2000 Dodge Dakota consumer reviews

I love my Dakota! They can pull more than what they are rated for, the 3.9L V6 sounds great, they are tough, and it's never left me stranded, the interior is simple and comfortable, it has some cool fetures for its age like a built in engine light decoder, and Cruze control that adapts to hills, and it has never needed major engine work. The one drawback is it has poor fuel economy around 16MPG, notorious for rust, and the automatic are reportedly very flaky (idk how bad I got the 5 speed NV3500). Overall Its a great truck and can make a great first vehicle!

Is it supposed to have power steering? That's my BIG complaint. It's just too hard to steer. That's the only reason I don't want to drive it.

My experience with these trucks are good because I had one in the family since it was new and it has been trough xxxx and back! They are very reliable. But they suck in the winter with snow due to no weight in the rear. Id recommend it it's fun to drive but in snow id recommend it to a more experienced driver.

I am so blown away at the power/performance that my 4.7 v8 2000 Dakota has. The 4x4 has been A God send those winter (philly) with all the snow we’ve had. Now here’s the killer part... I paid 450 dollars for it, 109,000 miles with a little rust on frame. But it passed Pa inspection. Keeping this little truck forever!!!!

Saw the 2000 model available here in the area, and even though the front had been crushed in a rear end collision in stop and go interstate traffic, the frame rails appeared to be straight, and no damage was sustained beyond the front clip and engine compartment. The radiator had been shoved back against the water pump pulley, so in addition to the front clip body parts, it required the auto trans cooler, condenser, radiator, electric fan, mechanical fan, upper and lower shroud halves and the water pump replacement. It was a low speed collision, and the airbags remained undeployed, and that one detail was enough to convince me that it was a prime candidate for being rebuilt. It would replace the standard cab 1993 4x4 we had piled up over 350k miles on the original 318 ci that was about ready to either be rebuilt mechanically, retired or sold to someone else who could redo the power train in time. I had personally rebuilt and upgraded the automatic transmission and transfer case both twice in the 17+ years we had been driving it daily or close to it, but the 5.2 was factory original and with the decreased oil pressure and a little light smoke on cold starts, it was needing some tlc soon. I paid $1000 for the wrecked Quad Cab sitting in the guys front yard, and considered that a good deal since it was sitting on a set of 4 Nexxen all season rubber, had a custom Cat-back dual exhaust system that was nearly new, a new 6 year Interstate 920 CCA battery and a shiny new alternator under the hood as well as an ARE fiberglass topper on back. All the receipts he had totalled quite a sum more than the thousand bucks he was asking for it. I line locked the trans cooler lines, sleeved the upper radiator hose, topped the water and drove it the 7 miles home in the crumpled condition. An additional $1300 spent on all the parts to put the truck back in shape both mechanical and cosmetic, along with a new windshield, and the hours of labor I invested in the project, it was ready to drive. Turned out the 4.7L had been abused somewhat, primarily due to the owner's lack of mechanical inclination or aptitude, and all because of a faulty thermostat, the heads were both slightly warped. I milled .006" from the driver's side head, and .007" from the passenger side. New valve seals, all 3 timing chains and sprockets, tensioners, and a new oil pump while I was that far into it since 6 of the 8 cylinders still had tolerable compression numbers, so I figured I would spend a bit to refresh the top end and cross my fingers. That 4.7 runs like a champ now. Starts at the mere bump of the ignition switch and runs out excellent, especially considering it's got over 205k miles on it. I did end up swapping the factory 195° thermostat for a slightly cooler 180° Stent, since I pull my mower trailer with a heavy ExMark zero turn in the hills here in NW Arkansas, causing the engine temp to be a bit higher than I thought necessary in the mid-afternoon heat. The 180° did the trick. The truck doesn't get the best fuel mileage in comparison to the old '93 and the 318, but driven normal it stays in the 14-17 mpg range so it's affordable. Compare it to the 383 stroker I built for my son's '85 SWB 4x4 and it gets excellent mpg... Hahaha

Good running little truck, the 3.9 is a little bit of a slouch but it never stops trying, interior is nicely designed and having a full 4 door with a bench front and rear makes for plenty of room for the family, the bed on the quad cab is too short but big enough to haul the old 98 warrior around so I'm satisfied.

Volvo v6.... My mechanic loves my truck... But he doesn't get to see it very often. It's been beaten abused rode hard and put up wet...had to get the transmission rebuilt because the previous owner used it as a snow plow. The paint may be peeling but the frame is solid and the engine runs like a top. Bluedo became a classic this year. He doesn't look very classy, but my stonemason boyfriend absolutely loves this tiny little truck. The interior can be cleaned with a leaf blower and a garden hose. I know that sounds crazy but if your a farm girl or a construction worker you will understand my statement. I highly recommend a Dodge truck. Any Dodge truck(76 was a great year too)... They take a much heavier beating than any other truck I have ever used, owned, or gotten the chance to drive

Bought the 2000 dodge Dakota back in January of 2020 being 20 years old it only had 93000 miles on it when i bought it! Front area is nice and the back bench is uncomfortable for my 6ft 250lbs size.Shifting is not fun with my automatic because sometimes you'll be in 2 because the indicator does not always line up the best.The bed omg is amazing you could easily camp in the bed of the truck with easy.Did winter camping and with the topper it kept me quite warm!!!

This truck meets all my needs, It is comfortable and roomy for a 5' 11" person. Fun truck to drive! It very dependable and comes in hand when needing to transport Items, such as funiture, lumber, appliances, etc...

This 2000 Dakota two door with rear seating has never let us down through every day use, taken to college by my son, and used by the whole family for hauling whatever needed to be hauled for 20 years. Only has 125,000 miles but hasn't been driven every day for the last 10 years. Exterior styling is what drew me to it and I still appreciate the retro lines and hips over the wheels. Just put $3,500 in it for suspension overhaul and brakes but didn't want to part with this old soldier and friend.