Nice interior

Under the hood

Lucky to be alive is what I am. Yesterday, a week after having the differentials fluids changed, something blew in the rear differentials locking up the back wheels and bringing the truck to a dead stop. Thank God it happened starting out from a street light. If I had been going 55, I probably would be dead. The Dodge has been nothing but a headache from day one. Do to a wiring malfunction a year ago, the truck started on fire, I have had numerous transmission problems. The dealership has not been helpful. Hard to find someone to trust these days in the auto world.

comfortable seating, good power for a V6

everything under the hood, or just everthing

This truck has been all problems. We have had to rebuild the transmission because of a faulty part when it was 1000 miles out of warrenty. The dodge corrporation was not very nice about our situation. We have also had to replace/fix all of the spark plug wires, spark plugs, distributor, and rotator because the mechanic says that the wires were too close to the engine and were to fragile. They broke and created an electricle arc that melted the distributer cap. Now we are dealing with some other problem where it won't idle. Could be a sensor or something, but we have to pay to have the check engine light reset along with any repairs. Our truck has had minor body damage three times already, all of this has happened under 60,000 miles and in less than a year for us. We do not recommend that anyone buys this truck and we see by the reviews that we are not the only ones.

Looks great, roomy interier

Everything under the hood

I only had the truck for 3 months before the transmission started having problems. I bought it with only 3 miles brand new, and will never buy another dodge again. The transmission dropped into first gear or neutral while driving and would not go back into normal driving. VERY DANGEROUS!! After only 9 months the truck had to be bought back as a Lemon! Not worth a dime that I spent on it! Do not buy!

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GMC Sierra

Large Bed Smooth highway ride Reasonable ground clearance for minor off road use.

Engine Power and acceleration Front bed tie down point hard to use Steering wheel blocks dashboard view.

Bought this truck used with 32500 miles on it. Driven it some 25000 miles since and have no major problems with it so far. I agree with many of the reviewers that the V6's power is something to be desired for. Although I have not towed anything with this truck yet, I think the lack of power has more to do with transmission's shifting point and gear ratio than the engine. I don’t recommend this vehicle to anyone who wants to hot-rod in it especially in this trim. The engine and drive train are not built for that. However if you have a simple use for it, like the occasional Home Depot or Lowes run to pick up house stuff like building materials or some thing large or oversized for the average size car, this truck fits the bill perfectly in my view. Because I am mechanically inclined, I replaced the front brake rotors with Brembo rotors and pads within days after picking this truck up from the dealer. Most folks are surprised to find out how cheap brake rotors are if you purchase them yourself. They run usually around $17 to $110 dollars each and the pads are even cheaper. The cost of labor was zero in my case since I did it my self and it takes about as much time to do as changing a tire providing you have the proper tools. My second and third vehicle is a Pontiac Grand Prix GTP and a Volkswagen Golf GTI, which gave me the same problems with the brakes until I picked up Brembo slotted brake rotors for both. I did this because in my view all vehicles have the same problem with front brakes rotors since the front brakes routinely provide more than 60% of the braking power needed to stop any vehicle. Braking in simple terms is friction and heat and because of that the front rotors bear the most punishment. Keep in mind that this is not an endorsement for Brembo brakes. There are many other manufactures of brake parts out there, BENDIX and BAER to name a few, make outstanding aftermarket brake products. However, I will NEVER recommend anyone replacing the front rotors with factory stock because you will enter the revolving door with your dealer having them replaced continuously. You are better off buying your own rotors and pads then you can let your dealer install them for you. To give you an example, I have driven the Pontiac for some 78000 miles and the GTI for some 14500... no brake vibration since I changed their rotors at 15,500 and 30500 respectively and don't expect any. As far as the ball joints are concerned I have had no problems with them yet, however if I do, I will replace them myself with a better after market product. As far engine power is concerned, I don't really care about that because I have plenty of performance sitting in my garage with the two other toys. Finally, If you plan on keeping your Dakota longer than year I would recommend you go to the nearest auto parts store and purchase a repair manual such as Chilton's or any other publisher that makes a repair manual for your truck. While you may not be able to do the work yourself, these manuals will give you some insight on the most common symptoms with your vehicle and how to go about fixing them. This information will give you the consumer, some idea as to what it will take to repair this truck. Remember, an informed consumer will always spend less. Hope this helps someone.

