On 5/8/06, David Gersic <info@zaccaria-pinball.com> wrote:
>
> New to the list here, but I've been browsing the archives to see if there are
> things I need to look out for. Thought I'd post a general question as well.
Welcome!
> I'm looking to buy a 2000-2004 (Gen III) Dakota with the extended cab. I seem
> to be unusual in that I want a 4WD and a manual trans. I'm turning up lots of
> auto trans Dakotas, but very few manuals, and even fewer with 4WD. I have my
> eye on one from a semi-local dealer and am considering making an offer on it.
They are pretty hard to come by. Most manuals that aren't base models
end up being factory orders, I think. I know when I bought my '03,
the dealer couldn't find one anywhere in the northeast with a stick.
> The one I'm looking at is a 2001 extended cab (2 door), V6, 4WD, 5 speed, with
> 93K miles on it. I drove it, and didn't notice any strange noises or clunking
> (ball joints?). Other than the usual used car stuff (belts, hoses, fluid
> changes, and general maintenance items) that I will assume need to be done,
> and that it needs new tires, is there anything specific I should look out
> for? Any common rust sites I need to check out? The body looks good from the
> top, but I haven't crawled under it yet to see what it looks like from below.
> Being in the rust belt, rust tends to be what kills my cars and trucks.
Definitely have the balljoints checked out by a mechanic who knows how
to do it. If you can, have a dealer run the VIN to find out if the
balljoint recall was performed on it - an '01 4x4 should have had it
done.
Check out the front brakes - these rotors are very prone to damage if
the wheel lugs are over-torqued.
Common rust sites...nothing that comes to mind. The front bumper on
'99 and older was usually a hotbed of rust, but that's since been
given a plastic cover.
If the shocks are still OEM, they're shot. They were shot about 90K
ago on this truck you're looking at (the stockers are terrible).
Unless you know they've been replaced with good units, figure on a
replacement soon. Good news is, it's pretty easy.
Bob Smith (DAKSY) has an '00 V6 4WD manual with well over 100K on it,
I'm sure he could give you a rundown of everything that he's been
through.
If you can get a real maintenance history, do it and read through it.
Forget Carfax, lots of things don't get reported on it.
.
.
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