OT: 1999 Dodge Dakota

Local dealer has a 99 Dakota. Ext. Cab, slt, 4wd, 5.2 auto with 143k miles. They're asking $3000. I've just seen pics but it looks clean and maybe no rust. It is out of Tennessee so maybe it hasn't seen much road salt. What can you guys tell me about the power train? Any issues? Just looking for a second truck, mostly as a runner and something the wife can tool around in when a truck is needed. Thanks.
 
The 5.2 is the old Chrysler A block 318, a good engine. My experiences with the Dakotas is you can operate a F-150 or Chevy/GMc 1500 for about the same money, of course you're buying it old so depreciation is not so much of a factor. This was built during the transmission crisis at Chrysler but I think that was effecting mostly their front drive stuff. I had a 99 club cab with a V6 as a company truck for a while, it wasn't a bad truck and it's replacement was a 2005 Dakota Crew cab with a V6, again not a bad truck but it depreciated like a rock and got about the same mileage as the F-150 we had unless the 150 had a pow on it.
 
The 5.2 Magnum may not give you too much trouble other than
a water pump here and there. They're not the same as the earlier
A and LA engines but they all seemed to be good engines.
Gas mileage is not the best of course.

My brother had front end and 4x4 issues with his, but it was an
earlier model. May not apply to the one you are looking at.

Price is in the range for dealer price in my area I would think.
Might find it cheaper from a private party if they had one in that
condition, mileage, etc. and not all rusted out.
 
Engine should last a while, those seem to be pretty bullet proof. I've heard of an occasional tranny issue with them but over all a good truck. Pretty big engine fpe the size truck. Price seems pretty decent, especially if there's no rust.

My dad had a '01 with the v6, had very few problems and sold it with 212k miles.
 

I had a '93 with the 318, auto transmission, 4-wheel drive and 3:55 gears. I drove it to Richmond, Va. in a bad blizzard that stretched from Eastern Kansas to Kentucky and it never missed a stroke. When I got back here I gave it to my daughter with 145,000 miles on it. She still drives it everyday with a bit over 200K on the clock.

About 2 years ago I bought a 1997 cream-puff with the same specs and it's got only 128,000 miles on it now (had 104K on it when I got it). It will RUN! An interesting thing about the '97 was that it was pretty gutless at first compared to the '93 but then I put a Street-Max muffler on it and it really woke up! BUT it also gets about 1 mpg LESS than it did before, just the opposite of what I'd come to expect. But, man, what a difference in performance! I figure that it was set up so lean (Dodge was lookin' for mileage, I reckon) that the new straight through muffler caused the 'brain' to richen up the injectors so it could make some serious power.......which suits me just right. Yeah, it only gets about 14 mpg but the grin factor is way up there. If it had 3:73 or 3:92 front and rear It would be much better BUT it's still a pretty good outfit. One thing, don't let your alignment shop 'turn up" the front end or you'll be replacing the ball-joints after a bit.

As you can tell, I am a fan of the earlier Dakotas so I say, 'Go for it'!
 

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