Thinking of buying a Dodge Dakota, thoughts?

jim72911t · 01-07-2008, 07:05 PM

After a year of looking at various cars and trucks, ranging from E36 M3's to WRX wagons to trucks of all flavors, I've found a Dakota that I'm ready to hand over my hard earned cash for.

Details: 2000 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab SLT. 4.7L V8, auto, all options except leather/power seats, 56,800mi, all records since new (3000mi oil changes), excellent condition.

I'm impressed with the condition and the way it drives, and it will suit me well as a second car/truck/vacation mobile/occasional tow vehicle. (I'm keeping my E30 for a daily driver/track rat and the Porsche because I could never sell it.)

I'm worried about tranny issues and the reliability of the OHC V8. My research shows that they seem to be relatively trouble free, but there are a few owners that have had really bad experiences.

I know, a PPI is a must.

Price is $9000.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Jim

911Rob · 911Rob's Garage

Go for it Jim!

Hugh R · 01-07-2008, 08:16 PM

Do you NEED a truck that gets like 14 mpg? I'm picking up my Camry Hybrid this week that gets about 40 mpg. If you need it as a tow vehicle, then whatever....

Jim Bremner · 01-07-2008, 08:23 PM

Hugh, for some of us it's a NEED, if you take a look in my bed, you'll see allot of use of my bed.

Jim, I had issues with the Dakota. The windshield has some distortion near the A pillar.

I drove one for a week. It gave me a headache

rcecale · rcecale's Garage

Nice looking R/T there, Rob!

While not mine in this pic, it looks almost identical to my '99. Love the rumble sound this thing makes! And the "get-up-and-go" is more like a "been there, done that...now whattaya wanna do? let's go!"

Randy

jim72911t · 01-07-2008, 09:25 PM

Thanks for the tips, guys.

Hugh, I don't need a truck that gets 14mpg. Nor do I need my Porsche or E30. (I can ride my bicycle to work most days) But I would like to own something that could replace my aging F150 (9mpg), take me, the S/O, and the two dogs camping, and serve as a tow vehicle. This truck might see 5k mi/year in my care. Congrats on the Camry hybrid. 40mpg sounds great, just not what I'm after right now.

Jim, I didn't notice the distortion in the windshield. I'll take a closer look tomorrow.

Rob, that's a totally different animal. The 360 V8 must be nice.

911Rob · 911Rob's Garage

No, No, NO!
The R/T is not mine; sorry.
I'm just visual and needed to see a pic, so I thought I'd be kind and post.
She is a *****in ride though!

Good luck with your purchase.

kmhemi · 03:47 AM

I have a quad cab Dakota 4WD with the 4.7 and Automatic. I love it but it's a little hard on gas. by 2000 most of the tranny problems were corrected. I havent had any problems with mine. The only problem I have had with the 4.7 is the crank position sensor failed. it cost me about 50 bucks and took about 20 minutes to change. Overall it's a great truck.
Oh and I think 9 would be a great deal for that truck in the condition you describe. If you get it post a picture for us. I'd like to see it

kmhemi · 01-08-2008, 03:45 AM

Here is mine

Tim Hancock · 01-08-2008, 05:12 AM

The last "new" vehicle I ever bought was a '98 4x4 Dakota. I had 8 problems with it in the 3.5 yrs and 40,000 miles I owned it. Most happened during the warranty, which meant scheduling an appointment at a dealership 40 miles from home (usually they were backed up for weeks at the ALWAYS busy 40+ bay Dodge dealership) and either paying for a POS neon loaner car or making my wife meet me at the dealership after work to drop it off.

IMO, new cars should not have this many problems. I liked the truck when it was not broke, but IMO, the quality was just not there. In the end, I traded it on a used 9000 mile '99 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 that now has 80k on it with absolutely zero problems to date.

NEVER AGAIN will I buy a Dodge product! (even if the quality has improved) I hold grudges for a LONG time!

SLO-BOB · 01-08-2008, 06:03 AM

My thought is why buy less truck for the same money as a full size - especially when they get the same (or close) mileage? That aside, I had a work van with the 4.7 - no problems. My Dad had an 84 Dakota with a bazillion miles and one oil change - no problems. The only minivan I'll ever buy (I have 3 now) is a Dodge Grand Caravan - no problems (my response to Dodge being unreliable).

My Yukon XL gets up to 19 mpg. Not often, but it happens.

Tim Hancock · 01-08-2008, 06:31 AM

I am glad to hear you have had good luck with Dodge Bob....still does not change my experience and the fact that 40+ service bays at the local Dodge dealership are not enough and that they are backlogged with "new" cars to be worked on. I know even some traditionally reliable Japanese cars have had some issues in the recent past....... I guess I just had too awful of an experience with my Dodge to ever forget it.

