The unthinkable: SUV buying advice?

We try to keep a a maximum of 3 insured vehicles in the family. Typically that has been two dailys and a spare. Currently the insured include an 03 WRX, a 91Miata, and a late 90's GMC safari tow beater. Now the family is 4 instead of 2 it would be nice to two decent 4+ seaters. The problem is I really don't want to dump the Miata (besides, ive got a turbo motor ready just waiting for time) . My current thought is to get rid of the Safari and buy a decent tow vehicle that could double as another family vehicle while allowing us to keep the soon to be Turboyata as a toy.

Im considering a 1999-2000ish Durango. Tows a bunch, seats 7, available with decent 4wd, and seem to be commonly available for $2800-$4000. Anyone have any reasons besides standard SUV hate why I shouldnt buy a Durango around that age? Any alternatives you prefer?

Thanks!

crap dodge transmissions

I'm not too firmiliar with them but i think they suffer the standard dodge build quality that era.

P71?

What are you needing to tow? What are your fuel economy needs? Do you need/want 4WD or AWD? Are you wanting/expecting/needing it to handle like a car?

Personally, I wouldn't touch a Durango, but that's as much the anti-dodge bias I was raised with as anything else. Closest I'd go is with a regular Cherokee with the 4.0L and a 5 speed (just replace the exhaust manifold with a good aftermarket header - both my mom's and my gf's had the exhaust manifolds crack).

Oh, and that "seating for 7" is a joke, unless you're talking a suburban or excursion (diesels ftw!). Every other vehicle that claims it seats 4 adults and 3 small children.

1998 to 2001 Dodge Durango - One of the few vehicles that still didn't have a knock sensor factory engineered into the system and they are plagued with detonation problems. So much so there was a TSB that required an ECU re-flash to "significantly" retard the timing in order to eliminate the detonation problems resulting in horrible performance, power and fuel mileage. If the ECU reflash was not performed, blown head gaskets are the norm. Weak transmissions and transfer cases are also an area of concern as well as "unexpected" ball joint failures at speed in the front end from leaky grease fittings resulting from pre-mature corrosion.

If it wasn't completely paid for and I hadn't owned my 1999 5.9 Durango SLT 4x4 from the day it came off the dealer's lot, I'd never own one and would never buy a used one with a questionable history.

After my ECU was re-flashed during a "routine" head gasket replacement, and my fuel economy went down to 12mph on the highway, I promptly purchased a HyperTech Power Programmer and now run the 87 octane program while filling up with Premium gas.

The Dodge's replacment will most likely be a Chevy or Ford Diesel.

I haven't met a single Durango owner who is happy with theirs, usually citing (at a minimum) the horrible fuel mileage. I think you could do better. It's a buyer's market for SUVs right now. I'd look at everything.

for the same fuel mileage you could have a suburBARN..

http://charleston.craigslist.org/cto/881791515.html <--- example

or

Get yourself a full sized van.. Noone wants them. They tow awesome, haul a bunch, and have the same fuel mileage as the durango..

I learned a great deal about "midsized " 4x4 trucks when I had my ranger. They have half the utility at the nearly the same fuel economy as full sized.

edit: Think real hard about 4x4. There is a mileage penalty for it. Sometimes the penalty is significant. My 4x4 ranger with a 3.0 would get 20mpg on the highway. A 2wd version could touch 24....

For the price of a similar vintage everything else you seem to get more Durango on paper. I was guessing it was because it was slightly too big an thirsty for the small ute crowd, and it was too small and thirsty for the big ute crowd. Apparently there were other factors! Thank you guys for the warnings!

I wouldn't mind that Burb but my wife would prefer to never drive something that large. We are planning on keeping whatever we buy for a few years so I would also prefer to get something a generation or so newer than that particular burb.

We currently have a Safari that drives pretty well. I would upgrade to a slightly newer van but I want to incorporate 4wd into this purchase if possible. I know you can get Safari/Astros in 4wd, but that drives the price up to comparable to a more attractive ute and they are quite funky looking.

More suggestions?

I'd get a full size van or SUV. A diesel excursion makes my pee pee tingle.

DILYSI Dave wrote: A diesel excursion makes my pee pee tingle.

you too huh?

while diesel excursions are expensive..

A guy on here, george walton, got a hell of a deal on a gas powered one.. Had the V10, 4x4, leather, under 100k miles.. Paid something stupid for it.. like $6k and it was only 5 years or so old at the time.

Jensenman can relate stories about that big white pig.

+1 for the Excursion. I miss mine most of the time, but it was a V10 4x4 that got 11mpg around town and 13 on the highway no matter how you drove or what you were hauling/towing. We traded it in when gas first hit $3/gal around here a couple of years ago.

I'd love to get diesel version sometime though.

expeditions are smaller than suburbans and excursions right?

Yes. Except the new (06 or 07+) Expedition XLs which are the stretched Expeditions to make up for the cancelled Excursion.

Durangos get much less gas mileage than comparable SUVs. I have a V6 5spd. 4-Runner,tows fine, comfortable, but what I came to appreciate in this that other SUVs don't have is a rear window that goes down. Even when it's raining, lower it an inch or so and air flows through the vehicle. Jeeps, Rangos etc. don't do this.

Dan

My wife wants a 4 Runner for the rear window alone! She wants it so she can take our dog (Great Dane) places and let him hang his head out the back window.

I absolutely loved my Excursion. I mean LOVED it. Minimal mileage penalty over the Expedition and a ton more pulling functionality.

