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Dodge Dakota Crew Cab
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dealer about the Quads, although I have not yet
placed an order.
been scheduled for production. When I checked with Dodge customer service today, they told me all 4x4 Club and Quad Cab Dakotas are on restriction until they catch up with 2wd demand. Could be two weeks or as long as a month before it's even scheduled. The dealer is trying to confirm this.
I'd hate to have to cancel my order, but this is
real disappointing. Called the Ford dealer and the F-150 SuperCrews will hit the lots mid-February. I figure Dodge has until the end of January to have my truck in my driveway or my order might be history.
Thanks,
Erich
ordering a new Quad Cab. This short experience left me wondering why I want to even buy a Dodge. This dealership treated me very badly. I just wanted to find out the procedure to order the Quad Cab. They started off by telling me they expected a profit of $1200 on any ordered truck. I laughed at that. They then went on to ridicule me for using the internet to research my purchase. They insinuated that if I succeeded in making a purchase for $500 over invoice that I would somehow regret it later. That the dealership would somehow rip me off in an unseen way. I must now find another dealership to order from. If you choose to visit this dealership please be aware of the response you will get by
trying to be an aware and informed consumer.
happy quading,
robert
Same story here. I ordered Dakota QC 4x4 on 11/22. Got the same story from Chrysler concerning indefinite restriction. I wanted this truck badly, but I need something by Jan 27th, so I'll be cancelling if they can't deliver.
Not happy.
The Quad Cabs have the same 1450, but I did find out that the 4x4 front suspension was redone for 2000 and 2000 4x4 now also get rack/pinion steering. I have not confirmed that the brakes were redone on the 2000s, but I hope so. Only thing I don't like about my truck is the ABS problems. Too touchy and sometimes it literally won't stop when ABS engage which is often on dry pavement with good traction under mild breaking but I hit a bump and the ABS starts pumping and I stop stopping! I have to let off and reapply the brake to stop. Occasionally happens. Dealer said they know, its normal, bad design, they get complaints. Not a very good answer.
I'm anxious to drive a 4x4 quad 4.7L to compare it to my 5.2L and perhaps order a quad. Sad to hear the 4x4 are on hold. I will like the better fuel economy of the 4.7L but imagine it will shift annoying often (to me) in comparison to the 5.2L and its low end torque. I imagine towing will be a totally different experience between the two also.
Chad
This truck was ordered 11/22. I'm interested in hearing from others who've ordered, as to what the reps are saying about the ship dates. My salesperson has been less than helpful to say the least (5-star dealer? bah!).
-Curt
Ron
miles ago. The fuel injected 4.7L V8 really runs
great. Put the throttle down 1/2 way and it
roars onto the freeway with the sound of a vette
and the transmission shifts like there is a
nascar driver working the clutch and a 4 sp.
shifter manually. I highly suggest getting the
4.7L engine. Definately enough power to pull
almost anything. I'm just guessing, but you
probably would not gain much with the 5.9L unless
you have some extreme towing to do. Anyway, the
4.7L makes my old Chevy 350 V8 feel like an
ice cream truck.
Now for the negative. I purchased the split bench
seat with the arm rest in the middle. When the arm rest is up, and the seat is slightly reclined,
the arm rest will feel like a bump in your side.
If your tall, I suggest reclining the seat a little so the bar accross the middle of the roof does not hit your head.
Overall this vehicle has alot of interior space
and it runs great.
Has been all I expect except for the fuel economy. I sense it to be around 16 local. Local for me is a 40 mile round trip which has a 10 mile non-stop stretches at 55-60 in each direction. I plan to do an extended interstate run this weekend of approx 400 miles and will see what it gets then.
Considering it is the newly engineered engine/transmission pushing a very light truck compared to my 81 F150 (which gets 16 MPG with 187,000 miles on it,) I would epect at least 17 MPG. Time will tell-
Re: the armrest- I'm much shorter and have a moderate frame size (5'6" at 185) and have not experienced any issues with the center armrest. I was however concerned about the seating comfort because my older Dodge Van would kill my back on long trips- so far so good!
I recently had my dealer throw in a 7/75,000 power train warranty at no cost to me. I can tell you the dealer cost is 50% less of the list price of the service contract. I don't know if your dealer will negotiated the $$$ or not.
want the 4.7l auto?? standard?? not sure yet. prob will go with the 4x2. I tow a light 1300lbs 17ft tracker boat so do i need the 3.92?..you fellow Quaders email me over the next several months. let me know how your quad is doing with the engine options you got, or any problems or changes you woulda made thx
Qchad
want the 4.7l auto?? standard?? not sure yet. prob will go with the 4x2. I tow a light 1300lbs 17ft tracker boat so do i need the 3.92?..you fellow Quaders email me over the next several months. let me know how your quad is doing with the engine options you got, or any problems or changes you woulda made thx
Qchad
The back seats are huge. Much better than the Explorers I've been in.
