Looking for some daily driver advice

[THE STIG]

Me and the wife are looking for a new (to us) car, she wants somthing bigger and would like to seat more than 5, but that's not a deal breaker. Today we went and looked at an 05 Magnum R/T and an 03 Durango SLT with a 5.9. The Mag looked and ran great and she was really into the interior but we didn't have a chance to test drive it, we did test drive the Durango and she was feeling that one too but it's got some cosmetic issues and I heard some squeaks under the hood and I'm pretty sure I smelled either oil, brake pads, or both burning. We're still just looking but we do need a new ride sooner rather than later we going to go back and check out the Mag this weekend and if I can get the right deal I would be willing to consider it. So does anybody have any experience with either of these models or any other suggestions? Since I'm not looking for another muscle car I am willing to consider other than Mopar makes.

 

[696pack]

If you keep a car for a long time I would be looking at a Pacifica. I never looked at them up close but I believe they were a higher priced cross-over model that should have nicer appointments. They did not go over very well and were only made for a couple of years. All of this should point to lower resale value/lower sales price/better bang for your buck.

If you keep a car for a long time there will be little difference in any of these cars you are looking at when you are done with them. In fact the Pacifica MAY be worth more than the others as time has a way of swinging the value/supply pendalum back the other way for limited production models that some lover may be looking for THAT car.

 

[Meep-Meep]

I have an 02 Durango that I bought new and I love it. It's a 4.7 with a tow package and I so far racked up 172K miles and it's still going strong (knocking on wood as I write). The only complaint I have is the front brakes are way undersized and that was admitted by the factory when the 03 came out with bigger front brakes and rear discs. I'm not sure how many people share in my positive outlook of this vehicle but I give it a 8.5 :headbang:

 

[YY1]

I have a 360 Dak R/T CC (similar to the Durango). I'm happy with it, and it's been super dependable. I just turned over 123,000 with only a caliper and a water pump as "major" repairs. It IS really easy to warp the rotors, and something happens with one of the FI sensors that causes it to surge between 55 and 65 MPH if the cruise is on (known common problem- stopped fixing it after the 4th time). However, I am now spoiled to having a truck bed, in case I want to buy something like an engine, spur of the moment. If that was not the case, I think I'd lean towards the Magnum, as you would have 100 more HP, and about 8 more MPG, plus better handling. Of course I can still work on the Dak, as it's very old school tech. Not so with the Magnum. I rented a 2.7 charger once, and liked it, although the interior in my Dakota actually feels like it's made of better quality materials.