I've got 3 vehicles but nothing great for towing my boat. Currently I tow mt 2500lb boat/trailer with my '99 Wrangler (fantastic trail vehicle, 33's, 5'5" lift, etc.) but it is a total dog for towing. Pathetic, really. I want to add another vehicle to be used primarily for towing.

My goal is to find the shortest/smallest truck to tow with and have the most power available. That is what led me to the 2nd-gen Dakota. I want to spend $4k-$8k.

Cab: I prefer the quad cab, but what is the next biggest cab in terms of seating? (Is it the extended or club??) Is anything other than the quad realistically able to seat 4 people?

Engine: The bigger the better, usually. I would not consider the V6. I'd prefer the 5.9L over the other V8. Looks like it makes 10hp/60tq more. Which engine is more reliable between the V8's?

Alternative: If not a Dakota (and not a Durango or Ram), what other small/mid truck should I consider? Again, small size and big power is what I am after. I really don't need a bed.

 

QC is the largest cab offered

the 4,7 is a good motor, but QC 5.9's are hard to find. a QC 4.7 will be easier to get a hold of. unless you go with a smaller v8 but more seating.

you could try and find a hemi ram...

 

the 4.7l i feel are really reliable and with a few basic mods has plenty on towing power and still with pretty good gas milage

 

So after the QC, what is the next biggest cab - extended or crew? Really want the 5.9L... it is really the main reason for getting a truck. The truck will probably only get 2-4k miles per year, of which 50-75% will be towing the boat.

 

it goes regular cab (rc), extended cab/ club cab (cc), then quad cab (qc)

 

If you are only going to drive it 5k a year no sense in looking for the 5.9 the 5.2 or even the 4.7 will be perfectly fine. My buddy had a 98 3.9 4x4 5 speed and he hauled 5k with it almost every weekend and it did great for just a v6. Most I ever hauled with mine was 4k and I could barely tell it was behind me and that was with a stock 5.2

 

I have the 4.7 and it would pull that no problem. I pulled a huge smoker that was around 7k and it pulled it fine and as long as you didnt get carried away with the speed it would stop just fine. The tires on it were really squirmy which didnt help. My 2004 has 4 wheel disc brakes so that helps.

 

4.7 is more then enough for a boat...and as for any other mid size the dakota i think is the only choice, maybe the newer colorados that have the v8 but not those stupid 5cylinder colorados