Are you certain about the 5.0 engine? I cannot recall Mopar building a 5.0 liter engine.

The correct engine for a 2001 Durango should be the 5.9 liter (360CID). I drove a Dodge Dakota pickup, which is the same platform as the 2001 Durango. It had a 5.2 liter (318CID) engine, which is nearly indestructable. Good reliable truck.

You are right it is the 5.9, I immagine not the best fuel economy for the kid, but he likes it, and if hes willing to put the work into it i am willing to help. She is selling it for $1,600 (good, bad? edmonds says its ok) and it is "Pretty" dark blue. Just want somthing that is reliable for him that gets him through Cullnary College and on his way before he has to get a new vehicle.

My experience with Chrysler products has not been good. Unless there is a compelling reason for doing otherwise, I recommend that people without a lot of funds available drive a vehicle that is at the top of the list of reliable cars in Consumer Reports -- about the only place where long term reliability data is kept. In general, this means that most Hondas and Toyotas are good bets, some Buicks are very good, etc. For some brands it varies dramatically by model.

For kids, fuel economy is an issue. A Toyata RAV4 or a Honda Element or CRV would get far better mpg that the Durango. How about a Ford Escape? (The hybrid gets great mpg numbers)?

Personal experience, like mine with Chrysler products, is worth much less. I can rant about Chrysler and Saturn being two of the worst brands I've owned... but I am one person -- perhaps hundreds of others have had good experiences.

If you search on Chevy Cavalier, at CR4, you will see that these cars have all sorts of problems.

But really: Learn to drive the Jeep! One does not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Yes I too agree about the gift horse the Jeep was very clean (moma's old car she babied it), straight and ran great. But he could not get past the starting on the HILL panic. He did good though, sold it for $1,700.00 for a 91 with 240k on it, but that inline 6 is an indestructible engine.

Why does it need to be a truck? Are there a lot of food packages to be transported in connection with the course of study or can these be sent by FedEx instead?

Something more economical, perhaps?

(Usual disclaimer)

Rural area and a used vehicle will be his purchase.

Lots of woods to still camp and back pack in up here and when it snows the 4wd is nice to have instead of chaining up.

I like the picture of the toy though, it looks like a semi-trucks basket ball.

Just kidding, he actually was able to fit into a Smart car, he is 6' 3" 240 lbs and a size 16 shoe and 19.

So something with some space is nice for him too.

I would check the ball joints too....I think it's best to let a kid learn his own lessons....You can make suggestions, as you have, but in the end if the kid likes the vehicle he will probably take better care of it, than say a vehicle that is forced on them...If he has a lot of driving to do, he'll figure out the mileage thing soon enough...Generally speaking, a vehicle that is being sold with existing problems is probably the result of the owner having spent a small fortune on repairs has said enough is enough and I'm not putting another dime into this thing....That could mean that most everything has been fixed, or it could mean that the last estimate to have it repaired was just too high....In any case any vehicle is a crap shoot...

I would also check for recalls...

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/Durango/2001/

Great site thanks, good to see that this trucks engine is not listed, but I did not know about the Dual oil pumps either.

I say stick with the pickup and let him learn the value of being his own mechanic.

New drivers do not need new vehicles its just a waste of money. As far as difficulty changing the pump pick up a good Chilton or Haynes service manual for the truck and follow the instructions about how to change it out.

As far as the cost of fuel goes its pointless to spend a pile of money on a fuel efficient vehicle if a far far cheaper one with lesser fuel economy can be had instead.

Say you spend $15,000 on a newer econo crap car. How many gallons of fuel will that extra $13,400 he would have spent bought? Plus factor in that that car would have likely taken a loan as well so factor in how many more gallons of fuel the interest on that loan would have bought. Also factor in that as long as that econo car is on a loan its has to have full coverage insurance which for a teenage driver is crazy high on top of everything else.

