Well, my GFs Jeep has 212,000 miles on it and she still drives it everywhere so I can't say much negative about Jeep. The Durango is horrible on gas though, and I've never heard any great things about them. Just wait until the NEW Grand Cherokee comes out in 2005. There will be a lot of ticked off Jeep fans then, as Chrysler plans to get rid of the solid front axle and other things that have made the Jeep famous off-road for so many years.

 

the ford 8.8 is a monster compared to the weaker axles in the jeep line up. (stock non D44 wranglers, all grand cherokees)

ford 9 is also a popular swap for people running alot bigger than stock tires...


will be? there already are... between the rumors of that and the liberty, jeep owners are already mad. hahaha


StomP

 

Hope you werent serious. Everyone is biased somehow. Some people like big blocks some like small. Some love fords(this site is for ford enthusiasts) some like chevys. I prefer reliability over hp.

I dont think the durango or cherokee are high quality products. A car with good ice tires, like hakapilittas, will do quite well. Dont overlook the toyota because its foreign. They have great quality vehicles. Personally, you being in school. Id opt for a corolla or somthin the like. Great mileage and durabilty. They head the list of most reliable cars year after year. The cherokee rides better BECAUSE its unibody. My moms had one and they are fantastic off road. Sept the go pedal is touchy. Frames are for trucks that tow heavy in my opinion. Unibody just rides better. If they dump the solid axles then it will just be more like a chevy right(think about the hummer). They are aiming for a demographic of soccer moms who want cushy rides. If you want to rally off road get a CJ. Im a fan of the 70s fj40 landcruisers personally. Very overbuilt. Got the trusty straight 6 in it too.

 

from the back the durango looks like a caravan. A buddy of mine has one- the is very strong, but the tranny must be programmed by the EPA- it does not want to downshirt. And if you plan to go off road, watch for the front air dam- There was a mulch pile about 5 feet high that my buddy dared me to take in my truck. after i bottomed out about half way up, i backed down and he tried in his durango. got about half way to where I did and got stuck. only one tire was spinning, and he ripped the front air dam off when I pulled him off. But the motor gets a thumbs up from me. (a 4.7 BTW)

 

(They DO have the same tailights as the minivans)
So far anyway, I'm likin this Durango. It's not getting 20 + mpg like the Jeep did....BUT I knew that when I bought it. It looks right now like I'm getting about 17 or 18 on the highway if I drive sane. Friends have a 360 Durango R/T, and it sucks the fuel.

We'll be going to Florida in a couple of weeks all loaded down. I'm curious to see how it does then. You have to go 80 through Alabama or you'll get run over.

Buddy of mine just bought an Expedition and is really cryin the blues on his mileage. He's wantin his old Bronco back!

That little 4.7 is a nice lookin package. It would make a sweet looking engine in an open hooded rod, all dressed out with some chrome and stuff. Those alum cam covers look nice. I finally got a "SOHC" motor, and the darn thing is a DODGE!!
Go figure....

Later,

 

I know this may upset Ford fans, but I'm just posting from experience as there are a ton of anti-Mopar and anti-Jeep posts here. I currently own a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 142,000 miles on the original powertrain (5.2L 318 V8). I don't know what the discussion about unibody construction being poor or not a good design is about because unlike the Explorer, it doesn't roll over when a tire goes down. Jeep has there own unique platform. The Explorer is a Ranger frame, Expedition, an F-150 frame. I have driven my Jeep GC Ltd. to Canada, Florida, and all over the country, and never once has it let me down. I also go off-roading on a daily basis and it is the toughest vehicle out there. Every vehicle has its' problems, and every brand will put out lemons, but from my experience, Mopar is the best. My dad currently owns a 2001 F-150 (4.2L V6) with 46,000 highway miles on it. It has a pulley vibration that no one has been able to fix basically since it was new, and I just took it off-roading on the beach where I always take my Jeep, and after just 1 time off-roading the F-150, the Service Engine Soon light appeared and temperature crept up. Hopefully nothing is seriously wrong. My neighbor across the street, who is a big Ford fan, had his V8 blow at 50,000 miles, and his new F-150's alternator was dead the first day it arrived at his house, yet he still buys nothing but Ford, something I'll never understand. Also, no offense to anyone, but the new 2005 Grand Cherokees, even with IFS will still outrun an Explorer, Expedition, F-150, or any other Ford on and off-road. I speak from experience as I have friends who have owned both Fords and Jeeps with good and bad experiences. Anyway, I hope I didn't upset anyone, but this is my experience with Ford and Mopar, and in my case, Mopar and Jeep did much better.

 

No need to apologize at all! You have had a good experience with Mopar which is great. I bought a 68 Plymouth in 74 with 95,000 miles and got 198,000 miles out of it with a 318/AT and only a valve job at ~140,000 miles, band adjust at 160,000, and an occasional voltage regulator for maintenance. When I sold the vehicle in 82 it was still running like a champ but was experiencing some electrical problems after having the driver's door punched in an accident (an idiot in a 4x4 Bronco having "fun" in the snow). The door was replaced and it was still running 6 years later with who knows how many miles. I lost track of it after that. I didn't purchase any more Mopars because I just plain didn't like the sales people at the dealerships here in KC. I bought an 82 GM lemon, an 85 Ford lemon, and a 90 Isuzu lemon after that. I don't buy new cars anymore, but I drive old Fords that have stood the test of time now...

 

I had a 1995 dodge ram 1500 the truck leaked rain water into the cab from the day I brought it home from the dealer .. they could never fix it .. I had a novel of all the recall notices that dodge sent me in the 4 years I had this truck .. to replace something as simple as the air filter it was major undertaking ..
your in luck that you found a mopar product that is worth something but, I personally will never buy another one of their products .. there is a reason mopar is number 3 and losing ground to toyota...

 

I just traded a 2000 Dodge Durango R/T in for my 03 Expedition. Here are my thoughts/problems.

1. Mine had a 360 with the 392 rear end--best towing vehicle I ever owned.

2. Had front bushings replaced twice

3. The rear air never really blew cold

4. Couldn't get rear air with a sun roof

5. Middle seats difficult to put up--cheap harware in there unlike the Expy's middle seat

6. Don't buy one now--changing body drastically next year.

And worst of all--you guys who said that it rides nice are insane. the rear end would literally skip across the road laterally when going over bumps. This being said, the first mod that Durango owners do is shocks.

Check out the meassage boards on durangoclub.com and you will see the same things being said there.

 

Actually the Daimyler-Chrysler is the worlds 5th largest automaker.

Volkswagen is 4th
Toyota is 3rd
Ford is 2nd
Gm is 1

These are all based off of 2002 world production numbers.

 

I know that currently, looking on MSN stock research, Daimler-Chrysler is the world's third largest automaker. I'm not sure if they group the rankings by production or sales. I know their sales are around 162 billion which makes them third. Before the merger in 1998, Chrysler was the fifth largest automaker at around 60-65 billion in revenue.

 

My V-10 SuperDuty gets better gas mileage than a Durango.