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Dodge Dakota - Club Cab
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Comments
I would worry about pulling power, fun, and quietness.
I can't speak on behalf of the new Dakota's with automatic transmitions. I hear they are better. I think these new automatics need their oil changed every 30k. I bought a used 92 Dakota that spent more time in the shop the first three months than in my own driveway. The dealership was fighting the "big wigs", and trying to repair instead of replace the bad tranmision. Once the dealership got the O.K., and installed a new tranmision., I never had a problem again. When my family of three grew by one, I needed a back seat. I looked at some used club cabs, but could not find one nice enough with a 3.92 rear end. I decided to buy a new one; only this time it was going to have a five speed. I don't care if the new automatics are better, I would rather replace the clutch at 100k plus miles than see my truck in the shop for tranny problems. I couldn't find a new club cab with the V8, 5 spd, and 3.92 rear end, so I ordered a new one. Paid $50 over invoice, and waited two months for the truck. This allowed me time to sell my old truck, get the farm bureau discount, and secure finances.
About the toneau, the only one I recommend is the Gem GT Classic www.gemtopmfg.com. It is steel, sits flush, painted to match doesn't leak. Mine cost me about 7 bills several years ago. Got it on my 97 like it so much I am gonna add it to my 01 as soon as I save enough pennies.
There are K&N Filtercharger kits and quite a few exhust setups on the market for the 4.7. I don't think you'lkl have many problems there. For me when the warranty expires I want to put a Kenne-Bell twin screw supercharger on mine. It'll pump it up to around 335 HP.
Worried "Gene"
jack
Thanks
atokaD
None of us want a re-badged mini truck like the Ranger.
The Dakota is still a better buy.
What kind of wheels and tires are you using now?
Bob
Did you sell the wheels and tires yet? If you are not too far away, I may be interested. I'm in NJ.
Bob
I've had very bad luck with Goodyears over the years. Never found a set I was really happy with. My personal opinion is the only good ones are the tread less ones. But I also know people who swear by Goodyear, so I guess it's just personal preference.
Chicago area is a little to far for me.
It would depend on how much $$$ your looking to get for them, and shipping costs.
Just my 2 cents.
Blue
THe 721 (remember that fiasco?) had two instances where the entire tread peeled off leaving the inner casing, still intact and still holding air. I suppose the only saving grace was the fact the Cordoba I was driving at the time was large, heavy, and had a low center of gravity. Oh sure the dealer replaced them after a pro rate. I got them replaced only to have a third one separate the steel belts under the tread leaving a large "tumor" rendering the tire useless.
Soon after, I replaced all four with BF goodrich and never looked back.
I'll have my pops recite his experience with firestones sometime. I should have listened to him before I went out and got Firestones.
I don't plan on changing the Goodyear tires on my new Dakota until they are worn-out. I will than look for some Perelli tires instead. They are super quiet.
Obviously, we are all looking for the same thing... great traction (in all conditions that one would drive in), unbelievable reliability (i.e. no Firestone issues), exceptional handling and treadwear, and low noise (don't want to drowned out the beautiful sound of my 4.7).
Unfortunetly from my conversations and endless pursuit of more worthless information, i have come to the conclusion that Goodyear must accomplish this with extremely soft compounds that give you grip, but not great handling or treadwear. My buddy, who drives like a mad man, will go through a set of Goodyears (RT/S) on his truck in about 20,000 miles and complain that they don't grip in any situation (dry, wet, snow, on-road, off-road). Switch to Michelin LTX and I can't shut him up. He just keeps going on and on and on about how much better they are. Of course they are very very expensive.
The stock Goodyears on my QC seem to be ultra soft. I can't turn into my side load garage without leaving dark black tread marks all down my driveway. I understand that this is an AT tire but reading reviews of other tires and postings of other truck owners makes me think that Goodyear needs to offer a stiffer compound with better handling and traction.
Don't get me wrong! I would like to ride on Goodyears for the rest of my life. The last of a dying breed. Hell, I live 20 minutes from "The Spirit of Akron" and the rubber capital of the world (at least it used to be) I hope that my first impressions of my Goodyears don't hold up and I purchase another set, but something tells me that I won't.
Again, just my $0.02, and i am willing to hear other arguments, but i don't think that Goodyears are the best, or even close at this point, and that is what I need on my Truck. Something that will perform when it is critical.
Blue
Longevity on the RTS tires? My jury is still out as I only have 16K on the truck. I'll get back to you at 30K or so.
I have always had good luck with Good year and even better luck from Kelly Spring field. Again I am referring to car tires, only experience with truck tires is with Junk stones (see my previous post).
They are truck tires with the handling of a sports car tire.
