robertlane Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 I don't have a Dodge Journey (yet), rather a 2012 Dodge Caravan. I bought it in June 2012 and have close to 30,000 miles on it. I purchased it in Las Vegas and it's been to Calf., UT, CO, NB, IN, IA, WI, MI, FLA, TN, KY, OH, GA and Ontario, Quebec and maybe even more. The Caravan has never missed a beat and I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Appalachian Journey Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 In my opinion a Journey would be a downgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertlane Posted October 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 I love the Caravan due to the stow-no-go seating. I honestly didn't have time to compare the Journey vs. Caravan though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1276 Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 In my opinion a Journey would be a downgrade.In my own preference, i see caravans to be an downgrade, before i bought my journey i was considered having caravan but due to idea of joirney being in suv segment i chose journey! I respect your opinion anyways!! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcgusto82 Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 I have both, an 11 caravan, and a 12 DJ. You gotta compare trim to trim. The DJ feels like a smoother car, quiter, a little snuggier. The van feels livelier, roomier, eager to drop gears, and much more usuful interior. Plus, if you add the super console, you loose a lot of the minivan feel (a good thing) If you have kids, the van is the way to go. When it comes to replace the DJ, it'll likely be a town snd country. The DJ is a great small SUV, but a little tight for a growing family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingit11 Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 I went the full size and mini van when the kids were small. For a family with young kids and all their friends a van is the way yo go. Still have our 97 Mercury villager. It is my winter beater now. With the kids grown we did not want another van and the DJ is working out very well. We are on our second DJ. Traded the '09 SXT for a '13 Crew last February and have enjoyed both of them. And no issues with brakes as some have. Take the plunge. You will not regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to Dodge Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 I have both, an 11 caravan, and a 12 DJ. You gotta compare trim to trim. The DJ feels like a smoother car, quiter, a little snuggier. The van feels livelier, roomier, eager to drop gears, and much more usuful interior. Plus, if you add the super console, you loose a lot of the minivan feel (a good thing) If you have kids, the van is the way to go. When it comes to replace the DJ, it'll likely be a town snd country. The DJ is a great small SUV, but a little tight for a growing family. Well said, I have a 12 DJ and my wife has the 13 T&C. They are both equally impressive. Although the van isn't as light on its feet as the DJ, it's still really surprising how well the vans perform. The sound from the 3.6 is my favorite part of both of them!! But I must admit, I like my Journey just a little more than the T&C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 We have two kids. We looked at the T&C, Durango and Journey. My wife is the principal driver of the Journey and does not care for a vehicle that is too big. Both the van and Durango are more room than we need. The vans are superior in room and utility, but it is more than we need. The Journey really is the perfect size for us. I prefer the Journey's suspension and steering tuning as well. The T&C/Grand Caravan have a more benign feel to them which is perfectly fine, but the Journey handles much closer to my 300M than the vans do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1276 Posted November 3, 2013 Report Share Posted November 3, 2013 I test drove a couple of journeys and a van. I found journeys smoother and quieter. I dont know if its the van i test but in terms of handling bumps. Journeys was better. That made me decided to pick handling against space the van can offer. Adds the factor of being a fan of SUV's than VaN's! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windancer Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 In my opinion a Journey would be a downgrade. I have had both an they both seem to have their strong points. I am a very avid outdoors person so that aspect is very important to me. I windsurf and kayak a lot, so my Caravan seemed to have more room in it for all my windsurfing gear. I had removed all the seats and put 3 2 pc. masts, 4 boards and 7 or 8 sails + gear inside and had room to change inside if some of the gear was removed. So everything was inside and protected. Being a little taller it was harder to lift my kayaks up on to the roof of the van than the DJ but now I have a trailer to haul both of them around so that point is moot. Personally I like the DJ more because it seems to have more power, has AWD and a weeeee bit more clearance with the 19" wheels, but my boards now go on the roof so they aren't protected as much. As far as the vehicles themselves are concerned, I personally like the DJ a little more. The DJ is/was much newer so several of my points could be attributed to the age of the vehicle. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted November 13, 2013 Report Share Posted November 13, 2013 We have had mini-vans and SUV's/CUV's.....a strong case can be made for any vehicle type depending on your situation at the time. The mini-van was great when we had kids. Now they are grown, we dont need that much room. The Journey is a nice go between vans and cars and you wont find many SUV's/CUV's (call it what you want) like the DJ in its price range with 7 passenger seating and an awesome V6 like the Pentastar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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