Looking for Recommendations for a Mopar 4X4 Daily Driver

Right now, I my "daily" driver is an '05 Dodge Magnum R/T AWD, and I also have a an '89 Bronco for towing my boats and water toys around the beach on my local lake. Bronco's not a great driver, especially on road trips.
Looking to replace these 2 with 1 good strong 4x4, that will be comfortable on daily use, long road trips, as well as pulling, and beach launching, my pontoon boat and PWCs.
I am thinking about a Hemi Durango, but as yet don't know a lot about them.
Any suggestions, recommendations, or definite "dont's"?
I am only going to buy a MOPAR.

Here you go....




https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-dodge-w350/

Thanks, but not looking for ads or stuff for sale. Hoping to find out what people really like, or don't like.

I have a four door Jeep JK Wrangler. Love it, will buy another one when this one dies. Lots of guys here have Ram 1500 pick ups with four doors. They seem pretty happy with them.

Our son drives a 2014 Ram 1500 Hemi QC 4x4 and really likes it. My DD is a 2012 Jeep JK 4 door Rubicon. I like it as well.

If you're looking to do beach launches with a pontoon, I'd go dually. I have 3/4 ton 4x4 Cummins and I can get stuck w my 26' tritoon. My buddy can pull his in n out on very soft sand no problem w his dually Cummins 4x4. I get 17mpg handwritten, not overhead, at 80mph unloaded. 11ish pulling the tritoon at 80mph. The new ones are super comfortable. My 3/4 ton was my only vehicle, other than motorcycle, for 17 yrs.

diesel_lv said:

If you're looking to do beach launches with a pontoon, I'd go dually. I have 3/4 ton 4x4 Cummins and I can get stuck w my 26' tritoon. My buddy can pull his in n out on very soft sand no problem w his dually Cummins 4x4. I get 17mpg handwritten, not overhead, at 80mph unloaded. 11ish pulling the tritoon at 80mph. The new ones are super comfortable. My 3/4 ton was my only vehicle, other than motorcycle, for 17 yrs.

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My 302 bronco launches and loads my 24' pontoon with no issues. I have no need for a 3/4 ton dually.

I really like my Daily Driver
I bought it new, dealership demo off a lot up here
1999 Dakota SLT 4x4 5.2ltr Magnum with a bunch of bolt-ons
(better now after the bolt-ons & tuner)





it doesn't get the best mileage
it doesn't have the biggest towing capabilities,
but hauls an open trailer with my RR just fine
it's comfortable to ride in
it's really maneuverable & it fits inside my small 20'x 20', 2 car garage
it handles well, for a 4x4 Pick-up anyway, sway bars front & rear
it's been extremely reliable

it 4x4's/Offroad very well too, goes thru snow like nobodies business
not the best rock climbing/hardcore wheeler,
no locker in front, limited-slip in rear

best of both worlds small enough to fit in my garage
big enough to do what I need it for
I have 2002 F-350 4x4 Dually if I need a big truck/tow rig

the only real issue was a speed sensor on the trans
& an ABS sensor on the rear diff, 10 years apart,
I've had it for 22 years now
only thing I've had to do was front Brakes
& all 4 Shocks, typical maintenance stuff
it has a lil' bigger tires than factory 11"x 32"x 15"
wear is very good, have over 40k on these tires (I rotate every oil change)
(tires are almost as old as the truck now, that's scary)

you can get them cheap too, really nice ones for $10k or less

plenty of power, especially after the blot-ons & tuner
really woke it up, increased the fuel mileage from 12 mpg at best
maybe 17 if all freeway/hwy trips
to like 15-17 around town & about 20 hwy
(if you keep your foot out of it )

I live in the mountains, it does well here, windy roads, steep grades etc.

I also had a 99 Durango SP-360 (Shelby) 4x4/awd 5.9ltr. R/T
& a 98 R/T Dakota (2wd) sort of hot-rodded it, very quick
in the past, both were used cars fixed & sold after used

good luck with the search

Dakotas are great little trucks if you get one thats pre 4.7 That is a piece of **** engine. Look for 3.9-5.2 or 5.9 they will be found pre 2002 Later than that they get the crap engines. Same with Rams AVOID the 4.7 at all costs. Hemi is fine but no 4.7 Others will chime in and say its a great engine and depends on how you treat it. Well there are plenty of 4.7 trucks dead in the water due to dropped valve seats and busted pistons.

I also had a 2005 Hemi Magnum wagon, but mine was not AWD. I owned it for 8 years, but always found it a handful in the winter. Otherwise, I really liked style and utility of it. After double knee replacement, I found it uncomfortable to get into and out of, because of its lowness. I sold it and bought a Durango. We have owned it for 4 years now and still love it. It is AWD and is very sure footed in the winter. It has all the utility of the Magnum that it replaced, but being higher, is easier for me to get in and out. The Durango is significantly shorter and narrower than a Ram 1500, but with the seats all folded, will carry more than the short box of a pickup. I find that it drives more like a car than a truck. As much as I liked the ride of my Magnum, I find the Durango is even more comfortable. I specifically looked for a vehicle with the Pentastar V-6. Although the Hemi was a lot of fun, most of the time it had more power than I really needed. The Durango with its V-6 and 8-speed automatic gives a good balance of power and fuel economy. Unlike the 5-speed in the Magnum, the 8-speed in the Durango always picks the right gear for the situation. You should take one out for a rest drive.

