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flamez
Dodge Dakota
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1/12/2005
23:04:16
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 Subject: Happy??
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Is anyone here happy with their Dakota? Ive read these forums and cant seem to come across many positive remarks regarding their kota. I have a 99'(65k) and am about ready to sell b/c of all these horrible things i read about on here. I've owned it for 6 months and have had to replace the water pump and a rerout house to the heater and soon the cat (rattles during acceleration). If the life of this poor machine is going to be filled with problems and malfunctions, why bother?
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Jeff
GenIII
1/12/2005
23:33:02
|  RE: Happy??
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at 60k a lot of stuff is ready to be replaced in any vehicle.
I am very happy with my dakota, despite the few problems I've had.
Maybe you should have been more thorough in your search for a quality used vehicle before you bought one that apparantly needs so much work.
thats why mechanics offer used car inspection services to used car shoppers who want to know if the used car they are looking at has any problems.
So in answer to your question of why bother, I say don't. sell it for a loss and buy a bicycle.
then go to the bicycle forum and complain to them that the used bicycle you bought has a bunch of problems and you can't find anyone who likes their own bicycles. (though what other people's bicycles/dakotas has to do with you and your bicycle/dakota i'm not really sure).
Jeff
'99 3.9 clubcab
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Kowalski
GenIII
1/13/2005
16:06:54
| RE: Happy??
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Flamez - sounds like your jumping to conclusions. Think people are going to post, " I didn't have a problem with my Dak today" ? Nope, that's rather unremarkable. Happy with mine, and at 5 years I'll change all belts and hoses; highly recomend you do the same no matter what you drive. If the cat is bad (not just the heat shield rattling) it should be covered by the Federal emissions warranty. I'd think you'd be happy you found a site with this much support for what you drive. Otherwise, Jeff might not be too far off the mark - I'm sure there's plenty of good bicycle forums...
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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1/13/2005
16:49:28
| RE: Happy??
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jeff hit the nail on the head. if your going to buy a used vehicle and you aren't competent enough or don't want to check it out, have a mechanic do that. myself, i have had my '00 QC for about 3 yrs now. 43,000 miles the only thing other than oil changes and tires iv'e changed is the t-stat gasket. but, i was gonna do that anyway to change to a 180 t/stat. YES, I'm very happy with my Dak.
this is the 3rd truck i have owned. a 1983 s15 sierra, great little truck(no flaming please)did nothing but reg maint. for the 130k i had it. a 96 GMC sierra, biggest piece of crud i ever owned
got rid of it while i was still making trips to the dealer for warranty work.
my point is, no matter what you brand or model vehicle you buy you stand the chance of getting a lemon. yes, even the imports. sorry for the rant but i am tired of reading all the negativity towards the DAK's.
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chris
Dodge Dakota
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1/13/2005
17:08:16
| RE: Happy??
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I am very happy with my Dakota but then I owned a couple of mid 80s ford Rangers before I switched to dodge so maybe I have low standards...
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scott1981
Dodge Dakota
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1/13/2005
18:12:52
| RE: Happy??
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i have only owned nissan's and toyotas prior to this truck. i thought they were the benchmark of quality and reliability, but the toyota camry i had literally fell apart. It cost me over 3 thousand in 1 year to repair! my point is every brand has lemons or certian problems areas to keep an eye on. This dodge is my first american vehicle to personally own and I honestly couldnt be more satisfied. it looks dam good, handles better than any other truck i have ever driven, has plenty of power, lots of room, can tow more than i would ever want to... the list goes on. needless to say when i first bought it i jumped on the deal then came here and got very scared, much as you did. 8k later i havent had a single problem and this truck has continued to impress me on and offroad. kowalski is right, people wont come post saying how today the truck ran perfectly, no problems are present. most are only here to fix problems, or bitch about problems. really for a used truck with the kinda milage you have those problems are not bad at all. as others have posted the heat shield is probably rattling, just take it off and you should be fine. so in closing, yes i am a very happy dakota owner, if i had to do it all over again i would, only this time i would swing for the 8cyl
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DaknBlk
GenIII
1/13/2005
22:35:46
| RE: Happy??
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^^^ What they said! ^^^
Love my Dak!
John
03cc w/ 3.9 V6
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Tracy Lambeth
Dodge Dakota
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1/13/2005
23:33:52
| RE: Happy??
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Bought my first Dak in Dec. of 92 and still own it. Ran it hard since day one. Modded it, Drag raced it over 500 times down the 1/4 to the tune of high 14's, pulled tree stumps out with it, pulled car hauler several times, moved several friends. In that time only had 3 coolant problems, 3 electrical problems, and replaced the front brake pads once. Am I happy? YOUR DARN TOOTIN!!! Lookin forward to 10 plus yrs. with my new Dak I just bought last fri.
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Kaderdak
GenIII
1/14/2005
01:56:35
| RE: Happy??
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Any vehicle with some miles on it will have it's problems. Simple chemistry and physics. Hoses deteriorate, metals fatigue, gaskets degrade, rusts and corrosion forms, etc, etc, etc.
