DODGE DAKOTA QUAD CAB!!!
Trapper
near the rear, is my next truck. The Dodge Dakota QUAD CAB!! AND it can
come with the 5.9L V8. Oh my god I think I'm gonna faint!!
David
and less weight they haul ass.
Trapper wrote in message ...
the game man
mated to a newly designed transmission especially tuned for that engine!
Brett, the game-machine guy in North Georgia.
David wrote in message ...
the game man
My wife only wanted a green Sport (matching painted bumpers and front
grille)
...heck I saw 4 red Sport models that I could have gotten a better deal on,
oh-well.
I am slightly disapointed with its manufacture....I am NOT saying that I am
not overall pleased with it though, (we truely are).
But...
The front bumper had a dent in it, (did not find until the next day)
Has rather much wind noise coming from the top of each front door...
...I discovered why,,,
each door seems to have been modified at the factory...must have been a
standard
Dakota (front) door, and so to work in this new 4-door configuration, they
cut the window
supports down about 12'' (both sides), evidently, the top-rear curveature is
different,
so they just cut the support, stuck a new glass into the door, and welded
the crew
cab support where the old one used to be...
...But....where the welds and bondo are, the door (window) support is
thicker, so the
rubber seal is not a flush fit, so alot of wind noise passes through this
area. It has the
identical look of hundreds of cars I have seen come out of body shops after
doors
were damaged and repaired.
I have test-drove 3 different models, 4x4, V-8's and mine (the v-6), and
they all sounded
the same....and all 10 crew cabs I looked at had the same *cut & re-weld*
door braces.
It is also a little noisey before it gets warmed up...it seems to be coming
from the
engine compartment....the engine fan clutch or something...but it does go
away after
a few minutes.
A couple of places the paint was damaged, and the dealer said that was a
factory
paint defect, and that is the *way it comes*, take it or leave it. Several
other places
had small scratches and scuffs, still visable, even after coming out of the
prep shop.
The windshield trim was folded under on one side, so I must return for
service at
a later date for it's repair...and at the factory, they accidently left a
large glob of black
windshield sealant stuck to the back-top of the dash...something else I did
not see
until the next day....something else I will need for them to completely
remove.
I am a little dissapointed with the brakes, for a mid-size truck, I would
have expected
a little better pedal response...it feels like a normal extended cab Dakota
with a
load on, so to speak. I would have thought Dodge would have beefed the
brakes
up a little to compensate for the heavier bodied truck, but it doesn't seem
so.
My suggestion would be not to get the large *fixed* console, but to have the
40-20-40 bench, besides, the center back folds down into a console, with a
large
storage area for change, CD's and casette tapes. I am a little heavy, so
the fixed
console model really squeezed my rearend.
One of the window visors airbag warning decals was torn off revealing the
underside
of the cloth material, an easy swap I hope.
For the good side, it is not too tall off the ground (like the Nissan), you
dont have to
have a step ladder to get into it (thank you Dodge), and
for my wife, the V-6 seems zippy enough, and the little thing gets to 75 mph
before
the tach hits 2000 rpm, so it should be a gas saver. I ran this Dakota Crew
cab to
95 and it had a lot of pedal (and tach) left for more...but I figured the
computer would
shut it down around 100 mph anyway, (similar to my Chev 2500 Crew cab).
The New electric/defrosting mirrors are LARGE and easy to manuver...they
seem
almost 2 inches taller than the regualr cab Dakota's mirrors.
I do feel much safer when driving this truck than our 1999 VW beetle we
traded in
for this one, it is kind of a car in the front, with an ample size truck bed
in the rear,
and the rear doors open all the way to like 90 degrees, so no more needing
to
angle boxes to make them fit, they just go straight in!. Also, the rear
seats are
60-40, and the seat portion lifts up to make even MORE storage, and you can
allow one person to sit while the other seat folds up for enough room to fit
a 33
inch television in at the same time!
Overall I am much pleased with Dodge in designing this Crew Cab into this
midsize Dakota...especially SO SOON after the Dakota itself just went
through
this entire body style upgrade...was it only 3 years ago?
Now if Dodge would only get off their rears and manufacture a Ram Truck Crew
Cab in the Cummins turbo diesel...then I would be one happy country boy!!
All the best,
Brett, the game-machine guy in North Georgia.
Trapper wrote in message ...
.boB
> I just go my quarterly Artic-Cat riders magazine and there, in the pages
> near the rear, is my next truck. The Dodge Dakota QUAD CAB!! AND it can
> come with the 5.9L V8. Oh my god I think I'm gonna faint!!
BUT....... you can't get the 5.9L in 4x4.
--
.boB
97 H-D 1200 XLHS 95 Ram 1500 CC/LWB
97 H-D FXDWG 83 GMC Jimmy 4x4 (beater)
97 Yamaha TW-200 65 Shelby Cobra 427 (project)
98 Kawasaki KE100
Mr. Speaker
Yes you can get the 5.9 liter with the 4x4. You may not be able to get
the full time 4wd with the 5.9l but you can for sure get the part time
4wd.