Scott Vieth wrote:
>
> John wrote:
>
> >Good Luck with them, their a nice looking vehical, but it's
> >their 1st year out, I'll wait a couple moore years when the
> >Engineering is complete and the bugs are worked out.
>
> I don't know what problems with the '97s that you are referring to. My truck
> arrived in great condition and has performed very well since day one.
>
> Can you list some of the reasons why you wouldn't buy a '97 Dakota? I'm
> curious...
>
> -Scott Vieth http://www.msn.fullfeed.com/~scottv
>
> '68 Camaro RS, 327/PG
> '97 Dakota Sport 4x4 Club Cab, 5.2L/5-spd
John's statement was more of a general one about the first model year of
any new auto being the most prone to problems. This grows with more
changes over the previous years. This applies to any new product, in
that they are typically released before all of the bugs are worked out.
Also training of the assembly workers plays a part (remember the guy
whose rear axle ripped itself apart?) The drivetrain on the '97 is
mostly inherited from previous years, so the only bugs you would expect
are in the body and other totally new components (such as the recent
wind noise conversation). As long as you keep up with maintenance and
TSB's, it's not such a big deal, and Dodge has done an above average job
with the Dakota. There are several new Ford trucks at work, and each
one has been in the shop for real repairs (not minor things like wind
noise). I'm like John, I want to wait a year before I buy a new
body-style Dakota, but I do want one bad!
-- -Chris Smith mopar@tough.com (not related to Mopar or Dodge, just love their products)
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