Have the 255/60-15 on my 97. Once I get tires of the Wranglers on my 01 I'll be putting 255/65-15 Zeros on it as well. Anything else is just putting garbage on the truck.
any longer. Since I did not want a true compact truck the Dakota was the obvious and best choice. I found SLT w/3.9 and auto and SLT Plus package for a very good price so I bought it. I have been satisfied with performance and mileage. I live in Oklahoma and have some hills and lots of wind. The 3.9 is adequate, but certainly not overpowered. In 22000 miles, mostly highway, I averaged 17.5 to 19.5 on highway (depending on wind) and 15.0 to 16.9 in town. That's not great but acceptable for a truck.
I seldom pull anything so that is not an issue for me. Two weeks ago I was stopped for someone having car trouble and was rear-ended by a '98 Suburban at 40mph. Needless to say the Dakota lost that battle. I escaped with a few bruises, minor cuts and a sore back. I was impressed with the integrity and safety provided by the cab. I was told my injuries could have been far worse. I am now the owner of 2001 Dakota Club Cab SLT 4x2 with the 4.7 and auto with Plus package and a few other extras. I was on a short time frame and didn't find a large selection to choose from in this area. I purchased the truck for $100 over invoice with insurance proceeds. All this to get to my experience with the 4.7 so far. Nice truck with lots of power. Smooth running and smoother shifting than the 3.9. I checked mileage at 250 miles (all local) and it was 14.9
mpg. I think that the mileage will equal or exceed the 3.9 as truck breaks in. If you are going to buy a Dakota look hard at the 4.7. I believe it is worth the extra money in performance and trade value on the back end. I will let you know how mileage does in future. I test drove a 2001 F-150 with 4.6. No comparison! The Dakota rides better, handles better and I can park it in my garage and not have to squeeze to get in and out.
Shawn
98 SLT 5.2L V8, Club Cab, loaded. Hard cover on the bed..60k miles
is $10,500 a good deal for this? Truck belonged to my bro-in-law who just suddenly passed away. Car has had excellent maintenance.
I would like to buy it if you folks think its a good deal.
Please share your thoughts here or email me at:
Thanks!
rascal2064@yahoo.com
If the truck had 4WD, It would be worth it. 4WD holds its value a little better. I sold my old truck in 99 with 67K miles on it for $8200. It had $1200 worth of hail damage on it.
Compartment floods (passenger side).
Brought it to dealer and after two days of water testing they replaced Pillar in A-frame.
One week later carpet was saturated.
Brought it back and mechanics admitted thy were stumped?
Chrysler stated they are aware of the problem and said evaporator and evaporator housing has to be replaced along with my carpeting.
Of course these parts are not available and I was told it would take another week. In the meantime the cab smells, and the windows fog quickly and my grandchildren love playing in the water. All I need is to provide sand and pretend were at the beach.
What disturbs me why these certified mechanics didn't get it right the first time. Carpets clearly showed stains most likely chemical in origin.
Would like to know if AC fan is supposed to run continuously? Enjoy your discussions! Appreciate the advice.
To answer your question about the AC fan... I need some more info...specifically WHAT fan are you asking about? Is there a fan under your dashboard that runs continously? The only fan I am aware of that runs ALL THE WHILE THE AC IS TURNED ON is the supplamental electric fan attached to the radiator. Is this the one you are asking about?
We love to bad mouth the quality of mechanics, but the reality is that we try to encourage our kids to aspire to the 'good' white collar jobs and most kids today are wanting to get into a computer related job. As things get more complex, our best and brightess are being told that there is no future for them in being a mechanic or machinist. We are facing a severe shortage in these fields and it is getting ready to bite us.
In Atlanta
AC fan that I was referring to is the auxillary fan. It only runs (loud) when the AC is on. I believe Mr. Peebles has answered the question. Apparently I have never owned a vechicle with this setup.
Flooding problem occurs only when AC is running. Dealer literaly flooded vechicle with water to initially determine if external water (rain) was the problem. They (mechanics) decided the Pillar was defective and replaced it. Less than a week later flooding of floorboard was found by my grandchildren.
Stain on my rubber mat was clearly chemical in origin. I just scrubbed it off today. It caused my black rubber mats to turn ashen gray. I am assuming whatever is coming from the AC?
Yes I did check the radiator as suggested and it is static. No problem there.
Since I am not mechanically inclined or knowledgeable on the internal workings of the evaporator housing and associated plug this is foreign to me.
This is what the dealer and Chrysler has decided is the problem. I was told maybe next Tuesday the parts will be available along with new carpet. To date dealer has had vechicle four days with this particular problem.
We certainly appreciate your responses to date, it has been most informative.
I spent two hours last evening reading every message posted regarding Dodge Dakota's. I must say I am humbled by the knowledge each of you possess. My field is science and consumes my time. I envy those of you who have the skills to address auto mechanics and willing to share your skills. In this nation auto mechanics is not a requiste in owning a vechicle. Just turn the key and go.
Once again, we thank you for your interest and rapid response and will look forward to reading the posted messages.
