I've started looking for a new truck and I want it to have plenty of horsepower and maybe 4wd because i go trail riding sometimes all for under about 4k. any suggestions? is there any models that i should look for? thanks

 

Well do you want a truck or an SUV? Decide that and you have narrowed your choices to one or two, depending on what you chose. I had a 2005 Dakota crewcab 4x4 with the 4.7. LOVED IT! Modded the crap out of it. Economics got in the way towards the end so I sold it. I have a Ram now. No comparison, but the Ram is my weekend/snow beater truck. I like it but it is certainly not my Dakota. The differences between the Ram and Dakota are nearly negligible imo. The 3rd gen Dakotas were almost as big as the Ram, got about the same mileage. Only major difference (besides size) was they never offered a hemi in the Dakota. It really depends on what you need out of the vehicle. If you want a truck and you want to go hog wild with lift and big tires go for the Ram because there is not much in the way of aftermarket support for the Dakota. Dont know much about the Durango.

 

i dont wanna go really wild just want to mod it to get the most out of it and be able to go through some mud and not get stuck and have some good pick up on the road when im racing my friends lol And def i would like to be able to ride more then 3 people from the single cab i have now. was thinking the dakota would be better because its lighter then the ram and has just about as much hp

 

With a 4x4 Dakota you can only put front spacers (2" max with 4x4) and rear blocks/helper springs. You can get 33" tires with that set up but it requires a lot of trimming. The Dakota is IFS if you didnt know and the 3rd gens (05-11) had really crappy front ends. Most people end up replacing struts, ball joints, end links before 50k. If you going to wheel at all I would honestly dissuade you from the Dakota. They were putting all their money in the Ram the last few years. Go over to the 3rd gen Dakota section and ask those guys. Good people there. You will get a lot of input and advise.

 

I'm partial to Rams myself. Durango means atrocious mileage that makes a Ram seem like an econocar. My brother had the first gen Durango and got 10-12 mpg. He then had the 2nd gen Durango and he got about 14 on the open highway if he grannied it, but averaged about 12 mpg(granted it was the Hemi). Dakotas are very good trucks, but you gain nothing from them being a 3/4 version of the Ram. The interior is much smaller. The mileage is the same or worse and you can't haul nearly as much when you need to. And the aftermarket, especially for the last gen, is non-existent.

 

My next wheeler will be a '98-'99 Durango.