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Justi
Dodge Dakota
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12/16/2007
09:47:49
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 Subject: Got ride of my Dakota..
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Hey all, I've used this page as a reference for years so figured I'd explain why the Dakota is no longer with me incase any of you care. For starters the Dakota never failed me once and was as reliable a vehicle as I've ever owned for the 85k miles I owned it. It's next owner will be more than pleased.
That said, three recent events occured that made me look for a new truck.
1) I am a hunter and earlier this season I needed to put three deer in the truck after we had a successful hunt. While they fit, it required creative thinking and completely emptying my QC bed for them to fit. I needed a bigger bed.
2) Last month I took a 500mi trip from NC to PA towing a 3000lb trailer. Understandably the Dakota couldn't pull the trailer in OD (1700RPM) and taking it out of OD resulted in about 2800RPMs. THAT resulted in a round trip MPG of.. 9.7MPG! Maybe that was due to the 4.7L not having the torque to tow in OD, but my guess is that the transmission had no middle ground. Somewhere around 2200 RPM would have likely been perfect resulting in 12-13MPG on the interstate.
3) I am no racer. That said, 2 months ago I was in a deal at a traffic light where the right lane clearly ended and I was in the left lane. A new Chevy Suburban pulled up in the right and I decided "NO WAY is this guy getting in front of me before his lane ends". Well he did, easily. There's no way a mid sized V8 Dakota should be smoked in less than a 1/4 mi by a Suburban that weighs thousands of pounds more.
So armed with these three reasons I went shopping. I took home an 08 Ram Hemi (4x4 of course) but it simply didn't give me the warm fuzzy I think I should be able to reasonably expect from a $40k truck. I took it back much to the dismay of the dealer. I then for something to do dropped by ford and drove a new F150. W O W ! Very nice truck. It simply felt solid and was loaded with anything that can be imagined. So it was truck with plenty of power on the outside, and damn near car like interior on the inside. After shopping around a found a new 2007 model year Lariat 4x4 at a deal and traded the Dakota for it.
I have no regrets, but I miss my Dakota a little and probably always will. Thanks to everyone on this board who helped thru the years (TexasTodd and GraphiteDak come to mind). I love the F150 and the fact that there's no more blurred line about whether it's domestic or not. Good luck to the rest of you Dakota fellas and enjoy your Dakota, I know I did..
Below are links to cheesy pages I made for each vehicle when I got them..
Dakota Page: http://www.gorsar.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=26
F-150 Page: http://www.gorsar.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=42
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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12/16/2007
10:31:13
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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I'm not so sure the new 07 f150 is the way to go for #2. A buddy of mine bought a new 07 ford 4x4 quad cab earlier this year and is getting no better than 14 mpg, mostly in the 12-13 range.
I never had such bad gas milage in my 02 4.7, not even driving 2 hours at speeds less than 20 mph on national park service/national forest/georgia dnr property dirt/gravel roads.
Just out of curiosity, why was 2800 RPM bad? the 4.7 is a high RPM truck. My 02 goes to 7k with no redline.
I can understand the need for a larger bed. I wish the dakota would be like nissan and toyota and offer a 6 foot bed with quad cab (I think both you have to order).
- Dan M
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Kowalski
GenIII
12/16/2007
13:42:28
|  RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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Is the Ford made in Canada ? Or Mexico ? The Dakota is made in USA.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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What
Dodge Dakota
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12/16/2007
16:26:04
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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So Justi should buy a truck because of where it's built not because of his particular requirements and desires and freedom to choose?
You're a fűcking communist idiot for even suggesting that, Kowalski. Go live in Russia or China or Cuba or Venezuela where freedom of choice is non existent. Moron, just STFU.
Congrats on the new truck Justi. My made in America Dakota had flawed paint, bad ball joints and the interior squeaked like a whore on a hot dog. That's "Made in USA" quality for you.
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Super bee
GenI
12/16/2007
18:22:44
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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You're a fűcking communist idiot for even suggesting that, Kowalski. Go live in Russia or China or Cuba or Venezuela where freedom of choice is non existent. Moron, just STFU.
huh?
1990 sport RC SB, 1995 318drivetrain, 3.92 gears (came with truck) Powertrax "traction system", 95 dash/steering wheel, hearthrob exhaust, headers, cutout after y-pipe, necessary electric fan add-a-leafs, 30x9.5 mud tires, cranked T-bars, AR 39 15x8 rims, grill guard, roll bars
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Justi
Dodge Dakota
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12/16/2007
20:31:05
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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A) My new F-150 is made in Dearborn. My Dakota was made in Warren, and I was quite proud of that.
