Hello All
I'm new to the board as you may have guessed.
I am curently looking at buying a Durango year 1999 to 2001 cant aford anything newer.
I have been looking on the internet for some time now and doing research on Durango's and other SUV's I have a 95 ZJ (Grand Cherokee) and love it to death but my wife has taken up residents in it and I need something a bit bigger so I naturally turned to then next Chrysler product that I could find the Durango.
I have been seeing a lot of people talking about the Motors just blowing up all of sudden in them seems like they are just driving and balm no more oil and then wham the engine locks up.
is this a real problem or are these people just not taking care of there D.
any thoughts on this would be great
oh and NICE forum!

Thank you
stressboyD

 

first read the post a few threads down entitled durange engine sludge. in it is a link with a lot of issues related to this issue. i think it is limited to a certon size moter. i dont know what ur price range is but i bet with w little effort u could get a 04 base v6 2wd at or under 20 grand with rebates haggleing and down. i love my 04 hemi. anyways to avoid the sludg issue dont get the moter size involved. if u do find one with the questionable size moter make the deal contengent on them dropping the pan infront of u and look to see if the pump screen is clogged oe sludge in the pan do the same with the valve covers. if u see sludge dont buy it. i think it has to do with a design flaw that when a gasket in the intake blows it allows sludge to form and fall into the pan. then it cloggs the pump intake and no oil pressure and blown moter. there is a no sludge oil that is specificly designd not to sludge i think chevron makes it. if u get an extended warrenty u will need proof of regular oil changes by a lube place as people r haveing problems getting the warrenty to cover as they say it is from a lack of oil changes.with a little education as to the exact issue and the signs of the issue and checking the moter throughly before u take delivery u shouldnt have a problem. there r lots of durangos on the road and there a few with the sludging issue but the few is a unusually large number and it is an issue to check into and be sure of before u buy.as i stated earlier the sludge issue causes a clogged pump and this causes the probnlem.also the issue is related to only one of the moters offerd so u could avoid this moter and be safe. i also suggest you try for an 04 as with the gas prices being up there lots of incentives. we got 4500 in rebates and the dealer went way low so i got a 2 wd 04 hemi with all the extras including leather rear ac 6 disc in dash towing pack hemi moter[this is the trim below slt the top of line] for 27. this stickers for 38. so u see what a good deal i got. now a 2wd base with ac and v6 moter can probably be had foe 18 grand or maybe less depending on u and ur buying skills. the rebates cant be beat and if u put 20% down ur looking at around16 out the door depending on what price u start at. this is a base around 24 with 4500 of[rebates]4000 down and dealer discounting a bit.good shopping. most all say they love ther durangos. oh ya there is a ball joint issue with durangos before the 03 modle year. a little searching below will find all the info u need.
chris

 

i was going to say go to chrysler financial.com there they have a loan calculator. i played with some numbers. a base 04 durango st v6 has msrp at around 27. u can get the dealer to go to 25 or 26. at 26 with the rebates and 10 percent down[4400] at 60 months at 9 percent u get a payment of roughly 350. a lease is about a hundred less. so u see a new on isnt out of reach cause with a used car u get higher intrest shorter loans and no new car warrenty. why do i sound like a car sales man. well i love our durango. the hemi moves all 2 ton around well and even the v6 are over 200 hp. so as i said before happy hunting er i mean shopping
chris