Hey guys...I am in the market for a used 1st gen Durango, and need some insight on what to expect from these trucks. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I am looking at a 2003 preferably with the 5.9L...but need to know everything about these rigs please. Is the 5.9L a reliable engine? Hows the transmission? Any known issues that come with getting a 1st gen?
Thanks SO much for the advice and help with this...I truly appreciate it!

 

The 5.9 is a very reliable and durable motor. The transmissions can be picky if you don't use the right fluid (needs to be atf4), but as long as they have the right fluid and maintenance they'll be fine.

This thread should give you an idea too.

 

I agree that the engines and transmissions seem solid. I've been disappointed in some of the things that have gone out that the dealer considers wear and tear. For me, blower motor resister for AC blower, AC compressor, stock electric fan, driver side power door motor. Its not like those items are a matter of routine maintenance. I've owned several foreign cars and this sort of stuff never breaks, but you browse this forum and it seems common and expected.

 

Stuff is going to wear out eventually considering these trucks are now all between 10 and 15 years old.

At ~150,000 miles I replaced the water-pump, the alternator, and the starter, but that's about it other than routine maintenance. I've had the power window motor die twice, but that was from not realizing the window was frozen shut. It's not Dodge's fault that it went bad, but they did replace it under warranty once.

 

Thanks for the help on this....just looking through the forums, it sounds like these trucks nickle and dime you to death! Something seems to go wrong all the time. I am pretty mechanical, and dont mind working on the thing...but not every other day, and spending $200 a week!
Is this something I should be concerned about? I also dont know how to work on the suspension...and it seems it has a lot of problems in that area too. Any comments?

 

That's all because of people that don't take care of maintenance and then wonder why things break. With plain old routine maintenance you'll be fine. Keep in mind that these trucks are 10-15 years old now and some things will wear out on any vehicle after this long. Also keep in mind that over 3/4 of a million of these trucks were made, and compare that to the number of people on here, and that's a very small fraction.

Quite simply; if you treat it right, it'll treat you right.

 

Also keep in mind that 95% of the the threads on here are people having trouble and will most likely not be seen again till they are having trouble again so it is gonna seem like these are more trouble than its worth.. taking care of it is key.

 

Yeah and the only time (and this goes for all vehicles) people really write stuff online is when they have a problem, they aren't just gonna go get online and join a forum just to say "yes my a/c clutch bearing is working perfectly."

 

Good point about that...so these 1st gens are good solid trucks? I get that any car/truck will have things fail...especially if they are 15 years old. I just didnt want to get into one, and have things fail week after week.
Is there a concern about the Transmissions in these 1st gen's? Especially ones mated to the 5.2 or 5.9L?

 

well, mine has almost 170,000 miles on it and its still running the original transmission perfectly (knock on wood). Again it goes back to how well it was treated.. regular fluid and filter changes with proper band adjustments make this thing respond a lot better than never turning a wench on it...