Value, Interior space, Power

shifts hard, undercarriage can be squeaky

This truck is great! The best purchase we’ve made in a long time. The wife and I wanted something that would allow us to haul stuff around and be able to still have four passengers without having to go up to a full size truck. Originally we looked at SUV’s but they did not offer the cargo space that we wanted without having to go up to the 35k+ price range or buying used with high mileage. Plenty of leg-room in the front and back seats. Five people can ride comfortably, but four is ideal. With the back seats folded up there is as much space that a lot of small cars offer for trunk space. Plus the rear doors swing open about 90 degrees so that you can get large square objects back there. The bed is a little short (5’3”) but if you get a tailgate extender it will add over a foot to the length. I got mine here www.dodge-parts.net. This site had the best price at the time ($180.00). It took about an hour to install, there is some drilling required. The extender is a worthwhile upgrade. We’re able to move full size beds and other pieces of furniture. It’s also a big help when going to the lumberyard. We have the V8, 4.7 liter. If you stand on the gas the truck feels like it’s jumping off the road. However it is thirsty, 12 city/18 highway is the numbers on the sticker, I think that this might be a stretch. But, if you don’t get on it too hard, the mileage is reasonable. I would not recommend going down to the V6. A friend as one and the power lost is obvious and the dollar or two that he saves at the pumps is hardly worth it. Two complaints: 1) Our truck seems to shift hard when you gradually build speed. Say if you’re in heavy traffic on the highway and you’re slowly building speed, around 20 MPH the truck shifts real hard. It almost feels like someone rear-ended you. This issue comes and goes, we brought it in to be looked at but the dealer could not replicate the problem. It’s very irregular. I’m not sure if it is even a problem or not, but it just doesn’t seem right. May be they all do this? 2) Second complaint, the undercarriage can be squeaky from time to time. Again it’s not constant. I researched the hell out of mid-sized 4-door trucks and I believe that the Dakota is the best way to go. **One other note, we bought ours at IRA Dodge in Lowell, MA. They were okay to deal with, typical high-pressure sales tactics. I was not too trill

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THE TOWING AND POWER

GAS MILEGE IS OK NOT BAD BUT 5.9 EATS IT

I LIKE THE TRUCK THE POWER IS AWESOME ROOMY AND COMFORT IS GREAT

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FORD RANGER

Price, Styling, options, 4.7L V8, smooth ride

Horrific exterior paint job

I really like the truck. I previously owned a 1997 Dodge Ram but my wife wouldn''t drive it because of the size. This Dakota has it all including leather. I was originally intending to purchase a Tundra but a friend bought one first. Besides the mundane styling inside and out, the quality of the Toyota was awful. The dealer bought it back after 8k miles. That experience and the price I ended up paying for the Dakota made it a great purchase. The only major issue is that the two tone paint appears to have been done by 4th graders. The seam is rough and their is a lot of over spray on the silver areas. The dealer offered to repaint but a factory paint job is hard to beat.

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I tested the Tundra, ''02 Ram and ''01 F-150

Power, comgfort, options, all good.

nothing so far

I LOVE THIS TRUCK ! ! ! ! Everyone says that the 3.9 V6 is a dog but anything more and this truck would be impossible to handle on even wet roads. Prevously I owned a 96 s-10 4cyl auto. Worst truck I''ll ever own. This new dakota is absolutely awesome.

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1988 ram 50 1996 S-10

Accelleration, handling, styling, interior accomodations, Infinity stereo system, rear seating

Gas mileage (16-18 mpg) and the brakes. Dodge needs to put disc brakes on the rear for this truck to be perfect.

The best overall pick-up I have owned. The accelleration is great, and interior room is the best in it''s class with a real rear seat for adults. The styling is very nice and handling is impressive for a truck.

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Chevy 1500 LT, Chevy 1500 LS, Chevy 1500 Sport, Ford 150 XLT,

5spd manual for quick acceleration. very powerful and pulls a load well.

need a little more high end power.

very good handeling. quick response. drives good and accelerates well.

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ford ranger toyota tacoma

Rides smooth and is quiet. The stereo sounds great and it looks awsome.

The gas mileage of course, but it is a truck.

I love the truck. I have the 4.7 liter engine and it has everything except four-wheel drive. (I just couldn''t afford it)The only problem I had is recently the seal by the left rear wheel was leaking and the bearings blew out. It had 12,000 miles on it and was fixed under warranty. Other than that I have no complaints.

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My first truck, but I always buy Dodge.

probably not too bad of truck compared to other reviews

cheaply made interior,very poor tires(goodyears),weak rear suspension.

not too many complaints other than typical problems like rusting front bumper,ball joints at around 33000k. bit of a free play in a steering column so i wonder if ball joints need to be replaced again(as i am writing this truck has 59210 km on it)or can it be drive shaft related. Anyway i will probably find out after warranty is gone.Oh yes, also had a leaking rear slider and a sulfated battery at 10000km(both were done under warranty).

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whole family uses mopar product,but me and my wife -for the last time.

Nice styling, ride quality, very quiet on the highway, inexpensive replacement parts, easy to drive, excellent off-road with the track-loc dif.

uses more gas than a V8 (under 400KM on a tank of gas??), very underpowered to be used as a work truck, engine buzzy and rough, rear end and front suspension components weak.

Purchased brand new in 1998 (V6,5spd,reg cab,4x4,trac-loc), first year had no problems, truck was solid. In the second year the ball-joints (upper and lower) had to be replaced (20K). Talked to dealer who actually admitted that the Dakotas have a known defect with stock ball-joints, replaced under warranty. At 25K a rattle in the steering column required warranty work. At 40k the ball-joints went again, again replaced under warranty. At 50k, guess what, ball-joints again. This time I got a little upset so they replaced them with 3rd party (MOOG i think) ball-joints (these things are massive). No problems with joints up to this point (70K), steering rattle is showing it''s ugly head again. The rear-end was rebuilt at 50K. This truck is mainly driven in the city with light off-roading (fishing, camping etc). I used to beat the crap out of my Toyota and never had any suspension problems. After all, it is a truck and it is a 4X4, at least that''s what the sticker says. There is no excuse for a 3 year old truck to spend as much time as it has at the dealer for servicing. I hate to see what''s coming in the next couple of years, I''m just glad I only paid $20k not like most Dakota buyers who go for the higher end models and blow up to $35k on the truck.

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Ford F150, Toyota Truck

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Awesome truck. I love mine. Everyone asks "what do you have in that thing?" Everyone loves my yellow truck.

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