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stevedak
Dodge Dakota
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7/22/2007
23:03:12
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 Subject: new truck opinions
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i love my dak but the miles are high and im getting scared something expensive is going to go out on it soon, so im ready for a new truck. i've been looking around quite a bit and i was wondering what yall think is the best half ton on the market. i really like the 2006 silverado vortec max but im thinking the gas mileage would be terrible. whats your personal opinion? i think ford is a slow gas guzzler that is really nice on the inside dodge is kinda fast with poor gas mileage and chevy has power and pretty nice interior. not real big on the foreign guys too much. all these are with the biggest v8 possible in the half ton.
thanks in advance
steven
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RadioMan
Dodge Dakota
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7/23/2007
07:00:10
|  RE: new truck opinions
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Funny thing stevedak, I was at a few stealerships
(Sunday) with my 99 Honda (75.5 MPG) looking at
different half tons trucks. I have a 26' camper
I have been pulling with my 02 Dakota 4.7 and I
HATE HATE HATE its computer controlled tranny.
Anyway, I'm leaning twords a GMC S T I C K with
the 4.3 V6. It's that OR the Tundra S T I C K.
No hurry, YET. my 02's tranny is not JUNK, yet.
At 43k on the dial, it soon will be...
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stevedak
Dodge Dakota
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7/26/2007
18:57:08
| RE: new truck opinions
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ya i really like the tundras but they are a little out of my price range equipped the way i would want it. if your pulling your gonna miss that 4.7 once you get a 4.3 liter v6
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RadioMan
Dodge Dakota
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8/01/2007
07:02:25
|  RE: new truck opinions
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Might think about this, stevedak. If you're a
gear head and like working on your own cars and
trucks, go back insted of forward.
I have a 79 AMC Concord Woodie Wagon with 83k
on the clock. I get more pleasure working on it
than I do working on my 02 Dakota or my better
halfs 01 mini van.
It's nice to open a hood and seeing a engine free
of computers, vacuum hoses and all the other
junk that goes wrong with todays garbage designed
by engineers on crack.
I even pulled the engine and tranny out of the
79 and HAD FUN doing it! Check out the rebuild at;
http://wx.tatorz.com/hobbies/amc/rebuild/album1.html
Think about it....
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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8/01/2007
12:11:50
| RE: new truck opinions
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I was looking at half tons recently.
The Dakota is out. Engine's too small, engineering of shassis and frame is excellent, styling is almost an eyesore.
Dodge 1500 is out. Don't really want a solid axle in the front. Gas mileage sucks.
Chevy Silvarado has a good engine, and good chassis. Good power and decent economy for a truck. Not sure about the front axle. Styling is non-existant. It's a box.
Ford F-150 is my choice. 5.4 triton is an excellent engine. Auto tranny is pretty good. IFS. I like the interior and styling.
You have to decide what's important to you.
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DakMan
Dodge Dakota
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8/01/2007
13:25:03
|  RE: new truck opinions
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"The Dakota is out. Engine's too small"??
What?? The eng, is too small?? the numbers for the new 4.7 for 08 are going to be something like 295-305 HP and in the dak That thing will beat the he11 out of a F-150 with that pos 5.4!!
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deerridge
GenIII
8/01/2007
13:49:42
| RE: new truck opinions
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Tundra 5.7, 381Hp and 401lbs torque, 4.3 rear end attached to a 6spd transmission. Towing up to 10500, big four wheel disk brakes. I just bought one to replace my 03 Dak RC 4.7 AWD. Its not as pretty as the GEN 3 Dak, but it has the power and all the right stuff.
Real Horsepower
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QQQ
Dodge Dakota
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8/01/2007
14:17:25
| RE: new truck opinions
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Have to agree with DakMan- wait for the 08. More power, better fuel mileage. Have to admit they look bad. The newer ones. Bleech. Hope the 08 looks better. I guess it depends on what the truck is used for.
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Blakdak
Dodge Dakota
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8/01/2007
15:39:18
| RE: new truck opinions
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If I'm not mistaken half tons have been IFS for quite some time, Dodge included. 3/4 tons and above have solid axles (or are at least optional).
I see Chevy's with a good combo of nice ride/decent mileage but with generally weak front ends. Ford has a good product, but I'm just not a Ford guy. Tundra looks intriguing, might have to test drive one someday. I'm not really a fan of the Nissans.
I will probably still stay with Dodge in 3-4 years when I'll be buying again. I will likely go with either a Dakota or 1/2 ton Ram, depending on which one comes with a Cummins diesel (2010 timeframe).
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rp2004
Dodge Dakota
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8/01/2007
16:14:50
| RE: new truck opinions
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Ford Tritons are total dogs. We have them at work, my kid has them where he works and the conclusion is the same. Ford F150 and F250 front ends are junk - ball joints fall apart as fast as the earlier Dakotas.
It'd be between the Tundra and the Ram for me and I'd probably buy the Ram.
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Hollis
Dodge Dakota
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8/01/2007
20:09:16
| RE: new truck opinions
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Get the '08 Dakota. Replace a few things like lower front facsia, hood, suspension, etc., with some nice aftermarket parts. Maybe a small supercharger, gears....oh yeah, what were we talking about?
Sweet rides don't come from the factory, they come from your imagination, a little hard work, $, and a few weekends of your time.
