I have a little problem here. Just joined this forum. Decided that I will be buying a durango here within the next week. My problem is, I really dont know what year is better. I guess what I'm saying is, I have a limit of 7grand to deal with, and i plan on keeping this for a little while. So help me out here guys! I dont know which ones have the most problems, or are least problem matic. I do plan on playing with it a little, exhaust headers eventually so I just wanna put that out there. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, so thank you all in advance!!
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meh
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If you want power get one with the 360. I am happy with my 00 because my upper balljoints are covered under the recall and I have a manual floor shift for the 4wd whereas the 01's and newer have the button/switch shifter which will fail a lot easier than the floor shifter. It all really depends on what you want though. 1 thing I want is rear disc brakes which is only offered on the 03' but one of these day's I will just pull the rear end off of a wrecked D and have that too. What are you looking for and we can help make up your mind though.
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2000 Durango 5.9L SLT+ Flowmaster 40 "Custom" Ram Air 31" BFG AT T/A KO's Bilstein Shocks Hidden Hitch Sirius Satelite Radio E-fan conversion Smittybilt brushguard SSU's
well, I've been sittin here for like the last 3 hours just trying to figure out what year is better. I just want one thats safe and reliable. But what i dont like, is how the 99's dont have the recall. Is that something that I should be worried about? My dad loves 318's and I know they've been out forever, so I was thinking of going that route. Is there a huge difference in power from a 318 to a 360? I heard they have alot of overheating problems. Man, I just dont want to buy the wrong one ya know? I plan on gettin it dirty from time to time. Nothing serious. Forgive me for asking all these dumb questions, I just know i'll have it for a little while. Thanks for the fast response M.G. I do appreciate it
The 360 and 318 are virtually the same engine just more displacement in the 360. I wouldn't say they have overheating issues at all either. Go for the 360, you'll be hooked. If you are looking for safety one thing I have noticed about the 00's and older is that the rear seat belts don't lock up with hard braking. In the 01 and newer models it is fine. They also redesigned the interior in 01' and it is a lot better looking.
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2000 Durango 5.9L SLT+ Flowmaster 40 "Custom" Ram Air 31" BFG AT T/A KO's Bilstein Shocks Hidden Hitch Sirius Satelite Radio E-fan conversion Smittybilt brushguard SSU's
'98s/99's have the original steering setup and potential rust issues. There is no recall on their BJs simply because they were to old at the time to have to be included. That doesn't mean that they aren't bad. They are the exact same as everyone elses.
'00s were the best of the original year interior and the year of the largest Gen1 D production. Also has the different steel/paint (less rust, not no rust) and the later updated steering as the rest of the Gen1s.
'01-'03 have the newer Gen1 interior, different rear air and different shifter for 4x4
The best of all the Gen1... the '03. It has the rear disk brakes, better up front disks and was the last in the Gen1 line so it has the latest in all the updates.
In regards to motors, the longest life is the 5.9L, followed by the 4.7 then the 5.2.
Trans, 5.2s and 5.9s are the same and have bands that need adjusted via service every 24-23K miles. 4.7s are electronically controlled and while need the same service interval, don't need adjusted.
Get the '00 or the '03 with the 5.9L for a solid performer. All are good if maintained well, those are great in the same conditions.
IndyDurango
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If you want power get one with the 360. I am happy with my 00 because my upper balljoints are covered under the recall and I have a manual floor shift for the 4wd whereas the 01's and newer have the button/switch shifter which will fail a lot easier than the floor shifter. It all really depends on what you want though. 1 thing I want is rear disc brakes which is only offered on the 03' but one of these day's I will just pull the rear end off of a wrecked D and have that too. What are you looking for and we can help make up your mind though.
Bingo, agree 100%. I have a 2000 with the 5.9. 180K miles and the engine is still going strong, from mile 1K switched to synthetic! I bought the truck new and have done 90% of the service myself, which also helps in reliability. Only major repair I had was to rebuild the trans at 140K. I would also rather have rear disk brakes but if you get drilled and slotted rotors and the better stopping pads for the front than it will compensate for not having disks in the rear.
awesome! thanks for all the info. I guess its pretty much just personal preference with the interior it seems now right? can i get a 00' or an 01' with the 5.9? I dont want it to be an RT though because i know you cant take it out of 4wd right? its fulltime.
what year is better?!
