Our First Truck, and We Love It!

We bought our 2006 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab (flame red) on Memorial Day Weekend of 2006. At the time of this writing, we have owned the truck for almost a year.
Specs:
SLT
Quad Cab
4X4
Magnum V-8, 230hp
Tow Package (includes 3.92 rear end)
Anti-spin rear differential
5'4" bed
7800 miles to date

Everyday driving and use:
I enjoy driving this truck. It rides better than average for a truck, and is pretty maneuverable, even for an 18' foot long vehicle. The cab is very roomy, gages are easy to read, seats are comfortable, and the interior is easy to clean out. Average MPG is 16-17, if you're not a lead foot. This particular V-8 is not a rocket-ship motor, but it has lots of low-end grunt. It hauls everything we need (mulch, fill dirt from yard projects, furniture, lumber) without a fuss. I have not had the chance to tow with it yet, but we plan to buy a 18'-20' travel trailer in the next year.
I traded in an '04 Jeep Wrangler for this vehicle due to the difficulty of getting my then at the time 4-month old son in and out of the back in his infant seat. The Quad Cab makes it much easier and he has plenty of room (he's now in a forward-facing tethered seat.) The latch system with his infant car seat base was easy to use, but when putting in a tethered forward facing seat (convertible seat), things are a bit more complicated. You still attach the latch straps down into the seat, but the tether has to thread through the head rest (it does not raise up or come off!), go through the webbing material, and attach to the point for the center seating position. If you put the seat in the center, then you thread through the webbing in the center and attach it to one of the outer points. However, putting kid seats in the back seat of any truck takes some figuring out.

Issues:
There was a recall on my Dakota, due to an electrical issue that had to do with a static electrical discharge. This discharge could cause the wipers to go off without warning, lights to flash on or off, and other weird stuff. I had the recall performed when I received the notice, (reprogramming the control module in the instrument cluster) having no problems up to that point. Shortly after, all these things started to happen. Wipers would go off, the wiper fluid would mist, dash lights and other lights would flicker on and off. For the next four months, the dealer tried to fix it, with no avail. Then they got a service bulletin stating that the '06 Dakotas sometimes would not take the programming solution. They wound up replacing the entire instrument cluster, and the problem has been fixed ever since.

All Good From Here:
Mechanically, the truck is solid. Does not sputter, stall, but just keeps truckin' along. Transmission shifts reliably and predictably. It looks good, almost like a mini Ram. Goes through 12" of snow like a day at the park. The anti-spin rear differential gives the truck exceptional traction in rear wheel drive, let alone four-wheel drive. Fit and finish is actually pretty good, especially giving the beating the Big Three take on that subject in other reviews. It's quiet, smooth, and easy to live with. I am glad the dealer was able to fix the electrical issue, because we really like this truck. There's nothing I really do not like about this vehicle, it does everything I want, and has enabled us to do other stuff we couldn't do without a truck. I hope to get 8-10 years of use from it. This makes for a good first truck.

Price - $30,700
Rebate - $3500