Anyone drive Dodge Dakotas??

[Trxracr]

im lookin at buyin my neighbors its a 99 i believe, 150k, 5.2 V8, 5 speed, excellent condition anyone have any probs with em or are they pretty good trucks

[C41Xracer]

i have a durango with a 5.2 and love it

[levonskinator]

personally, I would stay away from dodges. There are people here who will say different, but the fact is that they have alot more problems than ford or chevy. The only dodge worthwhile in my opinion is a ram with a cummins. As my boss would say, he loves dodges, because they keep him in business!!

[usp4u]

solid trucks, especially with the 5spd. Keep an eye on ball joints, Dak's and Durango's seem to eat 'em up.

[yellowzo3]

Yup you'll need to replace all 4 ball joints if it hasn't been done already (Tie rod ends too). Shocks as well. Other than their transmissions they are pretty solid overall.

HOWEVER, almost all Dakotas of that generation have EXTREMELY bad paint problems. The paint oxidizes and the clear coat rots away. There is nothing you can do to fix it. Once it starts it'll spread like wildfire through the whole truck and it looks like complete crap. It's happening on mine now and I've waxed it for years in hopes of slowing it down. :(

If the truck was taken care of the biggest things you'll have to worry about are the IAC, TPS, and small sensors like that.

Edit*- If you want to fix the truck up or mod it in any way DO NOT BUY A DAKOTA OR DURANGO.

The aftermarket is dwindling and there is NOTHING available for them. The typical cheap autozone crap is all that's available anymore. They have the Dodge Viper bolt pattern (6x4.5) and unless you want to drop $6000+ on wheels for a Viper you're limited to a VERY small choice of wheels... Almost none look decent (All 22'' DUB crap). Everything that was of quality is now discontinued and people have to scavenge to find these parts used. For instance, there is an intake manifold that is discontinued for some reason.. Price? $400+ IF you can find it... and you need a bunch of other stuff after you buy that. That's one of the only manifolds available for them. The whole truck is like that.

People on the forum I'm on are selling them off and getting things they can actually have fun with and modify on a reasonable budget.

Sorry for the rant but the Dak/Dur scene is VERY bad and there is no aftermarket support anymore. Just don't want you to get into it and come to find that there is nothing you can do with your truck :ermm:

[nskukalek79]

Originally posted by yellowzo3

HOWEVER, almost all Dakotas of that generation have EXTREMELY bad paint problems. The paint oxidizes and the clear coat rots away. There is nothing you can do to fix it. Once it starts it'll spread like wildfire through the whole truck and it looks like complete crap. It's happening on mine now and I've waxed it for years in hopes of slowing it down. :(

:ermm:

yupp...mines starting to look like poop too...clear coat is just fading off and theres nothing i can do to stop it

[honda250xrider]

i agree about the paint. I drove a 97 5.2 5 speed for quite some time.

I had more problems then i care to mention with the truck.

[D Bergstrom]

I have a 2003 Dodge Dakota that I bought brand new in 2003. Quad cab with the 5.9 engine, have just under 60k miles on it. It has been a good truck, have not had one problem with it. There was a recall for the ball joints, had mine done a few year ago, not sure exactly what years were recalled, or if you can even still get them done.

Paint is still in perfect shape, but I do see some around town every now and then that the paint is in bad shape. Of course, I wax my truck twice a year, even paint needs to be "maintained".

My only real complaint is fuel mileage. I get 12 around town and 14 on the highway. I have a flat bed trailer that I use to tow one quad and a RZR-S, when towing I get 9 to 10 no matter what.

Just as others have said, if you are looking to mod it, probably not a good truck to buy, not a lot is made for it. I did find some nice American Racing rims, cold air kit, and flowmaster exhaust, that is all I have touched on it. That was actually one of the reasons I bought my Dakota, nothing to buy for it, so I couldn't spend any money on it!

Doug

[Trxracr]

^^thats exactly what i was thinkin^^ cuz money has a way of falling through my fingers so i wouldnt end up blowing all my money on aftermarket stuff i dont need!! thanks for all the replies guys!

[Sjorge450R]

I run around in a 87 dak. Its seen better days but Its more reliable than all of my friends year 2000 and up cars. Then again. I do all my own work so I know whats up with my stuff. Screw dealerships. Theres no such thing as a good one (no offense to anyone that works at one)


ALL vehicles will have problems. Its how it works. People drive them like they stole em and expect not to have problems. Take pride in your stuff and it will last you. Preventive maintenance. Some people don't know what it means to grease your truck.

[CJM]

Originally posted by levonskinator
personally, I would stay away from dodges. There are people here who will say different, but the fact is that they have alot more problems than ford or chevy. The only dodge worthwhile in my opinion is a ram with a cummins. As my boss would say, he loves dodges, because they keep him in business!!

I totally agree, Im a mechanic and we repair them things like crazy. Doesnt matter what model, just dodges and jeeps and chryslers.

Personally if you want a V8 truck an F150 is a much better choice or even a chevy.

[<DRS>GPF]

i have had great luck with my 2001 dakota(*knocks on wood*), which i found for an excellent price($8K-n-change in 2005 w/ only 23K miles)
it just now hit 55K miles and got its 2nd set of "shoes" since the factory put on the originals..

the problem with the ball joints is dodge cheaped out one the gen III models and didnt use ones with grease zerks.. so they get dry and die..
they are known for chewing through the stock brakes pads and rotors pretty quick.. so count on throwing down $120-$150 for that if not already done.

also, the mileage is totally unexcusable.. my v-6 magnum at best will manage 20mpg on strickly interstate driving, while in town it avg's an embarassing 16mpg..
other than that, its been good to me and ive been good to it.
id give it a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10..


anyway.. IMO, unless its a great deal, i would save/wait for an f150 or perhaps a colorado..
id perhaps give an f150 a 9.5 and the colorado a solid 9 on the same scale..