Hallo! I am Kyvan and I am new to Forums in general. I must ask for advice from those who know more than I do. Please bare with me as I have not posted to a Forum before, I am dyslexic, my spelling bad and English is hard despite it being my first and only language.

I have a 1998 Dodge Durango SLT 4x4 5.2L V8 Magnum with 250k+ miles on the Engine and Transmission (Automatic)

My question that I seek advice is... Should I rebuild/reuse/salvage the SUV. I bought it in 2021 and from I can tell, there has been no maintenance done on it aside from Oil Changes, and that could be stretching it. Most, if not all of the parts were original, many issues are age related and I have done my fair share of damage while learning how to deal with it (I have only driven cars, a 2005 Ranger and a 1997 Jeep GC Laredo in size comparison). It has severe rust damage, poor suspension, the shifter has some sort of play going on and possible slips from the Transmission (I am no expert and I can be wrong, I hope I am). I really like this SUV for many reasons. However, the repairs are getting costly, or already have been. It was bought for $1,500 and lasted for 4yrs with some challenges. Some advice I have gotten from those that know me well: Keep it and do what you can until there is something major you can't afford or don't know how to fix // Junk it // Sell the engine // use it to store things, as I live in a small place.. (The play in the shifter: P is not visible, P is Reverse, R is Neutral, N is Drive, D is 2nd, 2 is 1st). This SUV and the 97 Jeep are my second and first cars (respectively).

The price of cars in general is high, and this is part of why I have kept going with it. The value of it is... Not good and only serves as a memento.

Reasons to keep it:

1. My mother bought it for me and a close family friend helped me get it.
2. It has been very good despite the issues. A tree limb has fallen on it and there was no damage at all.
3. It looks like crap, so it is less likely to be stolen. I live in a troubled neighborhood.
4. Even with its problems, it is the most stable vehicle I have been in while in severe weather conditions.

Issues with Rebuilding/Reusing:

The 4x4 is no longer functional. The transfer rod fell out and was rattling around in the front end. The recommendation was to either rebuild it (the part isn't made anymore) or cut out the rest. I found it more cost effective to cut it out. I didn't want to, but I am not financially okay to deal with any extra and expensive issues. That being said, rebuilding would make it a project and I am fine with that. The alternative would to reuse it by making it into a trailer of sorts. Either keep it as is and haul it or try to adjust a few things to make it easier to haul.

Things that are wrong (Currently):
1. Parts of the suspension are still bad (i.e. the Leaf Springs are almost rusted through).
2. It cannot have an alignment anymore (from what I have been told).
3. Major cracks in the Windshield (my fault).
4. Possible Transmission slips (I am not a mechanic and I could be wrong. I hope that I am).
5. A/C Compressor is Cracked.
6. Water reservoir is sliced and diced (easy fix, also my fault).
7. When moving in and out of Reverse, it makes a noise (a clunk or thunk) and moves (the body of the car. Even with my foot on the brake).

Past Issues:
1. Engine Wire issue (cleaned and put back on. No issues since).
2. Catalytic Converter failure
3. Fuel Pump Failure
4. Baring (Bearing??) cracked in half
5. Severely thin brake pads
6. Suspension issues galore (Death Wobble at one point. Shocks and struts were BAD. Like... Bad bad).
7. Thermal Housing Unit cracked
8. Every window has busted at one point or another
9. An ABS malfunction that was a terrible time (was quoted $900+ to fix with no guarantee it would work. Turns out it was a fuse issue that was $89. I was upset).
10. A wrench on the brake line???? (Firestone put it up to give it a look. Several mechanics came over to look at it and they scratched their heads. Also, the drum breaks were so rusted, they immediately stopped working on it).
11. Many minor or cosmetic issues which are less worrisome in the grand scheme of things.

Thank you for reading and the advice, I am sorry for how long it is. I will answer any questions that I know about (I have a tendency to forget things though and I apologize for that).

P.S. I name my cars to remember they need maintenance. Probably weird. Name: Rango Squeaks Ares (I am unimaginative). Rango (Durango) Squeaks (Squeaks, groans and shakes) Ares (Great googly moogly, there are Ram motifs EVERYWHERE). XD

 

This is the one that makes the decision for you. Rust is labor intensive to fix and if you do nothing it will get worse.

 

Welcome!

 

Thank you.

 

Where are you located? Some states, and many foreign country's, require inspections. Your SUV is at the end of its service life. I usually keep things going unless the tin worms set in. You don't want the frame to fail going down the road.

 

Texas. It has passed inspection for the past 4 years I have had it. Not sure how or why. I agree, parts falling off or falling through the floorboard sounds scary. I have another vehicle, so I am not beholden to the Durango anymore. I just really liked it while I had it; viewing it through a logical lens, it was advantageous that I even got a car at all. The market was bad when I started looking and found it with a friend's help.

Edit: I am not sure how extensive the damage is. But along the doors, the body under the place where the door closes is bad enough that pieces fall off or bend easily. My clothes have ripped and rust has been left in small piles. And the leaf springs are bound to go out from the rust eventually.

 

Rust repair is not in an inexpensive endeavor..... You can spend FAR more than the vehicle is actually worth, and it doesn't increase it's value all that much.... Now, if you wanna drive it till the wheels fall off, bolt 'em back on, and drive it some more, that cost becomes less of an issue, just depends on how deep your pockets are.... And once you have the rust fixed, are you going to be will to swap an engine, or trans, when they blow up?? Really, financially, it just isn't a sound investment, but, those emotional ties? Yeah.... That I completely understand. If you can let it go, I think you will be ahead of the game.

 

A couple of times I've had a really handy vehicle that the tin worms got to. It ran good, but the frame and body were beyond reasonable repair. I had room to park it and a few weeks later, the salvage yard I ran got a pristine version in a different color but otherwise equipped the same. I swapped the mechanicals and slapped a new timing chain in while it was out. I drove the new version for years before it got plowed into totalling it. See if you can find a good body with a blown engine or transmission and rebuild it with your parts. It won't be the same, but similar.

 

Exactly what I was thinking!

 

Not to be on the bandwagon but this does sound like the best route.