the pentastar 3.6, and the technical specs and build technology is very impressive. The old 3.5 scares me enough that I don't think I would have rolled the dice on one.

The Journey is the best selling Crossover in Canada. I suspect it's mostly due to the amount of vehicle you get for the price, because by and large Canadians are frugal with their money. Having the build plant in Mexico is likely Chrysler's smartest move in a long time because you can be sure the labor costs and operating costs are alot less than if it were in the US or Canada. This translates into a lower product cost. When I shopped around, the Journey R/T was by far the best bang for the buck - best in class engine, best interior, most standard features, and the technology puts the competition to shame. The sticker price on my R/T is under $34k. To get a comparable AWD V6 Equinox with way fewer standard bells and whistles was pushing $36k. And to boot with the Chrysler discount and money I talked the dealer out of, I only paid $29,270. Anyway...I digress...

Frustrating - isn't it?!

Welcome from Winnipeg. No shortage of Canadian board members in your company!

I test drove a Canadian market Crew in Feb and I could have sworn it had the alpine emblems on the door speakers. Not sure what the R/T is going to come through with.

No, you need the entire number. The last 8 numbers are just the build sequence number, the first 8 identify the trim level and possibly order packages and/or equipment.

Honestly, I don't know how much faith to put in this tracking system. My dealer told me delivery was scheduled for April 25th, which came and went. My Chevy lease went back to the dealer on that day. Up until yesterday, the INSIGHT tracking website was saying May 03 - well I can live with that. Check it today - the train is just to the south in ND...but now delivery is slated for May 12!!! We're in the middle of a severe river flood, which affects the route...I wonder if that's a factor. I need to call my dealer - May 12 without a car is really stretching it!

And as of today, once again, R/T pulled from Dodge.ca Who knows what's going on - I don't think Chrysler even knows themselves.

Yeah - thanks for the link as I got more information from that tracking website than several calls to the dealer - they were not much help! At least now I know exactly what's going on.

Got my VIN as well and checked it...not due in until May 3rd! I'm happy to hear the incentive programs are changing before then - I have a feeling Chrysler will up the rebates or drop the interest rate to blow out the 11's...my dealer said they'd hold the current program if a newer one wasn't as good - but I think the opposite will be the case.

Well at least you can track it now. I hope my R/T isn't on the same train now!! I'm going to try and get my VIN and check as well.

Hi from Winnipeg. I believe I can help you out: Ordered my R/T on Feb.4th and was told wait time is anywhere from 6-10 weeks. I am past the 10 week mark and was also told there was a shipping delay. I called a few days ago and was told mid-week the car was on the train and in Missouri. Delivery date is tentative April 25 which is Monday. Since you know your car is in Minnesota, I have a good hunch yours is on the same train as mine -the timing is right. I'm willing to bet yours show up on Tuesday or Wednesday!

Awesome, congrats! Let's see pics!!

Ha ha, yeah me too! Your post did get me thinking though...R/T's barely started showing up at dealers in January (first arrived at Winnipeg dealers very beginning of February) so they've only been available less than 12 weeks by my estimation...I wonder how many Canadian R/Ts were built??

I have to agree with you. Although my Journey will probably show up with the new fascia - honestly its very similar to what other makes of crossovers are wearing - in fact, its pretty similar to the one hanging on my 2007 Chevy Equinox, as we speak. Other makes/models have similar renditions. To me, the refined drivetrain and the kick-ass interior is the hallmark of the '11 model.

yeah, the more I think about this - I agree, the R/T is done for '11 and the nail in the coffin was the parts supply issue. SaskGuy - as much as I'd like to agree it would be great if this could end up making our R/T's collectible - well I don't see it happening. The scheduled cut-off for ordering an '11 R/T to make it into the final days of the model production was already April 29th, so this is only moving up that schedule a mere 6 business days. Having said that, man I sure am happy I ordered when I did!

Well, sort of but not really. R/T is three trim levels down from the top Lux model, in the US. Still an R/T but not as well equipped like its CDN counterpart. That's where the 'yes' comes in...the CDN R/T is loaded to the nines like a US Lux. It's gotta be a website glitch - I can't imagine they've pulled the plug on the model they make the most money on. Then again, who knows...

I hear you on the mango paint - a little too flamboyant for most. Somebody here published an alternate paint list, but I don't think anyone knows a roll-out date. Should apply to both CDN and US markets since all Journey's are built in Mexico.

In all fairness, the Explorer is not in the same segment as the Journey. An apples-to-apples comparision to Dodge would more appropriately be the Durango. And the 2011 Durango is SWEET!!! but the price is up there too, especially if you want the top trim Citadel.