I brought my vechicle in on Tuesday as directed, and was told the parts are in but the technician with the skills to work was off sick. Okay, I can wait another day except it was July fourth and the dealership would be closed. So I took it in on Thursday the fifth of July at the crack of dawn. I was told it would be ready by closing. Dealer never called. I called on the sixth of July and was told by service manager they had bad news. I went to dealership and what I saw was a sight I never will forget. The complete interior was stripped and laid out on the ground. Dash board, panels, carpet. and windshield. I thought at first my vechicle was in a wreck.
The service manager then began to explain that they discovered leaks from front windshield, door, and AC. More parts needed to be ordered!
If you have been following my posts, you will now find my first experience resulted in a Pillar in the A-frame followed by evaporator housing, evaporator plug and now another whatcha ma call it.
Now this vechicle has just 5,000 miles on the odometer. I will leave it up to you to judge the quality that went into my 2001 Dodge Dakota CC 4x4 and the skills or lack of them in resolving the problem.
I know water leaks can be a problem to track, but this a soap opera in the making. I can't help but wonder what other quality part is lurking in the wings. What can I expect tommorow?
Now I am told it will be Monday before parts arrive.
Seems the computer says there is an "evaporative system leak". First time they replaced the sensor pump. Next, the purge solenoid. This time the jury is still out (along with my truck). The truck drives fine. It is just a major inconvenience having to drop off a BRAND NEW truck, literally every week to leave for a day or three.
Me being "mechanically challenged", my question is... Evaporative System seems to be only involved with emissions type issues. Is this correct? Service Manager described it as just a diagnostic tool for onboard computer.
BTW, I will be starting my State's "Lemon Law" procedures if the dreaded light comes back on. So far the dealership is very polite; but equally incompetent at finding root of problem. Maybe with Daimler/Chrysler ticked off at my 5 Star dealer, they will become smarter??
The reason I ask is that I did thios and had the same problem. Turned out that for 2001 the cap was changed but part stores only list to 2000. 2000- cap is different. It will fit but you will get a leak.
When I went back to the OEM cap everything went back to normal. Luckily Stant Mfg. was nice and exchanged my wrong locking cap with a correct one. Everything is fine now.
After reading every post regarding Dodge I am not sure if I made the right choice. I am concerned as to what else my vechicle will experience in the months or more likely weeks ahead.
I have yet to take my Dodge off road yet and put it through it paces.
I live to deer hunt, and this fall my Dodge had better be up to the challenge or I will replace it.
The EEC test. (Everaptive Emissions Control) is PERFORMED by the onboard computer. A brief explanation of its operation follows
This diagnostic is performed in 2 parts only under specific conditions.
1) An air pump actually creates a slight pressure in the air in the fuel tank. A verification is made to ensure that this pressure is held.(ie...no leaks exist)
2) A more critical test is performed on how fast this pressure "bleeds down" under specific
conditions.
The onboard computer controls the air pump, several solenoids and a couple of servos to perform these tests.
As namfflow suggests.... Leaving your gas cap loose after filling with fuel will DEFINATLY cause the tests to fail and the trouble light to come on.
For more info ... please take this discussion to the Dakota Maintenance Forum.
Give the dealer a chance to properly fix it right for you. There is always the lemon law...etc if they can't get you up and running again.
My Quad cab had a bad window regulator right off the lot. It got fixed under warranty.
It is a bummer being without the truck but give them a chance to fix it.
Thanks,
Shawn
I may have to help a friend out and tow his boat to my house. It may be over the 2k lbs.
Would it hurt to tow it one way less than 15 miles without the fluid change? I will definately take it easy on this trip.
Also, should a person get the front axle fluid changed as well, if it is a 4x4?
Thank you for any input.
Bob
One thing you can do is to "pull" the troublecode for yourself and write it down. To do this, just turn the keyswitch from OFF-ON-OFF-ON-OFF-ON (three iterations ending in ON without turning the starter at all)
This initiates a diagnostic sequence that parses the onboard computer memory for any logged troublecodes. You can watch the process on the display that is normally the odometer. After several seconds of running the diagnostic, any logged troublecodes will be displayed on this display. Anyone with a shop manual can "decode" the troublecode for you.
BTW I had the EEC failure myself which WAS NOT the gas cap either. A porcupine nibbled on several hoses under my truck. The dealer had to order an entire new hose assembly from the engine to the gastank. (I am very grateful that he covered it under warantee :-) 5 STAR DOES HAVE SOME GOOD POINTS!
BTW, the problem this time is being claimed by dealership. They say a "mechanic" must have messed up a vacumn hose when they changed out EEC sensor pump first time. If they say Human error, that would seem to preclude warranty issues. No problem really. I just want my truck to run smoothly.
Hey thanks bpeebles for that diagnostic tip with the keyswitch. That will help me keep my mind at ease if I can "check up" on my dealer. I shouldn't be so untrusting but have heard the Urban Legends of dealers just disabling pesky problem lights.