SLO-BOB · 01-08-2008, 06:57 AM

[QUOTE=Tim Hancock;3690524]I am glad to hear you have had good luck with Dodge Bob....still does not change my experience and the fact that 40+ service bays at the local Dodge dealership are not enough and that they are backlogged with "new" cars to be worked on. QUOTE]

I didn't mean to imply that my experience was valid and yours was not. The newest Dodge I have is a 2001. It has been very reliable. The few maintenace items that have been addressed have been not terribly costly and handled effectively by the dealership. I hope yours was an unusual experience as we are considering replacing one of the vans with a GC.

Jims5543 · 01-08-2008, 07:46 AM

I had a 2001 Dakota Quad Cab with the 4.7 liter v8 and an auto tranny.

I put 70K miles on it in 4 years and would have kept it if it had 4 wheel drive.

I towed my RX7 everywhere with it. I had a towing radiator put on which was oversize and had a tranny cooler built in. I even towed my RX7 to a Rotary event in Indianapolis, towing from Florida to Indy and back over a long weekend.

It was a great truck and the ONLY issue I ever had with it was a frozen front brake caliper and it was probably my fault because I never bled the brakes.

I got 19 MPG on the hwy when not towing and 12-14 when towing. I also got 14-15 MPG around town.

Great trucks and if I remember correctly the engine is made by Mercedes. I miss that truck it was a do all.

Tim Hancock · 01-08-2008, 07:56 AM

I believe you have had good luck with yours Bob. I guess I just have an axe to grind when it comes to my past experience with Dodge. Surely all manufacturers can have the occasional vehicle that has a few too many problems. With thousands of vehicles produced, I guess it can't be avoided 100%, but I still can't get over how busy the local Dodge dealers service department is. With cars becoming more complex, one could argue that ALL vehicle brands are going to have a few more problems, but the local Honda and Toyota dealerships are never that busy and have way fewer service bays.

Hugh R · 01-08-2008, 08:01 AM

Let me be clear, I don't care what anyone drives, in fact, I bought my son a 2000 Chevy Sonoma 4x4.. He uses it to go out to the desert hauling his dirt bike. I use it to haul crap to the dump and such. I'll be driving the hybrid to and from work. At 40 or so mpg, running on regular, versus 19 mpg or so running the 911 on premium as a daily driver the Camry is going to make more sense. I know several people who drive a big pickup to and from work and never haul or tow anything with it. THAT doesn't make sense to me.

911Rob · 911Rob's Garage

.... and going to work does make sense?

mtelliott · 01-08-2008, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Cesiro

I had a 2001 Dakota Quad Cab with the 4.7 liter v8 and an auto tranny.

I put 70K miles on it in 4 years and would have kept it if it had 4 wheel drive.

I towed my RX7 everywhere with it. I had a towing radiator put on which was oversize and had a tranny cooler built in. I even towed my RX7 to a Rotary event in Indianapolis, towing from Florida to Indy and back over a long weekend.

I've got the same exact truck (color red). I get 16 - 17 mpg around town, and on the highway. It doesn't seem to care, that's the gas mileage it wants to get.

Engine wise, I've had no problems (112k miles on the odometer). I have had problems with the windows. I've had to replace three window regulators. Seems that when they get frozen, their is a little plastic piece inside that breaks when you try to open them frozen. Cost is about $400 a pop because you have to spring for the entire mechanism, not just a new plastic piece. It's a one piece integrated part that houses the motor, the wire, and the plastic piece (might be called a pivot point). And it's not a warrantied piece.

I've never towed with it so can't comment on that.

lm6y · 01-08-2008, 03:36 PM

I have a friend that owns a salvage yard, and 4.7's are hard to come by. It seems they sludge up the oil pan, and starve the engine of oil. That's a lot of engine in a smal engine bay, and they tend to build up some heat. The engine's don't over heat, but other parts run hotter than in a vehicle with lots of room.

Of course not all 4.7's are bad, but I'd want to see the receipts for oil changes.

I do have one on his shelf for my Mom's Grand Cherokee though.

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

I had considered buying a new Dakota last year, but instead I bought a Ford Explorer Sport Trac with the V8. Why? Much better ride with the IRS. Interior is better made, IMHO. And while I could have gotten a decent discout (due to the Daimler-Chrysler connection), the Ford was about the same price with a "Friends and Family" discount.

The Sport Trac tows my 944 on an open steel trailer like a champ, and it is comfortable car for my daily commute. But let's not talk about gas mileage.... (Supposedly, I get 20 highway / 14 city)

-Z-man.