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Comments
actual dealer invoice.They do not appear on the
window sticker but are included.
good luck,
robert
Also, ordered my Quad Cab SLT Plus, V-6, Auto, Pwr Overhead, 4-Wheel ABS, Limited Slip, CD, RW Defogger,Two-tone truck on 1/15/00. I really don't expect to see it for 8-12 weeks. I paid $22,595 or $250 over invoice. My Farm Bureau discount will reduce that amount further. Can't get around the advertising thing!
I got on the phone and called two dealers...at first, neither wanted to budge because they said the truck was hard to get and high in demand. I reminded them, that if I ordered it, I was not asking them to dealer trade or anything out of the ordinary. It was easy money for them....made two phone calls and went from we can't budge to $350, to $300, to $250 over invoice. I really wanted $100 over invoice, but didn't want to push my luck.......wanted to go with an in town dealer.
Now I wait..........
Good Luck! The truck is excellent!!!
Anyhoo, I've had it three weeks and have 920 miles on the clock. The MIL light came on yesterday. I think I read somewhere that the emissions package on these is sooo sensitive that a loose gas cap with trip that sensor. I have an appointment on Monday to take it in. I'm a little annoyed but still incredibly happy.
Anybody had any problems with this on their Dakota?
I have to pull a 21' pontoon boat, (1600 lbs + 200 motor) it's relatively light, but catches a lot of wind resistance (being a pontoon conficuration) when pulling down the freeway. So here is what I am contemplating
Quad Cab SLT - 4.7, 5-spd manual tranny, 3.92 axle, 4 wheel anti-lock ($400+ ouch!!!), HD service group, tow package, security system, HD engine cooling, tilt steer, am/fm/cd, body side mold, sliding rear window, 6x9 mirrors.
Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Terrain is relatively flat here in E. Texas, but there are a lot of different lakes I want to go to so that means quite a bit of towing. (plus it gets hot in the summer and we can have torrential rains in the spring)
Does anyone have an opinion on how this compact? truck will tow my pontoon boat - we are pretty excited about what we have read so far.
Any info options I do (or don't want) for my purposes are greatly appreciated, particularly in regard to the 4 wheel anti-lock brake system. (that $400+ hurts.)
Thanks
AndyS
good luck,
robert
Don't get me wrong - I am not saying that it isn't a good idea, but it doesn't suit all applications. If you are planning any fairly serious off roading with the truck at anytime ABS may not be so great. I personally haven't found a situation where 2 wheel ABS was insufficient, but that is only my opinion. Happy to listen to all argunments - and ultimately $400 is a small price in the whole package for piece of mind.
One thing I've noticed in my Maxima with 4 wheel disk brakes and high performance tires, is that if I lock the wheels, it takes a relatively long time for the wheels to spin back up again. I'd hate to know how long it takes those 31X10.5 tires. Anti-lock can hold the wheels at the point where they leave tread marks, but don't slide. I'd buy anti-lock again in a heartbeat.
Hey 2drive: Hard to believe you got 392K on an '85 Voyager. I had a '87 Caravan that I got rid of after 124K & 3 (count em' 3!) trannys later. Saw many, many Caravans/Voyagers near that age bracket with bad trannys. Pat yourself on the back for having a good (comfortable-easy to drive)
mini van for so long.
RLholm: Really appreciate the ABS info. Glad to hear you're OK. Very, very disheartened that your truck got messed up so soon but LIFE for QUADS will go ON! This is one Mighty Fine truck! What a pleasure!
Bees
Bookitty I know you are in contact with Dodge reps---do you have any information about this or know where I might find out. Also, what's with the restrictions I keep hearing about? Since I'm getting limited slip, tire and handling package, tow group, this concerns me? Is this a supplier problem or a design problem? Thanks ahead of time for your input. This forum seems to be one of the few places around to really find answers to questions. Nice not to be totally at the mercy of the dealer!
Bookitty
Also, my MIL kept coming on at odd times (about every other fillup) - I read a post that said something about the gascap - I checked, and my magnetic spare key holder was pushing up against the gascap / moved it / voila! No more MIL. Neat.
Also, for you guys & gals who order and can't qualify for the Farm Bureau deal: I used my Tax ID (self-employed) to get the $300 Business Link discount. It includes some running specials and parts discounts. Anyway, it's a stereo upgrade or buckets or ? when you order.
Using Red Line 10W30 synthetic, K&N filter, bed extender, 6 coats of Liquid Glass my 70 mph mpg went from 16 to 20. At 80 its the same. Not bad. Have other upgrades in mind - keep a lookout for future 'test results.'
About the dealer-
M&M Dodge in Kalamazoo, MI. High volume 5 star dealer. Salesperson (Russ Guajardo) told me that he makes more on volume than commissions, so he will sell all ordered cars & trucks at INVOICE.
