I guess it looked nice when the paint was still there. Also the V8 packs plenty of power and towing capability.

Ball joints...pretty much everything that can go wrong, will.

This has been THE worst vehicle I have ever encountered. I have had so many problems with it! I have had to replace the ball joints 3 times in the 2 years I've owned it. The water pump has gone out twice in addition to all of the other standard repairs. The front end is horrible and the back seat is inaccessible for anyone over 5 years old, for the club cabs anyway. Also the paint is falling off the hood and the top of the vehicle, even though it's only a 97. The brake lines have leaked onto the pads, the V8 is a gas guzzler, and the 2wd rear end is so light that you slide in the rain. I STRONGLY discourage anyone from buying this truck. If Dodge hasn't fixed the front end issues by now (which they haven't), what does that say about the engineers?

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Ford Explorer

comfort, paint job, overall size and legroom.

transmission, electrical,mileage...mileage....MPG.???what is that. Customer service from the service department.

Truck looks and runs nice.. The transmission and mileage... What a piece of S***. I recently had a transmission leak and had to find a shop to get it into when the RPM's were over 4,000 to get it out of 1st gear. When the auto shop looked at it and found out that all the fluid was streaming out of the transmission around the seal. I found out that there is no gasket on this 4X4. it was RTV'd in there. The owners manuel for maintence said to change transmission fluid and filter ever 50,000 miles. When I called the dealership and adviced them of what had happened and how close I came to really messing my truck up. The excuse I got was that I should have chnaged the filter and fluids at 30,000 miles. The truck is just over 30,000 miles know. I can't believe they think RTV will ever replace a gasket in performence and reliability. It cost me over $300.00 to get it all repaired and running right with nothing back from the dealership or Dodge. I have been calling and writing to them all with nothing to be said for my truck and the situation that I was in. I have had similar problems with Dodge trucks and there recalls. To many to mention them all. Windshield wiper motors replaced. presure release cap replaced, front end bearings replaced, rear axel and hubs replaced, and soon to come near you, a new transmission when I get done. To much to be said for a 7 month old truck that I strongly depend on for work and play. Hunting, driving around and some 4X4 activaties... Maybe someday dealerships will realize that customer service doesn't stop when the vehicle is off the lot when purchased. word of mouth is killing them....

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Ford F-150 4X4
Ford Ranger 2 wheel drive
Dodge 1500 2 wheel drive
Dodge Dakota 2 wheel drive
Dodge Duel. 4X4
Toyota 4X4 older model. work horse

Looks great,great size, reliable

Ball joints

I Bought new in late 97 and still going strong. This has been a really good truck with only a few problems. It now has almost 90,000 miles and still runs strong. The only major problem was the ball joints. Other repairs have been normal maintenance.

size, comfort, ride/handling, power.

build quality, dealership service department and chrysler customer service. why do they exist?

Worst vehicle i have ever owned. Purchased new July 4, 2003. All four shocks were loose, driver and passenger seats were loose and alignment was way out of spec. November 2003, rain water leaked into cab. dealer found heater box not mounted properly, bolts were missing some were loose. water has leaked seven more times into the cab. this last time it shorted the body control module and caught fire. chrysler customer service and the 5 star dealership (serramonte dodge in colma, ca) are USELESS! water is visable dripping down my windshield, they insist the leak is below the dash. after fire, truck was undrivable from dec 27th until march 23. day after i picked truck up from service dept, rain flooded the interior again and soaked the body control module again. customer service is once again anything except service! chrysler has made it obvious that they couldn't care less about their customers. i had asked for assistance with a rental car while they worked on the 6th water leak/fire. i was told that because i didnt but the extended warranty they couldnt offer a vehicle. i respect the fact that any manufacturer can build a few problem vehicles. problem is, chrysler has offered no assistance and obviously does not care about their customers. this is my first chrysler product and it will be my last. hello honda!

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toyota tundra, honda accord, chevrolet s-10 blazer.

Plenty of power, tows our huge, ancient tent camper with ease. Sporty and tough-looking. Great size, easy to park and maneuver, fits nicely in the garage.

Gas mileage: but I knew that! Averages about 16, have gotten up to 20-21. Back seat: not made for humans, even my dogs aren't thrilled with it. Like I said, I'd get the 4-door next time and sacrifice the bed space. Maybe the kayaks would fit on top? Vehicle Graphics: For such a sporty truck the graphics are BORING. Maybe I can take those 4x4 stickers off, it'd look better without.

My first *new* vehicle ever and I love it. This has been a great truck so far. 12,000 miles and no warranty repairs yet. Sporty and fun to drive. If I had to do it over again I'd probably get the 4-door model. I got most of the bells and whistles: towing pkg, trip computer, 4 wheel anti-lock breaks, optional front bucket seats, etc, enjoy them all. Added a bed-line and fiberglass tonneau and it looks great. Sure do like the looks of the '05 though! This truck replaced a 97 GMC Sierra 1500, no regrets!