I would rock a V8/V10 one again considering they are the plague to the buying public.

http://www.michiganvw.org/forum/showthread.php?t=43728

JmfnB wrote: http://www.michiganvw.org/forum/showthread.php?t=43728

You are not logged in or you do not have permission to access this page.

ALMOST 1000 HITS on the old post so here is a new one with some much better pics and a new price:

http://buckner-engineering.com/priva...20porn%20pics/ (new pics)

http://buckner-engineering.com//priv...zeug/index.htm

Gentlemen (and the ladies, if there are any here),

be advised, the price given here was an estimate, I have eGay open in another firefox window and am looking at their Buy Now prices and of course I am on the high side and here is why, even though I have E36 M3ty pics :

• 2WD - and here is the build sheet
• i am NOT a dealer -> no BS here
• has never, ever, been smoked in.
• 100% vehicle history, this means from original window sticker, original keys and audio tape to the last receipt for a new starter and flywheel 2 weeks ago (installed at GM dealer, fully warranty on parts and labor)
• if you can grasp this: every fuel stop since day one - documented with date, mileage and some calculated MPG value
• -> show me another 6.5TD for sale with 100% vehicle history and I knock $1000 off of the price immediately
• for you this means one thing -> NEVER any guesswork who has done what to the car - EVER. Fellow mechanics will know to appreciate this. Harder to fix what the guy tried to fix before you then fixing it right in the first place.
• since it got the A pillar gauges it was NEVER been turned off before it had lass than 300 F EGT, before that it was ALWAYS cooled down!!!
• ULTRACLEAN inside - can you say anal ? can you say OCD ?
• the car might have some minor optical blemishes, however I would trust to drive it clear across the country and back, here is why:

All replaced since my ownership, unless otherwise noted:

• Heath Stage-1 HP4 Performance Upgrade Combo
• Heath PMD relocator kit (to replace the FSD cooler it had when it was passed on to me) with 7 years warranty
• Heath OPS
• new Bilstein HD shocks
• new Air Filter (Purolator)
• new recent Diesel Filter and screen
• Dual Thermostat mod (done with my help back in the day)
• wrapped custom crossover pipe (done before my ownership)
• A pillar gauges - boost, EGT, trans temp (done before my ownership)
• Aluminum trans pan with cooling fins (see pics) (done before my ownership) similar to heath unit
• new starter and flywheel ($1550 done at dealership 4 weeks ago)
• coolant just flushed and replaced by dealer
• always ran with stanadyne performance formula
• still have the new heath silicone coupler - goes with it of course, wanted to wait until i had time to clean engine bay up more
• just did a custom 3 inch side exit free flowing exhaust, no more muffler, less weight, better sound, more MPG
• extendable towing mirrors
• prodigy e-brake controller (done before my ownership)
• Kenwood CD/MP3/Sirius deck and some kicker speakers (all stealth) (done before my ownership)
• new AC system (done right before my ownership)

basically everything you would want to do to a 6.5TD as preventative maintenance, and then some, has been done. It really is a blast to drive this thing since the Heath HP4 combo and I will shed a tear when it goes.

The truck was used for some light towing duty maybe 25 times (911RS's way a lot less than what some of you guys haul ) and it was always taken care of. The only rust spot that was bad was on the driver fender, that i cut out and RustOleum'ed. This was caused by them stupid chrome strips they had (removed them all now). I just took care of the rust on the back doors and painted maybe a 1.5 inch strip in silver metallic across both doors and 2 small rust spots on each one of the barn doors in original blue paint. Everything that came with the truck new is included, this means the owners manual, the audio tape, the gas log if you promise to continue that, the original barely ever used keys (used remakes right away), the third row seats, the OE mirrors etc. etc. Plus all take offs (exhaust, parts that were replaced) I have and a box of stanadyne performance additive, some filters, a box of oil should be left etc. etc.

so here are some pics, as I pointed out before, here are the new pics after washing it and RAW (no spraywax or shiny tire junk or anything) and then some what the car looks like inside, and after that just some random shots from the albums.... :

If you have any questions please feel free to post them here, the only reason for selling, as the guys in the 6.5TD section know, is that I NEED that 5 ton M813

asking price $4999 ONLY FOR MIVERS !!!

PS: only thing left to do is set the TCD value to heath specs, which I am hoping to do asap and before sale.

your links are broken

I've got an 04 excursion with the 6.0L PSD. Love it. I talked to my Ford buddies & figured out the MY to buy after the whole injector fiasco (dont buy an early 6.0L). Bought the extended bumper to bumper warranty & have not had to use it for anything.

Tows anything like a beast (I moved a 9K# fork truck without an issue), still has solid axles so the tires wear correctly, and I get dang near 20 mpg on the freeway towing an empty car trailer (and 15mpg towing a 10K race trailer).

Did I mention its big?

Now might be the time to buy, I've seen them pretty cheap - the 7.3L ones under $10K

Kendall

I was going to suggest a regular full-size van. Friend bought a V10 Ford to tow his enclosed trailer, plus it is much, much more roomy inside. He thought about getting the Diesel but he just hates dealing with the noise and smell. I think he had to go to the local fleet dealer to get it, but it makes more sense to me than an SUV.

BTW, they are built off the same technology so the ride (harsh) will be similar and the van can be bought with more windows, plusher interiors, etc. It just doesn't look as trendy, but then we're not looking for trendy are we?

6.5TD FTW!