To buy and drive or not to... '00 Dodge Dakota

[Sharpline]

Hello!

I am looking at a few different trucks at the moment.

The one I am very interested in is a 2000 Dodge Dakota SLT 4 door.
It has 72k miles and seems to be in excelent condition.
It did have the transmission rebuilt at 68k miles, is this an issue?

Are there any issues with these trucks that I should look out for?
I am planning on doing a fly and drive (1500 miles home) so these are things I will have to ask the seller about.

Here is the truck I am looking at: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/3226233705.html
Any thoughts?

There are also a few 1500's that have caught my attention but have higher miles and are more expensive.
Should I be considering these more heavily?

I plan to use my truck as a mild off road machine, camping gear hauler, and light boat hauler.

Thank you for your time

 

[Saiyan66]

That truck seems like it should be worth alot more that $3600. Maybe there is a reason it is being "given away". Also suspect is the need for a trans rebuild at 68k. The 545RFE transmission isn't the best, but it sure shouldn't be giving up with that few miles on it. The truck looks clean though so I could see how it would be very tempting at that price.

 

[Sharpline]

Hence the question on this truck.
It seems to good to be true, and usually is.

I have an email with the guy as I am doing a trip to the area next week and it would be an easy pickup and drive.

 

[delithic]

I would question the tread depth on the front tires, and ask for an interior photo of the rear seat and the bed area. The bed area might be damaged by the home depot trips.

 

[delithic]

Also they may have damaged something with the Transmission flush. I have seen flushes damage Transmissions before when they apply too much pressure and mess up some of the internal valves.

 

[AA1PR]

be careful with craigslist, its ful of scammers, like others said or I will say buy locally, something you can trace

I once read that there is really no aftermarket accessories for that model of truck & now its discontinued it may be harder to get parts for it in the future

 

[redthies]

I have bought many vehicles on the fly n drive scenario. I am a little too far from Seattle to check it out for you, but I will say I looked at Dakotas in Seattle very hard last fall. The truck in the add is waaaay too cheap for what it is. If it were "the real deal" it would have been sold in about 10 minutes at $3600. It is worth at least $6000-$7000 in the Seattle market if it is a good truck.

Good luck with your search, whichever way you go...

 

[Nick02]

Seems like a good truck, maybe a lemon transmission there, 45rfe a bad transmission? heh first I've ever heard of that, 1000x better then the 46re and will last forever in a Dakota.

45rfe's last a long time behind the 4.7L, it's a 4speed with two overdrives; I beat the hell out of my stock 4.7L /45rfe on 39's in the rocks, highway and city almost every weekend:bike_rider:, I've known guys getting 300K out of them, mine has a hard 100K on it and begs for more! I see the seller put the transgo kit in it, it's a good upgrade and has a beefier spring retainer plate, stiffer springs, better seals and a redesigned l/R switch valve. With the transgo it will shift harder but it's better for it; I have one in mine.

Raybestos professional grade stuff is dana/spicer american stuff not cheap Chinese ebay stuff. The Timken/SKF unit bearings are the best, The seller knows what was best for this truck and seems honest in the description.

Seems like a good deal, I say go for it; looks like it has been extremely well maintained but the low price seems too low. I would be scared of accidents, rust issues or a false odometer reading.

be forewarned
There is little or no aftermarket for offroad parts and such
Gas milage will suck
Front differentials are known to implode when offroading.

But this generation Dakota's are tanks, I rolled mine over and could still open all the doors nicely and roll down all the windows:Wow1:

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

I had an 03 that I bought new...looked just like this. To me, that sounds like a really stellar deal. Get it checked out by a good reputable shop and go over it with a fine tooth comb, anything wrong should be pretty apparent. I would jump on this if it were local!

 

[camper357]

1. No license plate photo.
2. Scenery does not look like Seattle.
3. No phone number.
4. Ad mentions "end of the auction"

Looks like a cut and past job from an ebay ad. I would send him an email via a different email address and tell him you are local and would like to look at it.

 

[camper357]

too good to be true

I emailed this guy for fun telling him I would like to see it, he is "out of town" and is trying to sell it though a third party, some company called OPS or something like that. This is a scam.

 

[DoMiNiC1]

http://youtu.be/KAp9sFVdERQ

 

[8-Lug]

Thats what I was looking for when I bought my 2005 Dakota SLT 4x4 new. Buy mine with 41,500 documented miles for $14,500 and I'll buy that one. If we can trace down the 'real' owner and find out the 'real' price! Probably double what they say it is!

 

[Kya]

I love my Dakota (2000, 4.7L). It has been dependaple and reliable with no issues in 146,000 miles and 12 years. We have had the camper in it for about a year and a half and it keeps on truckin. We wheel it all over Colorado and rocky mountain passes. We just completed a Colorado to PNW and back 3,000+ mile roadtrip this summer. No problems.

Only issues you will find is there are NO aftermarket support for these vehicles if your looking to build it up for offroad travel. Everything you want will have to be homemade or custom. Goodluck with purchase.

 

[4x4x4doors]

In what universe is Seattle "mid-western"?

There is some surface rust starting on frame, but otherwise, its generally quite clean, especially for an 11 year old mid-western truck.