I'm thinking aout buying a Doge Dakota Quad Cab, does anyone own one and what do you think of them. Thanks

I was going to buy extended cab when they cam eout. then i drove one with my then g-friend and we decided no way. The only bad thing is a huge thing with me and all the city and x-way driving that I do. tHAT IS THE WAY i COULDN'T SEE OUT THE BACK SIDE WELL WITH THAT HUGE PILLER. nOW THIS MAY BE SMALLER ON THE QUAD CAB. cHECK IT OUT.
cALEB

Close buddy of mine has a 2001 quad cab with 4.7 and loves it.

The truck handles great and is built real tough. *He put 59000km on it before he had to sell it for the money. *But it never had a problem. *With the 4.7V8 it really hauled A$$. *

The fastest pickup truck without a super or turbo is currently the dodge dakota 4.7 club cab with 5speed and 3.92 rear end. *It does the quarter mile in 14.5secs or close. *The R/T does it in low 15s and high 14s. *You could probably get that setup in your club cab but it would be heavier. *

My friend the biggest pro chevy guy I know will admit anytime that the Dakota is FAST. *

I say give it a good look. *If it feels right go for it. *Dont worry about reliability, dodge is real good for reliablilty and if you have a few problems warrenty is right there to save you. *

go to www.dodgedakotas.com for some more info...

what year are you looking at? my bro has a 93 extended cab and i have driven my uncles 98 extended cab?

If you buy one new get the 4.7 not the 5.9. The 4.7 has almost the same torque as the 5.9 with allot better mileage. It is also a overhead cam engine with allot better ignition, emissions, and over all drivability.

If you are buying usedm i would not be afraid of a 5.9 truck, they are just gas hogs (expect about 14MPG if that). They have plenty of power and will haul anything and durability is great on these engines. Just ask if the intake manifold service bulletin has been done (any truck with a 5.9 should look into this). They had some intake gasket problems causing knock.

the 4.7 has the trans from ITP(indiana tranmission plant).were as the 5.9 has one built at the KTP(kokomo transmission plant).the new tranny from ITP will not hold the full power 4.7 so the company has limited the torque through electronics.it will not get full torque off the line.I would consider this when purchasing a truck,either way they are both assembled here locally by UAW local 685 members.other than that the 4.7 is a great engine and is probably better than the 5.9.however mxzwfo was here with his 4.7 and was wanting to change vb to get a better(firmer) shift.I could have helped but he has the 4.7 and no helping that tranny that I know of ,yet.

Thanks for the comments, I'm looking at a 2002 model. I've always been a Chevy man but I just really like the looks of the Dodge Dakota.

You wont be disapointed. Anyone that I knew that owns one or had one is thrilled to death with the size, power, and reliablity that dodge packs in them.

The things that scare me about dodge is there transmissions are poor.. My step dad has a 98 dodge ram with 48,000 miles on it.. and the trany is already slipping. I dont know about the dakotas though but is gotta make ya wonder?

Dodge has really taken care of there tranny probs. *infact they have fewest problems per unit (unit being tranny) then chevy. *Thats gotta say somthing for a company that had a few bad ones. *

But chrysler knows how to build them (727 tranny one of the strongest autos ever). *Also the 4.7 tranny is compleatly new. *Shifts are seamless and you dont even feel them. *

I wouldnt worry about it.

yeah we have built some bad trannys so has the rest,only domestic auto maker better than dodge is ford for problems and not much better.I will also say this we back ours with a 7 year 100,000 mile warr. the rest will not.if you are having problems with you dodge auto/tranny ,PM me and I will see what can be done for it.Barry

dooman - I have played with the TV (throttle valve) cable on my truck and that helped allot. It is allot firmer at lower speeds. This is where I was having my trans problem. Before this I had a 97 1500 Ram w/ 5.9 and auto. I had 130,000 miles on it w/ no problems on it.

They all have problems some of the time. My little lady had a 97 Silverado Z71. Had new engine, trans, and rear end by 50,000 mi

Snow Stud - Tell your father to run the trans fluid about 1/2 a quart over full. It helps.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Machzzzz1 @ Aug. 14, 2002, 11:34pm)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">*infact they have fewest problems per unit (unit being tranny) then chevy.

