Your opinions on Dodge..

[roostin_dale]

lets not turn this into a flame fest about ford vs dodge vs chevy crap...

Im going to look at 2 Dodge Dakota's today for my first truck (totaled my Grand Prix about a month ago)..

Both are about the same, 1999's Reg Cab's, tool box's in the bed, V6 2wd. One black one yellow, one is manual, one is auto.... Anyways, i am just wanting to know everyones opinions on Dodge trucks? Is it a good truck for a 16 yr old male?

Here is a pic of what it looks like, not the exact truck but it is identical....


http://auctions.creditunionautobrokers.com/p5875b/p5875ba.jpg

[spud400ex]

diffinately go with the one with the manual, dodges automatics dont hold up very well.

[Pvt. Maggot]

^^ Exactly, If you get a dodge, get a manual. The autos BLOW! Other then that, they are good trucks, and i'm sure you'll be happy with it. I'd try and get a v8 but thats just my tastes. Good luck buying. :)

[MOFO]

Originally posted by spud400ex
diffinately go with the one with the manual, dodges automatics dont hold up very well.

Yep! If the only difference is that tranny, get the manual! I know those years they have problems with the front rotors warping very fast - my buddy has one. The manual should help the brakes last longer...

[Hondadudeehhhh]

i love dodge trucks and my grandpa drive a 94 (i think dakota) and it has a **** ton of miles from comuting back and forth from chicago to michigan and he has never had any problems with the exception of the air conditioning. My buddy nate's 1500's tranny is going bad but he loves the truck. I love them and i know a lot of people with all sorts of dodge and i think they're nice trucks

[spud400ex]

Originally posted by MOFO
I know those years they have problems with the front rotors warping very fast - my buddy has one.

my moms '01 dakota had the same problem. the original rotors worped twice then we put on aftermarket and they are still holdin up fine.

[JDiablo]

i've heard they are decent trucks,but when it rains it gets shorts?my dads worker had his hemi worked on a million times alreayd,everytime it rains it goes haywire,but i think they fixed it now,the dealer said that happens alot on dodges?

[MotoX3]

my dad hauls freight with a ton dually....has many miles on it and still runs like a champ...from what ive rode in/drove....dodge diesels are awesome

[chucked]

Originally posted by MotoX3
my dad hauls freight with a ton dually....has many miles on it and still runs like a champ...from what ive rode in/drove....dodge diesels are awesome

dakota is not a diesel, but yea, get the manual

[Doober]

im personally a chevy guy, but i drive a dodge and i havent had a thing wrong with my truck and its automatic

[zephead400ex]

I drive an '04 x-tended cab Dak, 2wd, v6, auto and I have no complaints. I've heard bad things about Dodge trucks, but so far I haven't had any.

ledofthezep has an '02 Dak sport, 2wd, v6, manual and he likes his truck as well...except the mileage he's put on it.:)

[Martin Blair]

I like the 2500 Cummis :macho

[roostin_dale]

Originally posted by Pvt. Maggot
I'd try and get a v8 but thats just my tastes.

insurance for a 16 yr old male and a v8 is crazy...

[Warnerade]

3 dodge trucks in my family, relatively new, but all holding up fine.

[WOracing]

Dripping
Oil
Dripping
Gas
Everywhere

lol j/k just some humor. i have no experience with dodge but my 1989 chevy has 175000 miles on it and still runs strong with no problems. its a 5 speed...

[Warnerade]

little more humor...

Originally posted by roostin_dale
insurance for a 16 yr old male and a v8 is crazy...

and so would the price of the gas be :)

[Regular_Joe]

IMO I prefer auto in a truck. It seems I am always backing up to something, loading something, going through a field, etc .... and the auto is more user friendly in those environments.

[luvmyex]

ive had two dakota s. 97 with 130k miles and just traded a 03 with 58k for a full size ram. Yup that things got a HEMI! Never had any trouble with either.Only changed oil and did a tune up on the 97. nothing but oil on the 03. Great trucks if ya ask me.

[SRH]

Originally posted by Regular_Joe
IMO I prefer auto in a truck. It seems I am always backing up to something, loading something, going through a field, etc .... and the auto is more user friendly in those environments.

i love standard...for driving, but with loading a quad up, crusin slow speeds thru the pits finding parking areas and eating breakfast on way to work auto really comes in handy

[Warnerade]

ya i wouldnt prefer a manual truck either, it'd just be an inconveinence in my opinion....

[MotoX3]

Originally posted by chucked
dakota is not a diesel, but yea, get the manual well yeah....just using that as a point to say dodges are reliable and hold up well

[400exrules]

Originally posted by SRH
i love standard...for driving, but with loading a quad up, crusin slow speeds thru the pits finding parking areas and eating breakfast on way to work auto really comes in handy

yah, i need to get a truck soon, somethin that can pull like a 10-15foot trailer with my quad on it, and im either gonna get like a 4x4 v8 z71 (prob. standard cab) auto tranny, or an ole cheap toyota pickup with manual tranny. Im gonna have to decide if i really wanna deal with shiftin all the time

[roostin_dale]

The one i decided on is a 1997 regular cab with an auto v6 and 75k miles. Throw my Sony Sterio in there and its good to roll. Its white with a red pinstripe, not the color i want but its a dang nice truck...Im gunna think about it tonight and might pick it up before i leave to race tomorrow...

