Good morning and hi all

[2019Journey]

Hi again, I joined this forum so I can get a 1st hand view of what I may be getting into. Years ago had a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica AWD (not the minivan kind) loved her till frame rotted out. Then my present toilet. I am done wasting my hard earned money into this pit. So I am looking at a Journey. How are they? The 2019 or the 2018 with the 3.6Liter AWD? Reliable not so reliable?? Please help!! Thanks everyone.

[JhamB]

Welcome to the forum! 
 

It really depends on which one you end up with. Journeys are pretty hit or miss. Some seem to have few issues while others may have a lot. It’s definitely worth paying for a car fax or checking the service history to see if it’s been a problem child. They’re typically consistent in the problem areas and most aren’t crazy stupid to be fixed. Definitely poke around the forum and see what others are saying. 

[2019Journey]

Thank you for your answer, just test drove and liked? a 2019 Journey GT at La Fontaine Fenton, yikes that was a long drive there, but well worth it? Its missing a few toys from my present vehicle like a sunroof, power folding mirrors and remote liftgate release....But she was quick on US23 when I semi floored it. The brakes were kind of soft though. I'll look around to see if I can find any with the rear tailgate remote power don't care about sunroofs less chances of roof leak, power folding mirrors are cool but $500 to replace if broken. Went thru that already. Over all nice vehicle/van/crossover/suv or car whatever folks like to call her.

[2late4u]

dont believe the come with remote lift-gate,,,that said all vech have their share of lemons,,i had a 2011 traded in with 70 k for my 2014 crossroad 118 k as of now and love driving my journey,,,have had a couple of small problems with them that the warranty took care of. i also purchased the mopar max warranty as well on the last one just so i can run the wheels off it.good luck on what ever you buy

[NavalLacrosse]

That's a toughy - 

As much as I like the Dodge journey, It's not the worlds most reliable car. - That being said;
What it is, is probably the best value proposition car: You'll be hard pressed to find as large, comfy, *reliable, and *capable car for the price, even with the used car run-up post covid.

 

*Reliable: It's not perfect, but for 1/2 the price of a RAV4, you'll get a car that's 85% as reliable. 
*Capable: It's very roomy, but only can tow 2500lbs. If you don't tow, this won't be an issue

A few recommendations;  
seeing as pretty much nothing has changed at all on the dodge journey in 10 years, get one that its 4+ years old. This will make it much less expensive than CPO's from LaFontaine. 
That's one of the best things about the dodge journey, as it's had such a long run you can pay as much or as little as you want on a used one.

 

1) Get the v6. for the love of all things good in this world; do not get the 4cyl. the v6 pentastar is more powerful, and reliable, and only sacrifices 1mpg for a 100hp gain  over the 2.4 multi-air (and it's embarrassing 4sp auto trans)

2) don't fret about awd vs fwd. both are fine, but fwd will give you less problems, but if you frequently get in heavy snow areas, go for awd.

I've got a 2011 Front-wheel-drive with 98k miles-ish on it now.
bought it with 32k miles on it for $13,500 in 2017
v6 is a trooper. Still hauls ass on the freeway.
Brake pads and rotors every 30k miles. (an issue resolved after 2012)
needed new alternator last year.

needed new fog light bulbs last year too.

The battery needs to be replaced every 5ish years.
Had the rear brake caliper bracket seize, but this is my fault for not greasing it. 
I change the oil with Fram filters, and Quaker State full synth every 7,000 miles. 
Does not burn/consume oil.


TLDR:
I'd recommend this car to anyone looking for a large CUV with low cost of entry, and fairly low/common maintenance issues. Save a few thousand just to prepare for mechanical issues, but odds are you'll not need to spend it.

 

[2late4u]

Any  used car CAN be a lemon, but yes journeys seem to have a bit more of a problem if you read this blog BUT as we all know you always here the complainers but hardly ever the ones with no problems. Myself i really like my 2 journeys ive have had and with only a couple of small problems i would buy another one if they were still making them,,, a lot cheaper than other so called better quality vechiles but with a cheaper price you have room for repairs if you have any,,,funny thing all Toyota and other high cost vehicles  have repair centers as well