Durango anyone?

[2yax2go]

Li'l Scamp has a new tug.

2003 Dodge Durango 4x4 with Kayak Racks....4.7L V-8...almost spotless inside, very little wear and tear outside...and itza RAM!!! One legal owner. Small town dealer who specializes in 60's Muscle Cars has driven her as his personal vehicle for the last 4 years. Those babies in his show room are cherry lemme tell ya, bring back memories of my teen days and hangin' down at the local beach warm summer nights. But, I digress. Did I mention itza RAM????

Mediocre gas mileage, but great power onna short 8 and torque to tow Li'l Scamp loaded to the gills up and down them Blue Ridge Mt. roads all day and night without breakin' a sweat. (I know....after all my blah, blah about mpg over at the Sprinter Thread...go ahead...)

Serendipity....universe conspired synchroncity...Mister yesterday delivered some business cards the mom'n'pop I work for printed and there she was...ripe for the picking. Mister was looking atta Ranger on the front lot dealer mentioned in passing that he had too many personal vehicles and was considering selling the Durango by the front door. Or maybe not. Called the shop this morning, drove in, hopped up inna seat, fell in love, test drove her, struck a good deal for both of us and drove her home.

All she needs izza hitch, inside brake controller and transmission cooler that our local RV seller can do as a package deal and she's ready to go...go....GO...

[Vickie B.]

NICE score!

[Wayne Hill]

2yax2go,
It could now be 4yax2go inorder to pay for the gas. LOL
4.7 - good motor. You'll see what I mean about the fuel. You probably won't notice much difference towing or not towing - mileage should be roughly the same ......

Wayne

[Wayne Hill]

2yax? 2go,

Seriously, probably the gas engine was your best bet all round. Any garage can fix it, all parts are readily available and will be for quite awhile.

One major problem with a diesel could have more than off set any potential savings that you would gain with increased mpg. As mentioned numerous times, diesel related stuff is expensive.

I've have driven the same drive train that you have but in a 1/2 ton 4 x 4 for years, it worked fine for me.

Wayne

[Greg H]

Hey good job,We had a 2003 Durango same engine that you have, that's a real workhorse, a little thirsty but we had BIG tires on ours. You'll love it though.

[Mike Magee]

Now you can dodge anything that gets in your way.

[Greg H]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Now you can dodge anything that gets in your way.

"if you can't dodge it, ram it"

[2yax2go]

Mike Magee " Now you can dodge anything that gets in your way".

Greg H "if you can't dodge it, ram it"

Oh...you two are just hysterical....clowns. Thanks for makin' me laugh.

Thanks, Vickie, we thought it was a pretty good score, too.

Actually, we do anticipate satisfying results from this tug. We may not get great gas mileage, but we'll have plenty of tow power for our Spring/Summer mountain hauls. For the price we paid, even if gas goes up, it'll still be a good deal.

[Bill K]

Just my experience with my 2003 Durango.
Watch your water temp going up mountains. ( I have seen 230° on mine )
My aftermarket hitch is only rated for 300 lbs. tongue weight and my trailer tongue is 325 lbs at times. ( 2009 16' SD Scamp )
It is rated at 500 lbs with a WDH so that is what I use.

Bill K

[2yax2go]

Originally Posted by Bill K

Just my experience with my 2003 Durango.
Watch your water temp going up mountains. ( I have seen 230° on mine )
Bill K

Thanks, Bill. Do/did you have a transmission cooler on the tug? We are planning to add one when the hitch is installed. The local RV shop does hundreds of these things including the brake controllers at a price not all that much more than buying the individual pieces and DIY. We just have to decide which hitch...Reese, Kurt or Hidden Hitch.

Greg & Mike still have me chuckling over their dodge & ram puns...

[Bill K]

Yes I had a transmission cooler installed.

Bill K

Originally Posted by 2yax2go

Thanks, Bill. Do/did you have a transmission cooler on the tug? We are planning to add one when the hitch is installed. The local RV shop does hundreds of these things including the brake controllers at a price not all that much more than buying the individual pieces and DIY. We just have to decide which hitch...Reese, Kurt or Hidden Hitch.

Greg & Mike still have me chuckling over their dodge & ram puns...

[Borden]

Look like a sweet ride

[Borden]

Dodge Durango 4x4, looking at the pictures should pull anything as stated looks like a sweet ride. Congratulations!

[2yax2go]

Originally Posted by Borden

Dodge Durango 4x4, looking at the pictures should pull anything as stated looks like a sweet ride. Congratulations!

Thank you. We anticipate a good ride with this. She should easily tow anything we're interested in hauling across the mountains the next few years.

Hitch & tranny cooler go on inna couple of weeks as we tweak Li'l Scamp for her first real outing in the Spring.

I like Durango so much I have to resist the urge to drive her daily vs my 30+ mpg Pontiac Vibe (which I also happen to enjoy driving...but...there's nuttin' like a Ram 4x4 to give an old gal a smack of 'tude goin' downa road, donchano?)

Vrrroooom, Vrrrooom