1999 Dodge Durango SLT Review - A Nostalgic Look At A 90's SUV! 

My mom almost bought a Durango IDENTICAL to this unit back in '99. SLT 5.9 in Chili Pepper Red metallic. 5 year old me wanted her to buy it, I was a huge Dodge fan even back then 😂. She thought the Durango was just a little too small, she wound up buying a '99 GMC Yukon SLT with the Vortec 5.7 (350). Lots of good reliable SUV options back in the late 90s for sure.

My '99 Durango SLT Prem+ is the only car I've owned that I regret selling. 5.2L, 4WD, leather, 3rd row, 4 wheel ABS, factory tow, anti spin rear, rear AC and more. It was a smooth ride and unstoppable in deep snow. I did replace the transmission!

These used to be everywhere, usually in various stages of clapped-out. It's a good-looking design and unashamedly trucky. As my family had a Plymouth Voyager minivan, I always thought it was funny that the Durango had the same taillights.

I like that when it cuts to him in the third row of seats he has visibly messier hair and a exhausted position... gave me a chuckle

I've always really loved these Durangos...by far the best small/midsize SUV of the era in my eyes...bigger and better equipped than the Explorer and GM S10 twins...a choice of TWO V8s...and they're the best looking of all of them as well. I'd love to find a clean 5.9 equipped unit like this one ❤

8:52 - It's not. That engine dates back decades before the Daimler Debacle. 9:04 - Surprised there was no mention of the creative use of their minivan's taillights. 10:14 - The SUV market was well-defined by the time the Durango arrived for 1998. The Explorer was 8 years old. The 4Runner, too, was well into its SUV-as-a-daily-driver form. The Pathfinder was redesigned in 1996 to follow suit. Rodeos & Troopers, Monteros & Montero Sports, S-10 Blazers & Jimmys, Navigators... SUVs were in almost every new car lot & wildly popular. Durango was *late* to the game.

i used to loves these.. remember seeing these brand new when I was a kid.

Still driving my 99 Durango to this day 220k miles and still going with a new transmission, she’s a champ

The best generation of Durango.

Very ahead of its time on this he interior and seating and I love how it’s still a real suv (true 4x4 and low range and rwd)

You might want to look at the Dodge RamCharger. It was (in the 80's and early 90's) a competitor to the Ford Bronco and Chevy Blazer (K5, not S10). It didn't sell as well as those two, so it was discontinued in the US and Canada in ~1993. However, it got another generation in Mexico (basically a two door version of this Durango). If someone has a RamCharger (either the first or second generation), please send an email to Zack so he can review it.🙏

My dad had exactly the same car in grey here in Switzerland will never forget this car part of my childhood ❤ he never had any issues with this car

My 03 Durango was passed down to me as my first car after being the family suv ever since it was bought brand new. It had many problems along the way the ac wasn’t even working shortly after my parents bought it. But I’ve had many memories with it and it’s been on many family road trips. I customized it as I got more money with my first job (check it out on my channel). Always felt like it had pretty good power and I remember always showing off by flooring it when I got a muffler delete😂She’s retired now and collects dust on my grandmother’s driveway ever since I got my current car. Wherever she ends up, she won’t ever be forgotten.

when i was a kid my mom had a 2002 durango rt from 2002 until 2008. i loved riding in it not going to lie

My mom had a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan. This video was nostalgic, too.

Rented one in that era because it was all they had left when I go there. Was brutal for mileage in the city. 20l/100KM (11MPG). I'll never forget that.

So sweet to see one in decent condition

Dad would let me drive his brand new Ram in 1998 and i felt like a baller cruising around in that. Quite the change from my 88 s10 "4tech" but i miss that s10 too

My first car is an 03 first gen slt* with the 4.7 v8 fully loaded. Paid 2500 for it and it has a quarter million on it. Though it has high miles it was extremely well taken care of

I absolutely LOVED the first generation Dodge Durango when I was a kid. I remember being mad when the second generation of the Durango came out because I find the second generation very ugly. I remember going to the Auto Show in 2011 and seeing the brand new third generation Durango. I was so excited because I didn't know that Dodge was coming out with a third generation Durango and I found the third generation (and succeeding generations) to be some of the best looking SUVs on the market.

Finally!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!

Man. I used to have a 01 sport. I miss my Durango! It had a 4.7L with a blown headgasket. Had to get rid of it. Basic but it was a beater with a heater

I have a 2001 (post refresh) model with a 4.7 sitting at 225k. My parents bought it in 2003 and I basically spent my entire life liking it and wanting it. My dream came true in 2019 when I bought it as my first car.

