Greetings everyone,
Recently I replaced my tired ole 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 2001 Quad Cab Dakota. While I didn't have the Jeep for a long time, and thus not a long history with it, I always have loved Jeeps. Mostly because my first career was working at a Dodge Six Pack dealer (points for anyone who knows what the six packs were), and that was my formal college educated profession. So, I've seen a lot of Jeeps and had pleasure of working on them for about 10 years. Somewhere deep in my mind Jeeps hold the esteem of being the true off road vehicle of choice, and someday I will have another. But that's a story for a different time.
This is all about my Quad cab Dakota, another old familiar friend that I have grown to cherish. Sure, they have had their fair share of negative press (ball joints, 4.7L engine troubles, which is mostly due to lack of care imho). This story begins with the search for a family friendly truck, with plenty of room for my wife and kids as well as cargo capacity. I found what was soon to be mine on craigslist of all places, for the measly sum of $1500!
I guess I should fill you in on some background here, I live in Minnesota where the roads are paved with salt.. Yes I said salt.. So what this means is that almost every car/truck that is more than 2 years old has extensive 'character' (read; rust). Wheel wells are trimmed by mother nature rather than cut for tire clearance. It's rare to find a truck that doesn't have some sort of rust, so when I found this 2001 that has minimal rust I was pretty happy. Sure there is some rust, but nothing that can't be repaired if my heart desires.
So after flopping down some cash, I had myself a Quad Cab Dakota! As she currently sits, I have replaced the tires with something a little more suitable for mild off road adventures, will be replacing the worn out shocks, and doing a t-bar adjustment as soon as this %$&^% rain stops...
Small note about the title change, every good vehicle needs a name and while talking with a friend it was mentioned that the quad cab was bigger on the inside than it looks. Thus the Dakota was reborn as 'The Tardis', oh and it's also blue :bigok:
Recently I replaced my tired ole 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 2001 Quad Cab Dakota. While I didn't have the Jeep for a long time, and thus not a long history with it, I always have loved Jeeps. Mostly because my first career was working at a Dodge Six Pack dealer (points for anyone who knows what the six packs were), and that was my formal college educated profession. So, I've seen a lot of Jeeps and had pleasure of working on them for about 10 years. Somewhere deep in my mind Jeeps hold the esteem of being the true off road vehicle of choice, and someday I will have another. But that's a story for a different time.
This is all about my Quad cab Dakota, another old familiar friend that I have grown to cherish. Sure, they have had their fair share of negative press (ball joints, 4.7L engine troubles, which is mostly due to lack of care imho). This story begins with the search for a family friendly truck, with plenty of room for my wife and kids as well as cargo capacity. I found what was soon to be mine on craigslist of all places, for the measly sum of $1500!
I guess I should fill you in on some background here, I live in Minnesota where the roads are paved with salt.. Yes I said salt.. So what this means is that almost every car/truck that is more than 2 years old has extensive 'character' (read; rust). Wheel wells are trimmed by mother nature rather than cut for tire clearance. It's rare to find a truck that doesn't have some sort of rust, so when I found this 2001 that has minimal rust I was pretty happy. Sure there is some rust, but nothing that can't be repaired if my heart desires.
So after flopping down some cash, I had myself a Quad Cab Dakota! As she currently sits, I have replaced the tires with something a little more suitable for mild off road adventures, will be replacing the worn out shocks, and doing a t-bar adjustment as soon as this %$&^% rain stops...
Small note about the title change, every good vehicle needs a name and while talking with a friend it was mentioned that the quad cab was bigger on the inside than it looks. Thus the Dakota was reborn as 'The Tardis', oh and it's also blue :bigok:
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