14th Aug 2007, 11:58
195,000 miles on your truck!! That gives me hope for mine!!! I currently have 105,000 miles on mine now and I try hard to keep up with the preventive maintenance.
23rd Aug 2008, 21:05
Vehicle now at 214,000 miles. Transmission locked up in January-a job I didn't care to tackle. Paid more to have it repaired than I had spent on maintenance since I bought the vehicle new in 1999.
Finally had a starter failure--well, erratic operation, last week. Bought a used starter with good solenoid contacts, good brushes, etc. for $20 and solved that problem.
I run car tires on my Durango as the original Goodyear truck tires were so noisy that conversation was nearly impossible. Mileage now improved because I run them overpressure to get proper tire wear due to the vehicle's weight. 70K miles on 35K guarantee tires isn't a bad deal. Driving sanely on the interstate, the 5.2 will get 20 MPG.
Front passenger side window motor hasn't worked in years. Gearbox is jammed. When I find one cheap enough on ebay, I'll replace it. Still running the original alternator. Original rotors still on the front wheels.
6th Sep 2008, 10:14
The previous post is mine.
I've never driven a vehicle as long as I have this Durango. I keep meticulous maintenance records on all my vehicles, including what work was done, the date, the mileage and the cost. Maintenance includes parts, lubrication, oil changes, filters and tires. When the maintenance cost begins to exceed 2 cents/mile, it is time to take a serious look at getting another vehicle. My Durango was at 1 cent/mile until the transmission failure at 197,000 miles and now I'm at 2.14 cents/mile.
As the cost of oil has tripled since I got the Durango in 1999 and the price of tires has doubled, I am going to be hard pressed to get back to 1 cent/mile.
11th Apr 2010, 22:13
I have a 99 Durango that has 195,615 miles on it. All I have fixed is new tires, tune up, and an oxygen sensor. I never had problems with it... The way you take care of your car is the way that it's gonna last... Very good SUV.
15th Feb 2011, 16:40
I just purchased a 1999 Durango SLT V8 Magnum.
I had a few problems. The side passenger window would not go down, had the 02 sensor replaced and there was a leak in the exhaust. But, it only had 88100 when I bought it. The interior is clean and a little rust spot on the back.
However, I love it! It seems like the previous owner took care of it.
6th Jun 2007, 12:31
I, too, am relatively well satisfied with my '99 Durango.
I have read about all the crying about ball joints. I checked mine at 170,000 miles and found the upper passenger side joint very loose. Tire wear was not abnormal. Replaced it with a unit purchased from Auto Zone at a price I believed exorbitant. Not a difficult job--grinding off the rivet heads, punching them out and installed the new unit with bolts (provided).
Replaced the lower passenger side joint two weeks later when it bean squeaking. Another overpriced AutoZone unit.
Bought joints for the drivers side from RockAuto. The two, including freight, were less than AutoZone's price for one.
Took two and a half hours to do both on a Saturday morning.
Front end realignment was the most expensive part of the project.
At 195,000 miles, still running the original brake shoes on the rear. Front pads replaced once. On the second set of replacement tires. Lost a water pump and multiple overpriced plastic sensors early in the cars life. Second set of replacement plugs--and from the appearance of the plugs I removed--I did the job for practice!
No leaking intake plenum on my vehicle--for which I am thankful.