The point is just because something else will save him a some cash every week on fuel it doesn't mean its saving him anything in the big picture or the long run.

Get the used pickup and budget assuming that you may have to toss an extra $1000 - $2000 or so at it over the next year or two to get all the bugs out of it. He will still be money and experiance ahead in the end.

Could not agree with you more!

That is how I did it, long lonely nights under the car pulling out he tranny and installing new flywheel, pressure plates and clutch. Oh those younger days, yes the days go by quickly.

Some people just have the right stuff. My son could take apart anything and put it back together and it would work. I don't know where he learned it. Maybe your son has the same stuff.

The point is just because something else will save him a some cash every week on fuel it doesn't mean its saving him anything in the big picture or the long run.

The idea is to buy a cheap fuel-efficient car. The Dodge gets 13 mpg combined: $4350 per year in fuel costs, per the EPA. For the same money, you can buy a 1998 Civic (I just bought one for $1500, and it drives just fine.) 28 mpg combined, $2050 per year.

If you live in Georgia, that $2300 difference is enough to pay for tuition for a term at Georgia Tech.

To each his own. And you're right, replacing a power steering pump is not a big deal and would be good experience. My son just finished rebuilding his 1990 Daihatsu engine. The parts cost almost as much as it cost to buy the whole car in 1998 ($700, in good running condition -- making a funny noise that cost a buck to fix -- perfect body.)

My Little Big brother (Smaller then me but older) says 'Nice to have a horse that don't eat when not working.' Banks are funny about wanting the payment whether it is running or not, being used or not, etc., etc., etc. -- JHF

Just a thought, but sometimes those pumps get noisy when they're just low on fluid. Is the belt sufficiently tight? Is it noisy all the time the truck is running or just when the wheel is turned?

"Oh those younger days, yes the days go by quickly" - How true!

Let him buy the Dodge. Get him a Chilton's as a gift.

Spent many a Friday/Saturday night up until the wee hours with the hood up and/or car on jack stands, Chilton's open on the work bench and grease up to my arm pits!

Will be a great learning experience and will hopefully bring back fond memories when he is an old fart like me

5.9L Way to go warming the globe.
I'd suggest a Sherman tank, probably better fuel consumption and more reliable.
What is it with you guys on that side of the pond?
I know you have to cover greater distances as the country is so big, and is so underdeveloped many of your roads are just dirt tracks .
But does anyone really need more than 2L, maybe 3 at the absolute max?
Over this side of the pond engines are getting smaller and smaller.
We'll all be drivingwith sub 1L engines soon.
Maybe you guys shouldtry paying the same for gas as we do in the UK.

Del (tongue firmly in cheek)

Hey now Del,

Hold on to those horses.

I pay through the nose for Fuel now $4.85 per gallon. I drive a little 7.3 Disel Excursion.

I don't see Jag, Bently, or Rolls building them any smaller now days either.

I just did the calculations
Here in the UK I pay $8.24 per US gallon so can I climb back on myhigh horsey now?
Del

Ouch!! For that kind of moola you get back on the horse and ride off into all the sunsets you like. Time to move to this side of the pond Del. Less for fuel and you can get a huge engine, or all the horses you want.

Hey Del,

Is it true that the UK taxes you on the size (displacement) of your engine? Something a co-worker tried to tell me a while back. He may have been talking about those other European countries...

There are different road tax bands based on CO2 emissions
Del

So whats the typical size of a car over there?

Size, weight, power, fuel economy, top speed, that sort of stuff?

Bit of a tricky Q.
Average I'd say was a 4 door + hatchback 1.6L top speed would be about 120mph at a guess. Speeds have crept down as fuel price has gone up.
The national speed limit is 70mph. But 80-90 on motorways was the norm about 10 years ago, now most people are doing 60-70 and even the fast stuff is only doing about 80.
There are a lot of 4WDs which are vital to drive to kids 400yards to school and to stop you driving straight into a parking bay with out holding up the other motorists so that they have time to admire your car.

