Purchased used for $1500 to using as a fishing truck about a decade ago, but we can’t kill it! About to roll 200,000 miles and haven’t spent a dime on anything more than routine maintenance. Heater is weak, A/C is strong, and the seats are as comfortable as any truck. The V-6 isn’t strong but gets respectable fuel mileage. Best served with a manual transmission.

Want a bulletproof truck? Don't just pick one from the dealership lot, special order one, or find one like mine, with all the available heavy duty options including V-8, 5-speed manual, four-wheel drive, limited-slip differential, 3/4 ton springs, Bilstein shock absorbers, larger brakes, four-wheel ABS, tow hitch with 6,000lb rating, oversized tow mirrors, heavy duty cooling and electrical package, anti-roll bars front and rear, extended cab, contractor's rack, etc. And then drive it 200,000 miles with minimal servicing other than the usual oil and coolant changes, etc. Styling wise, this second-generation Dakota has classic truck lines, lots of analog instruments, bed large enough to hold 4x8 plywood, comfortable front seats with a fold-up armrest, and SIX seat belts (back seat primarily for kids and dogs), nice steering wheel. Performance wise, it's narrower than a Ram so parks easier, but same length so has a stable, long wheelbase, lots of torque, purrs along on cruise control. Anything missing? Would be nice to have more controls on the steering wheel, better designed dash board.

We bought the long bed, extended cab, standard trans., Sports package. Beautiful exterior and interior design. It was a mistake to get the manual shift for us because we never hauled anything w/ it. It had to come to a complete stop before putting it into first. Not too many mph between shifts. Poor gas mileage, terrible in parking lots, (did not parallel park easily), and was a nightmare in stop and go traffic or on hills (like in SF). Drove like a much larger truck. But, it was easy on the eye.