My wife wouldn't go in with me, because she didn't want to hear me debate over the price. I told Russ that it was easy dealing with him, but that I felt a little cheated that I didn't get to debate with him. He laughed.
Caps for my Quad - Leer's cap is $1,400, but Russ told me that Century has a cap for the Quad ~$800. Anyone else found a different CAP yet?
I have searched the net and can not locate the Protecta company which manufactures the bedliner mats. I want the Protecta Heavy heavyweight Bedmat for the Dakota QuadCab and have been unable to determine if there is one even made yet. I do not want the standard Protecta bedmat.
How is your experience with the full time system. Is it rough like the jeeps selec-trac full time position?
How exactly does the system work? Is it similar to Jeep's Quadra Trac system when power is at the rear wheels untill it slips then transfers it to the front?
Thanks for your help
as the Jeep Selec-Trac xfer case, but DOES NOT have a 2WD position like the Jeep does. In the full-time position, it drives both axles thru an
open differential at a fixed 48/52 torque split.
Like any open diff system, it will, unfortunately,
transfer power to the axle that is slipping. That
is why (in my opinion) full-time 4WD thru an open
diff should only be used in marginal driving situations. If the weather is really bad, switch to part-time.
The standard 4WD xfer case (NV231) actually LOCKS the front/rear xfer case together and some call that that PART TIME 4WD.... go figure.
Of course when 'locked' into 4WD the NV242 is EXACTLY like the less expensive NV231 which is the 'normal' 4WD option. (And it has a 2WD setting)
Some people may suggest that adding a LSD rear axle to the NV242 would make things better, but lets think this through...
The NV242 DOES NOT contain any limited-slip clutches. It is simply an OPEN DIFFERENTIAL in the xfer case. OPEN DIFFERENTIAL MEANS ONE WHEEL SPINS... YOU ARE STUCK!! When combined with a LSD rear axle, the action of the LSD rear axle will force the torque to one front wheel which will almost ALWAYS have less traction than BOTH rear wheels combined. One not only loses traction but also loses steering control
I have driven on snow-coverd roads since I learned to drive and have driven many various 4WD systems to their limits of traction. (Over mountains thru rivers...etc) I am not guessing about this stuff... I have been there!
What do I presently have on my Dak in the way of traction?
The standard NV231 xfer case with LSD 3.55 rear axle. When the xfer case is locked in 4WD I essentially have 3WD up to limits of the LSD rear axle clutches. Just yesterday I had to pass someone that was barley moving up a hill (2WD pickup) My 4.7L 5SP simply scrambled past that truck with alacrity. On almost a foot of snow!
If you are going to be on paved roads traveling >40MPH, 4WD in almost ANY design has a tendency to cause loss-of-traction at one or more wheels during
a turn. 4WD can help you get going not to stop... 4WD brakes are standard
I often see people with SUV-type vehicles that think they can drive 60-70 MPH in a snowstorm because they have 4WD. How little they know...
Just when you thought you were through with bragging about the new 4.7 in the dakota. Motor Trend did a review on the new quad cab and clocked the 0-60 in 7.4 seconds. After viewing this figure I thought it was a misprint so I emailed my concern to the editor and he wrote back saying that is was not a misprint. I was totally amazed. This is one fast truck!
Check out the review:
http://www.motortrend.com/jan00/dakota_quadcab/dakota_quadcab_f.html
Also thanks for the input on the full time system, however i was wondering if anyone actually had this option on their dakota?
Just picked up my quad cab sport plus 4x2 today..dark green w/ dark gray interior and bench seat...Has the 4.7, auto w/limited slip. Options include: trip computer, night mirror, over sized side mirror's, 15x8 wheels, pw's, locks, tow package, cd, fog lights, power seat, heavy duty package(battery etc.), bed liner. The only thing it didn't come with that I really wanted was the split window. I paid one hundred over invoice (he threw in the bedliner) in South Florida.
The salesman told me that my Sport Quadcab, (dark green exterior w/ dark gray interior w/ the 4.7) was very rare and that there were only three of that kind in all of Florida. I would have bought the truck anyway but can anyone advise if this is indeed a rare combination or was he (salesman) just blowing smoke like most salesman do?
open differential allows it to be used at any time, even on dry roads. "Part-Time" 4WD is called
"Part-Time" because the locked differential CANNOT
be used on dry roads. I agree with bpeebles regarding the combination of a limited-slip rear end with an open diff xfer case. I presently have
a Jeep with the Selec-Trac xfer case which has the following positions:
2WD, NEUTRAL, 4WD(locked diff), 4WD(open diff), and 4WD LO. Until I understood the inherent limitations of the 4WD open diff position, I was
always getting stuck, as none of this is ever
explained in any Driver's Manual that comes with
the vehicle.
