Opinon on used trucks

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nasty69

nasty69

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Hey fellas im looking to get some ideas other than my own on used vehicles. I currenty own a 2009 crew cab hemi and don't need it anymore because we just bought my wife the new overland grand cherokee. my dilema is that im looking for a good reliable used truck. Sure i want to stay american and have my eye on a few 1998-2002 dakota's, 3.7 or 4.7 l. but im also looking at 99-03 toyota tacomas.. whats your opinon and why??
 
Go with the dakota, bought one for my son last summer and he loves it, and it's easy to work on he had a GM Blaser before that POS had wiring issues, amongst a ton of other things, personally I will never buy a jap car or truck, even IF they are made here, blah blah and even If our car company's are owned by the government at least the money stays here.
 
412 Stroker said:
Go with the dakota, bought one for my son last summer and he loves it, and it's easy to work on he had a GM Blaser before that POS had wiring issues, amongst a ton of other things, personally I will never buy a jap car or truck, even IF they are made here, blah blah and even If our car company's are owned by the government at least the money stays here.
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I agree with you 100% but Im looking for reliability.Im not familar with the 3.7l and i know Toyotas run forever....
 
actually it should be a 3.9 and it is a 318 with 2 cylinders missing one of the best engines mopar ever made, Ask Strokerscamp what he thinks of that motor, has the same pistons, bore and stroke as the 318, just 2 less cylinders, my son has a 1998 and it came with holley fuel injection OEM works great he gets approx. 20 mpg on the highway with it. it has over 160,000, there is a guy on here that has 300,000 on one of his dakota's with the 3.9 IMO stick with MOPAR...
 
it's either mopar...
... or kenworth
flamed_Bl_Kenworth.JPG
 
I've owned both...
Why do you want to change trucks. My old Hemi ram actually got better mileage than my 6 cylinder Dak!!!

Once you've purchased the vehicle, your biggest expense for that vehicle is gas. The Ram is much more capable, much more comfortable, and will at least equal the mpg's of a Dak. My Hemi ram would pull 19mpg on the high way all day long. my 6 cylinder Dak, never came close to that.

Doesn't sound like a good proposition to me.
 
I have gone through the same thoughts as you as I no longer needed a 1 ton dually diesel as I only drive about 10 miles a day now. Sold it and found a 88 full size Dodge truck with a 318 for $500 bucks. Put another $1000 in it to make it road worthy. Good on gas,cheaper to insure,where I live registration cheaper too.
 
412 Stroker said:
actually it should be a 3.9 and it is a 318 with 2 cylinders missing one of the best engines mopar ever made, Ask Strokerscamp what he thinks of that motor, has the same pistons, bore and stroke as the 318, just 2 less cylinders, my son has a 1998 and it came with holley fuel injection OEM works great he gets approx. 20 mpg on the highway with it. it has over 160,000, there is a guy on here that has 300,000 on one of his dakota's with the 3.9 IMO stick with MOPAR...
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3.9's are great engines. the 1998, 1999 and some 2000 and 2001's will still have them, from there on then the 4.7 and 3.7 started appearing
 
well we just bought my wife an '11 overland summit edition jeep GC. got it for a good deal , I love my hemi ram, but im looking to basically free up some money... Keep the opinions coming. greatly appreciated. Just hard to find any older model vehicle taht hastn' been torn to pieces, wrecked or mechanically reliable.
 
If i do purchase a dakota, the 6 would be better than the 8? not just on gas but reliablity?? Just worried about unforseen mechanical problems after purchase. which i can automatically assume will take place on it after purchase, bc i simply don't trust anyone in the car business.
 
depends on what you are going to do with it, are you gonna tow something?? or just use it as a daily driver?? I don't know this for sure, but I would imagine the v6 would be a little beter on gas but not always, if you are going to tow anything, or haul alot then I would go with the v8.
 
I'm going to disagree on the 3.9 actually, and here's why-

For a V6, they get lousy mileage. We had an '02 Dakota, just a standard cab, no feature 3.9 with a manual trans. It never got any better gas mileage than any of my 318's, including the carbureted (4v) 318 auto in my Challenger. It does, however, have less power. So, in my opinion, I'd just get the 5.2 (318 ). Same mpg's, more power, just as, if not more, reliable. Obviously, its not a straight across comparison (weight, gear ratio's etc), but a '72 Challenger with a 318 and an automatic should not get equivalent mileage as an '02 Dak with a 3.9. I actually have gotten better mileage on the freeway with my Challenger than we could get out of that 3.9.

Strike two was the issues that we had with it. Now, I won't say they're all bad, we may have just gotten a lemon. But in less than 30k miles we had a "knock" show up that led to the engine being replaced (under warranty fortunately). Less than 500 miles after the new engine was in, one of the heads cracked. So, two different 3.9's with low mileage that bit the dust.

My old man has a quad cab '02 Dak with a 5.9. Love that truck. It has over 160,000 miles, very few issues with it, just minor stuff with the electric door locks and stuff. They're good trucks, but I wouldn't get one with a V6. The loss in power isn't worth the increase in mileage, because there really isn't an improvement in mileage.

If this isn't a primary vehicle for you though, why not go pre-smog? I've seen several sweptline Dodge trucks in my area recently, all are under $5k, and a couple of them are pretty nice. Just a thought. I daily drive my Challenger, it literally is the newest model year car I own. I don't have a huge commute, but if you have fall back vehicles it might be worth considering. A nice 318 sweptline would be a fun truck.
 
