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CJ
Dodge Dakota
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5/20/2007
23:36:58
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 Subject: Dak owner opinions...
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Message:
Hello there again guys it has been a few months since I have
posted on here routinely, yet I have an odd question for you all.
I have a 1999 Dakota CC 3.9 4x4. She has treated me well
besides the random expensive fixes. But I moved out of my
hometown and now live in a city.. and will for a while as far as I
can see. I have no need own a truck anymore and I need to sell
her as it's starting to fall apart.
Anyways, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place on which
new car I want to buy. I am in college and the mid teens is the
highest I want to spend on a car.
I do not mind mediocre gas mileage as long as it's worth it, aka
my bad mileage with my V6 and a truck sucked as I had no
power and it was a dog, etc.
I am asking from you guys as you are dak owners, so we must
have some idea in common, as when I ask others their opinions
are really different from mine.
I am looking at:
98 and up Ford Cobras
00 and up Camaro
01 and up Audi A4
02 and up VW GTI
SRT4 (Not usually a fan of these types of cars but imo the SRT4
is the only "rice"-ish car that attracts me.
As you can see I want it to be sporty, but I have no idea on the
history and reliability of these cars, even though I know my Dak
inside and out.
Let me know what you guys think and if you have any further
info or recommendations... I appreciate it. As of right now I am
leaning towards a 02-04 GTI 1.8T
Let me know what you guys think.. I hate selling the dak, but i
have no use for it and its at that point.. maybe if I had a V8 and
the front end could hold itself hah
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clint282cc
Dodge Dakota
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5/21/2007
00:19:08
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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well good luck finding a cobra in the mid teens.
camaros are sweet
audi will prolly be too much too. plus i dont like them
the gti is a badass car but it cost money to make it badass.
same with the srt-4. my friend has a NICE one and its all decked out. like 8 grand in the motor. it got beat "by about a car" by a stock camaro. even the maro was surprised.
all in all... get the maro. soo many parts for it cause its common. and its fast off the get go. you can get a REALLY nice one with an LS1 and a 6 speed in the teens. IMHO thats what i was lookin to get if i didnt find a truck that i liked. buuuut i love my truck.
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Epyon
Dodge Dakota
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5/21/2007
00:38:45
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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Well it depends i personally would have to go with either the Camaro or the VW GTI. The GTI would be a good chioce if u live in an area that gets a fair amount of snow and ice. And if your going to do alot of short city trips. But the camaro is a solid car all the way around the 350 has so many after market parts out for it and its a fast car stock. But fuel and winter are not its good points. Personally i guess i would have to go back to chevy and say the camaro in the end.
And with either car u get it will seem like the fastest thing on earth after driving the dakota V6 haha
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CJ
Dodge Dakota
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5/21/2007
01:07:47
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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Message:
Thanks for the fast replies so far, and yes, my Dak sure seems
like a slug, but I still love it haha.
So far Camaro and the GTI get votes.
And I have found many A4's and even some Cobras in the mid
teens. My good friend just bought an 02 Quattro A4 for 12k, yet
it has 90k miles on it, a bit more than I'd like.
Keep them coming guys. So far, like the opinions stated, I am
stuck between the GTI and Camaro... The GTI is just still in the
lead due to the fact its a bit more practical, better gas, etc etc...
But I like V8's ;)
And yeah, I'm in the heart of Seattle, city driving everywhere for
the truck (unlike my hometown) is terrible. I try to get East of
the Mountains as possible to really have amazing fun with it and
use it for what it is suppose to.
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jayb
Dodge Dakota
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5/21/2007
13:43:15
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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i live close to you, in bremerton, and i get plenty of use out of my dakota.
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CJ
Dodge Dakota
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5/21/2007
15:27:35
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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I lived on Bainbridge.
I don't use my truck as much at all like I used to. It is also
mechanically showing its age.
Any other opinions would be awesome guys.
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Kowalski
GenIII
5/21/2007
15:41:43
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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Have you considered Subaru ? I think they're more reliable than some of what you're considering; and the turbo models are reasonably snappy at 20mpg or better.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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jjj
Dodge Dakota
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5/21/2007
15:43:15
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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Camaro would be my pick, they aren't bad on gas either - if you don't enjoy the power too much! :)
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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5/21/2007
15:57:37
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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a VW Jetta TDI. VW is probably the most reliable out of what you listed. i do have another alternative you might consider. Mazda. great on gas reliable and a pleasure to drive for a small car.
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Kowalski
GenIII
5/21/2007
16:20:45
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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daddio - how small of a Mazda have you driven ? Rented a Mazda 3 when we went down to Daytona this year and I thought it felt more like a tin can than a car. So light, that just throwing our suitcase in the trunk felt like it upset the handling. Great on gas, but I couldn't live with it long term.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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little jer
Dodge Dakota
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5/21/2007
16:48:19
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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forget those other cars. What you need is a relatively inexpensive car with a good warranty. After all, it's not the gas so much as the repairs, especially on a used car. Kia, Saturn, or even a Scion XB aren't bad choices. But if you're going for power I guess these won't do.
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GB2000
GenIII
5/21/2007
16:53:40
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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I'd go with a Cobra...as long as it's a supercharged one...those things sound BADASS with exhaust. The older ones can be found in your price range. Only drawback...premium fuel, but Camaros are the same way I believe. Camaros are nice, don't get me wrong and the 350's sound BADASS with the SLP Loudmouth exhaust...but I'm not a big fan of the longass front-end or how far you have to fall into the car...not very comfortable getting in and out. My friend owned one. You can't see for sh!t backing up or behind you while driving. It's got a ton of blind spots. If you go that route...get one of the newer ones with that 2nd gear start feature...my friend's didn't have it and when it rained, he was EVERYWHERE...
