cougar

I mentioned I was looking for a replacement for the wife,,,,, ah, the wife's car. I've narrowed it down to either the Dodge Durango or the Ford Expedition based mainly on getting in and out and comfort. I hate feeling like a sardine in a can. Of course they will be automatics and 4X4s. Any opinions on the two? Options? Pro's/Con's?

NJTman

New or used.?

Makes a difference on the older vehicles, from what I'm aware of.

cougar

Used, no newer than 2011. Can't afford anything newer.

NJTman

Have a buddy who had a durango. Transmission issues. not sure what years, but they had some problems with trans failures.

Have another buddy who has an expedition. Torque converter failure. Apparently very common problem. Other than that, he's had very minimal work to it. Pretty sure it's in the late 90's expedition, but I can give him a call if you want.

cougar

Well, after doing a lot of research on both, I decided on finding an older model Durango with the Magnum, not Hemi V8. Fewer problems and easier/cheaper maintenance.

torquefan

Good idea. I sure liked those old magnums, pretty bulletproof.

cougar

And I am very familiar with them.

cougar

Didn't have any luck finding a Durango that was worth a ****. But I finally got the wife to go look at cars. Headed to Anchorage with a list of 8 2010 to 2012 Subaru Outbacks and Foresters off Craig's List. All were a bust. Most of them phony dealer adds and 2 legit ones had sold in the last day or two.. One dealer that sold a Forester I had been to before were nice people to deal with. I told them I was also interest in a Durango or Grand Cherokee. They showed us a perfect 09 Chrysler Aspen and the wife fell in love with it after a test drive. After giving them a short list of minor things to fix and an offer 2 grand less than their asking price, they agreed. We pick it up today after they complete my list.

SIXSLUG

We had one of those get in a horrible wreck right in front of us, roll over. Both occupants shooken up but unscathed. Thing was a tank. Good choice.

cougar

Wasn't my first choice, but I'm liking it the more I read up on it. Crash test rating is very good. Most of the complaints about them are focused on the Hybrid version. It did have the recalled air bags, but those were all replaced. Single owner and a clean Car Fax. It had a vibration they agreed to fix and it is still in the drive line shop. Hopefully today we can drive it home.

SIXSLUG