I couldn't tell much difference in the new 4x4 front suspension for 2000, but the new rack and pinion stearing was WAY better than my 98's. Nice to see they finally engineered a rack and pinion that worked in the 4x4 Dakota(4x2's have had it). Smooth, smooth steering.
6x9 mirrors are big improvement over the 5x7. Sound system sounded horrible in the quad compared to my extended cab, but it didn't have the high end stereo and infinity speakers. Still, the quads have smaller midrange sized speakers in the rear rather than larger woofers like the extended cabs. Don't know if I will be satisfied with factory sound like I am with my 98.
The 4.7L was very snappy. I was surprised. It definitely shifted a LOT more than my 5.2L, but one would likely get used to that. Cruising at 70mph, he 4.7 would downshift almost right away with light pressure on the pedal. My 5.2 will accelarate rather well without even thinking of coming out of overdrive. Around town, the 4.7 felt zippier (read: faster revving) and more willing to accelarate than the 5.2. It was also quieter.
The raw horpower/torque numbers would lead me to beleive the 5.2 should out accelarate the 4.7. The 4.7 has 235hp/295trq and the 5.2 has 230hp/315trg. Obviously 20 more ft/ib of torque will accelerate a truck faster than 5 more horse due to weight, etc. but the 4.7 did feel quick. Is it possible that the auto tranny linked to the 4.7 is so much more efficient that it will out accel the 5.2? It would be interesting to drag to identical except for engine/tranny equipped Daks to get an answer. I will say that the 5.2 floored at 70 feels a lot stronger than a 4.7 floored. That torque does make a difference when fighting drag.
Also, I did not hear the ticking some describe. I looked under the hood, but resisted looking under the oil filler cap to see the foam. I mentioned it to dealer as we drove around and he remained silent (don't know if he had never heard of it before or he just didn't want to talk about it).
The colors, as can be expected, look nothing like the flyers Dodge has sent out. The Amber is actuall much darker than I had imagined and is a VERY sharp color. I had to look over the lot to see examples of the other colors on vehicles other than Dakotas. A 300M had the Dark Garnett red (very nice color). The blue was too bright for my taste. I also want to check out the green and bronze, but the amber is probably going to win.
I will be ordering one this spring and trading in my 98 Dak. I think the quad cab and its associated improvements will make up for the annoyingly commom shifting. I'll get used to that soon enough and will hopefully be happier each time I fill up the gas tank.
Has anyone else with a lot of driving experience with a 5.2 driven or now own a similar truck with the 4.7? I am interested in others comparisons.
Thanks,
Chad
Chad
I have noticed (your similar) lag experience from 70 to about 80 when floored (I've got the 3.55 rear); other than that, off the line, rolling starts, top speed (speed limiter... uh...mmm... 'altered') and most of all mpg are all 4.7 - by a ton. I've owned a '93 Typhoon and still have a '71 Chevy Super Cheyenne w/ 400 small block and B&M full-race TH400 tranny - still, I've NEVER driven a truck that winds like a Porsche - until the Quad. It's got to be a hemi.
Also: I've noticed no foam, no ticking and no 'frequent' shifts - but with this stereo at 1/2 volume I couldn't hear a 747 land on my head.
About the stereo - you're right - you haven't heard MY factory Infinity system with the little steering wheel thingy controls. That's right, it's mine and you can't have one - I'm calling Chrysler right now and tell them to stop production - I want everyone to think I came up with this awesome sound. The Alan Parsons Project CD just flat rips!
Seriously, you need to hear, maybe a better term is 'experience' this stereo - it's that good; better than either my Porsches or Lincoln. But if you forget to order the $60 steering wheel controls - I'll put a voodoo curse on you!
To the crazycanuk: What it iz bro! You need a green card in the worst way. Even taking into consideration the currency exchange difference - your price is way high. And your tax just plain sux, man. Come on down to Texas, or heck, even a Minnesota dealer can cream that turkey. Righteous.
thanks,
robert
As I noted in my post, my 98 has the high end stereo/cassette/cd equalizer with infinity speakers and I've always been impressed with the sound. The quad I test drove had some junky cassette player and "regular" speakers. I was very hopeful that its poor sound was a product of that combination and a better factory system would still have the good sound I've grown to enjoy in my 98. I was concerned that they had to use different smaller speakers in the rear of the quad because of the doors that perhaps sound quality would suffer. By your description, I need only to listen to (and order) a Quad with a setup like my 98 and I will retain the great quality sound. By the way, it will be ordered with the steering wheel controls. Its a nice thing not having to take your eyes off the road to adjust volume.
Another thing I forgot to mention that I liked was the auto door locks that lock after 15mph is exceeded. Finally. Its a pain to have to remember to lock my doors before I drive away each time. Safety issue. Everyone should do it.
Anyone else have comparisons between 5.2L and 4.7L?
