I'm looking for a winter beater, something to drive while my Jeep is being worked on and for occasional hauling duties, and I'm looking at a '93 Dakota as a possible truck.

3.9L, 5-speed manual, 4WD, extended cab, 6' box. Currently has around 230,000 KM (142,000 miles). Looks pretty rust-free for the most part, at least as far as 21-year-old trucks go.

Any recommendations on things I should be specifically looking at and for when I go check it out? Things to look for or avoid in these trucks?

 

A very deep ravine.

 

These are unquestionably good trucks in my opinion, especially the early Magnum trucks such as you're looking for. Many of them go 250K to 300K miles or more with few problems.

I'd say look for rust on the frame where the leaf springs attach, just ahead of the rear wheels. This area is prone to catching debris and rusting. A little rust is to be expected, but you don't want to see large, loose, layers of rust falling, or holes in the frame. If possible, tap the frame in that area to see if large pieces fall to the ground. Another place to check on a 4WD Dakota is where the upper control arms attach to the frame. There are two small "wells", one on either side of the upper mount for the shock, that sometimes don't drain and allow rust to start. Again, a little rust here is no big deal, but if it looks bad you may be in for some repairs before too long.

Pop the hood and look along the top of the driver's side fender. You'll see a relatively thick piece of wire harness laying on the inner fender well. Pick it up and twist it a bit so you can see the bottom side. If the cover and/or the individual wires have been chaffing against the fender metal, this will cause any number of odd-ball electrical problems. It's an easy fix, but good to know since sometimes the owner is selling due to he/she seeing some of these problems and not knowing what the cause is.

Since it's a 5 speed V6 I think it should have an AX-15 transmission. It's basically a good transmission (found in Jeeps too), but you'll want to ask how many miles are on the clutch. If it's the original clutch, it's getting worn.

I'll let someone else add their thoughts at this point. I can't really think of any high failure items, just the things I mentioned.

 

Does it have enough clutch left (does it work properly) to last til spring? If you can do your own work, clutches are cheep! Same with brakes, etc. Check out the operation of the 4wd, does it shift in and out easily? My front axle had oil leaks out at the end of the axles--where they bolt up to the CV joints.

The one thing you can't compromise on is rust. Frame, floor pan, & major/complicated body parts especially. Rust will complicate any chassis repairs you ever do. The drive train components are surprisingly reliable on 1st gen Dakotas, imho. But some folks have trouble with the electronic components and sensors & solenoids, etc.

Even a winter beater needs maintenance. If you buy it, figure on changing the oil, doing a tuneup, maybe a coolant change, and check all the trannie, transfer case, and diff oils. Be aware the heater (an important option in Canader) coil may need changing, radiator, too, it is an old truck afterall.

The truck you're considering is relatively low mileage. My 96 is pushing 240,000 miles on the original drive train. It's a former Washington State truck so it's seen it's share of winter/wet weather before being put out to pasture in sunny, warm Tucson. It's about the same as the one you describe, tho it has a V8, automatic, and a tow package. Except for the gas mileage, it's absolutely my favorite truck & I've had a few in my life.

I have a spare, rebuilt engine for it, but the old one runs so well I just can't bring myself to change it.

 

I'll +3 on the rust. Most other problems can be fixed. Frame rot is a death sentence, unless you're nuts and will put a new frame under it. As mentioned, the common rust areas are:

- Behind front leaf spring hanger, as ragged89 said. Hopefully yours looks like this or better:


- Bottom of the frame around the front/rear junction (i.e. the boxed/c-channel intersection in the left of this picture)


- Behind upper control arms - similar to the front leaf spring hanger, the control arm mounts have undersized drains which rapidly fill with crap. I have a frame that's in beautiful shape, but there was still small rust holes in the frame, as you can see in this picture. Nothing structural.


THIS, on the other hand, is STRUCTURAL AS F***.



Look closely at the sides, bottom, and much of the top as you can!!! Take a big screwdriver and poke it everywhere that looks a little suspect. Just because it looks good in some areas doesn't mean it isn't perforated in others. I cannot stress this enough.

Besides rust issues...take it for a good test drive and find some bumpy terrain to listen for any noises...as you would any vehicle. Make sure the tranny goes into all gears relatively smooth. Try downshifting too. The AX-15s aren't the smoothest transmissions ever and don't like cold in my experience, but it should shift reliably. Obviously, put it in 4wd HI and LO and listen for any noises. Make sure the parking brake works. If it doesn't work at all, chances are both the rear sections of the parking brake cables need to be replaced. Standard maintenance on an old truck, but anything you notice can be used to haggle the price.

That's pretty much all I can think of...good advice by ragged and Brian above.

 

Yeah, I took for a test drive, and, while it looked great, the clutch was starting to go, the stereo was completely taken apart, and it had a nasty exhaust leak. And he wouldn't budge down from $2500...thanks but no thanks.

Oh well. I really do like the 2nd-gen versions better.

 

That's too bad. Yeah, 2nd gens are more plentiful it seems.

 

Decinitely check out the front end. Make sure the 4WD works. Make sure the boots and CV joints are all good. Look for rot on the frame! I didn't do a good enough job looking for rot on my 93 and i can't replace the ball joints or bearings or anything because the brackets are so rotted.