I’m in the market for a first-generation Dodge Durango. Came across this one. 2000 R/T. 5.9L. 241K KM’s. Price is $2,000.
I’ve attached two photos that show damage to the bumper and missing fog light.
I want to know whether this Durango in particular is a good deal based on the information provided and worth going to the dealer for.
Don’t know how much it would cost of fix the bumper and fog light.
Thx
You’ll still want to have someone check it over for you but it does look like a decent truck. The bumper and possibly the fog light could be purchased from a salvage yard. You might find one in the same color already.
Look over the other obvious mistakes your blind love may have missed. Get it inspected, might need a whole lot of stuff that looks good for now, maintenance such as trans fluid, coolant, brakes tires etc. I could name more but I myself would need to know is it a family driver, up for long road trips, cannot say if you should buy it, but evaluate your needs and have money in the bank for repairs. Thinking the cosmetic worries would be the least of my concerns.
Its 20 year old,expect a lot of repairs down the road.I would not buy a gas guzzler like this unless I tow something.
This truck in outstanding condition is worth about $2600 in Central MD for a private sale. Outstanding condition is a good place to start. Get the pre-purchase inspection and subtract the cost of everything it needs from $2600. That’s how much you should be willing to pay. The fog lamp and bumper are part of that deduction already. I would also include wear items like tires and brakes.
How would anyone be able to tell you if an old vehicle for 2000.00 with body damage be a good deal ?
It could run for a long time or just die a timely death on your way home.
A call to a body shop might get a ball park price for the repairs .
Have you not even seen this worn out vehicle in person?
+1 on all points!
A lot of miles on a old vehicle . Also you can expect a huge gas bill with that engine . They are known for guzzling gas . It comes down to how much of a gambler are you .
360 was no better then 318. Both were slow. 360 just used more gas. And had more expensive tires. I’d buy a new Durango hellcat. But I can’t afford it.
The bumper cover and replacement fog light will most likely be the least expensive repair item on a 20 year old vehicle. Probably under $600.
At that age, mileage, unknown maintenance history, and unknown use consider:
Worn or nearly worn out
Engine
Transmission
Suspension
Radiator may be full of rust and scale.
HVAC system
This is not to dissuade you, but to remind you of the costs of buying/owning an old vehicle.
+1
Personally, I would skip the repair of purely cosmetic items like the bumper cover with a vehicle that is this old. It would be prudent to save that money for the inevitable mechanical repairs that are going to crop-up.
A dealer offering a car for half of what any other dealer is selling them for, that car is going to the auction at the end of the month, they’re hoping some one wants it bad enough to pay $2000
If I was really interested in it, I’d go look, test drive and if still interested,
Walk around it picking it apart for any and all defects you can find and pointing them out to the salesman.
offer $500 off the lot, taxes, registration and any other fees included in that $500.
Coworker bought a new 98 Durango and sold it after 10yrs for $5k and it had 38k miles.
with 38k miles I could see that…the one the OP is looking at with 241K? Nope…and I wouldn’t pay 2k for it either.
The 5.9L is a robust engine and can easily take you above 400K miles. Mine is at 312K now. Don’t worry about the bumper or some minor cosmetic stuff. Spend to $125 and have a mechanic inspect it.
With 241K miles you are at a point where suspension parts want attention. be prepared to replace ball joints, shocks and other parts. IAC, water pump, power steering pump, and other sensors come to mind, but nothing super expensive. It helps if you can replace those parts yourself.
A few months ago a cop stopped me on the highway and told me to turn around and pickup my spare tire that was lying on the side of the road. The cable that held it in place underneath the car rusted through.
I like mine and will drive it until it it is dead… really dead.
But not all of them can do that . Proper service plays a major part in any vehicle’s life span .
Actually, it doesn’t have 241K miles
That’s 149750 miles . . . I assume op specifically picked kilometers because he’s in Canada?
The price is low enough, and provided a mechanical inspection doesn’t uncover any immediate deal-breakers, such as an engine and/or transmission in horrible shape ready to die, or it’s structurally unsafe due to rust and/or accidents . . . the price is cheap enough that it might be okay to buy and drive for a few years
That said . . . with the vehicle being this old and obviously not worth a lot, op should be realistic about the truck. When it does need expensive repairs, he should think about if it’s worth fixing, keep driving the truck as is, or dump it
For example, if he buys it and the ac evaporator goes out next year, he could keep driving it. But it’s not worth it . . . in my opinion . . . to spend big bucks fixing ac on this old truck.
One of my daily drivers has a leaking evaporator. The car is absolutely driveable, the powertrain, suspension and steering are in great shape . . . because I’ve really kept it up over the years . . . but the ac’s not worth fixing, even with my free labor.
I see this Dodge Durango as a potential daily driver, maybe something to pull a smaller trailer, but not as an investment
I wouldn’t even lose any sleep over the bumper. For a truck this old, it goes with the territory. I wouldn’t spend one cent fixing it. As for the foglight, same thing, unless local safety inspections require all lights to be working. In that case, go cheap. Ebay, rockauto or junkyard
The Durango R/T is a rare find, I have driven several but I have not seen one in years. The Magnum engine has an increase in horsepower and torque over the standard 5.9 L engine. Leather interior, 17" wheels and 3.91 axle ratio are some of the standard features.
This could make for a interesting project vehicle and weekend driver, the type of vehicle to drive the automotive events.
However if you are concerned about having operating fog lights perhaps this project is not for you. 20 year old vehicles are going to need work, a fog light should be at the bottom of the repair list.
Dealer? The vehicle appears to be at a pawn shop, they don’t recondition vehicle before selling them, they are sold as-is and that explains the low price.
From the pictures, investigation reveals that it is/was at a used car dealer in Vancouver, BC.
I don’t see this Durango in their current inventory though. Maybe it sold.
Canada, as I was speculating . . . which would explain the kilometers
