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Looking to buy 2010 Journey (recommend or not?)

5K views 17 replies 6 participants last post by  saltydog 
Hey guys,

My sister is looking for a newer vehicle to replace her 02 Saturn. She's found a low mileage 2010 Journey with about 16,000 kms (9,000 miles). It's got a 4 cyl motor and was previously owned by a family looking to upgrade into something larger. The body is virtually spotless with the exception of a few paint scratches. Interior is mint. Based on what I can tell.... the basic warranty runs out in July 2013. However, the previous owner had purchased the extended warranty which means it's good for 5 years bumper to bumper.

Here's the thing. The dealer saying that this extended warranty can be included with the sale of this vehicle for an extra $300 cdn. I thought this seemed rather odd considering that the extended warranty has already been paid in full by the previous owner and it's simply a case of the the vehicle changing ownership. Shouldn't the warranty be automatically included? Depends - there is usually a transfer fee ($50).

Aside from that.... I'm wondering what you guys think about these Journeys?. Has there been any issues or things we should watch out for?. I know this website is for Mopar enthusists but I would appreciate your honest opinions on this particular model. They're asking nearly $15,000 (Cdn) for this vehicle. The biggest issue most owners have had is with premature brake wear. On the '09 I had previously, the front pads were worn out by only 22K miles. Chrysler eventually reimbursed me the full cost after I filed a goodwill claim.

Somebody told me that you have to be careful with the wheel size because 17 inch rims aren't available for these (snow tires). I believe this model we've looked at has the 16 inch rims. Not sure about the 16", but the two Journey's we've had (had an '09, but have a '10 - long story) had 17" wheels. The only other size available was 19". Never heard of Journey's having 16" wheels. Either way I would recommend the 17" wheels as the 19" tire size is extremely hard to find and they are far more expensive.
Overall, we love our Journey's. We bought a '09 SXT with the 3.5L V6 back in March 2008. Aside from the brakes, there was only one other major issue. The CCN failed at 47K miles causing the idiot dash lights to cycle on and off - ended up trading it for a lightly used '10 SXT with only 30K miles. Fuel economy with the 3.5L V6/6 speed auto has been right around 18-19 mpg in local driving and 26 mpg highway. The 4 cylinder will only be 1-2 mpg better, at best. And the 4 cylinder models only got the 4 speed.

Cargo wise, our Journey is slightly better than the '00 T&C Ltd we traded - I honestly wish I'd kept the van and just put another $500 down. Journey's are really 5 seaters or 5+2 seating. If you have the 3rd row, I wouldn't put anyone back there for long trips (more than a day) and if you need both seats up, you better have a luggage rack as luggage space is extremely limited with the 3rd row in use.

The Journey is very car-like in handling. Better than our T&C was. Acceleration with the 3.5L V6 is good and now that I have fresh brakes (just replaced at 45K miles), braking is good. Will see how well Wagner Thermoquiets do this time around.

Our Journey has the AM/FM/Serius Satelite with 6 CD changer. Sound is good and controls are pretty logical. AC and heat are good. The SXT has the rear heat/AC as well. We like the underfeet storage in the 2nd row, but haven't really used it much. Found it useful to have water/drinks in them for the kids. Beats having to reach into a cooler. The underseat storage in the front passenger seat is okay - just make sure you get what you need out before driving down the road if you have a front seat passenger.

I can't comment on the Canadian prices. but $15K CDN sounds about right. We paid $23K for our '09 (New) back in 2008 and around $20K (used) for the 2010 SXT in 2011.
 
Hi
I had another look at the tires and they were 16 inch on a steel rim with hubcaps. I assume it's probably a base model.

This CCN that you mentioned. Is this a common problem on these vehicles or do you think it was just a freak thing that happened on yours?. I guess that would be covered under warranty if it did happen. Wonder what it would cost to fix?.
Okay - it might be 16" on the base. Both SXT's we've owned had the 17" wheels.

I wrote the CCN failure off as rare. Certainly our dealer had never seen such a failure. The service writer had a "WTH?" look on his face when he saw what it was doing. I believe it would have been covered under warranty. Ours failed at 47K and we had not purchased an extended warranty on the '09. We did on the 2010. I'm guessing the repair cost would have been around $1,000 (USD).
 
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