2009 Dakota. 3.7/Auto... Thoughts?

Not A Duster said:
Didn't think that you were... [smilie=::

I have owned at least 5 trucks and countless cars with some variant of the LA V8, so I don't need convincing. Trouble is, we put far too many miles on in any given week to risk being sidelined by an old and worn out vehicle...

Being that you are a SK resident, here's some perspective: My (at least) twice yearly road trip to visit customers starts in Regina - I head West through Moosejaw and Swift Current, Then North through Rosetown, Kindersley and up to Lloydminster and North Battleford . Then across to Prince Albert, Melfort/Tisdale. Down through Yorkton, Melville Moosomin, Estevan, Weyburn and point in between. Stopping at schools, churches theatres, etc. Takes about 12 days and 2100km. Add to that 2 or three sales trips a month to Saskatoon, (500KM) and 25,000 km/yr getting to jobsites and.........[/QUOTE]

Sorry boss, just messing with ya a bit.

My parents ran a candle store in Regina from the mid sixties until some time in the seventies. The main part of that business was kept alive by supplying candles in glass containers to hotels and restaurants all over Sk. so our family station wagons had some long hard miles on them. Which is why my mother bought the new wagon in the fall of '68, she was tired of trying to keep our old '62 Belvedere wagon band aided together[yep, she did all of the maintenance herself]. So yes, I know exactly what where you are coming from here, Reliability is an absolute must when ya spend that much time on the road.

And that is the reason that I advice against any of the 3.7 or 4.7 engines, they just don't stand up as well as the 3.9 or 5.2 engines.

Have you checked into leasing a new truck instead of an outright purchase?
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Looked at leasing, because in many ways it could make sense for a small business...100% write-off, etc.... But we would exceed the lease mileage restrictions in the first year....and again brand new trucks n' vans are too big - even stuff that used to be midsize like the Toyota or Colorado have become huge.

We are going to drive up to Saskatoon on Saturday to look at the Dakota plus a 2008 Chevy Colorado and a 2010 Ranger which is also equipped for service & installation work. The Ranger is an unlikely choice, because it is a four cylinder, and even though our little trailer fully loaded is well below it's rated towing capacity... it makes me nervous. (And it's the most expensive of the bunch)

It's a drag we have to drive 2.5 hr north to look at trucks, but all the dealers/used car lots here say any small/mid trucks they come across (especially Dakotas) get sold south of the border for far more money that they can get here. Used car lots scoop up private deals for the same purpose....
 
Nodda phone number 306-229-9019 is the number for a company that has 3 Astros for sale in Saskatoon. Kijiji ad # 1137328187. Says 168 k and all regularly maintained for $3500.
 
Thanks.

Yeah - saw those. Going to stop by and look at them as well...

They are about the same mileage as ours was when we bought it - so I'm a wee bit nervous 'bout that.... They appear to NOT be AWD, which is a positive thing IMO. (Brings complexity and cost of most repairs down...)
 
FYI, and this has nothing to do with brand since I don't care about anything built in this century: I have met only one 2004-'12 Colorado owner who did not regret the decision to buy one. The general unhappiness wasn't necessarily related to them being prone to failure, either. Size, economy, power (abysmal prior to the introduction of the 5.3 in '09), comfort, general build quality/"junkiness"--I've heard complaints about all of 'em. I'm not talking about minor quibbles, either. The vast majority of Colorado owners to whom I've spoken flat-out hate those trucks, even die-hard Chevy guys. I've never met a two-time customer other than fleet buyers that didn't have to actually ever drive one. In fact, around here I'd say more than 90% of Colorados are 2WD delivery trucks. The one owner I did speak with that loved it was so enamored with the idea of simply owning a truck, she probably would've had the same glowing praise if it were a 2WD '83 Isuzu P'up diesel.

Maybe it'll suit your purposes just fine, but you shoud arrange for a really-long test drive before you sign any papers on it... preferably loaded and pulling a trailer.
 
I hear nothing but good things about those little Ford Rangers from their owners. Except fuel economy. They suck gas like any other pickup. Opt for the V6 if you're towing anything.
 
