Used 1997 Dodge Dakota Consumer Reviews
Pain to Maintain
Typical American truck. You will spend many hours and many dollars at the garage having maintenance done. Fuel economy, as expected with a V8 is horrible. Engine starts knocking around 60000 miles; I suggest using premium gas for best results. V8 has good get up and go. My Dakota has a severe tire wear problem; it is not related to front-end alignments (or lack there of). Dakota doesn't hold up very well in a car wreck. I rear-ended a dinky Toyota Corolla and it cost $2700 to repair my vehicle.
Luv my truck
I bought my truck with 60k mi and it has a 5.2 V8 with 4WD. I now have 105K and it still drives great.I do have a couple of complaints with it. My biggest being the gas milage. I was expecting to see about 18- 20 MPG and dissapointed to get 13-14 MPG. Another dissapointment is the heater, totaly inadiquate!! You can drive hours on a cold day and never have to lower the heat. A/C has been failing since I bought it. still like it !!!!
Sturdy and quite ride
Does not come with a lot of extras, but it is very reliable. Surprisingly super quite ride. Have to repair the front brake system (pads, disc, calipers, etc..) Also needs a complete front end repair (minus the upper control arm). 5/5/2019 Finally had to sell the truck. Just too many repairs due to the age and the rough wear and tear caused by the previous owner. I would definitely buy one again if the opportunity came along at the right time.
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