Dakota 2000-An All Around Winner

The time had finally come to replace my '82 Dodge Ram 50. Let me say right off the top that I have no brand loyalty. I'll buy whatever is good, regardless of the manufacturer.

I really didn't want a full size truck, so I was looking at the Dakota, the Ford Ranger, the Mazda pickup (Ford Ranger), and the Chevy S10. A friend of mine has a 98 Ranger and loves it, but the styling just didn't spark anything in me. Same for the S10. On the other hand, every time I went to a Dodge dealer, I kept saying to myself, "these are nice trucks". I didn't care much for the looks when they came out, but the body style grew on me quickly, and I was happy to see the Dakota go over to the Ram styling.

During my visit to Lustine Dodge in Woodbridge, Virginia, I test drove quite a few trucks, and was able to start shaping my opinions. When I first drove the new Dakota, I was simply amazed at the ride quality. The dealer let me go out on my own and I found a route that had multiple terrains ranging from smooth road to bumpy gravel with potholes. I was shocked at how much the Dakota felt like a car. I never got that "truck" feeling, you know-the one where you hit a bump and all three people in the front seat bounce upwards at the same time. When I got back, I saw a full size RAM that was only 2k more than the Dakota I just drove. I decided to take that out for a test drive even though I didn't want a full size. As I was climbing in, I realized that I really liked it, and knew that my wife was going to have to talk me out of it. She didn't have to. As soon as I turned the first corner, I hit a few bumps and started bouncing around the cab. Wow, that thing rode horrible. The more I drove it, the more I realized that this wouldn't work on a day to day basis, not after driving the Dakota. In fairness, it was the 4WD Ram, and I later learned that the suspension is totally different on the 2WD vs. the 4WD.

When I went in to talk with the sales people, I laid out for them what I was looking for; Dakota 2WD, 6cyl., regular cab, 5 speed, power options, and a cheesy stereo. After looking through their inventory, we came up with some close ones.

By the end of the day, I ended up getting something much different than what I had in mind. For starters, they had very few 5 speeds on the lot, almost everything was automatic, so I caved on that and went automatic (I like manual transmissions because I like to feel I'm *driving*, not riding). Secondly, I realized that the extra space on the club cab would be really nice to have, that way I could lock things in the cab, since I can't secure things in the bed. I could've bought a toolbox that locks, but I have to transport motorcycles, so this was not an option. I went ahead with a club cab. I ended up getting the large power mirrors (which are great, you can sight-see in them), but not power windows and locks. I would have liked to have those, but they weren't necessary. Also, the dealer said that power locks could be added after the fact for around $300 (keyless entry system). I also opted for the Line-X spray on bed cover, which is being done next week, so I can't judge that yet, though I've heard from other people that it's great. I also got the cheesiest stereo possible, knowing that my Sony system was going into it. So in the end, what I ended up getting was a Dakota 2WD Club Cab Sport, automatic.

The interior is very comfortable and well thought out. I read somewhere that it's bland, but it's excellent in my opinion. The gauges are easy to read, even at night, though I would have liked it if they used the white gauge faces like the new Neon. The glove box is big, and there's underseat storage in the club cab. There's 4 cup holders that work good, and the console on the floor worked great for mounting my Nokia cell phone. Also the fold down console on the seat was huge! The only problem with it is that when you flip it up out of the way, whatever's in it gets bashed around.

Driving it home with my 30 day tags, I felt that I had made a very good decision. Lustine was great and didn't hassle me at all, they didn't want any deposits or silly stuff like that. I felt like I got a very fair deal.

The quality of my truck looks great. I haven't had it long enough to give reliability ratings, but the ride inside is very quiet, and fit and finish are excellent.

One thing to keep in mind is that this isn't a small truck. It's wide and really long if you have the club cab option. I'm still getting used to parking it. The V6 is fine for everything I need, and has a nice growl to it if you're outside the truck. The performance is fine for a truck (my other car is a Z-28, that's where I get my speed fix) and handling is top notch.

I like it, my neighbors and friends like it, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Update:
I have now had this truck for 8 months now, and am still very happy with it. I haven't had any problems at all, none, zilch. I like the Sport suspension, it freaks people out when I can hang with them getting off on exit ramps. The Line-X is holding up great and I've had many questions and compliments on it.