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'97 GMC Sierra Z-71 '96 Jeep Cherokee Sport (it keeps going and going.....)

Very roomy for a smaller truck, great power, much more solidly built than my freinds Toyota in which the tailgate gives when you sit on it. Nice quiet smooth ride and great looks

Milage milage milage. The sticker said 15 city 21 highway but I'm luckey to get 14mpg in mixed driving and the best I've ever gotten was 19 on all highway driving, and that was after installing a shell when it improved by 1.3 mpg over my previous best. A recent tankfull of all city driving in the rain yeilded only 12.5 mpg. Part of this is my driving style but not all of it

I bought my Dakota new in Sept 02 and only 2 weeks later I took 4 freinds on a mountain bike trip from souther cal to Moab UT, Durango Co and Sedona Az. and with 5 adults, 5 bikes and all our equipment the truck kicked but. The only problem I've had was a burned out O2 sensor. The front brakes had 20% left when I did a brake job at 42000 miles and the rears are at 60%. I'm with everyone hear on dealer service, The dealer replaced the O2 sensor under warranty but offered to replace my air filter for $24 and do my front brakes for $265. Those cost me $7 and $80 to do myself so If at all possible I don't go to the dealer for service. The service coordinator also tried both time I was in there for recall inspections to charge me for the work so you have to stick up for yourself or the slimey eels will steal from you.

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I've driven all of the small trucks and owned 3 different brands of small truck and a Dodge ram 4x4 and this is the best of them for everyday driving and trips with up to 5 people.

cool looking, perfect size, comfortable driving, powerful.

Crappy transfer case, ball joints, brakes/rotors. Windshield has been broken twice by rocks on freeway. Side mirrors way too big and makes it hard to see traffic on left and right. The A/C is horrible. It gets warm if you are in park or at a stop light. It only gets cold when you accelerate. I took it back to the dealer 3 times one summer, and they said it looked fine! Whatever... The backseat is worthless for passengers and hard to get to altogether (should have got a quad cab!)

I bought this truck 2.5 years ago and it had 59,000 miles on it. I have put 23,000 miles on it since. At first, I really liked the truck. It looked great, drove nice, had power (4.7 V8), and it was my 1st 4x4. I upgraded the look by adding nerf bars and a retractable hard tonneau cover (sweet). In any event, the first year, but after the 8 month warranty expired, I noticed the squeaking from underneath. turns out the u-joint needed replacing, then the brakes and rotors immediately went bad. This year, the squeaking came back, then winter came. I put the truck in 4 hi to navigate the snow, and the truck just starting shaking violently and the noise that came out from underneath was horrifying. I recently took it to the dealer for the recall on ball joints and asked them to take a look. They said they need to rip apart the transfer case ($250), then probably put in $1900 worth of work to rebuild the transfer case. NICE, eh? I took it to my local guy, who said he could do it for $1300. The point is I never beat the truck, never hauled anything and used 4x4 sparingly and never on dry pavement. I never shifted above 10mph (even thought it says you can do it up to 55mph). What the heck happened that would cause a transfer case to just fall apart like that? So I have a love/hate relationship with my Dak, but I'm not sure I'll ever buy one from that dealer again. I'm willing to bet they didn't check the transfer case before I bought it, because they would have caught something. In the 23,000 miles I put on it, I have had about $2000 in work done to it. Easily the most I have ever had to pay for one vehicle. Not sure what to do now, but I will have to pay for the transfer case regardless. Keep or trade?

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Mazda B4000 2WD.

Very well built tough truck. (It weighs as much as a full size GM Siverado!) Parts are readily available and cheep but with 35000 miles, haven't needed any yet. Easy to work on. Has unusaually high towing capacity for its size(4500 lbs)provided that you are not in a hurry. 4WD system is a true off road/bush type that will go anywhere with the right tires. Slightly rough ride(due to tough suspension) and great visability.

Outrageously priced and incompetant dealer servicing,($420 to put 6 quarts of synthetic gear oil in the differentials!) reluctance to honor warranty commitments, neither dealership nor Diamler Chrysler will return phone calls or answer letters. 3.9L V6 is pretty gutless and uses a lot of fuel for the little power it produces. Averages 17 mpg and can't pass an ox cart goig downhill. Poor turning radius. Seats are very poorly designed to protect from whiplash injuries-too low and non-adjustable headrest. Factory tires are light duty car like tires-garbage-had them changed the second day we owned the truck.

