UPDATE - duc_fan's new rig

[duc_fan]

Okay, you Mopar nuts should be happy... Dan is looking at a Dodge.  

In looking for a 4x4 to get me around in the snowy stuff between the Gorge and my girlfriend in Sandy, I found a 2000 Dakota ext cab 4x4 with a 4.7L.  It has 123k miles.  Need input... last Dodge with in my family was an '86 fullsize van with a 318.  This truck runs and drives smoothly, clean in and out.  Not perfect, but definitely presentable.  What sorts of issues should I be aware of?

Here's the truck:
http://www.affordableautowholesale.com/view_vehicle.html?vehicle_id=MTU1MQ==

Opinions?

[duc_fan]

Hmm... the Dodge truck guys are strangely silent.

Well, I really needed passenger capacity over a pickup bed... but I liked the Dakota, so I looked at its SUV variant... and happened to find a 2000 Durango.  Also a 4.7L V8/auto/4x4.  133k miles.  Reasonably clean, runs well, has an unidentified aftermarket dual exhaust (sounds great), steering is tight, shocks are halfway decent (considering the mileage).  It just needs tires.

It has the smaller stock size on there now... 235/75-R15.  The larger factory size was 31x10.50-15 (roughly 265/75-15).  I was gonna throw a set of BFGoodrich All Terrain T/As on there.  Opinions... good/bad/indifferent?

Pics:

[Bendy]

I don't personally know of anything that this vintage of Dakota is notorious for, nor do I know anyone that owns/has owned one, so I got nothing but typical used-car comments. I remember a Mopar Muscle article that was touting that 4.7 over the alternatives, though, and it was allegedly as decent as the 360 option you could also get in them. Seems to be a fair enough price/the going rate for Dakotas, and slightly below average annual mileage for the model year. They're lightweight. A new set of studded tires and some sandbags would be pretty swell for asstastic Gorge weather; I don't recognize the tires it has, they probably slapped on some cheapos when it got to the lot, probably fine for happy seasons. If the 4x does the crabwalk, and the front end feels tight, it's probably fine overall. It's worth crawling under to check the drivelines for slop, and that suspension parts are all still lined up, as well as underbody rust. Whether or not it's been abused. Looks like they got good pictures after a nice wax job, or it's been repainted-- the emblems were removed for/at paint, or some jerk thought it'd look cleaner. A history would be great (origin?, auctioned?, clean title?, etc). Visual nitpick. Fluid levels and condition. Rotors for glazed surfaces. Leaky pinion and output shaft seals. Exhaust leaks. Lights work. Climate crap works. Radiator/condensor fins beat to crap. Leaky valve cover gaskets. Broken exhaust studs. Clicking CV joints. Whether or not you can drive through the parking or service brakes. And whether or not it'll do a burnout in 4x. Blah blah. All the typical stuff.

And now that the topic has changed, all I have to add is that Durangos are neat. Doesn't look as clean as the pickup, though.

[duc_fan]

Yeah, the Dakota is the far better looking rig... blasted responsibilities... alas, I need passenger capacity more than cool looks.  Besides... I still have the SS, which sacrifices the carrying capacity for appearance. 

Oh yeah, paint on the Durango is far from perfect... pics just don't show the flaws clearly.  That's okay... it's covered up enough for me, and I wasn't looking for perfect anyway.  I need a rig to drive in the snot, particularly my gravel driveway and the long dirt/gravel driveway leading up to my GF's house.  Her place is near 1500 feet, just outside Sandy.  I wanted something that I didn't mind if it got a few scratches and dings, or had muddy boots climbing in and out of it.

Climate crap: A/C doesn't engage.  May just be low on R134a.  (*shrugs*)  Heater works fine, which is the bigger concern... it's going to mostly be used in winter.  Dry summertime roads will be tackled with the GTI and its sticky Z-rated tires under Koni coilovers. 

No oil leaks that I could find... but crap, I didn't climb under it to look at the T-case.    Shows how often I buy a 4x4s...

I did look under the wheelwheels for rust, and there was little to none.  It's been a west-coast rig since day 1 (Cali, then Nevada).  According to Carfax, it was a corporate fleet vehicle for a couple years, then owned privately, repossed, owned for 1 year, and then went up for auction before being bought by the dealer I picked it up from.  The repo gave me pause... but the rig runs & drives well and passes a visual inspection.  Bear in mind... I'm very picky about how a vehicle feels from behind the wheel.  I have zero tolerance for steering slop, it has to have good shocks (this rig will probably get new ones within a year), and I'm REALLY anal-retentive about how the auto transmission shifts (this one feels good).

No exhaust leaks.  As stated, it's some variation of aftermarket setup, and all the sound is coming out the back end where it's supposed to. 

Steering is tight, and tracks straight.  T-case goes in and out of 4-wheel alright.  Haven't laid hands on the drivelines yet, but the feel from behind the wheel is that they're all tight (I remember driving my parents' '86 fullsize Dodge van when the U-joints were going to pot... not a great feeling).  Nor were there any particularly loud thunks when going from fwd to reverse.

