ok guys and gals, lemme just say i'm a huge mustang fan. i've owned 5 and i currently own a 98 cobra. i post on 2 seprate stang forums. well, my girlfriend is looking to buy a 1st gen. durango. my question is the which is the best combo? whats the best year(s)? i know she wants to raise it about 3". how much for a nice kit and how difficult is it? what is the best motor? i know theres about 4 different motors available in these suv's. i don't think she'll go with the 5.9 because she wouldn't wanna jack up an r/t. what other kind of problems/recalls should i look for? how reliable are they? thanks!

 

I have a 99 Durango that I would not trade for the world. It has cloth seats and not leather, a tape player not a cd, electric windows and locks, and has the 3rd seat (which is why we bought it). I shopped around a long time for a new truck. My baby truck was 2 years old when we found her. I had test driven about 5 others and this is the one that said take me home. We put bigger tires on her and she has been tuned up regularly and her oil is changed regularly. My mechanic tells me everytime she is a clean truck. She has over 107k miles on it now. I love to drive. She has been to San Antonio a couple of times, North East of Dallas, and down to South Padre Island. She gets great milage and my girls love her. I have a girlfriend at work that bought a 2000 the week after I bought my '99, she had had trouble with it from the first week. On the first week she had to have the windshield replaced, it was stolen twice, broken into 3 times, and the electrical went wacky. When she turned on her blinkers the windshield wipers would come on. When she turned on the windshield wipers, her flashers would come on. It took the dealer 3 times to finally fix the problem.
I don't like the new Durangos, they don't have that nice sleek look. They just are not appealing to me.
I am sure you will make a good decision on which ever one you choose.

 

dodgegal, what motor is in your durango? what motor is in your girlfriends car? do you (or does anyone else) know of any recalls i need to keep an eye out for?

 

I love mine. the balljoint recall for 2000+ is going on right now. So if you get one make sure it's done.

 

If she plans to lift it and run bigger tires, I would get the 5.9 and 3.91 gears. (it doesn't have to be an R/T to have a 360 mine is a 360 SLT)

 

thank you rock and randy. i wasn't aware that the 5.9 was available out of the r/t package.so they come in slt's too, huh? what other models do they come in? how's the gas mileage with the 360? how fast is it?(sotp and 1/4 mile) anyone know how expensive they are to lift? i heard its pretty expensive.

 

I own a '99 SLT 4x4 with the 360. I drive it hard as can be and hav ehad nothing but problems with it I'm looking at atleast $2200 in front end suspension repairs, ontop of transmission issues (caused by dumb decisions on the behalf of the previous owner), and the crate engine (it was a 5.2 before it seized). I love it I really do but for a truck I've had since September it's been almost nothing but a hassle. As far as gas mileage is concerned with a 360, HA I can get aobut 12 in the city if I'm lucky. I've done 120mph in it with out a hiccup when I had that 5.2 (and even did a little racing) I haven't had a chance to max out the 5.9 and see how fast it'll take me to 120.

Maybe I got a lemon, maybe I drive way too hard, I don't know what the reason is but I've put more in it than I'll ever get back. I love it for it's power, the way it rides just liek a truck, the infinity sound system, the leather interior, and everything else about it. SO be prepared for anything that would come up I suggest the 00-03's as the recallas actually affect them. Best of luck to you.

 

she definitely needs a dependable vehicle.every other weekend or so she'll be putting over 400 miles on it. and she drives into boston every morning ....lots and lots of traffic. so, i think the 360 might be too big for her due to the very poor gas mileage. how about the 5.2s? anyone know of any problems with them or the 4.7s? USMC,were you saying that you suggest me to buy 00-03? what were the recalls with these vehicles?

 

I've put nearly 10k on mine so far (atleast 200 a week), I think I got a lemon and it wa s a poor selection at best. The recalls I was speaking of are the ball joints seeing as I don't like the idea of me forking over $1330+ for new ones. If you looka round in the forums the recalls are very self evident. I'll be honest I don't know jack about 4.7's though.

 

he 5.2 and 5.9 get the same mileage, about 12MPG no matter how or where you drive. The 4.7 will feel stronger, run smoother and get better MPG, a much better engine. The 45RFE transmission (only available with a 4.7) is a WAY better transmission. The ball joint recall isn't too big a deal, it is the only major recall the Durango has ever had. If you have to pay to have them done on a 98-99 I would NOT use factory parts. Napa sells the best ball joints available. The 4.7/45RFE option was not available until 2000 so I would sek out a used 2000-2003.