Hey everyone! New to the forum but not new to Chrysler totally. I have a 97 Wrangler and multiple other Jeeps but have questions about the Dakotas 4.7 V8's.

I am looking for a V8 4.7l and I have narrowed it down to an 02 and 03 locally 2wd. I would have rather had the 2wd but I am driving it all day and need the pickup and V8. What are some concerns on the Truck? I have read the Typicall things to look for on the Sticky Forum but I just want to double check and see if there is anything else.

Is there some good mods out there?

How about Longevity?

How Many miles do you have.

Thank you,

 

Well, just like any vehicle out there people have some minor problems with Dakotas but I've had very good luck with mine. I have a 2000 4X4 with the 4.7L and I have 182,000 miles on it and still going strong. I have only added some mods and changed the oil every 3,000. Other than that it's been a great truck. Good luck with yours!

 

It's a great size if you want something slightly smaller then a full size. Its tow strong and very comfortable. The Gen IIIs are very tight and the frame is a fully boxed hydro formed ladder. They all had more problems in their beginning generation series but became far less as the generation series matured. I have 38k on my 07 4.7HO TRX-4 and so far pretty good luck. My 06 was a POS and was a buy back. Having a good dealer is a key to sanity with a new truck.

 

Yeah I should mention that I do a lot of towing with mine and for a smaller engine it works great. Manual tranny helps too. I love having the 4WD and the Quad Cab too but if a 2WD regular cab works for you great!

 

Well I needed to make sure that I have a 4 door and so far it looks like the size I need.

 

'02-03 would actually be a second gen, I'll move it over there so you can get some input from those guys.

 

they are great trucks.... i have an 01 with the 4.7 and 5 speed and it is still running strong at just about 96K miles... some of the other guys on here have twice that on theirs so you can wait for them to chime in but check the sticky at the top of the page (in the 2nd Gen section) and read through that... if you have any other questions then its easier to see if they are answered there before we start a ton of redundant threads...

regardless Cheers and welcome to the forum.

 

I love mine. period. Decent power and has already outlasted my 3.9. Im having an electrical issue right now, but nothing to do with the motor. Loudpedal, a member on here has close to 200k on his and still going strong. So they are good motors.

These modular motors will last forever if you just take care of it.

 

where is old dude bragging about 200k? come on man slacking haha

 

i've got just about 115k on mine and its runnin real strong. i have a k&n drop in, hi flow cat, hooker aerochamber exhaust and a superchips and its really strong thats what i'd suggest for small easy mods