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1998 Pontiac Gran Prix GTP 1995 Golf GTI

Power,Looks,car like handling,future collectors truck,price,easy to work on.

cheap looking seats,sliding rear glass window rattles,MPG,small glovebox,interior space(reg. cab)

This truck has really grown on me.Traded a mod. Z-28 for it.Good not great power yet drives much smoother than a `stang or Z-28.The only mod I have done is a cold air intake and noticed a power gain instantly.The infinity system is good,but an aftermarket would be better.The truck does not handle rain or snow very well and the large tires are a target for nails.Very easy to work on compaired to a GM F-body.Very good open highway truck.A solid sounding yet not overwelming exhaust.The overhead console is very helpful for tracking MPG.Lots of aftermarket parts avalible.

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Chevy Z-28,Firebird Formula,toyota tacoma

Roomy and nice looking, nice highway ride as far as pavement ride goes, engine whine can take some getting used to. Plenty of room in the bed, and the club cab is okay for one mor person sitting sideways.

Front end suspension and steering is a joke. So far ball joints and tie rod ends needed to be replaced at 17K and 24K respectively. My mechanics say their front ends are not built heavy enough for the size of the truck, at least the 2wd. Excessive drive train noise, especially when accelerating. The brakes are just terrible, turns out this truck is notorious for having rotor problems, and I sure as hell have had those problems. The 3.9L engine is not impressive in the power deptartment. The air conditioner and heater are both sub-par. The five star dealer isn't worth 2 stars let alone 5.

This truck is not a truck I would advise anyone to buy. The 3.9L engine is nice at the low end but gutless at mid to upper end of the rpm band. The brakes and front end suspension and steering have been nothing but problems, the steering system is terrible with multiple bugs. Gas mileage is pretty decent, and the highway ride is nicer than most small/midsize trucks. Looks good with a wide and agressive stance, but be warned it is not agressive, at least not with the 3.9L. All in all way too many problems for th 24K miles on it.

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Chevy S10 extended cab and GMC Jimmy both with 4.3L engines, now that's a damn engine.

Power, Suspesion, Comfort, Nice Exhaust sound

Gas Guzzler

This is a fast truck. Will smoke a stock Camaro or Mustang any day, and rides like a Cadillac at the same time.

Quad cab design

GAS MILEAGE IS PATHETIC

After 911, I felt obligated to trade in my Toyota and buy American. What can I say? The Japs still have it over us bigtime. Are you kidding with the gas mileage? This is the best we can do with the technology we have today? 12 miles to the gallon? Ridiculous. Other than putting 35 dollars a week in the tank, the truck has not given me any major problems. The V8 is not as strong as it should be and the interior is something out of a 70's LTD. It is no wonder that American manufacturers still have a reputation of being cheap. They are! I paid close to 30K for this vehicle about a year ago. I brought it to an Audi dealer and he said he would give me 13.5K for it!!!!!!!!!! The suspension is plush and suspect when off road. The automatic transmission skips at times and the seats are about as supportive as a marshmellow. What is up with that? I guess I should have trusted my instincts and gone back to foreign autos but I've made a mistake instead. Oh well....it's sad to know our country can't make a decent vehicle to compete in the 25-30K range

Lots of power. Mileage fair, but hey, it;s a 4x4.

Lack of lube zerks.

Great truck, haven't had a chance to use four wheel drive yet, but soon. I bougt it with 29000 miles so just broke in. I bought it to pull a 4200 lb. traver trailer, noticed that enigine heats up a bit while towing, a fellow said needs a bigger radiator. Does this sound right? Also, I see there are no lube zerks. Will anything go wrong soon because of this? Any answers appreciated, Dick

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None, first time 4x4.

Handling, Ride, Power, Looks, Space.

Dash Board Design

This one comes from a die hard Ford man.... That was until I got behind the wheel of the 2002 Dakota Quad Cab SLT 2WD. Instantly I noticed sturdy the truck felt. Out of the gate, salesman sitting shotgun, I floored it out of the dealership. The 4.7L V8 slammed us both back in our seats for a nice surprise. The ride was smoother than any truck I had ever been in. It glided over bumps better than my wife's Honda Civic. The stance is wide, and you feel a lower center of gravity with this truck. You can sweep in and out of curves like you were in a sports sedan. The interior was basic, nothing flashy, and could use refinement, the dash specifically. The back seats in the Quad Cab are really nice and are comfy for shorter trips. Overall, an A+ I'll probably never drive a Ford again...

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2001 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 5.0 AWD 2001 Ford Ranger XLT 3.0 2WD