Looking at a 97 Dakota this weekend. Major questions: Is the 3.9 v6 in this model known for reliability? Does the auto trans have any known problems/issues?

Garold (Itsa914) has one of those. He likes it. You may want to contact him.

Duno...."I" gotta Dakota...'00 with a 360 V8 and a Vortech blower....$14K.....35,000 miles....I can ship it to ya.....kick ass on anything that guy has.....

P content.....drove the 914 to get beer today.....

I had a '98 extended cab V6 auto. I thought my engine was 4.0 but I don't remember maybe it was 3.9. Here's my impressions: It really didn't have much power and got pretty poor gas mileage. I used to get 15 to 17 mpg and I get that now with my Silverado diesel 4x4 that has plenty of power. I didn't like the programing on the transmission. I could never get it to downshift without putting my foot all the way to the floor, then if you lift before it upshifts if gets confused and takes an extra second before it upshifts. It never really broke down much or gave me much trouble but I was glad to get rid of it.

I drive an '02 Dakota at work. Small V8 goes like stink but at best I get 18mpg and those are imperial gallons.
Fun to drive, lots of balls, but for economy I would buy a full size truck first. Thats why my personal truck is a 2004 F150 and I love it.

We have a 01 sport with the 3.9 V6. It tows, it hauls ass. I like it, its pictured in the avatar.

HIEDI

I've got a 98 and its not bad except for a few issues.

1. The VSS (vehicle speed sensor goes out). easily replaceable.
2. Make sure the bed is mounted on straight (The dealer wouldn't fix it because it's a cosmetic thing.)
3. For some reason the dakotas break a lot of exhaust studs.(ask me how I know)
4. Poor gas mileage for a v6. I shoulda got a v8, at least with a v8 I'd have the same gas mileage and more power.

The up side about them is they've got more room than most midsize or mini trucks.
And at almost 130,000 miles it still pulls pretty good.

QUOTE (seanery @ Feb 25 2005, 05:11 PM)

Garold (Itsa914) has one of those. He likes it. You may want to contact him.

I have a 03 quab cab. It replaced my beloved 96 F150

Its a good truck, I like it, but if I had to do over agian I would have bought a full size ram. I missed the bigger bed. The quab cab is nice, room enough for 5 adults, my truck is a 6 and it pulls my 914 on a Uhaul auto transport just fine. It buy far is not the fastest thing on the road, but it does what I need it to do. I will replace it with a bigger truck in 5 years.

I have a 05 Dakota (see avaitar) chews socks

It's cute too, and seats 5 when it's grown, unless wet..


M

I have a 2000 Dakota 4x4. 4.7L V8, 5-speed stick, 3.92 gears with limited slip.



Linkie Lookie here...

It's a great truck, surprises Gen-3 Camaros, and hauls everything (1800lb payload, 6200 lb trailer).

But, it's sitting in the garage with the whole front left torn apart since I have a bad CV and I can't find a parts store that carries the right one! It's an EARLY 2000, so I think there is something wierd. 99 CV won't fit and a 2000 won't either. WTF?

Regardless, I like it. Like I said, I can park it in the garage, but it's roomy and has a V-8. 'nuff said.

Later,
Tom

Hi
Good choice for mid sized truck, looks really sexy for a truck.
Every single customer that comes to the shop asks me to do something about the mileage ! 8cyl a better choice. Motor has a trate that it biulds a lot of guup in the motor, oil changes is a must, huge power stering pump issues but Napa has them. 32 tires can be fitted on a stock suspension with only slight mods
If you want to downsize a bit the Ford Ranger is a good choice.
WBR
Cheers
Joe

I love my truck. I have an '04 quad cab with the 4.7 liter V8. The 8 is the way to go. It gets the same mileage as the 6 but you can tow with it. It even works as a family car, is quieter than the Taurus (POS) and due to its mid size, is a hell of a lot easier to park and maneuver in So-Cal Traffic. I agree that the size of the bed can be a hindrance, but I rarely find myself needing a full size bed. My $.02? Wait/pop for the V8. You'll be happier with it.

i had an 87 dakota w/ a 3.9 in it and that thing ran like a top. Very reliable, very solid truck. Of course mine was grabber blue w/ flames, billet wheels and hydraulics.

my opinion, stay away from dodge auto trannys, i know about 5 people who all have 96 through 99 trucks and all of em had 2 to 3 trannys to get to 100 k miles. a real good friend of mine has a 97 dakota, his tranny did make it to 120 k, but then when he tried to find a tranny it got real interesting. for some strange reason dodge used a different tranny in 97 ( ecu in truck or tranny ) and he could not replace it with a standard tranny, had to specificly one from a 97, rebuilt would have cost him 4000 from the tranny alone. other problems i know of are tps and idle controls go bad. another guy i used to work with has a ram in the same year range as the others, his tranny is a manual and i know his truck was in the shop at least a month a year for 2 years

Well I'm going to get it. Will post pics after I pick it up. Found out the 3.9 is like the 4.3. The 4.3 is a 350 -2cyl. The 3.9 is a 318 -2cyl. Finding parts wont be a problem for me when I work at a salvage yard. Trans shifts well and I have shops around here that can rebuild if it has problems. Plenty of power for me. It's an ext cab so no shorty bed.