Used Dodge Journey for Sale in Birmingham, AL

I bought my 2015 Journey SE AWD in August of 2015...I have no idea what's with all the negative ratings...the only time I had to bring it in for other than routine maintenance was when I overfilled the gas tank which triggered a trouble code shortly after I bought it. I brought to a local dealership as I was out of town...they looked at it and reset the computer and then advised me not to "top it off" as I'm used to...no problem since then. I don't get what edmunds is saying about the poor handling and lack of power...mine tracks perfectly and holds corners very, very well at speed. The drivers seat could be a little better but after a 9 hour ride my back is fine so no complaints. My only gripe is that I didn't do enough research before picking this one...don't get me wrong...the car is a great buy...I just assumed it had the fold down front seat with storage and satellite radio as base equipment and found out too late that it didn't. I love the storage bins in the floors of the back seat as well as in the rear of the car. The car has great lines and is comfortably roomy...but I must say the radio in it leaves much to be desired and it's retail value drops like a rock so be prepared to either be in it for a while or have cash to put down for a trade. I would highly recommend getting vent guards installed because what the wipers push off the windshield will come right in through a cracked drivers side window. All in all I would say this has been a very reliable vehicle through it's first 24,000 miles and am not expecting any problems anytime soon. They make it sound like it's a rolling piece of junk compared to others that they drool over...but I'm here to tell you that from my experience it's simply not true. I also occasionally tow a 5 x 10 trailer with this which the others can't do effectively. To sum it all up it's a great car with more storage and passenger capacity than others in it's class, the V-6 with AWD is comfortable, predictable, and provides more than adequate power for passing and/or onramp acceleration...(it will surprise you how fast it can get going from a dead stop), and it's brakes have performed well as well as what I would term as exceptional handling...(I live in the hills of TN and navigate twisty/windy roads every day at about 45-50 mph with complete confidence)...so I have no idea what they're talking about when they say it has excessive body roll, this isn't a sports car and I've owned a few suv's in my time. It has room for improvements...but most of them are available in different models or options, whether stand alone or packages. I plan on buying another one within the next year and if you stick with what my next one will have, V-6 AWD, and be either the Crossroad Plus or R/T models with the premium sound, navigation, and back up camera, as well as the fold flat front seat. I am very happy with the vehicle to this point with my only gripe being my own fault...get the options that you want up front, and DO NOT get the 4 cylinder engine...It's not up to the task and not available in AWD for that reason...if they don't have it in stock then either have them find one and bring it in, find another dealer who does, or if you have the time have it built for you, and then put the vent deflectors on it. From there expect to have a great ride that can take you most anywhere at anytime comfortably, economically, and safely.

After much consideration I went with the Journey SXT FWD with v6/6 speed transaxle. Others considered: Hyundai Santa Fe: Almost 6K more in cost with a rebate of only 1K. Not 6K better in my opinion. Jeep Cherokee: Rougher ride, also quite a bit more costly but better incentives. Could be a better choice if off-road capability is your priority. You need to get past those ugly slit headlights though. Ford Escape: Smaller and more pricey, lower incentives. I was lost with all the buttons and levers on the steering wheel. The touchscreen display if complicated and difficult to navigate. Plus my wife didn't care for it. I read the Journey review on Edmunds and don't 100% agree with it. Update: After owning the Journey for about 1.5 years I still feel about the same. It's very versatile, rides good, has plenty of power & storage. I agree that the six speed transaxle could be a little more responsive when downshifting is needed. I use the auto stick a lot when descending mountain grades ( I live at about 5600' elevation in the spring & summer months) to help decelerating so I can stay off the brakes. I haven't seen the need for it when ascending though, the transaxle is responsive enough even though you may feel the need to throttle it a little harder from time to time to promote a downshift. It's a minor quirk. It's been in the service bay only once besides regular maintenance for a recall on the antilock brake harness. The fuel mileage isn't as good as some of the competitors, but that wasn't a big factor for me. I knew going in that the Journey is larger and heavier than most of the competition (it's almost as large as my older Durango). Update on 10/27/2016: Mileage is now 21887. I still feel about the same as my above rating with one difference. The Kumho Solus KH16 tires are wearing out quickly. The wear is especially bad on the outer edges of the tires. I thought it was due to the alignment but that isn't the case. Evidently I'm not the only person to have this problem since I've read other complaints about this same issue. Supposedly Kumho builds these tires especially for Dodge and they use a different rubber blend than they do on the standard Solus that you can buy at tire stores. It's reported that the blend is softer to produce a quieter ride. I don't know if that is the case or not, but I'll replace them with a different brand when needed. For now it seems that if I run them at a higher pressure (40psi as opposed to 36psi recommended) it has helped.