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Lee Jordan - 10 Apr 2006 22:30 GMT

i'm thinking about buying a fully loaded 1999 dakota 4x4 with 81,000
miles with the magnumV8. are these pretty reliable trucks & is there
something special i shoud be checking for. also, i'm guessing with the
V8, i should get about 12 miles per gallon. other than power, is there
much difference between the V8 & the 6 cyl? i know it depends on how i
drive but would that be a rough estimate? thanks for any input you can
provide.

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krenelka@bowie-cass-ssac.com - 11 Apr 2006 00:35 GMT

81,000 miles................
1 if it is a auto Trans it will need repair
2 fuel pump
3 water pump
these are things I repaired on my 95 around the same miles

the v6 will not save you any at the pump

Signature

Billy
1995 Dakota Sport V6 auto
1995 Ram 2500 4x4 Cummins

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mac davis - 11 Apr 2006 15:00 GMT

>i'm thinking about buying a fully loaded 1999 dakota 4x4 with 81,000
>miles with the magnumV8. are these pretty reliable trucks & is there
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>drive but would that be a rough estimate? thanks for any input you can
>provide.

I have a 2001 dak with v-8 and auto.. great truck..

The v-8 is supposed to get you a little over 1 mpg better mileage, but IMO it's
going to be working too hard and might get worse mpg under load or on grades
than the v-8..
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

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Xclimation - 12 Apr 2006 03:05 GMT

> i'm thinking about buying a fully loaded 1999 dakota 4x4 with 81,000
> miles with the magnumV8. are these pretty reliable trucks & is there
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> drive but would that be a rough estimate? thanks for any input you can
> provide.

I had a 93 with the V6, and got 20-22 m.p.g. It was a 5 speed and 2 wheel
drive. Both engines are known for having intake manifold plenum gasket
problems.

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Gunner - 12 Apr 2006 03:13 GMT

BALL JOINTS.......
Dodge made a recall for the upper ball joints on these through 2002 trucks.
I put over a thousand dollars into my wife's before it was over and all
Dodge repaid me for was the upper ball joints. The ones the used and their
replacements are substandard. Look for grease fittings on the ball joints.
If you don't see them, don't buy the truck.
Joe

> i'm thinking about buying a fully loaded 1999 dakota 4x4 with 81,000
> miles with the magnumV8. are these pretty reliable trucks & is there
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> drive but would that be a rough estimate? thanks for any input you can
> provide.

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Marsh Monster - 12 Apr 2006 03:17 GMT

> i'm thinking about buying a fully loaded 1999 dakota 4x4 with 81,000
> miles with the magnumV8. are these pretty reliable trucks & is there
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> drive but would that be a rough estimate? thanks for any input you can
> provide.

==========
==========
Lee,
I second the "beware the tranny" reply.

If it's an automatic, make sure you pay close attention to how the
shifts
feel to "you". Make sure you're allowed to carry this thing on a
fairly
good road trip to be sure it still shifts okay once it's hot.

If you get to the point of maybe seriously comitting to the purchase,
spend the money to have a "pan drop" done on the tranny, so you
can see for yourself if there's anything suspect going on, even if
the truck shifts fine.

The automatics in these things take a large amount of abuse and wear,
but still shift okay......all the way up to the point of being
fubarred.
A lot of times you'll have no symptoms, signs, or warning that a
problem exists.......untill it's too late. But, a quick look inside
the
pan, a sniff of the fluid, and you'll have a good idea of how well
maintained the unit is.

These trannies tend to hold up good "IF" they're serviced frequently.
The ones we're building tend to be "road hard and put up wet".
(lack of services, and towing make a bad combination)

any whoooo...
jest some insight.

~:~
MarshMonster
~tranny tech~

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