AND

only domestic auto maker better than dodge is ford for problems and not much better[/b][/quote]
FYI: Wrong...

According to JD Power&#39;s 2002 Quality Study, GM Powertrain had the fewest powertrain problems per 100 cars and the second lowest number of truck problems behind Toyota.

Consumer Reports&#39; latest quality study shows that among domestic brands, the Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler AG had 22.7 problems per 100 vehicles, General Motors Corp at 23 problems per 100 vehicles, and Ford Motor Co. with 26.1. The Chevy Truck ranked highest on the list for domestic trucks.

In JD Power&#39;s 2002 Model vehicle Quality Study, the Chevy Silverado Rank highest among domestic light trucks, and No. 2 only to Toyota.


- Not that any of this really matters for the original poster, as the Dakota and the RAM are both great American made vehicles. Just wanted to set the facts straight though...

Let&#39;s just be thankful that the poster&#39;s not looking at a foreign vehicle.

Yes let be thankfull that the poster is buying a north american vehicle. *

But JD powers I belive is bought buy the company. *It seems today that every company has a JD powers award.

Anyway. *On GMC or Chevy trucks at least 25% of the drivetrain is made by Chrysler. *Not directly but thru a company that chrysler owns called Newventure. *They make the transfercases and some of the trannys for GM. *One such tranny is the 5 speed in the S-10 pickups.

Occording to the company that builds the trannsimitions Dodge has less problems per unit sold then Chevy and GMC.

And im suprized nobody mentioned the huge GMC/Chevy rear end problem. *For any GM with a limited slip rear end or posi it seems that they only last for a few months then break. *Almost all GMC/CHevy trucks with lockers are broken and the posi feature no longer works and diff turns into a open system.

Gm uses a posi system at engages a gear when one wheel spins up to a certin RPM faster then the other wheel, *It then engages the other wheel resulting in a huge jolt to the system normally shattering the small spider gears leaving the system inbetween teeth never working again.

Dodge uses the best most relaible system, *Its a clutch type system. *Both wheels are always under power and during a turn there is just enough slip to allow the turn. *But there is no engaging jolt. *This is also the best system for drag racing besides a locked rear end.

Im sure that there are a few guys on this site that got the accual numbers i belive mxz800 or dooman are one of the ones that had these numbers a long time ago.

THen on top of that GM on all there new LS1 style engines have a piston slap problem which chevy has no solution to other then replacing all the engines. *However i still belive they are making the same defect in all there new trucks. *

Dodges 4.7 is a crammer style engine with a Half HEMI head design. *It has a SOHC with a timing chain instead of a belt. *

The engine is capable of making a lot of hp but it is detuned for emmitions reasons. *

Dodge also has the 5.7 L hemi making 345 Hp in the ram you might want to consider waiting for that. *Its getting great reviews.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Machzzzz1 @ Aug. 15, 2002, 12:45pm)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">[/b][/quote]
<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">
But JD powers I belive is bought buy the company. *It seems today that every company has a JD powers award.
[/b][/quote]

You&#39;re shooting down two seperate independant reports??? Then what are we as consumers to go by if we can&#39;t trust ANY consumer testing agencies.

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">
Anyway. *On GMC or Chevy trucks at least 25% of the drivetrain is made by Chrysler.
[/b][/quote]

If this is true the what does their "higher rate of failure" have to say about Chrysler&#39;s supplier?

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">
According to the company that builds the trannsimitions Dodge has less problems per unit sold then Chevy and GMC.
[/b][/quote]

How can this be if you say that 25% comes from the same place? And I think I&#39;ll trust the evil "consumer testing agencies" before I buy this line from the "chevy/gmc/chrysler" transmission supplier...

Anyways, like I said before, at least it&#39;s not foreign, so the rest isn&#39;t that important.

I think that it is time to get Machzzz1 his own site!! No one to argue with!! LOL (Kiding man)

Corey i think the problem here is you think im putting down GM. *I dont have a problem with GM (up until yesterday.) *But they are still my second choice.

