Hi, all! New to the forum and glad to be here! I'm a loyal Saab owner (15 yrs), but it's time for a change. I need cargo space (dog owner) and sturdy suspension to handle the war-zone-like roads in my area and Durango seems to fit the bill perfectly.

So I'm looking at a 2000, with 110k miles, whose owner says it may need a new tranny "at some point," the A/C needs charging, and that it needs an O2 sensor. The only information I have on the transmission right now is that itdoes not always shift smoothly. I plan to ask my local transmission shop to look at that issue; that could be anything so I'm setting that aside for the time being until the shop has a look.

But I wonder if anyone has any info on these models with respect to O2 sensors and A/C units that I should consider when making my offer. The owner is looking to get around $2k, but I hope to negotiate. The owner is anxious to sell and I'm somewhat anxious to buy, but this being my first DD I want to know what I'm looking at before I quote any numbers. The O2 sensor doesn't worry me as much as the A/C; a new compressor would probably scare me off. Any pointers or tips anybody could give me would be appreciated!

Thanks; nice to meet (in a manner of speaking) you all.

 

first thing i would do w/ the transmission is to check the fluid level if its low i can cause this(and should be topped off with atf+4 ONLY
check w/ engine warm, after having driven 8-15 miles park on level ground, engage e-brake, run gear shift thru each gear pausing for 2-3 seconds in each gear, ending in neutral, check fluid level on dipstick w/ engine running and trans in neutral.

the O2 sensor is pretty simple to change with a wrench, and the a/c would need to be charged by a shop which could vacum it down to remove any moisture from the system and make sure it holds vacum (if not it has a leak and recharging it would be a waste) and repair any leaks that they do find.

 

Thanks, that seems to confirm my guy's opinion that at 110k the transmission is probably not the real potential problem (assuming normal driving habits). Where do I find the dipstick? I know that's a dumb question, but I don't want to do something dumber like mistaking the oil stick for the transmission fluid. If I can look at this myself, and from your description it sounds like I can as long as I look in the right place, maybe it'll help me determine whether it's worth it to have the shop look further--because they charge about $100 to give it the going-over.

 

if the truck is a 4x4 in 2000 they only came w/ the 4.7 iirc so your dipstick should be in the same place as in this picture, its the one just behind the intake tube,


however there are only 2, and the other one is the engine oil and the two fluids are not the same color, trans fluid should be red, and engine oil is engine oil im sure you know what it looks like. (used oil is usually brown/black)

 

Thanks, shrpshtr325, the picture is very helpful. Here's hoping it works out!

 

Hi, Just wanted to update; thanks to the advice provided by sharpshtr325 (and a couple of other issues), I didn't buy the 2000. A week later I found a very nice 98 with 123k miles, I've had it for a week now and as far as I can tell there's nothing wrong with this truck except the two broken headlights--and matching dented fenders. I can handle headlight assembly replacement I'm sure, and I can get fenders replaced over time.

So thanks again for your help and thanks to all who put up some very useful information in these forums.

And I love my 'Rango!!