Jester said:
I hear nothing but good things about those little Ford Rangers from their owners. Except fuel economy. They suck gas like any other pickup. Opt for the V6 if you're towing anything.
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And yet all my friends who are local to me tell me to stay away because they are parts-eating garbage....

....seems the only safe thing to do is buy nothing and walk....
 
Well, so far today we have looked at the dakota, a 2009 "hemi" ram that I just loved but is a little outside our price range.... And the 2008 colorado which actually wasnt bad....
.... Couple more to check out here - and DW is looking at the Ranger...
 
The 2009 Ram with Hemi will probably give you as good a gas mileage as the Dakota and give a much more comfortable ride and better towing.
 
We ended up with a 2008 Ram. 5.7/automatic. Standard cab, long box. Not sure what we are going to do about a cap or cover for the bed yet - need something that is secure.

Not thrilled about climbing up & down into the bed of a giant truck to access tools and equipment.... gonna kill productivity. (Not to mention my broken old body.) But it turned out to be the best value for the $.

On it's maiden highway run for us, it actually used about 25% less fuel than the Astro van typically did on the same trip... and that was fighting an ugly crosswind...

Hopefully it was a good choice.
 
Is it a 4x4? If so I used a 3 step folding step ladder to get in and out of my 07 Mega Cab. It worked pretty good. By long box which do you mean, 6'4" or 8'. The 5'7" is called the short box. Kijiji may be a source for a cap or a tonneau cover. You may be able to find a contractor cover for it as well. Big thing on fuel with the Hemi is to keep your foot out of it. A cold air intake and a tuner can both help with gas mileage.
 
Yeah... Looking at contractor caps. The Dakota we didn't buy was equipped with one.

We we are tossing around the idea of turning the trailer into a rolling tool box....

Box is 8'
 
Even a 2WD seems kind of high when you're climbing in and out of it all day. The stepladder's a really good idea. As ridiculous as it may look, I'd suggest finding the tallest topper/cap you can find to minimize bending, contortions, and unintended gymnastics. I would avoid a hard tonneau entirely, since they restrict box capacity and are generally more of a pain than they're worth.

A cold-air intake will not improve fuel economy. It can only hurt it. Colder air is more dense, requiring more fuel to reach stoichiometry. That's just physics, and explains why fuel economy worsens during the cold months. However, a programmer will help. The one with which I have real-world experience was on a similar truck, being one year newer and a 4-by. The mother of one of my former employees bought a Hypertech E-con (53001) just before leaving on a trip to Montana. She claimed a 2MPG boost average, and nearly 3MPG on the long-haul sections heading out west. She also asked if the programmer came with divorce papers, because her husband wouldn't quit doing burnouts with the newfound power. :D It's a simple uploader with no dashboard nonsense and no wiring. It all goes in through the OBDII port and you can toss the programmer under the seat or in the glovebox after you've tuned the truck. The 53001 has been discontinued, but old stock can still be found for under $200 USD--and Hypertech still supports/updates it (updates are installed through an included USB cable). I can get you my former employee's work number if you'd like to ask him about it.

Also, avoid K&N filters, which are the biggest fraud on the market for 30 years running. By the time they filter as well as paper, they don't flow as well... but it takes awhile for them to filter that well. Ask 71ChargerR/T to send you a picture of the compressor wheel on his diesel Ram. That had a K&N on it when he bought it. It's a great illustration of how much dirt gets through a K&N when they flow well. They're great on a dragstrip but a terrible idea in daily usage.
 
Yeah - truck is 2WD - we wouldn't even consider a 4X4 for our use... as Doc Jass said, I expect we will find even this height a pain in the ass. (And back)

Been looking at kijiji - There are a couple potential things there... The local truck supply place also has a "new old stock" contractor cap that they are offering pretty cheap. I'd love to find a used space cap, but given their design allows them to transfer from truck to truck, that seems unlikely.

Doc: The tonneau covers we are considering are of the "roll top desk" variety.
 
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