Quadra-Trac xfer case (NV247). Your dealer doesn't
know what he's talking about.............
In terms of the open diff - unless one of the lock positions is selected the differential is open. And as Antony says, your dealer is using the wrong orifice to talk!!
------------------------
Dakota Transfer Case NV242: Full-time
Operating Ranges: 4WD-HIGH full-time; 4WD-HIGH part-time;
Neutral; 4WD-LOW part-time
Transfer Case Differential: Planetary Center Differential w/Lock,
Front/Rear Torque Split 48/52
Axle Differentials: Open,front & rear (std) Limited Slip, rear (opt)
Jeep Transfer Case NV247 Quadra-Trac II: On-Demand
Operating Ranges: 4WD-High; Neutral; 4WD-LOW;
Transfer Case Differential: Progressive Torque Transfer
Axle Differentials: Open,front & rear(std)
Vari-Lok, front & rear (opt)
Amen! Amen! Amen!!!
Addressing # 308: Mark, there is no absolutely no problem or waiting for the 2WD version of the Quad. It all has to do with the type of snow that you guys get in south Florida. It seems to be easier to traverse than the snow North of you. I believe that it has something to do with the correlation of rotation of the earth versus the hypothesis theory of spilled differential fluid.
Bookitty
Bookitty
I am in Ontario and so have experienced all kinds of conditions lately, typically shifting into 4wd if I am going on to a ramp, stopped at lights etc. For me it is really no big deal. I would rather do that than have the higher maintenance costs of a full time 4wd system. Also remember that you still need to shift the full time into and out of the lock position.
I notice that you don't currently drive a truck. If you haven't driven trucks in the past then you need to adjust to the fact that there is little weight over the rear axle, which won't help traction in a rear wheel drive vehicle in the wet. Stability can be helped by putting weight in the bed over the axle.
Sorry if you already know all that stuff about weight.
I live in BC and we get rained on like 24-7 over here. Also i frequently travel up into the moutains, so one minute its dry pavement (no 4wd high on dry pavement is recommended) then its wet then ice. I would get a good workout from switching back and forth all the time.
I drove the dakota with part time 4wd system and in the rain it was all over the road.
I would just feel a little more confident knowing that I was always in 4x. Now my next confusing point. If it is an open differntial system, i guess it would not be worth it if all the power was x-fered to the wheel that was slipping. However i have read some posts that state they were told by the technician at the dealership that it was NOT an open differntial.?!
HELP!??!?!?! which one is it?
Bookitty
bookitty, well I hope I know a little about 4wd. I have done some fairly serious offroading in less than ideal conditions through my involvement in dog sledding, as well as the more 'normal' use of 4wd on wintry Ontario roads.
So if I got the full time 4wd with the LSD in the rear, there will always be 52% (or whatever the figure is) of the power at the rear wheels?
The transfer case is not like the Jeep QuadraTrac, Subaru, or other 'all wheel' drive systems. I stated that it was similar to the QuadraTrac in a prior post, which wasn't accurate. It doesn't have clutches or viscous couplings, so it doesn't adjust the power from the 'wheels that grip to the wheels that slip'.
It's also not a true open differential like a car without limited slip. There is always power going to the rear end. The simple example one service tech gave had the truck parked with the front wheels on ice and the rear on dry pavement. If the transfer case was 'open', the truck couldn't pull off the ice because all the power would go to the front wheels. If the transfer case where truly 'open', you could get out of the truck and watch the front wheels turn (I used to push myself out of snow drifts doing this in an old Camaro I had - then I had to run like Haiti's to catch up to it once it started moving). The Dakota with full time 4wd will move forward, however, because there is always power to the rear wheels. The only way the tech said that no power would go to the rear would be to drop the driveshaft.
They all said that the differential in the transfer case only really affects the front axle, allowing the front axle to slip in relation to the rear. They also all agreed that traction, particularly on marginal surfaces, is better than 2 wd alone. If the surface is really bad, 4 hi is still the way to go.
I balked and they are getting me the 6x9 mirrors at no cost and I got them to discount the truck another $300. I got everything else though!
4x2 Sport, Flame Red, Agate interior with bench seat, 4.7, auto, HD service group,trailer tow,alarm,tilt,cruise,power overhead group,limited slip,AM/FM/Cassete/CD/Equalizer/
leather steering wheel and wheel mounted audio controls. I drove it home tonight in the snow unfortunately. I must say the limited slip works very well and it never spun a wheel! I only have 38 miles on it so far so I will report back later with more feedback.
It is an awesome looking truck, got lots of attention on the trip home. I believe you will all be very pleased when you get yours!!
Greg in KC