I have an 01 SLT+ (though I know that the "version" often means nothing, for the options a given vehicle may have) and its driver seat typically is shot; like all of these vehicles I come across. I have been looking for a matching driver seat in the junkyards in better shape, for 6 years now..... still looking.
I have toyed with the idea of taking mine out, and sending it to an upholstery shop for repair.... I missed my chance, during the time it sat in the garage with a bad engine. Its back up and running now, so definitely time to do "something" about this issue. Mine has leather, seat heaters on both front seats, (though the driver heater has never worked in the time I have owned this Durango, always something I was gonna get around to fixing, but so far haven't) and the 1st vehicle I have ever owned with buckets, and BOTH front seats, being power. not like we move them much anyways, since we initially set them upon buying the vehicle.....
have been thru 2 sets from the junkyard, of the plastic bezels that hold and surround the seat switches.... and they are broke again. I usually get these off the "worst" of trashed seats that I can find, in the boneyards. gonna have to see if I can glue these and somehow reinforce them from behind.
Well, I was in a U pull yesterday/ looking for parts for a friend's Ford. (go figure huh?) and I saw a couple of "new" Durangos that weren't there 2 weeks ago, and a empty row further down that had some well picked over examples, when I had been there last/ while I was on my way thru the Dodge section to get at the Ford section..... Hmmm.... lets look.
First thought was to just get "something" that would fit in place of my driver side seat, so my wife could continue to drive it while the original seat is in being fixed, a "temporary" drivers seat.... but they charge exactly the same for a crappy or so-so cloth seat, as they do for "nice" leather ones in good shape. but they do charge extra for electric power seat tracks and bases in addition to the price of the seat itself.... but still cheaper to buy these, than it will cost me to have my original fixed.
They got in a "new" 98 into the yard, with the cleanest, closest to "like new" seats that I have ever seen, in a junkyard Durango. The few I have seen that match mine have been among the worst torn up ones, much worse than what I have.... there was an 01 R/T in the yard whose seats "weren't terrible" (condition wise) and 2 tone, had a square insert in both the bottoms and the backs that were a way different color.... and several with cloth seats. but "ugly". maybe "ugly" shouldn't matter, if temporary. I have seen many, whose seats have been pirated before I saw them...…
I kept going back and forth to that 98/// between it, and the others that were "close by" and debating which seat(s) to get, if any.....
I was gonna get just a driver seat, (see above reference to "temporary") but figured that once mine are fixed, a pair of matching buckets would be easier to sell and recoup my "rental" price to buy and "borrow" them, than a single seat would be. so I bought the pair. That is, If I don't decide to see if the seat tracks from my project car will bolt to these seats, and use them in there..... (1980 Volare coupe) since these are so nice, and real close to the color of what that interior. will be.
While these, too, are leather/ they don't match mine/ but wouldn't look too bad, combined with the dash pad, console, carpet and such in mine....as long as I go back for the back seat out of the 98. I have seen some really weird color combos among the junkyard Durangos over the years (and you can tell these were the original interiors for the given vehicle I was looking at, at any given moment)
And these seats (especially the driver seat) that I bought, are much more comfortable than my originals.... the bottom cushion isn't beat down, and there is no "riser," 2" forward of where the seat back meets the seat bottom.... that is the most uncomfortable part of the original driver seat. and something I know the upholstery people can fix, while they have my original.
The biggest issue with my original seat, appearance wise, is that "carpet corner" portion of the seat base is missing. The leather isn't ripped out or torn though, its like someone just "unstitched" that carpet portion. the driver side edge and corner where it breaks over to the side, is mostly intact/ unlike many I see.
Now, I know, this is a nearly 20 year old SUV with 260K miles, that isn't worth near as much as it once was..... but a rust free body from the South, with a freshly rebuilt engine, tranny, suspension and brand new tires and alignment (all done by ME) ,--- that I plan to have around, as long as the snowy Chicago winters will let me have it, and have it in otherwise such good shape. and after 20 years, an SLT/ vs an SLT+/ vs a Sport/ vs an SXT/ isn't "worth" much different from each other any more, so maybe none of what I'm thinking means much? My wife loves this thing, so I am stuck with it....