Conversely there are a lot of 'city cars' with sub 1L engine size.
I drive a 1.4 Nissan Micra Auto (manual shift with clutch is a bit rough on my knees these days), which gives about 40mpg. It's not a bad car (except some bonkers software in the key/ignition/door interlocks) and I've used it to tow my daughters car back home from North London in the rush hour.

People are now expecting that sort of fuel economy as standard.
Even the big flash company cars are getting more frugal.
Of course there are still some big gas guzzlers, but the average care is fairly agile, economic and fun to drive (but no good off road).
Biggest car I've ever had was a 2L estate, very nice and comfortable (ex company car from where I worked), but it was French, so first sign of trouble I gave it the heave ho.
The above is only my impression, terms and conditions apply, contestants must be over 18 etc
Del

"But does anyone really need more than 2L, maybe 3 at the absolute max?"

Yes we do!

If we didn't there would not be such a high demand for them.

Around here pretty much everyone tries owning a compact car once. Very few ever keep them for a reason. Small uncomfortable and limited on pretty much everything just does not sell well here even if the fuel mileage numbers are higher.

To be honest a lot of it comes down to the fact that very few compacts here ever got a significant enough gain in fuel economy to give enough of a financial gain in the end that is enough to offset all the other things the lack so much in.

Why drive a shoe box that gets mid 30's MPG's when when you can have a full size that gets only 5 MPG less but gives you loads more of everything else in exchange?

I personally have been there and done that and given the choice that why the wife and I don't have small vehicles.

As far as pickups go if you need one you need one and the fuel consumption issue is secondary to the need.

But does anyone really need more than 2L, maybe 3 at the absolute max?

How cruel! You know full well that men with inadequate bodily equipment prefer large trucks, to compensate. The correlation has been demonstrated in many studies.

Although I personally drive a small car, I respect the need for others to compensate: if they didn't drive big trucks, they be out shooting postal workers.

Well you have that testosterone tale wrong. Men with big trucks are humble, strong and loving to their women. Where as men with fancy fangdangled cars and expensive cars are compensating for small body parts. I just figured my BMW road bike was global footprint pay back.

Yep. I have to work for a living which includes hauling heavy stuff long distance quite often which just cant be done with a small vehicle, at least not safely.

I am 38 years old stand 6 feet 3 inches and 250 pounds (robust muscular build too) plus wear size 14 wide foot wear. Trust me being tall and well built with clown feet doesn't work well in little bitty vehicles with teeny tiny peddles close together.

I too am a nice guy. I always recycle the little bitty cars that I pull out of the grill of my pickups. I usually separate out the parts and toss them into the soup cans and plastics recycling bins.

How am I gonna pull a boat through mud with a 2 or 3 liter engine ??

It takes 2 liters of engine to turn the 4 wheel drive unit !!

I think my beer fridge has a 1 liter engine !

You cat's drive what you want...I'll stick with my Dodge Ram and Cummins diesel engine.

The boat is s'posed to be in the water.
Are we sayin' this kid is goin' to have a boat too? Heck give him a plane and a train too.
Del <slaps furry head with paw>

But does anyone really need more than 2L, maybe 3 at the absolute max?

Are you kidding? Have you ever tried to do a decent burnout with a 4 cylinder buzz box? What chance does he have in his next tug of war with a stinkin 2L engine? This kid is going to SCHOOL. Is there enough room in that econobox for any more than a single keg in it? For all that is sacred, please don't force that poor kid into the role of the geek that does homework for the guys at the campus parties. Let him be a part of the fun.

If I am not mistaken, the first group of invaders, who slaughtered the rightful owners of the continent and took it over, were from England.

So, in some unfathomable way, you guys started this excessive horsepower thing. We have miles and miles and miles of country to cover over here and an unlimited supply of natural reseouces to squander.

Toward that end I just bought a full sized 5.7L Chevy conversion van for my wife to haul the boys and their friends around in that gets 10 MPG.