Last spring I bought my dak, a '97 with 110,000 miles on it. Since I got it I had to replace the water pump and bypass hose, blown belly pan gasket, cleaned TB, replaced old rusted exhuast, new brake pads and rotors, and more. And to be totally honest, I've loved it. Every chance I get to work on my truck is a true gift from god.
Stuff gets old and falls apart, the fun is putting it back together to it's original glory.
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2005
06:38:48
| RE: Happy??
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Don't you mean putting it back together so it's better than when it rolled off the factory line?
I love mine, I don't think i'll ever get rid of it even when I get a new one.
If you think the dakota's are bad, you should see our 01 pontiac grand am, i can't figure out how the change the @#$@#%$#@% headlight bulb. Oh yeah, neither could 2 services advisors at 2 different dealerships. I guess I need to take it into a dealer and get one of the techs to show me. The owners manual is wrong and so were others from a grandam site that have the same year car. And, I can't find the haynes manual anywhere, guess I'll have to order it.
- Dan M
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Jecht X
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2005
07:23:25
| RE: Happy??
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I have owned my 03 QC 4x4 4.7L Dak for a year now. other than the warranty work for an emissions part that went bad. and the wiper motor recall. I am very happy with my truck. sure I only have 25k on it. but any car or truck with alot of miles on it will have probs to come up. I am with the others. its really fun to work on your own truck and to think of all the money you save by not taking it to the dealer. I owned one other truck and that was a 95 ford ranger xlt. I ran that truck for 9 years and only had 1 prob in the 79k miles I put on it. I am sure somethings was wrong with it as that check engine light was on. but ran fine and looked great. better than even the 99 models. but my new dak is like night and day to my ranger. only 2 things I miss about my ranger. it was paid off and it was a 4 banger. Dam gas prices =-Þ
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Max
Dodge Dakota
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1/14/2005
07:42:16
| RE: Happy??
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Happy with mine too! I own a 02 4x4 cc with the AWD and a 4.7. Have 90,000 miles on it in two years. I have replaced normal wear items mostly.( ball joints, tie rods, tires.) Biggest thing was the brake booster and put on Brembo slotted rotors with Hawk pads. Best investment ever. All maintenance is done at the dealer and am very ,very happy with mine. Burns no oil no sludge build or anything. Be Happy.
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Andy
Dodge Dakota
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1/15/2005
11:23:45
| RE: Happy??
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I am very happy with my dakota, I bought it at 72000 miles and have put 40000 on it, i have replace power steering pump, tie rods, ball joints, and idler arm. I drive that thing hard every day, i've had it pulling out stumps and racing 120 down the road, it runs like a beauty.
1997 4x4 Club Cab 5.2 5-speed 3.92
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danny
Dodge Dakota
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1/16/2005
12:18:26
| RE: Happy??
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Love my dak. Bought used 2 years ago. Haven't replaced a thing......yet?
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Dex
Dodge Dakota
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1/16/2005
14:03:19
| RE: Happy??
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Happy yes,
If things work how often are you going to post about them?
No problems so far.
MPG - apx 22 @ 65mph
The only things I would have changed are the things I did to the truck.
If I had to do it over again I wouldn't do the following:
Don't get skid plates - don't need them - took them off
Line X - The bed liner that came with the truck would have been good enough for my needs.
Remove air horns from throttle body - no real gain in anything.
Best ideas - Air Raid Air Filter set up
Amsoil
2000 Quad Cab 4X4-Sport V-6 Automatic Sports Plus Package
31X10.5 tires, Limited Slip, 3.55 Gears, Trailer Tow Group, HD Package,LineX Spray in bed liner; Added:Airaid air filter & heat shield, Flowmaster 3 chamber muffler, Steel Horse Torneau cover, front hitch, Autolite Double Platinum 3923 Plugs, Removed air horns from Throttle Boddy, added new TB bolts, Cool Tape around air filter and A/C tubes, Amsoil in: crank case, differential and tranfercase.
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YES
Dodge Dakota
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1/16/2005
14:11:45
|  RE: Happy??
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Chris-
Seriously that was really funny, I really did laugh. Oh yeah, no problem with my 02 quad other then some squeeking in the front that was fixed under warrenty, I got an entirly new front end suspension.
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Joe Blow
Dodge Dakota
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1/16/2005
14:19:17
| RE: Happy??
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I have a 04 sxt, CC, 2wd, V6, 3.55 posi, 5 speed that I love. Bought it new, was very inexpensive. Havent had a single problem in 14000 miles, (except the interior light has never worked, just haven't brought it in to get fixed). The truck handles really well and with the 5 speed and the 3.55's, its really a fun truck to drive. My girlfriends 97 ranger 4x4 drives and handles like a brick. My dakota feels really light and nible. Not to mention I think it's the best looking truck around.
I have a feeling that most of the people who post their feelings on here do so because they're not happy. People who like their truck may not have the need to post their 2 cents because they have no complaints. Just an idea is all
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IntenseDak39
*GenIII*
1/16/2005
15:31:29
| RE: Happy??
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Happy with my dak!!
even though i had to put the big block in myself
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