hey guys,

Need your opinion and reasoning on what I have going on with my truck and state of mind of maybe getting a different rig. My Dakota is going to need some maintenance. first the truck stats...4x4 trx4 offroad. 82K miles, leveling kit, 4.7L HO, club cab, extra cap aluminum trans pan. Synthetic everything. trans and rear diff are only 30K miles old. ranchos are on all corners. 31.5" tires. Here are issues. My trans temp light is coming on once in a while. The trans still behaves fine. Ive been reading that the trans temp solenoid could be going out. Also my shift shaft seal is leaking but it isnt to bad. The other major issue is my CV axle boot is leaking. Its caused by the leveling kit. Ive found a diff drop brack from JMR that retails for 269 and the CV axle is 300 installed. Im looking at almost a grand in repairs when the truck is on KBB for 9K on a good day. Is the truck worth to keep? maybe for a little while longer? There is a 2014 quad cab ram that the dealer hasn't sold yet. There is a slight possibility that I could get a killer deal. Id gain some interior room, and the Ram has a great aftermarket support behind it. Id love to keep the dakota but everything has to be custom if I ever wanted it more extreme than it already is.

let me know what you guys think!

 

I just put about $1k into my '05 this past month. Front brakes, tires, alignment. It goes pretty quick. My truck is not in incredibly nice shape compared to most here either, I'd be lucky to get $6k to sell it today.

If you love the Dakota, keep the Dakota. $1k saved in repairs doesn't go very far towards buying a $30k+ new truck. On the other hand, if you want a new toy to play with, and have all the extra aftermarket options, and (I'm assuming) the Hemi engine, and probably better gas mileage, and extra room, and so on...

At the end of the day, the decision is totally up to you. I'm curious to know which route you decide to go.

 

Sort of in the same spot with my 06, but since mine is pretty base its worth probably like 5k. I don't really like car payments though so I'd rather throw 1k into it and have it paid off than pay for another vehicle that does the same thing get me from point A to B.

I need to replace the rack and pinion (works fine just leaks), new Ranchos up front, and fix the cruise control. Not sure whats wrong with cruise but it wont engage. Was quoted $700 to do rack and pinion and $800 for struts. Laughed at them will do both myself for like $350

 

Agree with above. Is the truck paid off? Do you want to go in the hole for another 5 years with payments? Ultimately your truck, your money.

 

Not to mention I get a ton of compliments on my 5k dollar truck. Probably due to the fact that not many people have nice looking Dakota's here. I'd love a new Ram but I see one like every 5 seconds driving here.

 

Ya truck is paid off. I just did rear brakes, which was a lot more money than I liked. I swear these car companies are in the design phase thinking " how can we make the most simple of tasks the most difficult for the customer to do at home" point is I hate drum brakes. my dakota is roughly 8 yrs old. I havent even needed to pay attention to the front end yet. ball joints, tie rod ends etc. not looking forward to seeing that bill either. I figure if I can get my payments low enough it could be worth it. put a lot of money into this truck besides aftermarket stuff. I just did a front bumper last summer. my signature isnt up to date. Haven't been on here in a long time.

 

Ill keep everyone posted for sure. Im going to get a bid on trans work soon. I love my dakota, and your right a grand isnt that much. ive averaged about 16mpg for a while now. ive been doing the same work commute for 2 years. to me, my dakota isnt to far away from being "done" in my eyes. ill go with some 20" in wheels, a rear off road bumper and some rocker guards for the sides. not to much. but its close. I havent been on here because I have another car/toy Im enjoying. supercharged convertible mustang

 

update: I got a quote for trans work. just around 400 bucks...but I dont know if that includes replacing synthetic fluid.

 

The trans fluid that this trucks use is synthetic. And if a shop drains it to fix it they fill it back up.

 

I would keep it. Even if you put a reman trans in it, it still beats the hell out of a payment.