B) Mileage has been a pleasant suprise so far. I calculate it manually (don't always trust the truck computer) and my first tank of normal driving (60% highway / 40% city gave me 21.2 MPG. I in NO WAY expect that to be the norm, but I was pretty happy with that. Towing a trailer (just 1300 lbs) this weekend I got 16 and that was mostly rural driving. So it appears that it will get better mileage than my dakota. That same trailer and same trip usually yielded about 12.9-13.5 in the Dakota.
C) 2800 RPM is not bad, that wasn't my point. It's just that at 2800 RPM for a 500mi trip there's no way to get good mileage, which is why I averaged 9.7MPG round trip.
Honestly that was probably just an excuse to look for a new truck. My name "Justi" is because people say I can justify anything!
And Kowalski, let's not turn this into a Ford vs Dodge. Your input has always been useful and great and I appreciate it. My Dodge being a German owned company always grinded me a little but I lived with it because well, it was a Dodge for crying out loud! But yes, the Ford is made in USA and my $$ goes into corporate America.
The bottom line is I bought it because I like it. I loved my Dakota and still think the Gen3s rock. This is not a "I grew so sick of my Dakota that I bought a better truck!". It's more of a "I replaced my kick ass Dakota with a different truck."
My Dakota never let me down and always towed what I needed it to. This F150 would beat my old Dakota if I lined them up, but honestly I don't care really as I'm not a racer. I was never impressed with the speed of my Dakota but I think that had a lot to do with the 3.55 rear end more than the 4.7L. So as I said, I will miss this community and will defintely miss my Dakota.
Thanks everyone..
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RadioMan
Dodge Dakota
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12/17/2007
06:39:44
|  RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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Should have test drove the Tundra..
If I go full size I will test drive it for sure..
Good luck with your Ford...
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ToyotaKoolAid
Dodge Dakota
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12/17/2007
08:34:46
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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Good luck with the Tundra! If you can find one where the transmission isn't stuttering, the tail gate collapsing or the bed getting big dents from normal use.
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Justi
Dodge Dakota
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12/17/2007
11:13:02
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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I have no doubt the Toyotas are very nice trucks. That said, I wouldn't own one if ya gave it to me. Call me old fashion but I still believe in buying American. Sure Toyotas may be assembled domestically but the $$$ still ends up in the pocket of a japanese company and is injected into the Japanese economy instead of the US economy. Just my opinion. I don't hold anything against you for buying a Toyota so please don't waste everyone's time telling me why my opinion is wrong or Justifying an import purchase.
To each their own..
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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12/17/2007
12:22:05
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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what exactly did you not like about the hemi ram? I'm considering one for my next truck instead of another dakota, but thats at least a year off.
Also, did you consider the silverado? I have a friend who has new 07 silverado z71 4x4 and loves it. Also have the friend with 07 f150 4x4 who loves his, that is, except the 13 mpg. He's considering buying a dailer driver car or driving his wife's GM arcadia.
What about the nissan titan? I've not test driven one and don't know anyone that has one.
- Dan M
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1hotkadota
Dodge Dakota
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12/17/2007
13:49:39
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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What the hell is wrong with your driving? I'm sure its not the Dakota with the problems.
I towed a 3500lb car LOADED with everything my wife and I owned, as well as my bed loaded with another 1000lbs of stuff. I towed this almost 6000lb load from Ft. Lauderdale Fl, to Phoenix AZ and I got over 15 mpg.
Maybe you don't know how to drive.
I'll tell you this much, the ford with its weak ass 300hp will not get much better milage than that towing. And if you need to get off of the line quickly, the electronic throttle control is really going to slow you down.
Sorry dude, but the new fords look as bad as the 05-07 Daks. Worse actually.
Thanks for trying to promote ford on a Dakota website assmunch.
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modain
GenIII
12/17/2007
15:05:14
|  RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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9.7MPG for a 2800RPM trip? I run 3000RPM (@ 65MPH) towing my toyhauler in 4th gear getting 8MPG. Do you hear me complaining? Nope...
What's your left foot doing?
