bassjam, on 30 May 2012 - 12:49 PM, said:

Well I ended up buying the truck!

The 4.7 is anything but sluggish, but I guess I've never owned a v8 either. I figured the gas out that it can't be much worse than my Jeep, and I can afford to drive that around so why not, eh?

Overall I'm sure this truck will do everything I want it to, which is to look good and haul me and my bike to the track.

sktr021, on 01 June 2012 - 02:38 PM, said:

Hit up www.dakota-durango.com when you are ready to mod. HO cams are great for low end torque. gears too and a superchip and youll be happy (I was)

Edited by 123BigcoopDawg576, 01 June 2012 - 05:51 PM.

My 2000:

I've heard of some 4.7s throwing rods and having other problems.. Not sure if it's entirely true for ALL 4.7s though. IMO you should see if you can't get one with a 5.2 in it. I have a 98 Durango with the 5.2, it has nearly 170,000 miles and I have yet to have an engine problem with it. Apparently the Dodge 5.2' (318ci) are as indestructible as the Chevy 350ci's.

EDIT: Wrote this before I read that you got the truck. Go ahead an null pretty much everything in this reply.

Edited by DirtRider500R, 02 June 2012 - 12:33 PM.

DirtRider500R, on 02 June 2012 - 12:32 PM, said:

Do some searching and listen to people who ACTUALLY know...the 4.7s dont have rods

Its an over head cam motor....

123BigcoopDawg576, on 02 June 2012 - 02:24 PM, said:

They still have connecting rods. The cams don't connect the pistons to the crankshaft...

All the info I've garnered over the thirteen years I've owned mine is that the 4.7 generally only has issues for people that aren't diligent about keeping the oil changed. If taken care of properly the engine is as reliable as anything else out there. Mine has 130k on it and the engine still seems tight and still runs strong.

I have great confidence she was well taken care of and I am on top of maintenance. Simple maintenance makes a world of difference in any engine!

It's been a couple days, and I still love it!

Good luck with it.  My family currently owns 3 quad dakotas and a durango with the 4.7V8 auto combination.  All between years 2003 and 2006 and have between 80k and 100k mileage.  One of them had a transmission issue early on that was covered by chrysler, the other 3 have been rock solid.

I have also heard about the sludge issues and have switched to a full synthetic oil to hopefully avoid any issues just in case.