My wife is wanting to trade in her mini van for a Durango. We are looking at the 04-06 year models.

We are going to use it for
Driving family around town
grocery store
camping
maybe pull a small camper


I see there are 3 diff options for motors. With the weight of the Durango and the idea of maybe pulling a camper the V6 is out of the question. So should we hold out for the 5.7 or will the 4.7 do the job?

This will be our first dodge so all this is new to me. I have heard the weak link is the transmission. Is that right? What should I watch for when buying used?

We are hoping to find one with about 90k miles on it. My thinking is at that mileage it should be free of any major problems and should last her for 7-8 years. She put 25,000 miles on her van in the last 4 years.

 

I would get the 5.7 liter as the 4.7 liter seems to be plagued with problems,
FF

 

I would get the 4.7 liter as the 5.7 liter seems to be plagued with problems, if they dont blow up or apart.

 

I have read more 4.7 liter engine problems than the 5.7 liter engine problems. Yes, I had to have my fuel tank replaced at a cost of $200.00, but this seems trivial compared to broken manifold studs on the 4.7 liter. I only recommended the 5.7 liter for towing power as I towed my Coronet to Carlisle (three hours one way) without any problems with my Hemi,
FF

 

i just bought (well 4 months ago) it has 160k kms and paid 9k for it. its an 04. the shocks had never been replaced, passed safety with the old shocks but it was night and day after i did the change. the spark plugs were something else i had to do, was a big job not difficult but time consuming. i think its over 3 hours book time; gas mileage has gone up from 14mpg on the highway to 21.2, in the city i've gained about 2mpg from 11 to 13.

the thing i neglected to check when i bought the truck is to take it to a dealer and have the codes read - am pretty impressed with the things the computer can tell. if i was to buy one again it is something i would do. i've got a few codes that will be really difficult to fix (electrical issues), to the point i probably won't do anything about them. lots of electronics, so be careful of that.

rust is another problem, i see some bubbling on the edge of the hood, bottom of the doors and rear quarter panel.

manifold bolts are also a problem, manifolds have shields made out of aluminum these were a pain to replace. bolts break off and would be an expensive thing to fix.

hemi versus 4.7 price in the used market was no different so i opted for the hemi. no complaints there plenty of power and i bet the gas mileage is pretty much the same. as for reliability of the hemi versus the other i have no idea.

oh one last thing check the tires, expensive to get new ones. probably around 1k for tires (10%) of the price so make sure those are good.

hope this helps

rr

 

Thanks I didn't think about having the computer checked that is something I will have done.

We are wanting to stay less than $10,000 and there looks to be many choices in my area. To me if I'm paying $10,000 it needs to be in good/great shape. Tires are high so I am planning on trying to talk them into a new set if they aren't in great shape.

I hear the 04 has a new transmission that is better then the older ones. Is that true? I really like the gen 1 body style but not impressed with the transmission from what I hear of it.

 

Check the VIN for recalls on www.dodge.com under the 'for owners' tag,
FF

 

Yes, but not for the years you are looking at.

45RFE's had/have issues. (Had one in my 2002 Dakota, which started showing signs of trouble at 100k.)

I have read and understand the 545RFE to be a good/stable transmission which they started putting in Durango's in 2003.

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As for the 4.7 two weeks ago I towed a Ford Ranger loaded with camping gear ~1,000 miles & had no trouble & that included St. Louis (Rush hour traffic + Hills/Small Mtn's). I do have a bit less weight & a High Output motor for my 4.7 but I had 4 adults, a toddler, and a 20lb puppy in my cab and the H.O. only adds 30 HP's.

For one leg of the trip the parking brake was left engaged in the Ranger, I noticed a little bit of resistance but not enough to peak my curiosity, and after ~30 miles some other Highway users flagged us over, seems the brakes were smoking on the Ranger!

So.. I'd say you should be fine with a 4.7 should you chose that engine.

 

Not sure what used markets some of you guys are in, but out here, the HEMI option usually pushes the cost of the vehicle up by $1000 to $2000. I was hoping to get one for the wife, but we couldn't pass up the deal we got on the 4.7 we have now.

On a side note... it does have a small exhaust leak, and yup, pretty sure its the infamous manifold studs/bolts issue. Will have to get it fixed someday when we have the money. In the mean time, she runs well, and gets 13.5-14.5 MPG in town and 16-19 on the highway (highway mileage varies a lot due to wind direction and speed).

 

Just stay away form the 2004 Hemi's they are the ones that explode the most.