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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8/01/2007
22:48:34
| RE: new truck opinions
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>>> What?? The eng, is too small?? the numbers for the new 4.7 for 08 are going to be something like 295-305 HP and in the dak That thing will beat the he11 out of a F-150 with that pos 5.4!! <<<
Don't care about hp. I drive it and tow with it, I don't race it. My 5.9 dakota does just fine around town and on the highway with light loads. But when I hook up my trailer with track car and load the bed, getting on the freeway is a challange. Here at altitude, torque is king.
Triton 5.4 makes 360 ft/lbs. The dodge 4.7 makes 300 ft/bs. That's a 20% increase in torque for a 15% increase in displacement.
According to the EPA guide (which is just that, a guide), the 4.7 dakota is rated at 15/20, and the 5.4 f-150 is rated at 15/19. Again, a 20% increase in torque for the same fuel usage.
Of course, you pay a weight penalty for the f-150, which weighs about 1200# more than the dakota.
And in every test, the f-150 does seem to come out of the hole a little slower than the others. Doesn't make sense when you look at the specs, but there it is. maybe bad gearing in the trans? Maybe it needs a GearVenders underdrive unit?
Like I said, I recently looked at all the 1/2 ton trucks as potential replacement for my 2001 QC. I decided to keep what I have. There's nothing out there any better until you get to the diesels. And have you looked at the price of them? My god. If I bought one of those I'd have to live in it.
My dak has 90,000 miles on it. I think I'll keep it.
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GRETCH
Dodge Dakota
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8/02/2007
06:55:58
| RE: new truck opinions
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If I really wanted to move up to a half ton, the F-150 would be it. But like .boB noted, if the 08 daks engine is that close to the 150's or slighty better, I'd stick with a dak. The new 4.7 is supposed to get better mpg than the current one anyway. What do you mean by work truck? Are you towing? The new tundra claims the best torque and payload. GM claims the best MPG's in thier 2007. It's a good game with six competitors looking for your business, good luck.
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deerridge
GenIII
8/02/2007
11:51:57
| RE: new truck opinions
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Go to www.dodge.com and do a EDmonds comparison and you can see clearly how they stack up, side by side. HP, torque, towing, brake size and type all go to the Tundra, Chevy has a better payload. Price on the Tundra was better too. That was a shock. I was comparing RC short beds with maximum power and brakes.
Real Horsepower
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Kowalski
GenIII
8/02/2007
18:17:05
| RE: new truck opinions
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I hope some of you guys who like the F150 with the 5.4 aren't planning on decent towing milage. I hit a ford board once in a while for info on my old Ford work van - I've noticed loads that our heavier towers here get 9-11 mpg with a 4.7 will dog that motor down under 7 mpg. It's been said many times before here, but looks to be worth repeating - it's not peak numbers that matter, its the power under the curve on an rpm graph. Near 300 ft/lbs of torque over most of the range beats a peaky 360 ft/lb motor when it comes to working your truck. Peak #s are only good for a very rough comparison.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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Hollis
Dodge Dakota
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8/02/2007
18:43:44
| RE: new truck opinions
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good point
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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8/03/2007
15:25:30
| RE: new truck opinions
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Yesterday I was in the dentists office, reading a Car and Driver magazine. April 07. Comparison between the Tundra and the Silverado. The Silverado came out on top. FWTW.
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deerridge
GenIII
8/04/2007
10:03:45
| RE: new truck opinions
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It's interesting that no one is pushing the Hemi Ram combo these days, particularly on a dodge site. I would have preferred to stay with a Dakota, but, alas, no regular cab or four wheel disk brakes.
Real Horsepower
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Super bee
GenI
8/04/2007
14:09:20
| RE: new truck opinions
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you want to tow and get good mileage
just be done with it a buy a diesel
i can tow my dakota on a car hauler with my 03 3500 and get better mileage than the dakota does most of the time anyway
i was getting 14mpg towing it a few weeks ago
and there was POWER A PLENTY
its not even a comparison vs my old 01 1500 360
oh yeah, and 1500s have been T-bar IFS since 2002
01 was the last gear of having a good old solid axle front
chevy has no solid axle option, and ford has IFS f150s and solid front axle dana 60s in the 250 and 350
1990 sport RC SB, 1995 318drivetrain, 3.92 gears (came with truck) Powertrax "traction system", 95 dash/steering wheel, hearthrob exhaust, headers, cutout after y-pipe, necessary electric fan add-a-leafs, 30x9.5 mud tires, cranked T-bars, AR 39 15x8 rims, grill guard, roll bars
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Super bee
GenI
8/04/2007
14:11:31
| RE: new truck opinions
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besides that, the first scheduled tune up on the Cummins is at i think 350,000 miles to get the valve lash adjusted
if you get a 5.9 cummins with either an aftermarket built 48RE or a 6 speed manual it will go and go and go if you keep up on regular maintenance
1990 sport RC SB, 1995 318drivetrain, 3.92 gears (came with truck) Powertrax "traction system", 95 dash/steering wheel, hearthrob exhaust, headers, cutout after y-pipe, necessary electric fan add-a-leafs, 30x9.5 mud tires, cranked T-bars, AR 39 15x8 rims, grill guard, roll bars
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deerridge
GenIII
8/04/2007
15:39:06
| RE: new truck opinions
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All you need is an extra 10k and ten acres to turn it around in. Too big for my space and too expensive for my check book. My RC Dak was better for my needs than any 2500 or 3500. If all your doing is towing on the highway and have the money get a big un'.
Real Horsepower
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