This DJ has crashed. Should I buy it?

[Lucas B]

I'm looking to buy a 2014 RT that has crashed in the past.

 

Here's how it looked after the crash, last year:

 

And here's how it looks today, after being fixed and put up for sale.

 

My question is: What goes down there where it crashed? I have noticed that the A/C wasn't working, the owner refilled the Gas and it came back. There are probably leaks in the A/C hoses down there. Apart from that, the car seems perfect.

 

 

[2late4u]

have no idea if you should buy it,,,AC  work can get expensive and if he filled it then yes there is a leak .. no mention of miles? price? or other features,,,good luck on what you decide but i would have a mechanic check it out for damage that you can't see and what he thinks about the rng and trans, does it come with a good title and not a rebuilt title.

[jkeaton]

Who fixed it after the crash?If it was a body shop, there should be paperwork saying what work was done. if the owner just put it bak togeter, I would be very skeptical. 

[Lucas B]

 

10 hours ago, 2late4u said:

no mention of miles? price? or other features,

 

The prices in Brazil are slightly different from those of U.S. That one is USD 10.3k. 2014. 118k km (73k miles).

 

There's no way to know if the mileage is original, though. It could have been changed. Usually I look at the owner's manual revisions to verify it, but this one doesn't have it.

 

For 12k USD I can get a 12/13 DJ that has a owner's manual and hasn't crashed. I'm afraid of 12/13 because of the left cylinder head issue.

 

[2late4u]

3 hours ago, Lucas B said:

 

 

The prices in Brazil are slightly different from those of U.S. That one is USD 10.3k. 2014. 118k km (73k miles).

 

There's no way to know if the mileage is original, though. It could have been changed. Usually I look at the owner's manual revisions to verify it, but this one doesn't have it.

 

For 12k USD I can get a 12/13 DJ that has a owner's manual and hasn't crashed. I'm afraid of 12/13 because of the left cylinder head issue.

 

the 2012 had the smaller brake rotors and brakes and has problems with the warpaged of the rotors from overheating, the first one sounds like a good price but depends on the quality of their repairs and the vech. itself,,,,like i said before have a mech check it out real carefully ....good luck

[NavalLacrosse]

A few thoughts:

Short answer: I think it's a pretty good deal for a car. I think the AC issue will appear again. That AC is going to be a must with a black car in the heat of summer.

Reasons to buy:

1) 280 hp is pretty good in the mountains. I love driving the journey on the highway, and it will do great passing trucks and fuscas on the mountains. 

2) amazing long-distance car. I love road trips in the Journey as it's a very comfortable car, Especially when compared to many of it's competitors. I think if you do lots of long distance drives, you'll love this car. 

3) The Dodge is the 'cool' freemont. If you find someone who cares, you'll have the cool version.

4) Three rows, if you've got small children. there are very few options in Brazil with 3 rows seats.

5) AWD / '4wd' - Although not a Jeep, or Troller, this car will do great on those pesky state highways where there is no pavement, and well in urban environments when the slope is too steep and the pavement is a little wet.

Reasons against:
The AC issue will come back. I think the cost to repair the AC will be the decision maker in this purchase. The AC will be absolutely needed in the summer with a black car. Other than this, I think the car is fine. My second concern is if the car has a salvage title, it's probably not going to have a good resale. I don't know how salvage titles effects insurance coverage in brazil. if it's a salvage title, then the price to get a clean title might offset the price of a broken AC line.

My personal reasons against: (this is my opinion, you're welcome to ignore these thoughts if you've already rationalized daily life with the Journey):

1) Size: I drive in Curitiba, and the tight turns and parking situations in the urban city/apartment parking lots would do well with the dodge journey. I personally would not have this car because my apartment's parking cannot accommodate this car's length, and inability to turn extremely sharp in forwards or reverse. additionally, street parking the journey is going to be annoying as you'll need to fine 2x 'Chevy Corsa' sized spots to maneuver the Journey. If you're in the rural areas, this isn't a problem.

2) Fuel: it's an american car, with an american engine- this means mediocre fuel efficiency, and regular car. 'Alcool' Brazilian ethanol will not work well with this car. with regular gasoline, fuel efficiency on the highway at 120kph will be 27mpg (11.1 Km/L) in the 'city' you're looking at 16mpg, (6.8 km/L) at best. This is a matter of opinion, but I'd not want to pay that much. 

3) Repairs. The Dodge isn't a super common car in Brazil, like it is the US. I think if you have an issue, and need an alternator replaced. or otherwise simple part you'll be paying 'import' repair costs for an 'domestic' quality car. (Obviously, it's an import for you, but I call it domestic feeling because it's not a BMW in quality)

All in all, if you want it: take it to a mechanic to test the AC system, and give an estimate on repair.  IF you want the car, buy it!

Edited September 15, 2022 by NavalLacrosse