Faults:

I purchased my 2001 Dakota Sport in October of 2000.

I chose the economical 4 cylinder engine in order to save on fuel.

In the 5 years I owned the truck I had not one single problem of any kind with it. It did a great job of hauling my gardening supplies and camping gear, and had plenty of power to merge onto freeways at 70mph and keep up with traffic. The ride was smooth for a truck, and the low-slung suspension made it handle better than most cars I've owned.

The interior was very plush for an economical truck. It had full instrumentation, and cloth on the door panels instead of all plastic, as most small trucks have. The center console was large and well designed to carry lots of stuff.

The truck was totalled in 2006, and due to the fact that Dodge no longer makes the economical 4-cylinder regular cab Dakota, I was forced to go back to the Ford Ranger as my next truck. I'd have bought another Dakota in a heartbeat if Dodge had kept the regular cab 4.

Faults:

In 5 years of driving I never had any problems of any kind.

General Comments:

This was the best truck I have ever owned. I bought it brand new in late 2000 and would still be driving it if it had not been totalled in an accident recently.

The 4 cylinder had ample power and got 22mpg. The 5 speed shifted flawlessly. The ride was vastly superior to my previous truck (a Ford Ranger) and the interior was very plush and comfortable.

The styling of the second generation Dakotas was the most beautiful of any truck ever built, and was what prompted me to switch from Ford. Sadly, the new Dakotas are ugly, don't come in a regular cab, and are only available with the gas guzzling V-6 or V-8. for these reasons I was forced to go back to the Ford Ranger to replace this one. I even looked very hard to try to find a good, low mileage pre-ugly used Dakota with the fuel efficient 4, but there just weren't any available at the time.

Faults:

During over 5 years of driving I encountered not one single problem with this vehicle.

General Comments:

The most beautifully styled mid-sized pickup ever built.

The 4-cylinder engine delivered adequate power for all my driving needs, as well as delivering very good fuel mileage for a vehicle of its size.

If I had pulled a trailer or boat, or hauled heavy loads it would have not been up to the task, however.

The interior was plush, comfortable and of excellent quality materials, and the dash contained a full compliment of gauges, however the steering wheel obscured the view of every single gauge and the turn signal and high beam indicator lights.

In all, this was the favorite vehicle I have ever owned due to its balance of great styling, good gas mileage and great handling. It was totalled in January of 2006 and I would have purchased another Dakota in an instant if Dodge had not discontinued the regular cab version of the Dakota with the fuel-efficient 4 cylinder engine. Due to that, and the fact that the new Dakota styling is not to my liking, I went back to the Ford Ranger for a replacement.

Faults:

Nothing wrong.

General Comments:

I am very pleased with this truck. I have owned nothing, but GM products in my life and thought I would try something different and I am very happy with my choice. It has a lot of room in it for the family. And with the price of gas going up it is cheaper to drive than my 4x4 ext. cab V8 1500 was with more comfort.