I had a 90 dakota that I drove into the ground. Got 127k out of it.. Keep
in mind, it was my first vehicle which means I had it while in High School
and College. It was a damn good truck. I had a few problems with it like
one time a spark plug wire rubbed against the manifold and I was only firing
on 5 cylinders. Dealer fixed it for free. Then, my AC sprung a leak, so I
had to feel the freon every summer.. this happend right before I sold it.
Overall, it was a good truck.
I sold it when I had to put in a new engine at 117k (long story, caused by
fault parts) I bought my current 98 RC 5.2 auto Dak. I had the
intermediate shaft replaced under warranty due to the popping sound that is
common. Then I had to take it in 3 times because my gas gauge would drop and
the engine would sputter. They replaced the sending unit and fuel pump
first, second they replaced an o2 sensor... still didn't fix it.. 3rd time,
I left it running while it was doing the mess up and they put the scanner on
it.. found out it was a lose ground! I must say, after 48k I have had
little if any trouble with my Dak.
Build quality? Can't complain
I do agree with you, when you say why get a full size or compact... get the
Dak with the fuel efficient V8! I hope to never own another truck except a
Dak. There is a model for everyone. I am going for a QC 4x4 next year
(hopefully)
If you read here often, you will realize one thing.. if people have
problems, they are generally minor and more of a pesonal peeve than a real
problem (so to speak) Not many major problems at all.
Get the Dakota....
--------------------------------------------------
Krawdaddy - New Orleans, La.
www.krawdaddy.net
ICQ# 2325710
--------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Aaron Fuehrer" <afuehrer@acuta.org>
To: <dakota-truck@buffnet.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2001 10:13 AM
Subject: DML: Dakota Reliability / Quality
> I am a new member to the list and wanted to get some answers from real
> Dakota owners prior to my next truck purchase. I am looking at a 2001
Club
> Cab Dakota with the 4.7, 5 speed, and limited slip - just the basics.
This
> truck / configuration is great because its larger than say a Ranger but
> smaller than an F-150. I don't want to spend 28 to 30K on a full size 4X4
> GM or Ford truck, but for a few thousand more than a small Ranger or S10 I
> can purchase the mid-sized Dakota with a V8.
>
> My question is quality and reliability. I have heard of several quality
> issues with the Dakota such as rotor/break problems, electrical problems,
> ball joint wear, and overall build quality issues. I realize that no
> vehicle is perfect, but I don't want the truck in the shop more times than
> its on the road. I am a long-term vehicle owner and want to keep whatever
> truck I purchase at least 10 years or 200K miles. My basis for this is my
> current car, 89 Firebird 5.0 V8 with 207K on it. All of the consumer
> reports over the years never rated my Firebird very high either, but I'm
> still driving it today.
>
> Any input from current owners who want to share their experience is
greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Aaron
> afuehrer@acuta.org
>
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:01:36 EDT