dodge Dakota

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Am possibly thinking of buying a used Dakota. I have never been a big Dodge fan, but I want a newer smaller Quad cab pickup, and now that means a Dakota or a Colorado, and I am not really a fan of the Chevy's either. Anyway what I am wondering is since most of them seem to have the 4.7 engine and 4 wheel drive, which I don't need, what is the consensus on the durability of that engine and drive train? Most that are for sale locally seem to have 110k to 180k miles on them. 2005 to 2009. Also, how poor is the gas mileage on them. Although I will only drive it about 7000 miles per year.
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
You're an old Ford guy,why the sudden interest in a Dodge?


cuz the old ranger wasn't available as a 4 door, and the new one's not out yet.

that would be my guess.

my brother has an 07 quad cab Dak. it's not as Small as you might think. about the same size as an f150 would have been in the 80's.
his is the 4.7HO, 4wd. it gets around 12-14mpg around town if driven like a little old lady. it MIGHT just kiss 20mpg on the hwy if he's lucky.(and those figures are running premium,which the HO engine is tuned for. on regular it's a couple MPG worse)
 
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Stay away from the 4.7L. I owned one since new in a 2006 Jeep GC. They drop valve seats. So does the 3.7 and the Hemi I’m told.

This is my story from a thread I started a few weeks ago:

“Sadly, last Tuesday, my beloved Jeep suddenly and without warning dropped a valve seat (maybe several) and bit the dust. Engine is toast....just like that!

I ran a bunch of errands that day and made several stops. Truck ran as smooth as it always had for years. On a restart, out of the blue, it ran very rough and would barely idle. The CEL began flashing so I shut it down. My scanner showed a code of "P0300-random misfire". I thought it was a computer or sensor or ignition issue. Had it towed to a trusted mechanic who gave me the bad news the next morning. A video from the borescope proved him right.

I know the valve seats on these motors can drop if overheated but the truck NEVER EVER came close to overheating in its entire life and I'm the original owner. What a major disappointment from my truck that I maintained so well and was sooo reliable for 153,000 miles.

Still can't believe this happened. I thought for sure it would have made it to 200,000 miles and beyond. SMH.”



In the weeks that have passed I have spoken to numerous engine shops and ALL of them told me a valve seat (or seats) can drop at any time no matter how good the maintenance has been over the years. It's a design flaw.

I now consider those engines just a roll of the dice.
 
I have the 4.7 in my Jeep WJ. 180k on it and it runs great. The only thing that has ever been done is cooling system work and tune ups / Regular Maint.
I have 4WD and pull down 18mpg mixed driving. I can get over 20mpg on flat hwy driving.
 
Generally the 3.7/4.7 are good after 02/03. Yeah, as above anything can happen, but that's the only case I've heard of that wasn't either an 02/03 or overheated at some point. Most of these engines can go 250k. I know of one that hit 320k and head gasket started leaking so the guy called it a win and put in a new engine. If you're asking about MPG, then it ain't the right truck for you lol. My 3.7 Liberty gets about 13-15 in town (winch, skids, rockrails, bigger tires, ski rack etc) and about 18-20 highway. My Grand Cherokee with the 3.7 used to get about 16 in town and 21 on the highway. The 4.7 might actually be better as it won't work as hard.
 
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Right I was looking at the dodge because there are no Ranger 4 doors yet, and I don't want a NEW one anyway, and I would like one before the new ones become used ones. I forgot about the sport trac. Also what about the Chevy Colorado. Do they have any good engine trans combos??
 
Originally Posted By: old1
Right I was looking at the dodge because there are no Ranger 4 doors yet, and I don't want a NEW one anyway, and I would like one before the new ones become used ones. I forgot about the sport trac. Also what about the Chevy Colorado. Do they have any good engine trans combos??


My old boss had a GMC Canyon, basically the same as the Colorado, and he was not impressed with it. It had a lot of electrical problems. I'd try the SportTrac and see if you like it. We had one as a work vehicle for going to different sites around the state. It was a 2002 with the 4.0L V6 in that Ford purplish blue color. That truck actually surprised me with how nice it drove. If you are looking for a smaller mid-sized 4 door truck I'd say the SportTrac or a Tacoma. The Tacoma will obviously be more expensive. My grandfather had a Dakota, and while the engine was fine (V6) the rest of it fell apart.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
If you're a Ford guy, what about a Sport-Trac?


This. It was the 4 door Ranger and in later years even had a V8.
 
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