Hey, it's all about testosterone!!! Bigger motors still get the girls, right? I remember my young pup days with my big-block Pontiac. Had a lot of fun, got it out of my system, then other things in life come along to drain your wallet, but I still have a pair of big rubber testicals hanging from the hitch in my 4cyl Toyota truck . This is a learning experience that has to run its course.

Wish your son good luck from us, and hope that these bits of advice are helpful and bring a smile to his face.

your kid sounds like an ungrateful, spoiled brat.

i'ld take your jeep back and tell him to walk until he can afford to pay for a new vechicle.

it's called tough love>

I wanted to thank you all for your thoughts, comments, knowledge, educational links and some VERY personal experiences. After all of this he went out and bought a Ford Tarus SE 2005 for $1,500.00 while I was giving a lunch and learn today. It's clean runs well and I am proud that he made this decision. Although it is red.......don't cops look for red..........argh. Del you will be happy it is a v-6, small carbon foot print. Get on that horse and ride Del. Thanks again guys you are all great people. Doug

why would you be concerned about the cops watching your kid unless you don't trust him to do the right thing?

All ends well.

I was wondering where you were going with dreams of DIY repairs when the lad can't even handle a hill start in a manual vehicle.

Watch out for the tranny on the '05 Taurus. They don't like heat or hills. I recommend a transmission oil flush right away and add an external transmission cooler. Once they start to go, they go fast - and they're not cheap to replace.

Tranny cooler with a remote filter is the answer.

Good for him! I owned a 1985 Ford Taurus and I still rate is as one of the best cars I have ever driven.

One issue though as mentioned Ford didn't make the trans cooling system worth crap on the Taurus from day one. Mine had the 3.8L V6 and the AXOD transmission which was well known for being 100K transmission in stock form simply due to its crappy factory cooling system.

As soon as I bought my Taurus years ago I installed a 20,000 # rated RV transmission cooler on it. From there on I did transmission fluid changes ever 20K miles and pulled loads with it that where way past what those cars were rated for. That stock transmission made it past 255,000+ miles (where I gave it to my neighbors daughter for her first car) without trouble and I ran the crap out of it pulling heavy loads, a lot of times in OD as well, for the 6 years and 155,000+ miles I owned it!

From what I hear about the Taurus transmission cooling issue they never really did improve it so I would highly recommend spending the $100 or so and over cool it and do regular fluid changes on it as well.

I have owned 2 Taurus cars Both lost transmissions unexpectedly. Both of mine were x government cars, with high mileage.

I'm not sure if you guys know this, but the new BMW 528i and 328i come with a 2.0L 4 cylinder with turbo and start stop technology. 240hp and 260 lb-ft torque. MPG is 23 city and 34 highway for a 3800 lb car (528i)! 8 speed automatic tiptronic, 629 miles on an 18.5 gallon tank of gas (highway).

Or for those who need more power, how about a 2013 Audi S-4 with a supercharged 3.0L V-6 putting out 333 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. 18 mpg city and 28 highway for a 3900 lb all wheel drive monster!

Maybe a luxury liner - BMW 740i which now comes with a turbocharged 3.0L V-6 that pumps out 326 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, weighs 4,100 lbs, yet gets 17 mpg city and 25 highway.

The 2001 Dodge Durango 5.9L V-8 makes 245 hp and 345 lb-ft torque, while getting a pathetic 12 mpg city and 17 mpg highway.

The moral of the story is not how many cubic inches your engine is, but rather how well designed and built it is. We will be seeing more sub 2.0L engines here in the US, however they will be designed so that they don't feel like they lack power.

And remember that smaller engines weigh less, hence the cars have less mass and rotate better.

