Before I bought my truck, one of the things I did was to plug a few values
into Excel and compare the depreciation rates of the three makes. Dodge
trucks retain their value pretty damn well compared to their F*rd and GM
competition. The first year (actually, drive-off-the-lot) depreciation is
always the worst, and I expect you could find a significant discontinuity
for every major body-style change. And for the Dakota, I suspect a big
difference between Magnum and pre-Magnum models (Consumer Reports had lots
of bad things to say about the fuel systems prior to MPI).
In two years, there may still be a blip due to the body style change, but
I suspect it won't be quite as significant.
There may also still be a number of '96-models on lots around the country,
which does nothing to help your current value. After a while, those will be
sold, and your value might recover - if there really are buyers enamored
of the nostalgic style.
After five years of ownership, the only thing I can really fault about my
truck is that we're pretty much stuck with the lighting system Dodge builds
- which isn't bad for me, just for oncoming traffic. The new style is even
more aero-style, and less accessible, so that's a push. Does anyone know
whether Dakotas have been sold in Europe, where they likely got a much
better lighting system (glass lenses, H4 lamps) ??
Jim
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