20-25mpg, thats not bad...

[roostin_dale]

Originally posted by 400exrules
yah, i need to get a truck soon, somethin that can pull like a 10-15foot trailer with my quad on it, and im either gonna get like a 4x4 v8 z71 (prob. standard cab) auto tranny, or an ole cheap toyota pickup with manual tranny. Im gonna have to decide if i really wanna deal with shiftin all the time

your 17 right? might want to look at insurance on a 4x4 v8 pickup. I dont know if its the same for you but it was CRAZY high for me.

Getting a v6 2x4 my insurance is the same as it was on my Grand Prix..

[Pappy]

2005 1 ton cummins diesel 6 speed manual. best truck ive ever owned.

2004 dakota with V8 and 5 speed. wish i would have bought the wife a S10:ermm:

[400EXrider#91]

Originally posted by Pappy
2005 1 ton cummins diesel 6 speed manual. best truck ive ever owned.



;) one day when i have the money i will own one

[watts16]

Originally posted by Pappy
2005 1 ton cummins diesel 6 speed manual. best truck ive ever owned.

2004 dakota with V8 and 5 speed. wish i would have bought the wife a S10:ermm:

OOO yeah we got the Big Horn editrion 6 speed black to haul the big race car trailer. We call it the cowboy caddy

[Butters]

i don't like dodge that well. seem to be good for awhile, but don't last very long.

[86350x]

When I was looking for a new full size, I gave everyone a fair shake. The chevy placed secong in my opinion. It made the least amount of power, but handled nice, and got better gas miledge then the dodge did. Dodge scored last with me, because of the drunk driving handeling after 60mph. You have to shuffle the wheel back and forth, and the thing only got 14-12mpg. Those things are pigs on gas. I think they did get there tranny's straightened around. I also thought the front end of the newer full sizes look like a city bus.

I picked ford, and I am a long time chevy guy. It drove the nicest, got the best gas miledge, has the beefiest frame, best brakes, and had more power then the chevy. Pluss pulling a trailer it was just as fast as the hemi in the 1/4 mile. The dodge was the fastest truck, but the ford was a better all around truck. I wasn't buying a full size truck to go drag racing anyways.

I considered a dakota, but I could only find red ones with the 4.7 litre v8. And they really arean't any better on gas as a full size, and can't pull or haul as much. My cousing has one like your looking at with a 318 and he only gets 14mpg.

If you want a good smaller truck get an s10 with the big 6. It will get way better gas miledge and pull just as much. It is the best all around, longest lasting smaller truck out there.

[KWAD GAWD]

I had a '98 Dakota Sport 3.9L, 5-speed, ext. cab. Owned it for 1 year & half - from 55,000 miles to 73,000 miles and dumped about $1,200 bucks into it. I liked the truck, the interior and the way it looked - but they are crap.

[02canirider]

i have an 01 dakota sport extended cab. i have no complaints with it at all. you def. want to get the manual. in my opinion, you should go for it

[Quad18star]

My parents own a 94 Dodge 1500 4x4 which is an automatic ... we have over 225 000 miles on it and not a problem with the engine or tranny . Before the 94 we had an 86 dodge ram and we put about the same amount of miles on it ... it was an auto also ... we sold it to my uncle who used it in the bush with his forestry company . The thing ran like a champ until one of his workers dropped a tree on it .

I have no complaints about Dodge trucks ... my next truck would be a Dodge , but I don't like the way they styled the front end .

[roostin_dale]

Well i got the truck a few days ago and so far I love it.

Its the one i described earlier "1997 regular cab with an auto v6 and 75k miles. Throw my Sony Sterio in there and its good to roll. Its white with a red pinstripe, not the color i want but its a dang nice truck"..put my sterio in and im lovin it...
I will get some pics up sometime...

[duke416ex]

Their main trouble was their v8 trannies, and it really wasn't the tranny, it was the torque converter coming apart and going through the tranny. The 318 and the 360 had different trannies though and most of the trouble came with the 318 trannies, and the v10 and cummins, but some of the 360 had trouble too, but hey any brand will have some trouble. They have a different style tranny in lke the 00 or 01 models though and I haven't heard much trouble out of them.

Oh yea, congrats on the truck.

[Trevor]

I have herd from alot of people that the v8 are actualy better on gas than the 3.9 v6. The 3.9 is too small of a motor for that size of a truck. I have looked at a few but I havn't been able to bring my self to buy a Dodge. I don't like there rep with crappy motors and trannys. But they do look good.

[Flynbryan19]

I rolled the dice and bought a 97' Ram1500 4x4 Sport. So far its been a good truck. It has some quirky things about it..... It definately doesn't feel as solid as my F150 did, but for the price I can't complain. Time will tell. My biggest concern is the tranny, but I'm gonna drive it till it goes.

[roostin_dale]

....