Get a BMW 730 diesel sport, 48 mpg highway Even better for a youngster. VW Golf 2.0 litre diesel sport gets over 65 mpg ang goes like shinola off a shovel..... Fully understand you boys in the USA have made vast improvements in gas mileage in the last few years but going from 6 to 12 mpg isn't really keeping up with the mpg's being achieved elsewhere

Chevy/GMC

Silverado or Sierra 6.0 liter!

Remember, there is no replacement for displacement.

True enough re displacement. Coupling cubes with efficiency is the way to go.

Current line of Chev LSx V8s sip fuel when the going is light and really throw those ponies out when they're wide open.

Computerised engine management has these brutes nicely tamed these days.

One dual fuel system in Oz (factory not aftermarket) has the smarts to change from LPG to petrol when floored without a miss and back again when the demand is over. That's on the Holden Commodore and HSVs.

All good. Want one. I wish they did a 4x4 version of the Maloo.

had a 98 durango 5.2L. Fantastic truck. wife wrecked it twice before I finally broke down and sold it. If it's got high miles, look at the wear items for play.

My only issue with mine was poor mileage. Common in quite a few dodge trucks.

I've heard of issues with dodge tranny's, and I've heard that the small 4.3 engines suck. I'd find a durango forum and ask them.

essentially a durango is an overbuilt dakota... same front clip. Ask me how I know..

WEll, to me the question of whether a vehicle is worth the money, which is better , most reliable etc. is only valid when talking NEW vehicles. Once it rolls of the lot what you are buying is the previous owners good/bad maintenance practices. The manufacturer can't be held responsible for the previous owner not changing the oil or performing a tune up or what ever the end result of which is what your son will be dealing with. Not how Chysler actually built it over ten years ago!

I for one have always found Chysler products to be as well built as any American car. My personal opinion, based on how much money I have had to spend on "special" tools that had to be designed to reach that one bolt or that back spark plug is Chevorlet does the worst job historically of engineering a vehicle for servicability. (among surviving automakers. I think AMC was probably the biggest maintenance nightmare I ever encountered)

WEll, to me the question of whether a vehicle is worth the money, which is better , most reliable etc. is only valid when talking NEW vehicles.

All new vehicles perform just fine for a while. But some are high quality, some are low quality.

The frequency of repair records show actual experience with used vehicles. Some cars have much higher than average repair rates, and some have much lower. As a buyer, you cannot usually know how well-maintained a particular vehicle has been, but you would do well to avoid the bad designs. Here, at CR4, Chevy Cavaliers are famous for being in the low quality class, for example.

Buy him a 3 liter Ford ranger. it can't go wrong...

I own and operate a 2.9L Diesel (non turbo) Ford Ranger 4x4.

Brilliant car.

Reliable, Neglect Tolerant, Economical, cheap to repair and maintain, a bitch to drive in traffic, Great on the highway (fast enough), Unstoppabe off road, Uber comfortable, stops fast, handles OK and most importantly....really cold aircon!!!!

It's a Mazda with a Ford badge.

I'm a big dodge fan, being the happy owner of a hemi challenger, and owned a good Dodge Ram conversion van and a 2004 Sebring that I bought new and had great luck with. That being said, a buddy of mine has a Durango, and he's had nothing but problems with it, including the rear end. Take it from a dodge fan, avoid the Durango and get something more reliable and economical. Think V6. Gas won't be getting any cheaper, but economy vehicles will still keep their value. Spend the money on reliability and fuel mileage. Let some other fool buy the gas guzzler and spend 24/7 repairing it and hating it.

OK, I'll come clean. I lied. I live in Madison Wisconsin. If I showed up in one of those I would be ostracized instantly. I mean this is Madison. The highest concentration of overly smug Subaru drivers East of the Rockies.

The reality of the situation is a bit different. I am going to Chicago with the Misses this weekend to drive a Tesla S and possibly put a deposit down on the new model X due out in 2014. Will let you all know my impressions.

http://www.teslamotors.com/modelx

Serious electric cars for those who are serious about electric cars!

A Tesla!!

