[siptuned]

Hi! I'm thinking of buying a Gen 1 Durango. What's the best year to buy? Please help.

 

[skitzo.d]

Welcome to the club!

My choice would be the '03. It has dual piston front brake calipers and disc in the rear so it'll stop much better than the earlier model years. Other than that, they're pretty much the same. I have a '99 and replaced the rear with an '03 to get the better brakes.

The other differences are the '01+ come with rack and pinion steering and the rear A/C as well as the A/C in general is better.

Any choice you make would a good one as these trucks are a reliable as long as they were well maintained.

Good luck!

 

[MAGIC84]

Greeting and welcome aboard.

You'll get much input on this matter and it all comes down to personal preference. I'll start by putting my vote in for 2003. Reasons, rear disc brakes and still fairly easy to get parts for.

If I had to do it over again, I'd try to find one with the 5.9 engine (360ci) and either an R/T or SLT+. It offers more mod options and stronger performance.

Good luck with the search and I'm sure others will chime in shortly.

 

[marine_142]

Welcome!

 

[FSTDANGO3]

Welcome aboard!
I'll throw in my vote for anything 2000+ with the 2003 having the best brakes.
Let us know what you'll be using the D for, and we can recommend further options to look for.
Steve
DOC Pres

 

[siptuned]

Thanks everyone! I'll be using the D for my family and my wife's daily use. We owned a 2006 Dodge Durango 4.7 SLT and loved it, but with the bad economy we lost it. Now we want another one but a Gen 1.

I live in Puerto Rico.

 

[FSTDANGO3]

Then an 01-03 4.7 D should work well for you. Again, the 03 has the best brakes!
Steve

 

[JWhirl06]

I had minimal problems with my 99, and any D is a good D!!

 

[dizzyD]

Welcome! If I had to replace my 99, I go with the 03 first, because of the brakes. If it wasn't available, I'd find another 99 with a 5.9.

 

[Siggi Gunda]

Welcome! I have a 2002 R/T with a 5.9 and love it but, like others have said, the 2003 has the best brakes. The interior changed in 2001 and with it the 4WD lever came out of the floor and was replaced with a knob in the dash.

 

[IndyDurango]

While I'm partial to the mix that's the 2000 D, +5 on the 2003 as your best first bet to keep a look out for.

IndyDurango

 

[MWeed]

As far as having the best brakes, x6 on the 2003. Good luck and welcome!

 

[The Foudre]

Hello and welcome on board!!

 

[Tazdevil]

I like the 2000 manual shift for 4 wheel drive instead of a button.

 

[MWeed]

I also agree on that, sometimes the motors stick.

 

[JWhirl06]

+3 on the manual 4x4 shifter, too many things to go wrong with the push-button style. My Ram has that as well.

 

[loudrango]

welcome to the forum! another vote for the '03.

 

[Don Fox]

Siptuned,

Agreed that the 03 was the best (and last) of the Gen 1 models. My vote would be to go with 01 or newer as they redid the interior starting in 01. I enjoyed my Garnet Pearl 01 D for 6 years.

Don't be afraid of the auto transfer case. Both my past 01 and current 04 have it and, as long as you exercise the case at least once a month by switching through it's modes, you'll be fine. We also had two 05s at work that didn't have any T-case issues while in service.

Don

 

[that_guy]

while I'm quite partial to Intense Blue 99s :thumbsup: , the 03s do have the best brakes. I just prefer the 5.2s and 5.9s because they have distributors and mechanical throttle bodies (less electronics to go wrong in my opinion) and have in essence been around since the 50s and are extremely durable (I have a '69 Plymouth, from my Grandfather with well over 300k miles on the original engine and tranny with no rebuilds, just maintenance.) That's not to say the 4.7 isn't good, I just have no experience with it. The one thing I don't like about the 01-03 models is the electronically shifted transfer case. I just like the security of pulling a lever and having a big chunk of metal move.

One other thing to keep in mind is that leather seats are literally a PITA in cold and hot weather.

Just my opinion.

 

[greendurango]

X? :lol: put my vote in for the 03 as well. get the 5.9 R/T if at all possible.