On Thu, 28 Sep 2000, Wisdom Chad wrote:
> Hey all I am new to the list. I dont have a Dakota yet but I am seriously
> shopping around. Looking for a 97 newer V6 extended cab to start with. I
> drive a Neon R/T now that will run a mid 14. I am wanting to get away from
> the compact scene. What is a good price for a 97 newer V6 extended cab? I
> found one for 11.9k with 13k miles on it. It will get a motor swap once the
> V6 dies. What are the weight diferences between the newer style (97+) and
> the older body style (below 96)? Style debating on what style I should get.
Welcome to the list, Chad! That's a quick Neon!
I probably can't help you out too much with the price as I've been out of
the market for a while, but that sounds like a decent price. You will want
to check the blue book, Edmunds, etc. for the prices in your area though
as they vary drastically in different parts of the country.
V6 to V8: The V6 tranny is a lighter duty one than the one used in the
V8s, so if you do a swap, it might not hold up (or at least, won't hold up
for as long as the v8 tranny would). So, you'd probably be looking at a
tranny swap also, which would probably require a new driveshaft. So unless
you're looking for a truck to go crazy with (tub it out, big rearend, etc.)
you'd probably come out ahead if you buy a Dak with a V8. Also, as someone
else mentioned, don't expect the V6 to die anytime soon, it'll keep
going and going like the energizer bunny. :-) (Unless of course you
abuse it, but that'd just be fooling yourself and you should probably go
for the 8 right from the start.)
I remember when I first started looking, I was planning on getting a
V6 for gas mileage reasons, but boy am I glad I got the 8, even though it
meant ordering a new truck! (As it turns out, the gas mileage isn't that
much different, and the v8s mileage is better when towing. My '96 has gone
14.55 in the 1/4mi and it gets 21mpg on the highway.)
Weight: From what I have heard, the newer bodystyle is about 300lbs
heavier than the old. (And a club cab is supposed to be about 300lbs
more than the regular cab.)
Something that just occured to me; there are a few trucks for sale
right here on the DML, some of which already run real good in the 1/4.
You may also want to check out the classified ads on the DML home page:
http://www.dakota-truck.net/classifieds/classifieds.cgi
Good luck!
-Jon-
.---- Jon Steiger ----- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@twistedbits.net ------.
| Affiliations: AOPA, DoD, EAA, NMA, NRA, SPA, USUA; Rec & UL Pilot - SEL |
| '92 Ram 150 4x4 V8, '96 Dakota V8, '96 Intruder 1400, '96 FireFly 447 |
`------------------------------ http://www.cs.fredonia.edu/~stei0302/ ----'
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