2000 Dodge Durango RT 5.9 V8

Summary:

Not a good car, breaks down a lot

Faults:

Radiator went out, transmission completely blew, water pump, gaskets, brakes, total dash/heater/air conditioner went out, suspension.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st February, 2011

2000 Dodge Durango SLT 4.7

Summary:

Could not ask for more

Faults:

Have replaced the upper and lower ball joints at Monro for $900, then went home and cried; that was after fighting with the service writer to get the cost down from $1300.00...

Had an old neighborhood guy do the brakes and rotors.. then rear brakes... passenger side bearing.

Replaced a battery and a sensor on the power steering pump..

Just had some body rust repair done, and found black matching OEM molded running boards; put them on, along with new tires, and fell back in love. She is black on black leather with tinted windows.

I fixed the door lock mechanism myself in the garage with great success. That crazy little octopus in your door with about six color coded rods fishing through your door; pure insanity, lots of beer.

Do regular oil changes and try to baby her. She is unstoppable in the snow of Buffalo, NY. Nice higher ride height, and not a big fat sloppy piggy, like an Expedition or Tahoe.

Has third row seats, always feels safe, and very comfortable to stretch out while traveling with the wife and kids.

General Comments:

Would not trade her for the world... well maybe.. not.

Interior is beyond great condition; dark charcoal leather, dark carpets. Kids can puke, spill stuff, scuff stuff etc, and I clean her down, vacuum it up, and it still looks great, and is very comfortable...

Ergonomic engineers of the world; 6ft tall guys have legs and don't want to feel like they are in a cockpit with their nuts crushed all the way to Florida. Have blasted this glorified station wagon back and forth to Florida three times with never a break down. Always feel comfortable, safe and roomy for all of our stuff. Have Walmart cheapy TVs strapped on the front seats and the kids love them.

I love the look of her too; tough, nice stance. It's SLT model with bigger tires.

It has proven to be a very nice reliable SUV that I hope to have for some time to come. People, buy one of these over a mini-van any day, please.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st October, 2010

2000 Dodge Durango 5.9 V8 Magnum

Summary:

What a joke..

Faults:

Well for starters it already had a new transmission when I purchased it.

Both power motors on driver's side blown.

Just had it in the shop because the air compressor went bad.

The evaporator core died.

The alternator died.

The radiator hose assembly exploded.

And followed by the ever breaking heater coil leaks all over the place.

All that at the same time!!!!!

General Comments:

The truck drives great, but not worth the gas prices and repairs that constantly need to be done.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st May, 2010

21st May 2010, 18:15

Hard to believe that a truck with 130k would have problems...

2000 Dodge Durango SLX 4.7L

Summary:

Support USA - Buy American Made Products

Faults:

The following items are not considered as "things gone wrong with the car", but merely as wear & tear parts. Each and every car part is not expected or engineered to "last forever", thus requiring maintenance/ replacement.

Maintenance performed on the below items, except for tire mounting & balancing were completed by myself, with reference of auto repair manuals and with minimal hand/power tools.

Passenger rear door window motor @ 114,000 miles.

Drivers side rear door lock actuator @ 152,000 miles (damaged and replaced by auto body shop).

Front/rear shocks (1st time replacing) @ 144.000 miles (normal wear&tear parts).

Windshield @ 152,000 miles (normal wear & tear).

Top weatherstrip for rear windshield @ 152,000 miles.

Recall for front ball joints @ 93,000 miles.

A/C compressor, accumulator/dryer, front & rear expansion valves and fan belt @ 155,000 miles.

Thermostat, top&lower radiator hoses @ 144,000 miles (normal wear & tear).

Spark plugs & plug wire set replacement, transaxle, transfer case, differential flush (s) and door hardware lubrication are my next scheduled preventive/performance maintenance tasks.

Other routine maintenance/wear & tear parts include: brake pads & rotors, tires, oil & air filters, headlamp & tail lamp bulbs, windshield wiper blades, etc.

General Comments:

This vehicle, like anything else you value, is only as good as you take care of it. I don't have extra money to burn these days. Knowing that, I pay closer attention to what my car is or is not doing. I will ask opinions from auto shops/dealers only picking their brain (s) about hints on the repairs/parts. Usually when buying a part, they will be generous on replacement/installation tips.

Learning and doing repairs yourself will save you big $$$

This is especially true with older models. Newer models are engineered in mind that you usually have to purchase specialty tools for the repair. Most new specialty tools are designed for one specific model, meaning that you can't use it for anything else. Brake tools, removal devices and special wrenches are examples of costly specialty tools.

The best investment for anyone could be a vehicle repair/maintenance manual supplemental to the original owners/operation manual.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th May, 2010

9th May 2010, 05:50

I agree. I have a 277000 Durango that is well maintained. It runs great, uses a quart oil every 5000 miles, and I have to use the power window switch on the drivers side to lower the 1 passenger window. That's it. Maybe I got a great SUV, better than most. I really like it. I have had many new cars over the years and had problems from the onset. This one I hate giving up as I will likely downsize on my next company vehicle; I am keeping this as long as it lasts...