The fact is that the parts for CHEVY, FORD, DODGE, MERCEDIES, VW and so on are made by 100&#39;s of diffrent companys some as small as a 5 person operation. *

Then these parts are sent to a bigger company that sends them to the car manufactor. *

I used to work for a company that did a lot of work for Magna and Exco, Out of the same peice of steel came a part of dodge and chevy. *

Now I never said that *chevy and dodge use the same trannys in all there trucks, in a few instances they do or chrysler will supply chevy with a tranny that chrysler doesnt use them self. *But for the most part the chrysler owned company NewVenture supplies all chevy and dodge 4x4 transfercases. *And i think the numbers 23 out of 100 arnt bad considering the emount of parts and Labor that goes into each tranny. *And i dont by it that jap cars or trucks are any better, like i said before i have had my Jap truck troubles and the only diffrence is that they take 6 times longer to fix it and want you to pay for everything.

Dodge in the early 90s had big tranny problems, *but they have since made diffrent models of trannys and diffrent engines. *The tranny problem is a thing of the past.

Chevy has Rear end problems. *They tried to make a posi that didnt cherp going around corners but its not working. *Chevy guys are either gonna have to buy a new rear end from aftermarket or live with it.

Also Chevy just relesed all new engines based on a very high performance design. *They are having a few problems like piston slap and such but eventually it will be worked out.

Ford in my opinion has the most problems, *Even though they score high on independed reports, most of my buddies are mechanics and for some reason they all agree that fords are #1 in shop time.

In this day in age it is stupid to buy a truck or car based on reliabilty, *For one they have warrenty and like dooman said dodge has the best tranny warrenty out there. *Also on the new Ram they have a hugh warenty i belive its 5 years or somthing close. *Dodge has really pulled up there socks. *

And Corey just as example, *You know Slick 50, Duralube, Zmax and all the other junk additives that do nothing for your engine and have gotten sued for false advertizing and fake claims. *Well they all had indipended lab tests and consumer reports to back them up as well. *But more studies prove that they dont do anything. *So IMO i wouldnt belive any of the consumer reports. *

I think JDpowers gave each tire manufactor a award this year, and all automakers this year. *What the He!! is that.

To return to the quadcab question, my dad has one, he was one of the first to buy it when it came out. He has 70 000 km on it with over 5000 on dirt roads and the only thing he had to change are the tires at 68 000 km. He has the 4.7 V8 and works like a charm. His only complaints were the headlights which were too dim (easilly fixed with 100 watts spot lights) and the suspension seemed a bit on the soft side when carrying a load so he installed airlift kit on the rear leaf springs for an extra 1 ton capacity (but I wouldn&#39;t go over 1/2 ton more). These should come standard on all trucks. Mileage is 16 to 18 miles/gallon US with medium load and boat+ trailer on highway.

AC, you bring up a good point. *In most new cars im pretty disapointed with the output of the headlights. *Its like there only designed to drive in a city with streetlamps. *But the moment your out in the country you find yourself over driving your headlights.

Im gonna wire my truck so that when the highbeams are on the foggers remain on. *Plus get two HID pencil beams. http://www.snowmobileworld-s2.com/forums/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Dodge has solved the prob. with the trannies? Better tell them about it. Had to have mine rebuilt in my 2000 w/ 30k miles on it.

Was that 30000 with a 6 foot lift or what ever its got pushing 44in tires. http://www.snowmobileworld-s2.com/forums/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

problems will happen no matter what.

corey, those are powertrain figures which look correct to me,so you did not set me strait.they are not however transmission c&#39;s/per 100,that would be 3 c&#39;s per 100 for ford,3.5 c&#39;s per 100 for dodge, and 5c&#39;s per 100 for GM.I trust jd powers very lil&#39; but the manufacturers do look at these numbers real close.as for toyota thats what I think of them they are toy&#39;s.I do not even get their numbers because they build nothing to even compete in the market with dodge,chevy and ford building 1 tons with 460+ pounds of torque hitting these autos,not to mention the big lifts that kill the trannys in these trucks, http://www.snowmobileworld-s2.com/forums/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif 800mxz.toyota builds nothing that has the power to beat up their trannys.I work in the plant(ktp) I know the numbers and they are not b.s. most of the guys I know with diesels tune them up to hit close to 700 lbs. of torque and they are some of those claims way more than there design perimeter.I will say this the warr. I stated is not correct they are only covered for 7yrs./70,000 miles which is differant than what we was told in the plant(the shirt they gave out even said 7-100,000 miles) if the rest are better they will soon follow the leader and give you some security with that high dollar purchase.if I was making this up I would have dodge out front after all thats my employer.

machzzzz1, new venture gear is a joint venture between gm and chrysler,one of our big suppliers is new venture gear they build all the fwd diff&#39;s.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Machzzzz1 @ Aug. 15, 2002, 2:44pm)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Corey i think the problem here is you think im putting down GM. *[/b][/quote]
No, that&#39;s not what I think. Actually, I&#39;ll argue with anyone that wants to say one of the Big 3 is leaps and bounds better than the other.

