Found my father in-law passed away on Tuesday. My wife and I found him. He was a good man. Anyway he was sort of a car guy and he always took really good care of his vehicles.

He had a 2005 Dakota SLT ext. cab 4x4. My mother in law came to me the other day and told me she wanted to give me his truck. I was shocked and didn't know if I could take it. This truck is like brand new with 35,000 miles. After discussing it with my wife we decided I should have it. My mother in-law told me that is what he would have wanted.

So now I have my first dodge product and have a couple of questions. It has a 4.7 v8. How are these on gas? It feels nice and responsive. Is there any thing I should watch for on this truck.

Also, it has a bumper hitch. I am used to class III Reese style hitches not a ball on the bumper. I got looking at it and it appears the bumper attaches to the frame much like a class III hitch would and the ball is supported by this same structure. So can order a bumper style 2" hitch that mounts to the bottom of the bumper to give me a pocket style hitch so I can change to different ball mounts? And will this be as strong as a class III style hitch?

Also, I prefer full size trucks. I have a 99 Silverado 4x4 extended cab now that has a lot more room in it. This one has the 4.8L V8 which to me performes as well as the 5.3L chevy. The reason I am switching to the Dakota is because it is like a brand new truck and my mother in-law wanted me to have it. Also because my chevy has 170,000 miles on it. Still runs like a top but I believe the dodge will get me more years of service because of how new it is. What do you think? We also have a 99 Suburban LT with 5.7L.

 

sorry for your loss .the good thing about the 05 is it has the 7 year 70000 mile warrenty. go back to the dealer where it was purchased, tell them the story and get the warrenty switched over, also the only main problem with the truck, is the frt suspension. the struts are terrible, most of us have switched to the rancho struts, there is a sticky at the top of the page to purchase these. ball joints are another issue. they are a sealed unit so no greasing. as for the truck itself, they are solid. i also have an 05 club cab, that has to many upgrades. but i race my truck on a regular basis. there is countless threads on improving the truck, has for the ride and performance. anymore ? and you will find a bunch of positive responces, we are a great bunch of people, and have almost all issues fixed,

 

as for the gas, i average 17/18 around town and a good 22 on the highway,

 

Welcome to DF!

I don't get the mileage these guys do normally but most of my driving is stoplight to stoplight up and down hills, plus I like to hear my exhaust.

I would look into getting the factory hitch from the dealer and putting it on.

 

Welcome and sorry to hear about your loss.

My fuel mileage is 17 city, 21 highway. Here is the link to the mopar hitch receiver. Well worth the money.
http://www.moparpartsamerica.com/par...catalogid=5399

 

I get 15 mpg in the city or worse. When I feather it I've gotten right below 23. Solid truck for me so far.

 

Thanks for the help and suggestions. The more I drive and look at it the more I like it. I was hoping it had a aux input for my ipod. But the truck is older than I thought it was. For some reason at first I thought it was an 07 but I found out it is a 05. I think he bought it new in 06 but bought a left over. So far the ride seems nice. What is wrong with the front struts?

 

My truck has the aux input, but I'm getting ready to get an aftermarket CD player. Guess I should let you guys know when I'm gonna get rid of it. Lots of peeps been saying they wish they had it.

 

That would be great.