well iam looking to buy an suv(used around 7,000 - 10,000) going to be used for moderate off road, and towing a boat(nothing big 22" at the biggest). need advice on what to get. i was thinking about a 97-98 Durango. any advice or suggestions

 

Well I can say if you love the looks of the durango, and are comfortable with doing moderate maintenance/repair, I think you will have the best looking sport utility on the market(P.S. I cannot stand the minivan styling on the 2004, it now truely looks like a grocery getter) with great towing capacity.

If however you want something you will never have to work on, and only take in for oil changes etc., you probably need something else, even a, dare I say it, Toyota .

I love my Durango and will not trade it for anything, even the Toyota, but I have had some of the same problems others have had, specifically Ball Joint issues. They have gone bad at 56K which on a Durango I hear is not too bad. That alone is a sad mechanical fact.

Hope I haven't muddied the water too much, 1998-2003 Durango = power, towing, looks. There are more reliable SUVs out there for the money though if that's what is important to you. Good Luck!

 

yeah, i absolutly love the looks of them, and the boat ramp is only 4 miles from my housee. so iam really only using it as a tow rig.

 

hello
One of the major decisions for me was the look of the Durango compared to the rest on the market. I have a 2000 R/T and still love it. I have had the ball joints replaced (under warranty), but other than that have had no problems at all and I have just over 70K miles now.
I think you will find it a good fit to haul your boat if you go with a 22 or around that size.
My only complaint is the gas mileage, but that comes with an SUV with an engine that size.
If i were to buy one today I would buy a used one as well (2003 or earlier) with around 10-20K miles on it. I see them go for a descent price with that many miles. I would buy a new one only if they had the 2000 body with a hemi in it

Hope that helps and if you have any questions just ask me.

Bri

 

The Durango's are good for towing, power, and somewhat comfortable for passengers, but not good for off-roading. They're all right, but just not a Land Rover or Jeep. No Toy(older SUV, that is) will be able to tow that size of boat with ease, will tow fine, just not quick. Durango's are not that unreliable. We had an '01 which had no problems, just rattles, and felt cheap. We now have an '04 Limited Hemi, and LOVE it. VERY comfortable, VERY powerful, and tows great.


I would suggest an older Durango, with the 4.7. Not the 5.9. The 5.9 doesn't have that much more power, if any. The 4.7 has a 5 spd. automatic vs. the 5.9's 4 spd. So the 4.7 will get better gas mileage, we had the 4.7 in our '01, and it straight up hauled(not like the 'ol Hemi tho...). So I would suggest an '01 or newer with 4.7 liter.

Best of luck on deciding. Austin

 

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Hey 007, I have to write a retraction of my previous post. My D has 56K miles on it, and I thought I was looking at a ball joint or 4, but it turns out Gateway Tire and Battery doesn't know how to rotate and balance, or align a truck.

I took it to Stiggler Alignment today (Memphis only I think) and they aligned me and did the old rotate and balance and low and behold the truck is riding like new. They also told me the front end is tight as a drum, with no discernable wear on the joints or tie rods.

Forget what I said before and get the Durango!