I'm going to look at a 2005 SLT tomorrow. 5.7 Hemi with only 40,000 miles on it. I've been doing some reading about the problems with the transfer case switching to 4lo and hydorlocking with rain/car washing.

Should I even bother looking into this SUV? Dealer is only asking $10,000. I need a 4x4 for the snow and it has a dvd for the kid. it wouldn't see more than weekend driving and occasional road trips (maybe 2-3k miles a year).

Thanks in advance!

 

Also, what would should I look for to determine if this one is having some of these common issues?

 

Run! Run as far as you can from it! And 10,000 for a nine year old Durango doesn't seem like a good deal to me.But that is just my opinion.
But if you do pursue it,look for pinion seal leaks on the rearend. And look at the wiper cowl to see if it is weathered and cracked.If so that will need replaced right away or sealed up tight with a tube of silicone.
Other than that I love the power of the 5.7,just maintaining the rest of the the truck seems to be a pain some times.
Good luck.

 

I just bought a 2005 with 91K on it with DVD and 4lo lock. I've had it in 4lo a couple times now and no issues with that but make sure to test it out on some dirt eh?

Only issues I've experienced so far is the seat belt mechanism covers on the side of the seat came off and the rubber cover on the shifter came off. Not a big deal, I just clipped the shifter cover back on and left the seat belt covers off.

One thing I don't like is the alarm system. If you don't have a "clicker" and open the door with a non-"clicker" key the alarm will sound (well, unless you have programmed it such that the audible alarm is off).

Other than that I really like this Durango so far. Plenty of power, handles decent, much cheaper than a Land Cruiser or Honda with similar features like heated seats, leather, DVD, traction control, etcetera. Fairly quiet on the road. In fact, I could buy three of these for the price of one Land Cruiser. Mine has the 5.7 and I get about 14 mpg mixed driving WITH 10 ply all-terrain tires (heavier tire by far). So I suspect with some mild tires (non-10ply) you'd probably get 15 or 16 mixed driving. Stop and go or around town with lots of lights don't expect over 13. Highway I get 17 with 10 ply all-terrain tires.

I'm sure there will be troubles here and there after you buy it. You'll have that with any vehicle and if you buy used then the vehicle is only as good as the previous owner maintained it. You just need to make sure maintenance is up to date on car fax and even maybe have an independent mechanic look it over for like $150.

Mine had twice the miles and I got it for $10,500. Which was rock-bottom dollar for this area. I use it to drive to work and go fishing / hunting in.

I talked with the Dodge dealer (friend of mine) before I bought it. He said they really don't see many Durango's in the shop with exception of high mileage (over 240K). I'm sure there are people here with bad experiences but for the number of Durango's sold I'd bet the majority of them are realiable for what you pay.