==============
2002 Graphite QC SLT Plus, 4.7L, NV3500, Superchips 3715, 3.92 LSD, R/T rear swaybar, no chrome, loads o'fun...
2001 Patriot Blue Durango SLT, 4.7L, 45RFE, Superchips 3715, 3.55 Open (for now)
1999 Forest Green Dakota RC Sport, 2.5L, NV1500, 3.55 Open
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Justi
Dodge Dakota
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12/17/2007
18:46:23
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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Hey there 1hotkadota whadaya say you tone it back about 7 notches. When you take OD off and set the cruise around 65-67 it's kinda hard to f0ck up the driving.
DAN M - There wasn't a single thing wrong with the Ram. It is a great truck and had pretty much all of the features I was looking for. And the end of the day I just preferred the looks of the F150. MPG wise the Ford and Dodge will be about the same and in raw performance the Dodge would win I'm pretty certain. Yeah, defintely don't think I'm saying anything bad about the Ram, it's defintely nice. If I had to say one thing I wasn't a fan of is that it seems all the 4x4s are the Big Horn package. Personally, I just don't understand putting 20" rims and performance tires on a 4x4 pick up truck. The funny thing is when you read the fine print (not just Dodge, Ford too) the 20's lower the tow rating.
MODAIN - Good damn point! Like I said, I'm relatively sure I just used that as an excuse. Even if this gets the 12-14MPG on the same trip which after 8 days of putting it to the test I'm pretty sure it will, was that alone worth it? 5 MPG better on a once a year trip so go buy a $40k truck? When the Dakota was paid for? Naw, that's not good math! But I like it and its bigger bed so F it.
The Silverado I didn't consider for likely the lamest reason you'll ever hear. Chevy comes stock with XM radio and I'm a sirius guy. That narrowed my choices to Ford and Dodge. (Yes I realize a merger is coming)
For those of you trying to be asses please re-read all of my messages. I've said nothing negative about my Dakota or Dodge in general, I like both. For THIS particular purchase I went with the Ford because I love the way the 04-current F150 body style looks, it rode nice, and it had lots of creature comforts while not giving up the functionability of a 4x4 pick up truck. I'm certainly not pushing Ford's, or Dodge's for that matter. I'm not a huge fan of brand allegience (Country commitment is another story). I'm in favor of buying the product one likes best. I'd recommend a Dakota to a family member and while it's still early in the game, I'd probably recommend a Ford to the same person.
Anyway, I'm not going to respond again as I didn't intend to start a flame war (Still can't figure that one out) and just wanted to say thanks to the contributing board members here. So, thanks to everyone that intentionally or unintentionally helped me along the way.
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Kowalski
GenIII
12/17/2007
18:50:44
|  RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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Yeah Modain; I'm not complaining either. I'm happy too with the 11 mpg I get towing my 5500 lb fifth wheel camper. Maybe Justi should have left the OD on ? My 4.7 will tow pretty well, its happy when its revving.
For "What" - I hope you understand most will probably see you as a coward for attacking me like that with out using your usual screen name. I'm not telling anyone what to buy by any means; but most Ford and Chevy trucks that I see are made in Canada or Mexico - so I was wondering...
Dan M - the Titan has a weak rear end. Chevy has had problems with rear ends and transfer cases in recent years. Just heard about how common the transfer case problems are when the one we have at work failed.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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12/17/2007
19:05:38
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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damn ya'll are up all this guy just because he traded his dakota. Ouch! And I thought the oil posts were bad but this is pathetic.
I have sirius in my new avenger, my wife has xm in her jetta. I really can't say i like one over the other. I'm not in her jetta enough to know what the differences are.
good info on the chevy, I'll have to ask my buddy what he knows/has read about that. He doesn't tow much with his new Z71. In fact, I think he's only ever towed with it once.
I haven't read anything about the titans. Next time I speak to my brother, I'll ask him. He works for a company that makes auto parts for nissa, subaru and isuzu. he may know something that I don't.
I agree that trucks have become "popular" to customize lately. I see alot at dealerships and on the road with 20-22-24" rims.
My avenger R/T came with 18s.
I asked my buddy again with the F150 how he likes it today and he his response "great!". He did say his milage did go up, he's been getting 14s the last 3-4 fill ups.
Then again i got another friend that has a cherokee SRT-8 as well as a ram 3500 dully.
- Dan M
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Justi
Dodge Dakota
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12/17/2007
22:05:38
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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OK, I lied, I will respond again. Things appear to have lost the ugly tone anyway. A few things here I wanted to respond to.