Didn't try to burn out in 4x. 

[krolik]

Enough about cars, tell us more about the girlfriend.



 

[Bendy]

A/C systems tend to be a systematic mess, sadly, so there's no telling what's wrong without a flow chart of checks. You can see if the compressor, circuit, et al still functions by turning on the A/C in the cab, unplugging the pressure switch pigtail on the accumulator and jumping both wires with a paperclip or something. It should kick the compressor on, which means low/no refrigerant, and the low pressure switch is working. If not, compressor clutch/fuses/climate pot switch/wiring/etc. Refrigerant really doesn't go low unless it has a place to leave the system. At that point, it's time for a shop to charge and sniff it. Then again, if it's not important, no big deal, but they still owe you what it'd cost to repair it as long as they're advertising it has it. Five hundy is a decent figure, not factoring much for parts after labor to diagnose.

[Visolara]

Enough about cars, tell us more about the girlfriend.



 

yes, how did this happen? 

[duc_fan]

How did the GF happen?  Hmm...

Met her through two mutual friends while out wine tasting last April.  Met a couple more times after that amongst mutual friends... and we hit it off.  I liked her right away, and found out later that she felt the same.

She's 5'10", athletic build (yet still delightfully curvy ), and stunningly beautiful.  She's an engineer, specializing in materials science.  What's great is that despite being an engineer, she's still stylish and feminine (a very rare combination).

She's ridden on the Duc once and loved it.  We'll be doing some more riding next season, obviously.

There are a great many things we both admire about each other, which I won't get into details here... suffice it to say we're similar and/or compatible in religious beliefs, worldview, even how many kids we'd like to have.  Crap... there's even a bunch of little random things where we're so similar it's spooky.

She's wonderful!  I love her dearly and she loves me.  

[scott_araujo]

[krolik]

Congrats.

Two engineers though, that could be dangerous.

[duc_fan]

Congrats.

Thanks!

Two engineers though, that could be dangerous.

Mua-hahahaha...    Oh, if only you knew the true magnitude of that statement...

[Speeddog]

I've got a '97 2WD Dakota with the 3.9 v6.

Get about 20mpg with a mix of city and highway.

I've heard the V8's get about the same mileage.

I'm not towing or hauling huge stuff, usually just one motorcycle, so the V6 has enough punch.

Bought it in August '06 with 93k on it, AFAIK all that time in Arizona.
I'm at 194k now.

Maintenance so far:

Main fuel line got a hole rubbed in it by the cab, common issue on 'em, usually a warranty thing.

Had quite a few episodes of injectors getting clogged, seemed to be very fine dirt.
Fuel pump went, likely from all the dirt is was pumping to the injectors....

Idle air control valve.
Rotor, cap, wires and plugs.
Water pump.
Several sets of front brake pads.
Set of shocks.
Put a set of Michelins on at 125k, they've still got a good bit of life left.

Needs ball joints and a cam chain.
It's using a bit of oil.
Crappy Munroe shocks that I put on aren't holding up well.

[duc_fan]

Got some proper tires for the Durango the weekend before Thanksgiving...





Oh yeah... two tanks of gas, mix of city/hwy, between 13-14mpg.  That is, however, with the larger tire size, so the odometer is skewed (though it should only be off by a few percent).  We'll see what she does going back and forth to work on SR-14 at 60mph.  This rig has the 4.7L V8, a K&N air filter, and what looks like a Flowmaster exhaust (dual outlet, can't tell which muffler series).

[scott_araujo]

Yikes!  And I thought my wife's Volvo was bad at 24 highway!  I can't even consider a car that gets less than 30 but I've had small cars most of my life.

Rig looks nice man   How's things with the rest of your vehicles?  Made a decision about whether to keep the SS or get a Multi yet?

Scott

[duc_fan]

Thanks, Scott!

Yeah, this is definitely a winter- and utility-only rig.  I'm hoping to get closer to the top of the EPA range of 12-17 mpg (to be fair: I'm almost right on the money with the EPA estimate of 14mpg combined, and 13.4mpg avg reported).  Summer/dry/solo driving will be in the GTI or on the Duc.  I figure it isn't too bad... I'll probably only be driving this truck for 5000-7000 miles a year.  My commute + other driving should total around 12-14k/year, and with summertime driving being in other vehicles, that leaves less than half the year where I'll be in the truck.

Another thing I will have to figure out: what's happening with the stable when I inherit/marry into a Saturn Sky (Erica's).    Oh, darn, life's rough.

As far as the bike goes... a Multi is still the long-term plan, but Erica is okay with keeping the SS until we have other expenses taken care of and can pay for the upgrade with cash ("besides," she says, "it's a sexy bike").    Yes, I am in the process of getting a ring for this woman's finger... and she knows it (she told me I didn't have to sell the SS for an engagement ring... she doesn't want to wear and risk losing something quite that expensive anyway... have I mentioned how amazing she is?).