I posted in the general section, but im thinking i should have posted in here.
this weekend i may be buying a 2005 dakota slt. club cab, 4x4 with the v8
here is the link to the actual truck. http://kansascity.craigslist.org/ctd/1958872643.html
will you guys tell me what you think about this deal, truck, quality, everything.
i have no clue what the quality of this truck is for this year.
please be honest and tell me everything.

 

WOW...nice find man! lol i would tell the guy 10Grand out the door that would be more realistic...but honestly thats a beautiful looking truck! Would have the suspension looked at by someone other then the DEALER Mechanic before buying it to see if any of the suspension components are broken or showing signs of wear and that could help with pricing too! but otherwise NICE FIND!

 

Awesome looking truck! I would see if you can get it for ten grand like WTEBOY said. As far as quality, take it for a test drive and see how it runs and drives. Otherwise, GET ON IT BEFORE SOMEBODY ELSE DOES!!! Good Luck

 

That does not have a suspension lift. I can't tell if there is a leveling kit on it, but from what I can tell it is only the body lift and larger tires. Either way, it looks pretty clean. As the others have said I would inspect the areas that this truck is prone to break (ALL FRONT END COMPONENTS).

When you test drive it, see if it drives like a boat when you hit a bump (how many times does the suspension cycle). The stock struts on these things are pathetic. In addition, inspect the ball joints, tie rods, etc. Typical stuff. Make sure the tranny is shifting smoothly. look at the hitch and determine if the previous owner used it for towing (looks for scratches. some dealers will repaint these though). look underneath it for any "rock rash" or any type of 4x4ing that would affect the longevity of the truck.

I like it though. Looks clean. Good options. I like white too!

 

2005's are know for vibration issues. Get on a smooth road and see if theres any issues. Also check for braking vibrations or pulsing brake pedal.

 

It has a body lift kit on it for sure, since you can see the tow hooks are under the bumper. Thats not necessarily a bad thing for these trucks though.

Your going to want to have the whole front end suspension checked out, including all steering components. Big tires like that can beat up the front end pretty badly.

Its hard to tell, but it looks like the bottom of both doors have some damage, maybe its just the pictures?

Either way, when your looking at a truck that has been modified, you really can't be too careful.

I'm not a professional photographer or anything...but it looks like the pictures taken were photoshopped to crush black detail, which hides the body lift well, and also hides imperfections to the paint and body. Thats why the pictures seem to have that artificial smoothness to them.

Those wheels are really nice though!

 

thanks for the replies, guys. ive been reading reviews, on this year. and there are tons of bad reviews. transmission problems, all sorts of parts breaking...
i know this is a dodge forum, but could i get some honest answers on should i buy this truck or would i be better off getting either a different year of this truck, or a different type of truck altogether.
i dont want to have this thing in and out of the shop like many of the reviews have said

 

oh and i did notice the pictures looked extemely clean. it will be interesting seeing it in person.
what should i do if the dealer is 45 min from my home town. how do i get a mechanic to look at it? ive never bought a car from a dealer before.

 

From what I can see in the pictures the bed on the passenger side by the cab at the bottom has a big dent.
Look at the rear bumper looks like it is smashed in on the rear passenger side.
Since it looks so clean in the picture look out for spray paint fixes.
Also make sure to crawl underneath the truck and look for damage (cross members, brake lines, drive shafts, trans, transfer case, axles.
Front bumper is shifted (this year is know for the front bumper to move), but could be damaged.
Looks like lots of rocker panel dents.
The front drivers side door does not look like the lines match up, could be damaged.
Exhaust looks like it is angled wrong, may be loose or modified.

Best bet would be to take it to a dealer and pay to have it looked over. Ask the seller if he will allow you to have it checked out. Look around that town for a mechanic shop and tell them what you want to do. Do not tell the seller where you are taking it. Once you have it looked at get a list from the mechanic of the issues and then negotiate a price.

 

pull a carfax on the thing as well, you should be able to get that off the dealer website, or call them and ask for one first. You might find out it has been wrecked or something that would make you think twice about driving that 45 minutes. As far as honest answers on if you should buy the truck or not, it's really up to what you want in a truck. I'll give you mine. I was looking for a truck to replace my 07 Frontier extended cab (lease was up). I knew I wanted a 4-door, 4x4 and I wanted a V-8. In the mid-size truck segment, that means a Dakota or a newer GM (Canyon or Colorado). I drove both and thr Dakota had more interior space and I was able to find a Laramie model with low miles (considering it is an 05) for a great price. It also had everything I wanted besides 4 doors, 4x4 and V8, also has leather, heated seats, satellite radio, steering wheel controls, hands free cell phone (u-connect), the premium sound system and all for less than 13k. I LOVE this truck and glad I made the choice I did. The only thing you will find is that, yes, there are known issues with this truck, I have not had any yet (knocks on wood), but I'm fairly mechanically inclined so I'm confident I can take care of most of ther issues that come up myself. There is also not hardly any aftermarket support for these trucks so we have to get creative with mods. It's a great truck. I'm glad I became a part of the family.