I need opinions on dakotas/durangos

[lou3500]

What do ya'll think of Durangos/Dakotas are they a decent vehicle or problem prone P.O.S.s i may be having to replace my ram 3500 dually due to an electrical meltdown and the insurance may total it [waiting on word from them] i need a vehicle to transport my dog to the vet and also have room for passengers when we go somewhere. I have heard/read that they have some electrical issues that causes the engine to shut off at any time. At the same time i have found an A100 van that i really like 273 v8/auto with a lot of new stuff installed i want another older vehicle but i also want a modern vehicle for a daily driver.[and yes if i get enough i have tohught of buying both].

I also found this 91 350 cummins/5 speed stick 115,000 miles cold a/c in good shape.[but it's a straight truck,i would have to deal with that]

 

[Mopardude]

I have owned a 97, and 02 Dakotas and from my experience they are decent trucks.

 

[RCAddict]

I've owned 4 different Dakotas 91 92 96 &2000 R/T with no problems like you mentioned
The R/T went to the dealer under warranty to fix a problem with the steering column that caused it to cut out & miss when tilted to a certain position
Other than that they were all VERY DEPENDABLE & the Durango is as reliable unless it has a 4.7 in it
Buy the A100 & put a A500 OD in it along with some disc brakes & enjoy

 

[holmes]

I have owned 4 Dakotas also and the only electrical issues I ever had was the gas gauge acting up then quit working (sending unit/fuel pump) and corrosion in the bulkhead connector (easy fix and wrap with electrical tape.) Those 2 problems were on the same truck I bought used with a lot of miles on it. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one though.

 

[1baddak]

Ive owned a 89 Shelby Dak since new and ive ran the crap out of it with no major problems. No electrical . Just normal wear and tear. 175000 miles on it now. I am on my third motor stock 318 ,340, now a 418 .

 

[lou3500]

Well still no word on whats going on keeping my fingers crossed. I found a durango 4x4 for 2500$-105,000 miles,small lift,new tires don't look bad. I really like the a100 my wife said it's ugley just like my 66 cuda. I saw disk conversions on the net so i would definatly do that [drums suck]. I'm unsure what i'm gonna do but if i get enough i'll get the A100 and something else [found an older dakota -square type body- for 1700$ v8 a/c auto.]

 

[1baddak]

Go with the old Dak (mine is a 89) and the ugly A100. Ive got a 67 A100 no windows 6 cyl. It is ugly but they are so neat. I dont drive mine just got a good deal and got it.

 

[Scoots]

IMHO you cannot go wrong with any Dak pre 95. I have had 5 Daks and the only one that gave me any trouble was a 96. The pre 95 is OBD1 and OBD2 was 96+. I love the single O2 setup on pre95. I have worked out of 3 of them driving all over the state carrying 1ooo+ pounds of tools and supplies without a problem except the 96 would cut out from time to time. I worked out of a 94, bought a work van and decided to hot rod the Dak. Raced the piss out of it and it took it all. Sold it and the next owner got years of use out of it.

As mentioned above.. Rangos are great but if the 4.7 wasnt taken care of, namely oil changes, it could give you a lot of problems. Good ole 5.2 & 5.9 are bullet proof, except for the manifold pan gasket. If it has a slight stumble on idle its probably blow by. cheap and fairly easy fix and it'll usually help gas mileage.