I always like these. My friend bought one and left it alone and we would drive the streets of LA. People would take one look at it and run.

BB14404SPD said:

I always like these. My friend bought one and left it alone and we would drive the streets of LA. People would take one look at it and run.

View attachment 1064954

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If I can find a really nice Ramcharger, I would just pick it up for a beach truck and keep my Magnum as well.

Ditto!!!!

I have an ‘03 Quad cab, same color. I’m at 245K right now. Only thing I did, a timing chain and a water pump. Love it in the snow with its Cooper AT3’s. Take note of the body to chassis frame mounts for rust.

Budnicks said:

I really like my Daily Driver
I bought it new, dealership demo off a lot up here
1999 Dakota SLT 4x4 5.2ltr Magnum with a bunch of bolt-ons
(better now after the bolt-ons & tuner)
View attachment 1064874

View attachment 1064875

View attachment 1064876
it doesn't get the best mileage
it doesn't have the biggest towing capabilities,
but hauls an open trailer with my RR just fine
it's comfortable to ride in
it's really maneuverable & it fits inside my small 20'x 20', 2 car garage
it handles well, for a 4x4 Pick-up anyway, sway bars front & rear
it's been extremely reliable

it 4x4's/Offroad very well too, goes thru snow like nobodies business
not the best rock climbing/hardcore wheeler,
no locker in front, limited-slip in rear

best of both worlds small enough to fit in my garage
big enough to do what I need it for
I have 2002 F-350 4x4 Dually if I need a big truck/tow rig

the only real issue was a speed sensor on the trans
& an ABS sensor on the rear diff, 10 years apart,
I've had it for 22 years now
only thing I've had to do was front Brakes
& all 4 Shocks, typical maintenance stuff
it has a lil' bigger tires than factory 11"x 32"x 15"
wear is very good, have over 40k on these tires (I rotate every oil change)
(tires are almost as old as the truck now, that's scary)

you can get them cheap too, really nice ones for $10k or less

plenty of power, especially after the blot-ons & tuner
really woke it up, increased the fuel mileage from 12 mpg at best
maybe 17 if all freeway/hwy trips
to like 15-17 around town & about 20 hwy
(if you keep your foot out of it )

I live in the mountains, it does well here, windy roads, steep grades etc.

I also had a 99 Durango SP-360 (Shelby) 4x4/awd 5.9ltr. R/T
& a 98 R/T Dakota (2wd) sort of hot-rodded it, very quick
in the past, both were used cars fixed & sold after used

good luck with the search

Click to expand...

I've had 3.9 Dakotas in the past, great little trucks. I almost bought an 89 Shelby Dakota in Carlisle last year - first Dakota to have a V8, but they were 2wd and I couldn't justify the money for it. And unfortunately, for what I use a truck for..."little" doesn't work for me, I need an 8' bed and legitimate cargo capacity. My current truck is an '01 Ram 2500 Cummins with a 6 speed stick, quad cab, 8' bed, 4x4, and I love it for work use and I'm not afraid to commute in it either, at 19mpg hand-calculated with 265k miles on the clock. And with an Edge Comp box and a Banks 4" turbo-back exhaust (with a muffler, I'm not that guy...), it'll actually scoot really well in addition to having enough grunt to pull a house.

My true daily vehicle is my '14 Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel, and it is so good in snow and slick surfaces...it's boring. The quadradrive system is outstanding (full time AWD with selector-dial modes for snow, sand, mud, rock, and "auto") and I love the quadralift height-adjustable air suspension system. I also love the diesel - you'll hear differing opinions on the Eco but I have had outstanding luck with mine - probably because I understand it's an economy diesel, not a pull-a-house diesel. 80k miles and the only failures on the truck have been two EGR cooler leaks, both front hubs were singing around 70k and got replaced, and the steering rack was leaking fluid. Everything else has been 10,000 mile oil changes, 5,000 mile tire rotations, fill the diesel tank every 600 miles, fill the DEF tank once a year. I average 27mpg with it.

Whether you like the diesel or not, you can get the Grand (or the Durango, same platform) with a variety of Hemis (including a Hellcat motor), or the pentastar V6. The vehicle itself is extremely capable, and my diesel is rated to tow 7400 lbs. The 8HP trans has been solid, it's a fill-for-life trans that's used in everything from Jeeps to Mercedes to Bentleys. The vehicle is comfy, it's well-optioned, it's quiet, stable, and extremely versatile. My only note about the SRT family of Durangos - avoid them, unless you don't use your brakes. Those Brembos run $1,200 an axle for brake jobs. Pass.

Drive a Durango, and drive a Grand. I bet you'll like one, or the other, or both.

My Ram, bringing my Charger home from Florida last December...



And my Grand.

We love our 16 JKU, but towing will be your issue.
03 Cummins is my towing truck, 03s get better fuel mileage than most other diesels due to no emissions and 1 less injection cycle. If I didnt have a 6" lift and 37s it would get @20mpg. I get @16 now. Look for a Cummins before all the DEF **** and delete it if you need to and get a tuner for mpg and towing.

The best vehicle I ever owned,2005 Cummins Ram 4x4 2500 quadcab. It does everything well,and tows like nobodys business!

2013 Gran Cherokee V8 here, love it

Original owner '95 Dakota ext. Cab 4wd V8, almost 200K miles. Wife has wanted me to get a new pickup for years. This one feels like a broke in pair of good boots.