We have a farm and this has been a great truck for us-well built, reliable, cheap aftermarket parts readily available. Carries 1500lbs in the box and will tow 4500 lbs. We bought it because we wanted a smaller 4 door truck that would be comfortable for me to drive (I'm 6'4"),carry building materials, and tow a stock trailer. At the time, this was the only one available. While the truck does all this admirably well, Diamler Chrysler and the local dealerships are so un-trustworthy, I wouldn't buy it again. Look at the recently enlarged Toyota Tacoma.

Looks (When the paint is in good condition)

*Manifold Bolts * Ball Joints * Tie Rod End * Paint * 4 Wheel Drive Shift Indicators * Air Flow Sensor * Ignition Switch

I have had this vehicle for 5 years and to date I have had to put over $3,000.00 worth of repairs into it. It has around 75,000 miles I can't check the mileage because it is parked far away from me where it will stay until either A) The dealer pays for the most recent repairs it needs (Ha!) or B) the Lease runs out. I will not complain about something like gas mileage or how the vehicle doesn’t ride like smooth. I bought a truck and a truck is what I got. If you are looking for a truck that rides smooth, gets good gas mileage and is affordable, may I suggest you buy a car. I WILL HOWEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT THE FOLLOWING: I have never had so many problems with a vehicle in my life. To date I have had to have the following Repairs done: * Manifold Bolts Replaced - To do this the heads have to be removed to get the part of the bolt that is floating in the engine block out. Then the other end of the bolt must be drilled out of the manifold and everything put back together. - According to the mechanic where I bought this thing, the bolts the manufacturer uses on their manifolds are not made to with stand the heat and therefore over time will snap. FYI – This is one of the repairs that needs to be done again, the dealer says “it’s the other side this time.” (How Convenient) * Paint Chipping Off - I have the Amethyst paint on my truck and it has been repainted 3 times (all different spots), the dealer painted it all 3 times however it needs to be done again and they are stating the truck is out of warranty and they will not do it again. * Ignition Switch went bad Current Problems with the vehicle, * Manifold Bolts Snapped Off AGAIN * Ball Joints Need To Be Replaced * Tie Rod End Is Going Bad * Paint Chipped Off - AGAIN * 4 Wheel Drive Shift Indicator No Longer Works P.S. I would not recommend a Dodge to ANYONE. A friend of mine just stopped by and noticed I was writing this review, she asked that I inform you that she hates her Dodge Grand Caravan as well. She has may issues with it, some being the same as the Dakota others being different. I recommended that she write a review. If you are saying to yourself why don’t you go back to the dealer… I did and got nowhere. If you are saying to yourself, why don’t you contact the manufacturer directly, I did… they were even less helpful then the local dealer.

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1988 Ford Ranger - 250,000+ Miles still runs great - no repairs other than usual maintenance, ie. brakes, oil changes, etc. 2000 Ford Explore 80,000+ Miles - no repairs other than usual maintenance.

1) Powerful Engine (NOT the V6) 2) Comfortable & Roomy Interior 3) Style, Style, Style!

Upper Ball Joints

Initial Impression: Wow! After reading some of the reviews here I'd be scared witless to buy a Dakota! I'm not too sure what is going on with the other reviewers, but my Dodge has been nothing but a pleasure for the past 2 months. Even though I failed to do my research and paid waaaaaay too much for the truck I STILL absolutely LOVE it! I purchased it used with about 51,000 miles. I must say that I think the ball joints are ready to be replaced (a notorious problem with 2000 - 2003 Dakotas). Other than that the truck is a dream. Engine & Power: The 4.7L V8 Mangum engine absolutley rips the road apart. Acceleration and passing on the highway are a breeze. For those of you griping about gas mileage - It's a truck with a large engine. It's not a commuter-mobile. As far as the mileage goes I've found my to be excellent for a powerful V8 moving 2 and 1/2 tons of steel. The Interior: I'm a big guy and the interior is both roomy and comfortable (obviously not a Cadillac but then again it's no Tacoma either). The cloth seats seem to wear reasonably and are nearly velour-like to the touch. The dash does not seem cheaply constructed and the guages are all easily viewed. I'm not too sure where the complaints regarding the steering wheel obstruction are coming from. Problems: Number one - ball joints. Dailmer/Chrysler has officially recalled 4x4 Dakotas between 01 and 03 for this very problem and it is my understanding that 4x2s warrany may be extended to 10 years 100,000 miles to cover them as well. Check dodge.com to verify this. Number two - I have had the truck stall twice, but it has been under very low speeds while parking. This may simply indicate a tune-up is necessary. After all it's got 54,000 miles on it and who knows when the last tune-up was performed. Concluding Thoughts: The 2001 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab is an excellent choice for those who don't want to drop $30,000+ on a Full Size truck or be faced with the horror of driving an SUV. It is the best looking mid-sized pick-up out there. The powerful engine will surprise that little Rice Rocket gunning its engine next to you at the stoplight. And you can open your own Dakota Bar & Grille with BBQ's Ponies served daily!