Not a fan of the 4.7- a friend (who is a great mechanic and owns a very respected shop) absolutely hates that motor and my machinist buddy flatly says not to ever bother rebuilding one, just slap another one in 'cause they are crap in the long run.
It's too bad because the design looks to have potential (lower engine cradle, OHCs' w/chains), but it seems DamnearChrysler just half-assed it. Nobody I know has built one, if that tells you anything.
 
I switched to Chevy because I got tired of all the "late" model Mopars blowing up at or before 100 k. It seems that when they get near 100 k a self destruction button goes off and everything breaks.

I had a 95 junker that I bought with 210 k and drove a while. The son learned to drive a truck on that and put a few dents in it. I then sold it and got a 98 with 72 k and then it got t-boned at 92 k. I liked it so much, that I found another one identical to it with 80 k. That was the last year for the 5.7 Vortec and they get 16.8 MPG.

The one that got smacked was able to be repaired for less than $500 to be able to be driven (with huge dents in door, cab, and box). Nevertheless, the door that got hit still opens and closes properly after taking a 35 - 40 mph whack. I keep it as a beater or I can scavange parts off of it for the replacement one.
 
wow, sounds like you guys have some horror stories. Ive only owed jeep & dodge ( 88 cherokee limited I6 4x4 auto. 05 wrangler I6 4x4 6 speed. 09 hemi crew cab ram) and of course the 69 valiant and my harley night train. Ive never ventured off into other manufactures, but with the cost of my wifes overland and a long commute to work, Toyota starting to look pretty good because mileage, reliability. Although i did find what seems to be a good deal. 02 dakota sport club cab with a 4.7 l damn good shape but its got 178000 miles. The high miles alone seem to scare me a bit but with the condition of the vehicle and the price..hard to beat..

http://www.westautosalesaustin.com/2002_Dodge_Dakota_145064613.veh
 
ok, I know I'm going to get blasted for this, but....
We have owned Dodge and Fords and not had good experiences with either, so we bought an 04 Nissan Titan crew cab. It has been a very capable truck and Nissan seems to have thought of everything, even the small stuff like tie down rails and a power socket in the bed. It is very roomy and can handle about anything you throw at it. It is a half ton truck that has no problem with full ton loads (needs overload springs). Plenty of power, both going and stopping. The only downside to the Titan is the gas mileage (about 14). If you are looking for smaller, the Frontier is probably a good alternative. Toyota is also a great truck, but I have had very little luck in dealing with Toyota dealers.
 
Frankie said:
...Once you've purchased the vehicle, your biggest expense for that vehicle is gas...
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Depending on how much you drive, depreciation is a big contender, too. But yes, my 2001 2500 5.9 would cost over twice it's resale value per year in fuel if I drove it daily. But with 167,000 miles, it still runs beautifully, is tight, and easy to work on for a "modern" rig.
 
blackbomber said:
Depending on how much you drive, depreciation is a big contender, too. But yes, my 2001 2500 5.9 would cost over twice it's resale value per year in fuel if I drove it daily. But with 167,000 miles, it still runs beautifully, is tight, and easy to work on for a "modern" rig.
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yea but have any of you guys had personal experience with the 4.7 particularly with high mileage??
 
No direct experience, but my son has. First off, my son is very serious about maintenance on his cars, so the issues he's experienced are not do to neglect, or misuse.
His 4.7 showed the first signs of trouble at about 80K miles. Issues with cooling, and mpg's falling off. Then, a lifter issue. replaced the lifters and found a flattened cam lobe while doing so. Replaced the can with another stock one (no hot rodding), and cleaned all the oil galleries while he was in there. Droped the pan, cleaned the bottom end of the engine and checked the oil pump. It was working fine. At about 135K miles the water pump went while driving back from Florida on I-75. Ended up over heating the engine and warped a head. Replaced both heads. Sold the truck to a neighbor's son, and the engine needed to be replaced by 160K miles.

On the other had, I have a 2000 Silverado that I use as a parts and service truck, It's got 250K miles on it, and the only repair I've done to it was to replace the A/C compressor. The truck is loaded with options, and everything still works in it, too.

If you're looking for a small block MoPar, I'd go with a 318 over the 4.7, or any of the V6's, any day.
My last 318 truck I sold at 301,000 miles, and that guy put another 100K plus on it using it as a daily work truck.
 
hate to say it guys but i think im just going to go with a toyota. replace the timing chain around 160k and KEEP ON ROLLING BABY. Im looking for reliability, versatility and just down right dependable.. Hope i find a cherry [-o<
 
nasty69 said:
hate to say it guys but i think im just going to go with a toyota. replace the timing chain around 160k and KEEP ON ROLLING BABY. Im looking for reliability, versatility and just down right dependable.. Hope i find a cherry [-o<
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can't go wrong with a toyota.... long as you don't get one with dem der decfective gas pedals:-$:-s
 
I drive a 97 f150 with about 140k miles...4.6L and it has been a great truck. Bought it with about 90k miles. I would buy another Ford. My wife drives a 99 Crown Vic with the 4.6L...it has almost 160K on it....yes I would buy another Crown Vic...or a Town Car.
 
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