Nothing has gone wrong with this car.
I purchased this car new, and it only has 800 miles on it.
This truck is indeed a truck. We are not very pleased with the overall feel of the vehicle on the road. We are not truck people and we probably won't keep this truck for very long.
The sound system is excellent. We have an infinity surround system on this car, and CD's, radio, etc. sound just simply beyond the norm.
We also have a DVD player installed. This was probably great for our two kids for about the first hour. After that, they were back to "being bored." I would not recommend purchasing this extra, as it really isn't useful. Again, the system itself was excellent, and the sound outstanding. The DVD came with a remote, and one could also control the DVD player by the controls on the steering wheel.
The one thing we absolutely despise about this truck is the interior. It's entirely plastic, save for the leather seats. You would assume that if you purchase leather seats and all the bells and whistles, you would obtain a better interior. But alas, no. The leather seats are nice, but when you're constantly faced (literally) with plastic for an interior (e.g., doors, door handles, dash), it takes away from any comfort one would derive from the seats.
As with any Dodge, cup holders abound, and storage is plentiful. The third row seats fold down quickly for even more storage.
Again, I'll harp on the plastic... this time the exterior. Whenever you close the hatchback on the rear of the truck, you naturally check to make sure this hatchback is secure. Several times I've wondered how long the plastic "chrome" looking handles will hold. A few times, this handle has even creaked as I've "tugged" to make sure I've secured the back. For a truck, you would think that this would be a sturdier feature.
As I drive down the highway, I've noticed that we are higher than the older Durangos. This is a very high riding vehicle. Again, it's a truck, so this is to be expected. I would also expect to find some wind resistance in harsh weather, but have yet to really encounter any.
I would recommend keeping this truck for about 40-50K and then trading it in.
If nothing has gone wrong, why do you hate it so much? (aside from the 'plastic.') And since you do hate it so much, why did you buy it?
The Plastic Is Nice And Easy To Clean If You Have Kids. You Sound About 70+ Years Old, Try A Cadillac!
Considering how rude the above comments were, I regret ever making my opinion ever known originally. I'm in my early thirties by the way, and my whole family agreed with me. The two commenting people above need to get a life.
What do you expect the dash and door panels to be made out of, wood? Metal? Of course it's plastic. At least it's of a good quality, and not like the hard plastic with sharp edges that GM was so fond of recently.
You are in for a big headache with this truck, judging by reviews of earlier model years and follow-up posts.
You can expect premature engine failure, transmission failure, various electrical problems and premature brake rotor and pad replacement.
And the front ball-joints fail so the wheels drop off.
Surf the Internet for hours and hours of entertainment on the subject of Durangos.
You must get all oil changes done every 3,000 miles by the dealer or your warranty will not be valid. (for the engine)
Keep all service records and receipts.
Good Luck. also, see www.donotbuydodge.ca.
I don't think it's right that this website allows such biased propaganda, and when someone questions the motives
of a commenter, (such as a dealer of a rival make???) it is not posted.
There should be no advertising for websites such as the one listed in the previous comment. The facts are not true, including maintenance schedule/warranty.
In my (educated) opinion, this is libel.
Correction: the oil changes do not necessarily have to be done by the dealer, but by a professional shop, in order not to void your warranty.
I really should have said, don't do them yourself.
Otherwise the dealer won't accept they have been done.
Most of us use our cars for short trips some of the time and extensive idling in traffic, so this falls under the "severe service" category and requires changes every 3,000 miles rather than 7,500.
See also www.dontbuyone.org
This isn't advertising, (no profit) it's information distribution.
Lighten up.
Libel?
I think it would call for naming of an individual to be libel, but I'm not sure.
My comments on the problems of this truck are based on this site's reviews and other Net sources.
For the '99 model, there are about 100 reviews, 80% are overwhelmingly negative.
The positive ones are too often written during early ownership, before much time has elapsed for anything to go wrong.
Wow!
All those problems to look forward to!
Kind of makes the plastic door panels problem fade into insignificance, doesn't it?
But you can't do much about that; just wait for it to go wrong while you're driving along staring at the plastic door panels.
Perhaps you could get an automotive specialist trim shop to cover the panels with cloth; worth investigating if it really bothers you. Or leather?
You don't want to spend another 40-50 kilomiles staring at those dreadful plastic panels, do you?
Personally, in your predicament, I'd get rid of the truck now and buy a nice Mercury Grand Marquis.
Even a 15-year-old Marquis is going to give you fewer problems than the self-destructing Durango.
You don't sit so high as in a Durango - it's a car.