My parents bought one like that except it has the brown cloth. Otherwise identical 5.9, Red. 4x4 etc... 25 years later I still own it, you don't see many of these that are well cared for. Mine is having some clear coat issues, so hopefully I will get the money to fix it someday. Thankfully no major rust since it has been west most of its life so far. The ride is harsh and they drove like trucks lol. The Durango really does have that righed truck like feel. That lacks in modern CUV SUVs that everyone basically drives now. Well I really feel the same way too about the sounds of the chimes. Everytime I hear it I am immediately brought back to my child hood. I really hope to keep mine, one day these things will be collectible classics in good shape lol.

I recently bought a super clean 99 Durango has mechanical issues but is the same gold brown color as my high school one. And I’m currently doing a full restoration on it just because of nostalgia..

This might be my favorite gen of Durango. Screw the SRTs and stuff I’d rather have this.

This Durago looks like new. Chrysler didn't have reliable transmissions in the 1990s

Cool, My Dad dad a 2002 4.7 l v8, I enjoyed driving it. Good menories. 😀

My grandma had a 2003 Durango SLT Plus 5.9. Loaded to the gills, heated leather seats, automatic/full time 4WD. It had 230k when she traded it in and it never broke down and surprisingly never had transmission problems despite towing boats and such.

Excessive oil consumption... Was the intake plenum replaced? Those magnum engines are work horse tanks. I think that those are better engines than the hemis. My dad's rocking his 94 dakota 5.2 343k won't quit

Yes! My dad bought a 1998 brand new!

It's good to see that you spell your name correctly.

I have a '97 Ram 1500 with a 5.9 360 V8 auto and so far it has 298,125 miles and still going strong. With the original engine and trans, I've owned it for a little over 10 years and have put 106,000 miles on it myself. The first thing I did when I got the truck was flush out the trans fluid and then with the new fluid I put a can of Trans X and a can of Lucas Trans Fix in it. I flushed out about a gallon of fluid at a time and with each flush over years I would put in a new can of each of stuff I was talking about each time. Then I put an external trans cooler on it because I don't think the radiator trans cooler is enough to keep the trans fluid cool enough. So now I have 2 external trans coolers on my truck and I've put 106,000 miles on it so far. So if you take care of them they will last, but if you don't change the trans fluid then how can they last?!

I just bought exact same kind. I hope its a good vehicle.

Aaaaah 3:10 that rust 😢

This v8 has a ton of go power

I've always like this generation Dodge Pick Up and SUV. I bought myself a 2002 Dodge Durango SLT+ with a 5.9 lt V8. Horrible MPG, but man, when it hauled or carried stuff, it always pulled through. Then gas was $5 a gallon and I was like nope I need something more economical. I miss it. Marroon with silver trim

GD bless you. You are living the life.

I had a 2001 Durango with 5.7 hemi that I regret getting rid of all the time, had heated seats

great car.

Let me check this out while im at lunch

I desperately wish that Dodge will someday wake up and make the Durango a proper 4x4 SUV again and revive the old “big rig” styling from the 90s. It’s lost all of its rugged capability and devolved into another generic 3 row crossover. Might as well just be an AWD Pacifica with goofy stripes. These had so much more character in comparison. I feel the same way about the modern Blazer, Grand Cherokee, and Nissan Pathfinder. The proclaimed “era of the SUV” sure has lost a lot of true SUVs to crossover-ism. It’s a real shame new things can’t just be simple and durable.

It’s not powered by Mercedes, the 5.9L V8 is the same LA block from the early 70’s

A friend of mine has one a lot like that, but hers is green.

11:25 There were chimes in the 90s??

That Mercedes sticker might indicate a Durango with a 4.7 sohc v8 that Mercedes provided Dodge with.

The best looking of the Durangos .. but I swear they must of come off the assembly line with no rust protection and l couldn’t get pass the 12 mpg

My dad leased a 2000 Silver dodge Durango SLT with the running boards, and V8 Bad as$ car. I remember driving off the lot with him, me sitting in the front passenger seat, no car seat or booster only the seat belt. Too bad engine siezed at 45,000 miles from no oil changes. 😮

I have a 35,000 origanal mile 2000 R/T if you would want to review, located in washington state

I had a 01’ with the 4.7. 4wd leather every option on the list. Unfortunately the 4.7 was absolute junk and it ended the truck.

When it was a truck, not a crossover.

Bullet proof motor. Thirsty but trusty

Google says 245hp, it can't be that easy to get so little out of a 5.9

Number 45

Chicago vehicles rust very fast, why would anyone pick up a used vehicle from there.

Not your fault, really isnt. But the only way a 25 year old Durango is worth $7k is if its got $7k in cash in the trunk.

I love a Does shifter to turn on a 4 Wheel Drive is Less maintenance. Old school shifter is best. I miss have a 2001 Nissan Xterra xe V6 have shifter to turn on a 4wd high I miss this System so much

first

I can't really say anything good about Dodge vehicles from this time period. If you see one out and about, I guess it hasn't rusted and fallen apart yet.

Russia 🇷🇺

Junk!