The same goes with sleds. Are they really all that different?

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The same goes with sleds. Are they really all that different?[/b][/quote]

This will be a good subject for zzzz1.

I am in no way saying we or any manufacturer is better by leaps and bounds,the reason I pay lil&#39; attention to the "surveys" is they include all complaints even ones that are never found to exist.I also think the numbers of one manufacturer being higher will be in direct relation to how many they build(gm builds more units than ford or chrysler and maybe combined),and I think the more you build the harder it is to keep the parts consistent.

I have been a Chevy truck fan all my life untill now. Now I own a Dodge and will at this point never go back. I still have my Chevy cars. I have one of those piston slapping 99 LS1 Camaro&#39;s, and a 72 Camaro with 700 horses of big block power that runs 10&#39;s in the 1/4 with street tires and exhaust. When it comes to trucks though, the new GM&#39;s dont do it for me. They have added so much "junk" to go after the yuppie sales which are now buying most of the trucks as grocery getters. I want a truck to be a truck

mxzwfo - Bravo my good friend, bravo. Striat axles, mech. hubs, transfer case levers not switches, bench seats, gun rack, diamond plate tool box, and naked lady mud flaps is the way to go!!! A Truck, not a Cadillac with a box!

I will admit the Chevys are nice, just to much frill for me. Simpler is better as far as I am concerned.

Speaking of a Dakota, if you can find a ext. cab 93-97 Dakota with they are great trucks. Die Hard, almost better than the newer ones. Best 1/2 ton truck on the market, and it isn&#39;t even a half ton. Get a 318 Auto and they are great for sledding. They haul trailers great, have a real frame on it, Decent on room, and are good grocery getters that handle good and are easy to park.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (mxzwfo @ Aug. 15, 2002, 10:45pm)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">They have added so much "junk" to go after the yuppie sales which are now buying most of the trucks as grocery getters. I want a truck to be a truck[/b][/quote]
Fair enough.

And I will second (or is it third) that I want a truck to be a truck. But with truck sales up 24% in GM alone (with all that extra "junk"), we my friend, are the minority nowadays...

LMAO at 800mxz&#39;s chrome naked lady mudflaps comment.Me and my duddies joke about that all the time http://www.snowmobileworld-s2.com/forums/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif Don&#39;t forget lots of clearance lights and a couple of big ol whip attennas to
complete the redneck package. http://www.snowmobileworld-s2.com/forums/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

I Think we can all agree that all 3 north american brands are pretty Good. *They all offer warrenty and have great service (THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS). *

Between the 3 there is a company that will offer us what we want in a Car or Truck.

Fair Enough?

http://www.snowmobileworld-s2.com/forums/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Machzzzz1 @ Aug. 16, 2002, 09:37am)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I Think we can all agree that all 3 north american brands are pretty Good. *They all offer warrenty and have great service (THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS). *

Between the 3 there is a company that will offer us what we want in a Car or Truck.

Fair Enough?

http://www.snowmobileworld-s2.com/forums/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif[/b][/quote]
AGREED!
http://www.snowmobileworld-s2.com/forums/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif

I have a friend that has had two dodges that were two wheel drive and they both had a few tranny problems which required new trannies on three occasions and he never beat them.
Caleb

Thats the whole thing. *Dodges are designed to be beat not babied. *

And now that im thinking about it, its the people that drive hard, leave there lawnmower in the middle of the lawn with leaves on it during winter, powershift and dont break in that seem to have the least emount of problems. *

Lucky BA****Ds

Machzzzz1 your too darn funny!!!! So now a doge tranny wil only last if it&#39;s beat on? Why do I see this going on forever yet never leaving the porch?
caleb