As you've admitted you're not really truck people, this might be a good option for you.
Lovely cloth door panels, I remember on my last new one in '90 & I guess the newer ones are just as nice.
If you like leather door panels, the BMW750iL has a super leather interior. It's a car. You sit lower in it than you would in a Durango, but higher than most other cars.
Again, it's a car. And a very spacious and beautiful one. The rear passengers have ample legroom in the Long-wheelbase model. The 750i is the normal wheelbase model, but avoid this one.
Mine's an old '98 model, but it's like new. Only worth about 10,000 pounds now though ($18,000). Cost 85,000 pounds new. (I bought it well-used, I'm not rich.)
It's at 255,000 km now. Drives so smoothly, quietly and powerfully.
Again, it's a car.
So far, in 4 years, I've not had to replace the ball joints, the engine, the transmission, any electrical items, nor any mechanical parts except brake pads and rotors. (My fault for letting it stand alone, outside for 6 months when I took a long holiday.)
Boring car, maintenance-wise. Yours is much more exciting.
And even this 2070 kg monster gives better gas mileage than a Durango.
There's your solution: Sell the Durango, buy a '95-01 BMW750iL, you'll have leather seats, leather door panels, leather dash, leather center console as well as a nice 326 HP V12 motor, Sat-Nav, double-glazing (on side-windows and rear window only), electric front and rear seats, built-in telephone, TV, sunroof, 6 CD changer, stunning sound system with steering-wheel-mounted controls just like your Durango. (your kids won't miss the DVD player)
steering column is electrically adjustable for reach and rake.
Trunk is beautifully trimmed, lovely carpeting, top quality, however, there is one big drawback, the trunk lid is lined with plastic! I try not to look at it when I open the trunk, but I ask you, plastic! In a car that cost over $100,000. Not acceptable.
Gas mileage is about 21 mpg average (Imperial gallons) but drops to about 16 mpg in the city.
155 mph top speed (US models may be restricted), and altogether a much nicer driving vehicle.
110 mph at 3,000 rpm, so nicely geared for relaxed cruising.
So, I thoroughly recommend the BMW750iL, so long as you can face having to look at the plastic trunk lid liner now and then.
After all, you're not really truck people.
To the "don't buy" person.
To me you sound like you could be either a bitter "Dodge hater" or someone with an "agenda".
Why don't you get your facts correct, instead of posting misinformation on a website?
To the owner of the Durango-it is a solid vehicle, built to last.
Built to last?
The reviewer titled his review:
"Overall a nice truck, but not built to last."
So he might disagree with your comment.
He should know - he owns one.
And he's only covered 800 miles as of the review.
I do not own a Durango.
I never shall.
You don't need to own one to know all you need to know about them.
You don't need to be an astronaut to know what it's like on the moon.
You probably think water swirls in one direction in the Northern Hemisphere and another in the Southern Hemisphere.
When I return to the US I shall buy another Grand Marquis or Crown Vic.
A BMW750iL is really wasted in the US.
Over there you can't really whiz along at 125+ mph for long like you can in Germany, where I've been for 8 years.
But those leather door panels are really nice.
Have you found your sense of humour yet?
Why only 8/10 for reliability?
Has it let you down in 800 miles?
Why only 5/10 for comfort?
Is it really that bad?
You did take this car for a long test drive before buying, didn't you?
Better try to get your old Volvo 940 back.
My Dodge Durango Nightmare - I purchased a brand new 2001 Dodge Durango in September of 2001. In late September of 2002 the motor went out. The vehicle began overheating. I took in for repair several times only to get it back and it continued to overheat. The motor finally gave out.
My vehicle had 49,000 miles on because I drive 100 per day. After filing a Lemon Law complaint with the State of Texas I finally, after 3 months of arguing my point, got the motor replaced by Dodge. The dealer even verbally admitted to me that there is a flaw with the motor.
Today, my vehicle has 85,000. When the motor got replaced back in October of 2002, Dodge gave me a 100,000 mile warranty.
Today my husband took my vehicle to get inspected and it didn't pass emissions testing and the vehicle is leaking fluids. The mechanic asked my husband if the car had been overheating. My car is back in for service and I have a bad feeling that the engine is going out again based on what the mechanic told my husband.
I also know by searching the Internet that there are several recall parts for my vehicle yet I have not received ANY recall notices from Dodge.
How does the owner or you know how the Durango will hold up?
I certainly see enough of the to know that they are a solid vehicle that is built to last. If you want fancy-smancy buy a Lexus.
If you want a rugged vehicle, the Durango is just fine.