The OD on/off topic. I AVERAGED 9.7MPG round trip. 9 even going up and 10.7 or so coming back. Reason being is I was able to run the OD some coming back. Going up I had a head wind and when in OD the transmission kept hunting. Not wanting to burn up the tranmission I just left OD off. That said, other than going over a very steep mountain in PA itself the Dakota performed prefectly. With OD off there was no lugging, no slow downs, just smooth seemingly effortless pulling. My Dakota was a good truck which is why I'll miss it.
The Sirius Vs. XM deal.. The only reason I'm a Sirius guy is that they have NASCAR and NFL. I'm a redneck NASCAR fan and a huge (hold you jokes!) Cleveland Browns fan. I like those two channels. XM has Baseball and I'd like to have that too, but NFL and rednecks win out for me!
In March we bought my wife an 08' Avenger RT. GREAT car, peppy as hell and VERY nice inside. She has the navigation and all the whistles, and she absolutely LOVES it. Oddly, she traded in a 2002 Taurus for the Avenger (that Red Inferno color is HOT! Also the same color of the Ram I brought home). I traded in a Dodge to get a Ford. We just swapped manufacturers.
On a related but unrelated topic.. New Dodge's have some pretty cool features. The best IMHO is the lane change turn signals. Just tap the signal bar and it flashes three times to indicate a lane change. Dodge has the "Cancel" button on the cruise, which seems tiny but try living without it! I'm still adjusting. The new Tip Start is pretty nice, but then the new F150 has that too.
Oh, and Kawalski, I took no offense. Trust me, had my F150 been made in Mexico or Canada it'd still be sitting on their lot and I'd still be in my Dakota!
Dodge right now is doing lifetime powertrain warranty and at least my local dealer has an excellent service department. (My old one sucked) and the jurys still out on my Ford dealer. Haven't been in to see them yet.
Anyway, catch you guys later...
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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12/17/2007
22:26:03
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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My wife's jetta also has the lane change signal. She was pleased to find my avenger had the same.
My avernger R/T is marathon blue (go colts!). I didn't want a red/black/silver/white so that left 2 options, marathon blue or orange pearl. The blue won out.
I love my avenger R/T, it's every bit as fun to drive as my 02 dakota (minus 4x4). It's not the fastest sedan on the road but i've surprised some people with it. I'm loving the remote start, it was 24 deg here in atlanta this morning and i didn't have to go out to start the car. I have a spare key that i carry in the winter for my dakota so i can start it and go back inside for a few while i finish getting stuff together.
As early as next fall/winter, I will be buying a new full size truck, as time goes by, I'm finding I need a full size bed as well. All depends on how the family goes, i may wind up getting rid of the jetta for something bigger like a caravan or suv. If the dakota offered the quad cab in full size, i'd consider it with the new 4.7L V8 engine.
- Dan M
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Justi
Dodge Dakota
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12/17/2007
23:18:37
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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Dan I hear you on the full bed believe me. The ram QC only has a 6ft3in of bed length but the extra foot in addition to the additional width from my Dakota QC make a huge difference. I went with a supercab Ford (Dodge doesn't offer one) so I could get the 6'5" bed. Every little bit helps. The Dakota is the perfect balance between full size and the tiny Rangers/S-10s (Colorado now). I honestly don't understand how another domestic truck maker never grabbed onto the mid-sized truck concept. Other than the Raider (Dakota in sheeps clothing) there really is nothing else that compares to the Dakota.
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choochoo
Dodge Dakota
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12/17/2007
23:36:18
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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On the funny side, "Got ride of my Dakota"?
I get a 'ride' of my Dakota when my wife drives.
Picky, picky I know, but Justi got RID of his Dakota.
Oh, and Dan M. mentioned big rims, 20,22,24...
I think they are absolutely stupid. If I bought big rims I would expect at least eight inches of rubber between the rim and the road, not those stupid rubber strips called sport tires. Just my two cents, Canadian.
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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12/18/2007
05:56:24
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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I have to haul plywood home on top of my fiberglass shell. At least I was smart enough to get the optional roof rack when I ordered my shell. I have to be a little creative in strapping it down though.
- Dan M
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nomar5
Dodge Dakota
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12/18/2007
09:37:35
| RE: Got ride of my Dakota..
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Why are you guys giving him som much crap for buying a non dodge product? I have always bought dodge but if a deal came along for a chevy, ford, etc. I wouldn't think twice about getting one. As far as where it is built--who cares, if you like it buy it. If my dakota blows up tomorrow I get something else, its just a truck. Congrats on your new purchase.
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