Looks, reliability, interior room, solid feel.

Brakes, gas mileage, lack of power in the V6.

I purchased this truck new in 2001 and have put 165000 miles on it. I can say this has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. The only problems I've had is the water pump went out two years ago and the fuel pump failed at 40k. I must be one of the lucky ones because I havent had any of the problems stated in the other reviews. The brakes are not the best and the gas mileage is poor, I have the 3.9 V6. When it's time to buy again I would have no problem purchasing another one.

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Ford Ranger, Toyota Camry, Dodge Caravan.

Interior room; 4x4; styling; interior amenities; reliability.

Brakes; fuel economy.

My 2001 Dakota Quad 4x4 4.7L has been extremely reliable. However, I am not without complaint. The brakes are terrible. I have upgraded to slotted cryogentically (sp?) frozen brakes with high performance pads for the front, which has helped tremendously. Drums in the rear don't help the matter. Brakes are still grabby with the new setup, and when anti-lock kicks in, it becomes hard to stop. Give a lot of space between you and the car in front, because this heavy beast will need all the space it can have to stop.

Every other aspect of the truck as been fabulous. Like I said, the truck is has been super reliable. The brake system is just underpowered. I will be putting steel braided lines in the front to see if I can get rid of the "steppin on a rotten peach" feel of the brake petal.

Maybe others won't care about the brake feel. I have just had too many scares with idiots jumping in front of me and slamming on their brakes. Dallas drivers are fairly aggressive.

I take care of my truck very well, which could be the reason I have had such good reliability. I have owned Chevy and Ford, this being my first Dodge, I have had a good experience.

power, looks ,ride, dependable and the list goes on

not the greatest fuel mileage, but it is a 4 wheel drive V8 truck.

reading some of these reviews would scare me into not buying a dakota. I have to disagree with the bad ones as I have owned 5 Dakotas and had none of the problems with ball joints, trannys etc.The 03 we have has been a very good truck. The only repair has been the heater switch which had to be replaced. It has tons of power(4.7 v8)rides good and looks great. Could some of the people having all the problems maybe not look after it right? There are people that think all you do is drive it and it looks after itself. I would recomend a dakota over any other vehicle any day of the week. I have owned GM before and wouldnt drive one to the dump because where I am from garbage cant be taken out of the dump.

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92, 94, 95, 00, dakotas all of which were good trucks

1-power
2-looks
3-Buckets inside
4-handling

gas, trans, heavy

I bought a dakota r/t last year for 10 grand...it had 82,000 miles on it...truck has real nice power and looks real nice...i got the extandded cab and the chrome rims...the power for tht little truck is great...i drive it home from the dealer and everything is good....the next day my a/c dont work...then my fuel injectors got clogged a few months l8r...then my trans went at 87,000 miles....2nd gear was slippin which is expected from the 46RE trans...its been burnin through oil lately...i go through tires like theres no 2morrow...truck has alotta power so you gotta use it...gas milage is terrible but wat do u expect from a big 5.9....overall real fun truck...few problems but everything has a few

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2000 ford lightning...1996 camaro....1999 ford ranger...2001 mustang gt..rx-8...rsx-s

Looks good, the interior is nice and loaded, and Crutchfield sells a speaker box that holds two 10" subwoofers that replaces the black box under the back seat and even has the cupholders and a place to put the jack!

Is is me or does the brakes take a little more effort to stop the truck than normal? The steering ratio could use some improvement. I still have a hard time squeazing into a parking spot and getting it right the first time (it could be California).

I don't know where all these bad Dakotas are coming from, but after reading all those reviews, I probably wouldn't have bought mine. My best friend had a 95 Dakota and kept it untill 2k and so I bought mine in 2004 after my Vette crapped out on me. I'v had the truck for two years now and I'm just now having to replace the front brakes this afternoon. I'll admit, the mileage is the same for my Corvette, even though I got the 6 cylinder in my truck, but from what truck owners have told me, that's to be expected since trucks are heavier than regular cars. I must have got a good one!

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Every man has to get a pickup truck sometime in his life and this is my first. All my other cars have been sporty vehicles (2 Mustangs, 1 Firebird, 1 Corvette)

V8 power, off-road capabillity, Macho/Sexy good looks.

