hey guys, I'm new to Dodge cars, I'm used to working on old Jeeps. I'm looking at a 1999 Durango with 210,000 miles. It has the 5.4 v8 and 4x4. How many miles do you guys usually get out of these trucks? What are some common issues they develop that I can look for on a test drive?

 

Check the transmission fluid. Also dodge never put a 5.4l in the durango, it was 5.2l or 5.9l in 1999.

 

These rigs in 99 only had 5.2 or 5.9 v8's but, to answer you question i have seen people with close to 300,00 miles on there rigs... The big factor is how well it was kept.. chances are if it was kept well then it should last you awhile as there know to be good machines..

When looking at one just to a good overview, look for anything that might be odd(black tranny fluid that should be red, extra heavy black engine oil, etc) or things that look like a redneck shade tree machanic may have done a hack job. Also, check to see if the upper ball joints where replaced from the OEM ones... if so they will have bolts holding them on instead of rivets.

 

Yeah I realized that I put the wrong engine size when I clicked post, I'm willing to bet it's the 5.9. The truck looks to be very well maintained, I have just seen pictures, but once i see it in person i will be checking fluids for sure. Any tranny issues on these rigs? What about common engine issues, knocking etc..

 

The 5.9 is a beast! great motor and i personally have not heard of any major issue with it. as for transmissions, every dodge my grand parents, parents, and myself have ever owned over the decades as long as it was serviced properly and was not abused lasted a lifetime (or the life of the car)...

 

usually if all the maintenance is done these engines don't have many if any problems. The most frequent thing that seems to pop up is a plenum gasket leaking oil into the engine but its still not very often that someone has that issue.

When you see it in person there will be a sticker on the underside of the hood that indicates which engine is in it.

as for mileage they'll keep on going if you do the maintenance (oil & filter, plugs & wires, etc).

I have a '69 plymouth with the 318ci (the old 318 has the same basic block as the 5.2s and the old 360s the same as the 5.9. just a few things were tweaked when multi port fuel injection was added) that my grandfather gave me after driving it for 30 years. It has over 300,000 miles on it and it still runs great. He never rebuilt anything in it he just did the maintenance.

bottom line is if you're good to it, it'll be good to you

 

I'd be equally concerned about rust, as how well the vehicle was maintained... depending on where you are located.

Biggest spots for rust that I've seen, living in the salt belt...

-Rear hatch (1 out of 2 in my area are rotted)
-Rear quarter panels (look at the gap between the tail light and bumper cover on the sides of the truck.. blistering paint = rust forming)
-Roof (rear; near the top of the rear hatch.. I've seen blisters and bubbling..)
-If it has flares, stick your hand up in the wheel well and FEEL behind the flare.. If it's rusty, you'll know it. If it doesn't have flares, pop the hood and poke your head in the area where you would reach to replace the headlight bulbs. Rust is pretty easy to see there.
-Rocker panels... I've seen a LOT of them rotted.
-Radiator core support.. I've also seen lots of these rotted. Just look up from the bottom of the truck at the radiator support, look for rot holes.

As far as mechanically, check for steering slop, chances are the intermediate steering shaft is worn if there is play. Which, at 200+ I would assume it's been replaced at least once. They are a $200+ part.

Listen for any noises coming from the front end, commonly wheel bearings go bad. Depending on whether or not it has 4-wheel ABS or just rear wheel ABS, wheel bearings are $150-250 a piece. Balljoints are supposedly another common thing, but I've only replaced them on my '99 with 162k miles, and never on my '01 with 170k.

Other than that, I think they are pretty well built.