Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum but have been on many of other forums out there.
I am looking to buy a 2005 Dodge Dakota quad cab ST 4x4 with 59k miles on it. It is from a dealership and looks like a great vehicle but i need help from you guys since you guys know way more about dodges than me, since this will be the first dog truck I have ever owned. I looked at all the reviews for the Dodge Dakota just like this one and they come out bad because the transmissions are crap in Dodge trucks, is this true? Should I be this worried about buying a Dodge truck? I know you guys wont talk down to dodges since you own one but how many transmissions have you went through? Also I heard that the gas mileage in these trucks are not good at all? All this info I have found was doing a google search on the reviews of the Dodge Dakota's.

If someone can help me out on my decision on weather or not to buy this truck I would really appreciate it.


Thanks everyone

 

I will move this to the 3rd Generation Dakota Sub-Forum.

 

gas mileage is not spectacular. transmission problems? none here.. atleast not that i've seen and its not like we baby our trucks. We've seen these trannies stand up to superchargers. you just have to do regular maintenance. the biggest thing you need to make sure of is that the front ball joints and tie rods are in good shape. the front suspension on these trucks isn't exactly awesome. most of us had to replace ball joints and tie rods by 70k. and these were street driven trucks that never saw off road. the other thing is the front struts they are junk. it makes the truck ride like an old caddy. it just bounces an weaves down the road. because you said its an st i assume its the v6 if thats the case, and dont get me wrong its a good motor. dont expect a rocketship. if its the v8 thats a different story. I will also warn you. there is *******ly no aftermarket support for accessories for this truck, short of a superchips tuner for the v8 and a couple of cheap spacer type leveling kits.. (look into that before u decide, if your thinking about lifting.)


so in short. good truck, good tranny, good motor either way, ok mpg, lousy front end components. if they've been changed then its a good deal. if not then use it as bargaining power. oh and these are pretty good trucks to tow with as well. forgot to mention.

 

There aren't a lot of transmission issues with this Gen Dakota, so don't let that rumor scare you off. Gas mileage is definitely not a strong selling point on the Dakota though, I get about 12 mpg city (Lots of stop lights and stop signs, and of course traffic, so when you're going 0 mph, it really drops.), but I'm getting 19 or 20 mph highway. Not terrible mileage for a truck in my opinion. The front end, as mentioned above, could be better for sure, but it's not like it's falling apart either. We have some nice strut & shock aftermarket replacements available, so when it's time to replace anything in the front end, just be sure not to put stock components back in. Take it out and see how the front end feels, that should be your only concern, certainly not the transmission.

 

Alright thanks guys, I really appreciate it, are the front end parts expensive for these truck? I am headed down there to test drive it and see how it runs.

 

2005 ST V6 4x2 auto here, 3.55 gears, 68,000 miles. Transmission runs great and shifts smoothly, engine still feels like the day it rolled off the line. The only repair thus far was replacing a serpentine tensioner a few months ago which, while still working, developed a slight grinding noise under certain conditions. The 2005 factory powertrain warranty goes through 70,000 miles with $100 deductible, and I haven't had to use it yet...Or the standard bumper to bumper warranty for that matter when it was still valid.

Keep up with routine maintenance (oil changes, air filter, transmission filter replacement maybe every 40k depending on fluid condition, spark plugs every 40k, throttle body removal & cleanout every 30k, belt replacement if its worn), and all the wear parts (break pads/rotors, battery, tires, wipers) and you'll enjoy a long Dakota life. Mileage at 100% city with my light foot, never going above 2000 rpm, averages 15mpg. Highway at 80mph does 17-18mpg, but if you really granny it and can tolerate 60 (which I did this past weekend up to Orlando and back from Lauderdale on the same tank with 1/8 to spare), you could actually see 22.4mpg.

Good luck.

 

2005 Laramie Crew Cab. 76000 miles. No transmission problems. Replaced front struts and outer tie rod ends. Other than a rear u joint going out, no other problems. Its a great truck imo. And sure to be a classic as there never has been or will be another truck like it.

 

I'm going to start ordering all my suspension parts..after hearing how bad the suspension really is from all you guys who have replaced your struts I can't keep driving down the road like a Model T haha. On that note,lildemars09, these really are great trucks. I have had no drivetrain problems at all. I just make sure that I do maintenance on it at designated intervals. I do need to replace front pads and rotors and like I just mentioned my suspension is an issue but I am now at 77,000 miles. Only two problems were my Throttle Position Sensor and also had my transfer case replaced but that was a lemon -_- My 4.7L does eat a lot of gas though..

 

no the parts aren't terribly expensive. just order them online from rock auto or amazon and you'll do just fine. you could even do the tie rods yourself and maybe even the ball joints. just make sure to get an alignment. that's assuming they are bad. hopefully not.

 

Yea i went down (1hr 20 min drive) there and the truck was nice but had few things that were bad and could get worse, the seat was torn and sewed,truck smelled like a wet dog and cigarette smoke. There were a few blemishes on it and rush spots that could turn out to be bad like where you open the hood if you look straight down near the frame it started to rush bad and looked like someone tried to cover it up with paint. Another thing was the car fax showed it was in an accident which the left driver side fender underneath was broken inside the wheel well. Other than that it was decent but they wanted to much and would not come down.