Poor gas mileage.

Great Truck! 5.2 liter V8 will do anything you want it to. I bouht my truck used in 2000 and have loved it. I have had a few engine/transmission problems over the years but I consider that my own fault for not checking the vehicle history before buying it. Aparently it was in a front end accident. Other than that I have no complaints. I love the V8! This truck will outrun most other trucks and ricers. The four wheel drive is excellent. I've only gotten it stuck once when I slid into a deep snow bank. Only complaint is poor gas mileage. I will be selling it soon due to high miles and the current price of gas. I may end up getting a newer one with the smaller 4.7 liter V8. In my opinion it's still the best looking truck on the road (much better looking than the new style)

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89 Dodge Ram

looks,power,leg room(im 6'2"),back seats are great.excellent deal with c&c dodge

blind spots(window pillers),brakes dont seem stought enough,no head support for tall people,a/c isnt worth a damn(note- warranty wont pay for a/c service if it cools 20 deg.below outside temp,doesnt take much of a a/c system to meet this goal),bed is to short.

i bought this trk at 34000 mi and so far am very satisfied,gas mileage isnt as bad as expected 17.5 everyday driving. have heard allot of bad things about dodge and was leary about owning one.figured id take a chance.as a mech of 12 yr i do strongly suggest to install a trans.cooler,engine compartment is to small for a v8 and trans heat will become a problem.ill ck back in a year or to two if my option changes.

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94 mazda b4000-sold at 180k
96 mazda b4000-sold at 140k
both basisly trouble free other than junk trans,auto hubs and elec.4x4 shift

Everyone says that it is a good looking truck. They don't have to drive it nor pay for it.

Where do I begin? With the mundane maybe. Gutless V-6 yet gets V-8 mileage. Poor ergonomics/engineering, brakes and fit and finish. Crappy, problem prone front end. Then on to problem areas. Check engine light. Scanned it and it was an evap leak. Smoke tested it and no leak. Reset computer, light goes off again (and again and again). Ball joints, duh. Wiring harness issue which is a recall item that the dealer still cannot fix (no driving at night/rain b/c no headlights and windshield wipers that have a mind of their own!!!) Takes 2 weeks to get appt. @ dealer to tell me that they do not know what is wrong when I do bring it in. It is obvious that Chrysler lacks build quality, do not stand behind their vehicles and has a dealer network of shifty yahoo's BTW: Why does the service manager at my local Dodge dealer drive a Chevy?

This is the newest vehicle I have owned. Figured I would get something somewhat newer instead of all the other POS's I have driven. Not only will I never buy another Dakota but I would not even consider buying another Chrysler product! The dealership is either clueless, lazy or decitful although I do not know which. Problems abound on this vehicle and it only has about 65kmi. on it! I figured it is newer and dependable but I am almost afraid to drive it anywhere far from home. I need to get rid of this thing. If you see a Red Dakota for sale don't buy it. I can already smell sushi and rice b/c I am buying another Toyota!

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Only old, worn out, clapped out pickups of various makes, models and vintages. Still they were more dependable than my Dakota!

It might get you to Home Depot for some drywall or fertilizer. Then again, after owning this vehicle, you might be too poor to shop at Depot.

I'll be nice. Reliability is lacking somewhat...

You'll see I paid $3k and think: dude, you stole that truck. But you're wrong my friend. I bought the truck with approx 25k miles on it. It's now at 38k, almost two years later. Within that 13k miles I've replaced the front brakes three times (about $1.2k total). I've replaced the rear end once ($1.5k, and two weeks without the truck while searching for a replacement). The truck is in the shop as I type this, getting a new water pump installed, with all the trimmings, for $650. Worth it? Hardly. Don't bother with the Dakota, keep looking. You'll thank me later. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go add oil to my leaky Stratus. Come to think of it, stay away from Dodge altogether.

It has great power. The truck handles the road better than my Nissan, Chey.

The paint is peeling off the roof and my truck is only a 2000. Also the power door locks dont work but when they want too.

I like the power of the Dakota but the paint job is peeling off the roof. I have never had this happen to any of my other cars. Is this a defect> If so can Dodge pay to have my truck repainted?

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Chey, Nissan