Can you let me/us know how they aircondition these cars when you have a chance to look under the hood please? I haven't been able to find anything on the interweb and my technical inquiries to Tesla direct go unanswered (bodes well for service?) I'd really like to know how badly aircon usage (chilling not heating) impacts the vehicle range.

Seriously priced EV for sure. Not too fond of the touchscreen on the console though.....

Do these have regen braking now?

Audi's EV is nice too.

Do these have regen braking now?
All the Teslas always have. As do Leafs, etc. (The control implementation varies from brand-to-brand, -- regen on trailing throttle, etc. -- however. )

I recall when reading about the Tesla and it's developments that regenerative braking (not resistive braking) didn't feature. Perhaps I misread.

I envy your capacity to indulge mate. I don't think you will be disappointed and I'm looking forward to reading a real owner's experience testimonial.

Good luck with that!!

I recall when reading about the Tesla and it's developments that regenerative braking (not resistive braking) didn't feature. Perhaps I misread.

Perhaps it was about a different car. Or the fact that (on the Tesla) it is implemented on the throttle rather than the brake pedal may have colored your impression.

Personally, I don't like a lot of throttle pedal regen, because it makes the car feel like and ICE car stuck in second, and it feels completely unlike an auto trans car (which is the norm in the US). It also feels completely different that a typical manual transmission car when in the top one or two gears, where full lift-off produces just barely perceptible deceleration. The electric cars I have driven take some "getting used to" if regen is implemented on the throttle. If, instead, it is implemented on the brake pedal, then the first bit of travel applies regen proportionally, and additional application applies the friction brakes in addition. For most drivers, it is completely transparent, and feels like an ordinary car. (Regen works this way in a Prius.)

With throttle pedal regen, when a panicked driver lifts off the throttle suddenly in response to a possible obstacle ahead, on an icy road, the car can begin to skid (antilock not being fully implemented in regen, because there is no independent control of each wheel).

I have driven fire trucks with retarders configured both ways. What the throttle applied retarder offers is dramatically reduced brake wear. The odd feeling of "driving in second gear" is quickly overcome by using the throttle slightly differently. Drivers quickly learn to back off the throttle enough to stop accelerating, but not enough to bring on the retarder. Our retarders will never apply when the driver is above idle, to the drivers learn to find the spot that is just off of idle to coast in.

Rasharavak,

The quality of a used car does depend on how well engineered/built it was when new. For instance, a Lexus LS 400 from the early 90's is one of the most reliable cars. Since the majority have made it over 200k miles and many over 300k, I would call it very reliable. If the quality of the car is based on the owner's maintenance, then logically, since these cars run so long due to excellent maintenance, hence the people who buy LS 400's are more apt to keep their car maintained. Of course, this is not correct and the longevity is due to superior engineering and build. How else can a car with over 200k miles (with the original engine - no rebuild) still have a nice golden color in the oil after 5k miles. I've never seen this on a Merc, BMW, Audi, GM, Chrysler, Ford, VW or Jaguar (even when the engine has less than 100k miles.

Also, a Chevy Vega (one of the worst engine designs) with 60k miles is ready for the junk yard. Based on your statement that the quality of a used car is from the previous owner's maintenance, then logically, all Chevy Vega owners are the worst at maintaining their vehicles. My dad did oil changes at 3,000 miles and at a little over 20kmi, our Vega was burning/leaking oil at a horrible rate.

Please explain the quality perception of Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat and Alfa Romero. Was it some conspiracy among owners to make the brands look bad?

I had a full size Dodge truck from 1872 to about 4 years ago. I never had any major problems with it. I did all my own maintenance. I replaced it with a 1996 Dodge Dakota. No major problems with that either. Both had 318 C.I. engines. My dad had Dodges with the slant 6 engines. He loved them. He had a 1949 Dodge that he put 175,000 miles on. He added oil when it was low, but never changed the oil (he didn't know he was supposed to).