The new Dodge Journey...

There's no Owner's Manual in the glove compartment of it, and I think I found out why not.....

You can download any manuals you want, including for the radio/disc player from this website, free of charge. And if you want a PDF Reader that isn't Adobe with its "iffy" security, then try SumatraPDF.....

...and then you can browse through the manuals in comfort, on your computer...

...and I thought I was buying a car that I'd be familiar with.... and I'm not, because it's almost a mobile computer. It has a touch screen on the instrument panel much like Windows 8 or Windows 10. Touch what you want, and it lights up and starts doing things. And the ignition isn't a key. It's an electronic signal generator that "talks" to the instrument panel and tells it that it's OK to start the engine now, if you put your foot on the brake pedal, and then push a button on the dash. And the steering wheel has little buttons on its underside, for controlling the radio/dvd player and changing channels, etc. So think "computer on wheels" and you won't be too far wrong. It's almost magic. And I love it!

Added Later (07:00 a.m., 26 March 2015)

I was back at the dealership later, to pick up the spare key fob, and they also gave me a nice little pouch with the owner's manual in it, and there's also a DVD in there, with video on it, showing a familiarization tour of the controls.
 So you have a choice - the hard copy, or your PC downloaded version, or both.

I haven't put that key fob transmitter on my key ring. Instead, I put it on a nice new shoelace, long enough to hang it around my neck inside my jacket. That keeps it within the required five feet of the vehicle while I'm entering, and still leaves my hands free for other things. And once inside, it's still near enough to the instrument panel to activate it. So it's almost like not needing a key at all. As long as I'm wearing my entry device, I simply grasp the door handle in the prescribed manner, and it unlocks and lets me in, and then all I need to do is step on the brake pedal, while momentarily pressing the "Start" button, and the engine starts. Then, step on the parking brake to release it, and shift into gear, and off we go. As we say about our computers, "It's very user-friendly." It even shows you a screen with instructions on how to get it to start, should you need that. We're getting very close to having cars smarter than their drivers.

The programmable viewing panel, among other things, lets you set the clock, and configure the sound system, and also configure many other settings, and it's almost like setting up a new computer, because that's really what you are doing. It will remember your selections, and control the devices accordingly, so you can "tune" your vehicle to your own preferences. That's not like my first Dodge, back in the 1950s.  But the name's the same, and so's the game.

John Francis Dodge and Horace Elgin Dodge in their first car wouldn't likely recognize my 2015 model, except that like the original, mine still has big wheels, and the suggestion of fenders in the body side panels, and nice wide door posts, which now conceal air bags. And mine has a roof, because sometimes, even in Paradise, it rains. And those old ragtops didn't stand up to the wear and tear very well. Oh, and I almost forgot - mine still has a 4-cylinder engine, for which these guys were famous. But back in the 1950s, we put two fours together, and made a world-class V-8. A Chrysler-built V-8 could run rings around a Ford, and 'Uncle Tom' McCahill loved Chrysler 300s packing a punch like nothing else on the road. Those cars could almost fly. A couple of times, mine did - for very short distances - while I was laying on the floor out of harm's way until the dust settled. We didn't have seat belts back then, because we didn't want to be tied down when it came time to hit the floor....