2014 AWD SXT Plus Questions

[jeffhoward001]

Hello All -

We are in the market for a new (our first) Journey. Started at the Durango, but realized it was out of our price range for what we're looking for. Anyway, we've done a lot of homework (including a few trips to the dealership) on the Journey and realized a few things.

1) The basic interior option is really basic! So we're in the market for at least one step up. It seems like the SXT Plus is the least-expensive for the nicer interior, does that sound right?

2) I can make another trip to the dealership to confirm, but thought I'd ask the forum first - We're buying this car for three kids that will (eventually) be the following ages - 2, 4, and 6. I'm using those ages because it's the worst case scenario for the uber-bulky car seats.

We eye-balled it last time we were at the dealership and it *looks* like the following would work, but would love to hear experiences from actual owners - Going from front to back, we'd like to stick the 2 year old in the 2nd row behind the passengers seat, the 4 year old in the 2nd row MIDDLE seat, then the 6 year old in the 3rd row driver-side seat. The only catch is, will the fold-n-slide seat in the 2nd row driver side still slide forward with two car seats in the passenger & middle seats? It *looks* like it will, but wanted to see if anyone had experience with this. Our oldest would love this option because she thinks the 3rd row is a novelty, and she can get in/out of the car seat on her own. The reason we want to do it this way is that it's the most functional in terms of leaving an open seat for a third adult (if you have three kids and two parents).

3) 62TE Transmission - First off, I don't get it... Some people say they're fine, some people say they're garbage. With Six Sigma and all the manufacturing improvements over the past 30 years, I refuse to believe that individual 62TE's build quality really differs that much from car to car within the same year/revision. So is this a year/revision thing? If so, are there years to avoid? We're looking at 2012-2014 solely based on price vs miles vs wear-n-tear.

4) 62TE Torque Rating - According the to Mopar numbering convention, this transmission has a torque rating of "2". Does anyone know what that means in terms of foot-lbs? Who knows if I'll actually ever do it, but there are some cool performance mods for the Pentastar. However I'd like to know the torque rating and/or any options for for upgrading the valve body in the 62TE before considering any performance enhancements to the engine.

Lastly, does $25,993 seem like a reasonable price for the following SXT Plus? I know they don't have many pictures, but I've seen it in person and it has virtually no wear-n-tear on the interior. The price seems "reasonable" to be, but maybe a little high considering it has close to 13K miles in less than a year.

http://www.dickhannahdodge.com/for-sale/used-2014-dodge-journey-sxt-p510802

[Lobitz68]

1) I'm not sure what the "basic" interior is, but I get compliments about the interior of my SXT Plus all the time...

2) That seems feasible... I've never tried it, but the drivers 2nd row seat moves independently of the other side (I have never actually had my 3rd row up...ha!).

3) I have a 2014... Sometimes it shifts like butter and sometimes it is a little rougher... It has never shifted in a way that concerns me.

4) I paid about the same price (before trade-in) for a DJ with 0 miles on it and the lifetime bumper to bumper warranty... It seemed to me like you could get a much better deal on a new one than on something a little older. If you have a volume dealer in your area (usually more rebates), you may get a better deal.

[2late4u]

i agree with lobitz68 as you can buy a 2014 right now with 4k rebates and prices getting better as the 2015 are now being sold . and with a 2013-2014 you get the upgraded brakes that are alot better than the 2011-2012 as far as the transmission problems i am on my 2nd journey and would recommend the journey to any one wanting one..ALL car manufactures have some problems with their trans and brakes and as lobitz68 stated you can buy an exteneded warr over the internet at a great discount i was just checking and for my 2014 crossroad i cab buy a bumper to bumper mopar unlimeted yrs and milage for $2245.00 from zeigler dodge dealership. which i plan on doing after i get back from my vacation.. so check around for your best dealer but i would go new vs a used one....

[jkeaton]

I will be devils advocate on the new vs used. IF you keep a car forever, i.e. drive it into the ground, then yes, new is better BUT if you are like me, I trade vehicles every 3-4 years so buying new all the time would put me upside down real quick. We bought or 2013 with a little over 9000 miles on it for less than $18,000. Got the balance of the factory warranty plus a 7 year 100000 mile warranty. I never buy new simply for the fact I dont keep them long enough to make it financially viable. This is our second DJ and I can honestly say it wont be the last.....

[Milous]

...The price seems "reasonable" to me, but maybe a little high considering it has close to 13K miles in less than a year.

At $25,993 it's a terrible deal, hopefully you were not thinking about paying the asking price on a used vehicle. Dealers have a HUGE mark-up on late-model used vehicles. And it's not too difficult to figure out approximately what they paid for it - something that always should be researched. In this case, the vehicle you are looking at has a trade-in value of $18k-$20k, and you can bet that the dealer most likely got it on the lower side of that range. Offer them $21k MAXIMUM and not a penny more. No deal, walk away. I've recently see brand new loaded Limited's (w/nav) for under $30k, just a few thousand more than what the dealer is asking for the used SXT.

Also, the vehicle does not have navigation/rear camera, personally I would never buy a vehicle without these features, they may not be important to you. I'd look around some more. With the rebates and discounts I would shop for something brand new as I think you will easily find something in the price range you are looking at.

Something else to consider when buying a vehicle - most buyers focus on what options a particular vehicle HAS, but you also should take note of what options it does NOT have and determine if you can live without them. A great document to have for comparing options is the dealer order guide which lists all of the standard features, options and pricing. If you want one for the Journey just send me a PM with your email address.

[onecrazyfoo4u]

First off, kudos to you for joining a forum and researching the vehicle before buying! That's the way I do it. Too many people buy first then ask questions later to find out they didn't get what they wanted. We love our Journey (and show it love by racking up almost 30k miles a year!). Transmission is as others have said...some people have problems and others don't. Out had a rough shift problem occasionally. Had the software TSB done, and it was good for about a year. But now it's back to rough shifts (mainly just when going uphill with heavy throttle). It's definitely software related though, because when you manually shift it never has a problem.

We have a 2 and 4 yr old, both in the second row. Those car seats are huge, there's barely enough room for the middle seat to fold down the armrest. You may be able to fit a booster in the middle, but we haven't tried since we aren't at that stage yet.

We got our 2012 Crew brand new for $25k out the door. The was with 3 row seating and HVAC, 4.3" screen, sunroof, 19" wheels, FWD, leather, etc. Basically just missing the 8" screen, nav, backup camera, and rear DVD. I thought that was a pretty darn good deal 2 years ago.