If it snows in the winter and you go with a RWD muscle car...might wanna see bout taking the bus/train/whatever or buying a winter beater. My friend's Camaro (even with 300lbs of sand in the back) and my dad's Mach I both would get stuck with just a couple inches of snow on the road.
Have you ever checked out any of the Chevy Cobalt SS/SC's? Those cars FLY and still get around 30mpg if you keep your foot off the gas. I got a buddy who's got one of those too...modded a lil bit, his first time running at the track was a 13.9 and the guys said if he could drive his car better it's capable of around a 13.1. Not too shabby for a 4 banger. Brand new is just a lil over your price range so you can surely find a used one in the mid-upper teens.
Here's a pic of my buddy's Cobalt SS/SC...not sure if it'll let you view it without a myspace account, but it's worth a shot. Only thing I don't like about the Cobalts is the stock spoiler...but he was smart and put a smaller one on pretty shortly after he bought the car...lol
http://a506.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/20/l_0a4fc5435f3d056890b45cad696d5a61.jpg
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cJ
Dodge Dakota
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5/23/2007
04:55:05
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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I'll check out some Cobalt's even though they are out of my price
league maybe.
I still am looking at LS1's and GTI's at the moment. Depends what
deal I can find I think.
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QQQ
Dodge Dakota
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5/23/2007
14:55:13
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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Work a deal on a new Corolla. (Or even an older one)
Rock solid, cheap on insurance, cheap on gas. Will get resale value when sold. Great for maneuvering in cities. As for your other picks; Cobra: If it's used , it's been abused. Camaro: Junk (good drivetrain, rest junk) Audi: lack of dealers, expensive. VW: Shake themselves apart, can't handle bad, American roads. (see also Audi). When you're in college, you'll be spending money on other things. You probably wont be driving much if you live next to/on campus. (like parking it for weeks at a time). If you can get past the Corolla's complete lack of style, it's a great car. Civic would be better, (more $$ though).
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rocco
Dodge Dakota
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5/24/2007
14:09:13
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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Message:
if you think random repair costs on your Dak were expensive, wait till you start running into random repair costs on an Audi. Ouch!!! unless you'll be taking care of it yourself or have an honest indie mechanic who will be working on it for you, you're going to be spending some bucks on basic maintenance. and you'll be keeping your fingers crossed that nothing serious pops up.
with regards to the 02-04 GTI 1.8T you're leaning towards, guess what? that's the same expensive to maintain/repair drivetrain that's in the Audi A4, so basically the same issues as above. more so considering it's VW fit and finish vs. the Audi fit and finish.
Cobras, Camaros, nice and fun when new, but geez, likely the years you're looking at, they'll have been knocked around the block more then a few times, and likely by someone with a very heavy foot.
don't mean to be knocking your choices (wish I was faced with similar tough choices when I was in school... :-), but any of them can turn out to be very big pains in the arse. for the mid teens price you looking at, you can get a new Dodge Caliber. Not as sporty as you're thinking about, but hell, the refrigerated glove box to keep your beverages nice and cold, decent sound system, cool looking lit cupholders to light your night. not to mention the bucks you'd be saving on gas and insurance over your other choices. not to mention it would still be under factory warranty...
Have fun with whatever your choice ends up being...
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CJ
Dodge Dakota
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5/24/2007
17:57:33
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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Message:
Hey guys, I think I found my car:
If the inspection at the Chevy dealer says it's ok then I'm buying
it (already put the deposit down.)
It is a 1999 Camaro Z28, T top. 6 speed 5.7l V8.
And it only has 23k miles on it. The guy, who I happen to know
(from a friend in Rotc) was in the NAVY, and never drove it
much. Test drove it and it looked amazing, with trade in of 7k
of my truck total came to about 8k.
I pretty much fell in love with it, and the gas mileage and
insurance I can cover... surprisingly the coverage for the camaro
is just a tad over than what my truck already is.
I'll let you know what happens and if it works out guys.
Thanks a lot for your recommendations.
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Kowalski
GenIII
5/24/2007
18:40:53
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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Sounds like your paying a lot for an 8-9 year old car; have you looked up the value at someplace like KBB.com ?
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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CJ
Dodge Dakota
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5/24/2007
19:03:11
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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Message:
Yes it was 2k more than KBB. But it is in perfect condition and only
has 23k on it.
He gave me a good deal for what my truck was worth on trade in
too. It still isn't for sure, it's a 50 percent change if I go through...
we shall see
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OBIO3
Dodge Dakota
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5/24/2007
23:31:40
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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Never start thinking a dealer gave you a good price or good trade in value. Have an independent check it out end to end.
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CJ
Dodge Dakota
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5/24/2007
23:48:19
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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Well he gave me more than what other places offered and it was
over what KBB listed my truck as "excellent" while it has some rust
and its paint is oxidizing on the roof as well to keep in mind.
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xeller
Dodge Dakota
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5/25/2007
08:03:10
| RE: Dak owner opinions...
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CJ, I did a NADA search on the comaro with 23,000 miles in mint condition, T-tops/power locks-windows/6-speed stick/5.7 litre V8. asking price before the trade should be under 12,500.00. If you didn't sign the deal, and it was more than that, work the numbers your way.
If I knew someone had a 50% chance of wanting to buy this vehicle today, I'd drop numbers to get it off my lot. And I'd most likely see you in the future for your next vehicle. Remember the salesman works for YOU, not the company.
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