Thanks,
Chad
I have called many dealers to try and find what I want with no luck. I am considering ordering one, but am hesitant due to the lead time horror stories (Some 12 weeks!) I have been reading on this board. For what it's worth one dealer told me the factory is building the trucks fast now. Whatever that means. Any suggestions?
It was a "rolling roadblock", having extremely
poor acceleration compared to a 4.7L V8 I also
drove.
In reviews, the one point that most reviewers have
made, is that the 3.3 is a bit light in the area
of power. It runs out of steam. Especially with
an automatic, you may want to consider the 4.7.
If you keep the vehicle for a few years, you may
make a decision today that you have to live with
for a great many tomorrows.
Bookitty
1. Differences between the 40/20/40 split bench and the true buckets with the floor console....which is more comfortable? This is probably a question I need to answer for myself but, I know someone was saying something earlier about the armrest was not quite positioned just right on the 40/20/40. Also, do the true buckets sit too high for back seat passengers?
2. I am looking at getting the 3.92 rear axle ratio with the 5.9L engine but it seems that some of you are quite content with the 3.55. I currently drive an '87 Chevy 4WD with the 3.73 and 33" tires reducing to roughly 3.55. The O/D doesn't seem to have as much pulling power at cruising speeds. I guess what I am needing are RPMs at 60 mph to set a standard (and also RPMs at higher speeds like 80 or 90 if anyone can help me with that).
3. Also, I would like to have some tips on keeping a BLACK truck clean because that is how I plan on ordering. I live in the south where it rains at least once a week and humid most of the time, lots of times waking up in the morning to either frost or dew on my truck, then driving it and the dew runs off and makes water spots and the same thing after it rains.
If anyone can help me with any of the above delimas, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
GOOD: best all-around truck for the money, hands down. You get the payload and towing of a fullsize
and the dodge dealer will sell it to you for the price of a dinky truck( if you stick to your gonads). Also the resale was just remarkable! These are really popular trucks!
BAD: I had many defects in build quality on my red 99extcab sport 4x2 3.9 5speed. The paint was
peeling off the bottom and it was rusting fast.
The catalytic conv. went south and made quite a
racket. The weatherstrip on the bottom of the pass. door was installed upside down and it started to hang so I pulled it off. The 3.9six was
knocking on accel. and the service-rep told me to use 89 octane fuel even though the manual specifically tells you not to use anything but 87.
The knocking went away for a few K miles and then came back again even with 89 oct.The service-rep said that mopar is working on a fix. Sounds like a
recall to me. Anyhow the dealer was excellent with
repairs, and they gave me a rental when my truck went to the paint shop for 4 days to repaint the
bottom. These are factory defects that should not happen in my opinion. That said I would still have
my truck was it not for the fact that my two kids
just hated sitting on the full-size bench in back.
There is no padding for heads and they would get
them knocked off the rear-glass or very unforgiving hard-plastic above the 90 degree seatback.It got to the point where they did not want to go anywhere in my rig! So no matter how much I loved the thing, I love my son & daughter
much, much more. I would definitly buy a 4door
dakota sometime in the future however and I know
what defects to look for next time. For now I am very satisfied with my little suv. If you are going to be hauling little ones around more than a
full bed of stuff then I would suggest the 4door
or any of the smaller suvs on the market.
Note that this includes Farm Bureau membership discount of $500.00.
Please e-mail privately if you would like further info.
Second question: Is there any difference in the suspension in the sport vs std truck
Thanks!
Second question: Is there any difference in the suspension in the sport vs std truck
Thanks!
just kidding
Bookitty
I don't have a quad cab, I have a club cab, but I think the mirror / pillars are the same.
I can't say that I have ever found the rear view mirror to get in the way. That said I hadn't thought about the pillar getting in the way until someone mentioned it on another topic a little while ago.
I don't find it to be a problem because I just lean forward to see round it. Given that it really becomes an issue at junctions I don't see that this is a problem - as I said it was such an automatic reaction for me that I was only concious of it after someone else mentioned it.
But of course that's just my opinion. inion. ion. n.
I drove a 2000 with the 6x9 mirrors rather than the normal 5x7 and think the better rearword and side visibility is WAY better with the 6x9 and will order with them. The little bit physically mirror blocks a bit more low left/low right visibility, but not enough to make it not worth getting for the better side and rear visibility.
Chad
So it goes back to use. Drive them both and compare. Take into consideration your daily driving routine. I'll take the 6x9.
Chad
Bookitty
Length 5'3"
Overall width 4'11"
Width between wheel wells 3'9"
Depth 1' 5 1/2"
I am only 5'6" tall and found the position of the larger mirror to be a major obstacle once I did more driving in the city and in parking lots. I feel that being short forces me to sit closer to the mirror- thus 1) it aggravating the area being blocked and 2) it makes seeing around the mirror a major head-bobbing challenge
I do believe that taller folks would not have near the same issue.