The thoughts/ options are; 1. Go back and get the back seat that DOES match these seats out of this 98, and put that in along with these fronts, and call it good..... though mine has the 3rd row (that I have never had set up, since I have owned) the 98 does not.... might take out the 3rd row, and get the access panel that covers where the 3rd row now is, in mine.... the rest of my interior I think would look decent with these seats though "different" than it has been since I have owned/ and not worry about losing the heated seats (pass side seat heater does currently work) and power passenger side seat....
2. do l originally was thinking, use these junkyard seats as "temporary" and send my original in for repair/ affording the upholstery shop the idea that "my vehicle is not 'down' while I wait for them to fix the original.... then re replace the junkyard seats for my originals, and leave the original middle and back seats as they are.... these ones, as are in my Durango currently, are in great shape as is my original passenger front....
I was gonna wait til next weekend when they have a "40% off everything in the yard" like they do around every holiday, but this 98 had been already relieved of its front doors and rear hatch, but as nice as this interior is, and nice interior is hard to find for them, I didn't want to chance them getting rained on, or worse bought by someone else...… if I decide to install these and leave them in for the duration, I'm already taking a chance that the matching back seat will be gone by next weekend....

my paint is white, the original seats are a dark brown ish, these replacements are like the color of a new pair of typical leather work gloves (kind of a yellow tan)

Ideas? What would you guys do in this situation?

 

Go and get the seats the next opportunity you get. Get the back seat too, just in case..... Toss at least the drivers seat into your Durango, get the original fixed, and when that is done, decide what you want to do. Leaves you with plenty of options, and you will have a full set of 'nice' seats to sell, no matter which way you slice it.

 

I'd get the seats, have THEM rebuilt and then swap them into your car when they are done. Just as much money, 1/3 the work. (Yes, I'm lazy.)

 

I DID get both fronts, when I was there, would just be going back for the "back" (or middle, as mine has the 3rd row)
The junkyard seats are in better shape than mine for sure, don't need a rebuild, they just don't match is all. We went to the store last night, I drove and squirmed with the original driver seat still in. I sat in the junkyard ones before I pulled them, big difference.

 

well, I got the junkyard front seats mounted today. My son seen it with them and says "they are plenty close enough, call it good"..... I'm inclined to go with his thought. but as he says not to worry about going back for the other seat, if these are gonna stay, I will at least do that much. I have pretty much (mechanically) rebuilt this whole truck, we plan on having it a while, part of me wants to fix "every little piddly thing" on it because of what all I have already done, but the other side of me says "its pretty much 20 years old, it just turned 260,000 miles, it's bound to have a few quirks, it runs and gets down the road, and that's good enough".....though I did just order the rear heater /AC box "rebuild kit" from a company that makes new heater plenum doors from aluminum, so that I can get rid of my blinking defroster button light, and I can actually get the computer to allow me to charge the AC again.... that kit was $150, yikes. if the rest of this thing wasn't in such good shape that too would make it easier....

When I had the pass side seat out of mine, I found a set of keys under it, that have to have belonged to the PO.... there were 2 Toyota keys on the key ring, plus what looked like someone's house keys, that have to belong to the PO because I have never or will never own a Toyota ANYTHING. I thought that was weird. I just dumped them in the trash. and being I have had this truck for 6 years now and never knew they were under there....

and there was more change under the seats that I took out of the junkyard refugee than there was under my original seats in my Durango..... I did take the opportunity to vacuum the carpet good, while the seats were out and clean the sides of the console good while I had open access to them.

If I do leave these seats in (and therefore "not" send my original to the upholstery shop) I would put the power seat base from my original passenger side seat onto the replacement.... and see what it will take to swap the seat heaters to the replacement seats (wife has taken a liking to those, I could care less about them)

 

Ok... junkyard front seats installed, junkyard back seat bought and in my garage. The "new" seats feel so much better than the originals, even though the "new" ones are 3 years older than my rig. No battery in JY vehicles so no way to check mileage ona digital dash.... and my battery jump pack is "shot" but I figure this thing must have had a He11uva lot less miles on it than mine does.....
Once I decide whether to leave as it is now or fix original and reinstall, I might have to swap out the power base from the original passenger seat to the replacement, the only other question at the moment involves retrofitting the seat heaters from the originals into the replacements... Do-able????