Hey guys. I've driven Fords all my life and have never owned a Dodge, but I am going to be buying a Dakota sometime in the next couple months. My family all own Fords, always have, but the problems everyone has had lately has me looking at something else.

So I need a V8 for pulling the quad trailer, but I want 4 full doors for the kids in the back, but a full sized 4 door truck won't fit in my garage...plus I really like the styling of the Dakotas. I'm looking for an 03 or 04 Dakota, 4x4, Club Cab, which leads me to my questions, which I'm sure have been answered somewhere and if I read for a few hours I could find it, but here goes...

1. I want a black one, but want the black grill and bumpers, not the chrome...what am I looking for? Is it called a Sport model? I have seen some advertised as Sports but they have the chrome grill. I'm going to be calling around at dealers and I kind of want to know what to ask for.

2. I read in a book called "Lemonaid" that the V8's dropped 5hp between 03 and 04. What is different?

3. I also read that the auto trannies were improved in 03...is that so?

Any other differences or improvements in model years that I should know about?(I'm in Canada too, if that makes a difference in model names or options). Sorrry for all the questions, but I know absolutely nothing about them, I just know I want to try something different, and the Dakota looks like it is it. Thanks.

 

probably looking for an SXT model. Dont know if it is an option but you may consider the 5.9L V8 if you will be towing.

 

First off, welcome to the world of Dodge. Before I got my Dakota, my last car was a '90 mustang that I raced and drove the crap out of, but I wouldn't trade mine for anything. With that being said, 03 and 04 Dakotas are pretty reliable. The V8 is a 4.7 which is an overhead cam engine, much like Ford's 4.6.
The bumper and grill you are wanting can really be found on almost any trim level Dakota. There really isn't a label for it like the full size "sport" package. The SXT is a baseline, SLT is a midline and R/T is the highline. The R/T is guaranteed to have painted bumpers and grill, but they can come on the other two as well.

 

the only ones available with 4 doors are quad cabs, some of them do have painted grilles and bumpers, the only v8 available in 03-04is the 4.7 which i believe was 235 hp at the crank. The transmission behind the 4.7 is a good one because it is a newer design. I think the upgrade to the trans you're talking about is the 545RFE transmission, which is a five speed automatic, where before it was just the 45RFE which was a 4 speed. SOME quad cabs, came with the old mopar 5.9 v8, but they are rare. The 5.9 has great power potential and a ****load of torque, but the 4.7 will have no problem hauling a quad trailer, just not as much potential if you're into mods.

 

FYI i'm pretty sure a dakota quad cab is the same length as a dakota club cab but with a shorter bed, so if a club cab will fit in your garage a quad cab should.

 

I was a Ford person all my life also, and bought a 04 Dakota extended cab, "My first Dodge". It has the 4.7, which will pull any quad trailer all day. I got rid of my F-150 because of getting 8-9 mpg. Get anywhere from 16-20mpg with the Dakota. Just plain love the Dakota. The only issues I've had is the steering, and a heater blower resistor which controls the fan speed. Still a far cry from the coil packs going bad, the eatingof front tires because you can't keep the front end lined up, and poor gas mileage of the Ford. I'd say go for the Dakota. Mine is Patriot blue, and I was hoping for the painted grill, but could only find achrome one. It grows on you. They are plastic, so you couldalways get it painted.

 

ok im not trying to start a fight here, but i think you will really like a dakota over any ford truck. my parents used to have an f-150 that was like an 02 with a 4.0 v6... the thing was pathetic. It had no low end power at all, wouldnt even spin the tires, not even in rain, it ate tires and after 10k miles the dealer noticed the rear main seal was leaking, but gave some bs reason to not fix it. they ended up selling it and getting a big ford van so my mom can haul all her junk around. I've driven a ford f150 with the 5.4 triton and I honestly think my 3.9 dak is faster.

 

Just my 2 cents...but If i were you i wouldnt just pass up a Dakota because it has a chrome gril or bumper. Im fairly certain you can find the black grills on ebay for fairly cheap...especially ifyou find a Dakota you like and has all the options you want..but has the Chrome grill? Id get it..then try to replace it later. Im fairly certain you can get bumper covers as well that you could have painted...dont quote me on the bumper thing though.

Good luck finding one..im in the market for a quad cab myself...the Club cab is gettin a bit to small

Mac

 

As far as your trim levels, I think that sportsare painted bumpers and grille, SLT (Which I have) are chrome bumpers and Grille, and not 100% sure but think that r/t's are painted as well. Personally I like the chrome look better. To each his own. Btw the whole needing a V8 to pull a trailer isn't true. I towed a dual axel dump trailer loaded to the brim and could tell it was there, but still hauled no problem!

 

Thanks for all the replies, guys, some good info there. I agree, Brymac76, if I find a blackQuad Cabwith low miles and a 4.7, but it has the chrome grill, I'll still buy it. When buying used, you can't be too picky. The main thing is low miles, quad cab and 4x4. I'm not going to pass up a truck because of something small like the grill color, I just prefer the all-black look. There is one that parks where I work and it just looks bada$$.

My family is hard core Ford...I'm going to take a beating over buying a Dodge...almost a swear word in my family, but we've had 2 trannies fail at less than 100,000kms, 5.4's ticking and knockinglike a diesel, a front diffy pile up on an F250 at 80,000kms, etc, etc. Just willing to try something different. I think people take brand loyalty too far and can't admit when the vehicles they own and have been loyal to have been crap.

Don't really care too much about the mileage, if it gets better than 10-12 mpg, then great. It will be our second vehicle, and we put maybe 5000kms on it per year, just use it on weekends for icefishing, hunting and going to quad rallies, etc. Some times it will just be my quad in the back(I'm told my 07 Grizzly 700 will fit in the back with the endgate down), other timeswill be a bigger heavier trailer that will haul 3 quads. It is fairly heavy, so the V8 is pretty much a must have. My experience is that V6's get only marginally better mpg, so the V8 is the way I'm going to go.

Thanks again everyone.