Uh, you sure? It sure looks like a regular old second gen to me.

 

I count only 6 of these taks, which would not be considered "routine maintenance" or voluntary upgrades, and of those 6, a couple of those are even pretty routine. Bushings are rubber, or poyurethane and are intended to fail after a decade, or two. Shocks are also a normal wear item. Even water pumps go out on a lot of vehicles, at around 100k-150k, so I might even call that a very common job. So really, only a couple of those items really hold water as a case against the Dakota's reliability. That being said, I've seen Chevy 2500s with less miles than mine, where the rings and/or valve seats were shot, and the motor was fouling plugs with wet oil.

Were you expecting not to have to change the oil, or spark plugs on your Dakota? Light bulbs...? For the record, my DAK hasn't blown a single light bulb, since it was new. The only exception to that is two license plate lights that were broken in one of the aforementioned rear-endings.

Best vehicle I've ever owned!

 

My bad...I was looking at it via my phone and the angle of the first picture in the ad looked like the 05.

 

That truck will suit your needs fine, but I would look for a V8. (But I am also biased)

 

Dude...You completely misunderstood my post. I never said anything in regards to "Dakota's reliability". I simply was letting the OP know what I have done and of course most were cosmetic, routine or required. I stated price and mileage and what I wanted to do to it and what was needed. I like a clean starting point when I buy a used vehicle.

Now the case for the upper ball joints is a different story. You said the 04's weren't affected. My 04 was affected...Crappy ball joints that were lacking zerk grease fittings. The ball joints failed just like the previous years...Metal on metal!

 

I suggest getting a 4x4 since you will possibly going to remote location with a trailer in two which can get harry in a hurry. The V6 will probably be ok for light towing. I prefer the 4.7 myself bc of fuel economy/ power ration vs. the V6

 

Check and make sure your rubber boots are in good shape over the cv joints and that they don't have any play in them. Put greasable balljoints on it and check them every oil change. I've gotten 100,000 miles out of my balljoints so far but I keep them greased. Don't trust a shop to grease them. Not using 4wd doesn't help because these trucks don't have lockouts even if you are in 2wd your front axles and driveshaft spin from the road turning the wheels. I've had more trouble with cv joints getting the rubber boots torn than anything else and usually by the time you catch it its too late. But then again I'm down in the timber with my truck on a daily basis.

 

Sounds good. Thanks for all the advice! Form what I am hearing this is a good truck and should be a good buy as long as it was well maintained. I am looking at the truck tomorrow so If it looks good then Ill probably buy it! Ill be sure to take a look at everything and pay close attention to the front suspension.

Anything else I should consider before buying it?

 

I would try to check the diff. Tell him that you want to take it to a mechanic, and have them inspect the rear axle. Look for metal on the magnet in the bottom of the axle, and look for the retainer clips to be missing. If that's happened, it's not a "deal breaker", as long as the ring and pinion are okay. If it's not 100%, low-ball the offer by $1500 and have a mechanic you trust install a Detroit tru trac.