Before I get into all the details and links I need to tell you what type of driving I do since this was the #1 factor in selecting the vehicle. You see I like to fish, well "like" is not nearly a strong enough word really - actually I obsessed with fishing the shallow, inshore waters, back bays, canals and lakes of South Florida. Just take a look at my other web site Slim-2-None named after my boat to see how bad my fishing problem is! My hobby is also aided by the fact that my current work schedule gives me lots of time off (I only work 3 days a week) so I have plenty of free time for fishing. However, this means driving between 40 and 400 miles round-trip to various locations in the brutal southern Florida heat several times a week, pretty much all year round. The boat I use is commonly referred to as a flats "skiff". It is a 16'2" Action Craft Flyfisher with a 90HP Yamaha outboard engine - fully loaded on the trailer (and with the 28 gallon fuel tank topped off) it weights in at around 1,500lbs. I often fish with atleast one other person and sometimes two, thus not only did I require a good tow vehicle, but one that had room for three adults plus gear (coolers, overnight bags, rods and so on). It had to be comfortable and powerful, plus as economical as possible on the highway and super reliable since I often drive to distance locations in the middle of the nowhere at 4AM.

My pervious vehicle, a loaded, 1994 Ford Ranger Splash Extra Cab (with the 4.0l V6) had 64,000 miles on it when I bought it back in 1997. I was the best I could afford at the time (paid cash, no financing) however that soon came back to bite me as it was breaking down every other week (or atleast it seemed that way). I repaired or replaced every air conditioning related part (compressor, evaporator, condenser & heater core) in a four year time span to the tune of over two thousand dollars. The fuel injection system crapped out on me, the cruise control died plus it shook and bounced about very badly due to that horrible I-Beam front-end Ford designed. My wife nicknamed the truck "Rollie-Pollie" since the overall suspension feel was so mushy & soft at first then too hard as it bottomed out. In addition, the thing was simply ignored by it's pervious owner in the maintenance department, hoses cracked and bushing were shot. I racked up 104,000 miles by 2002, but it was simply falling apart and costing me too much money to keep it running day-to-day, plus it lacked the needed power and space I required.

So I started my search for a replacement. Even with all the problems with my Ranger I did not give up on Ford (at first), I looked into an Escape mini-SUV, but 200lbs-ft of torque did not seem like enough. In addition I HATE SUVs due to their high center of gravity, I owned an Isuzu Rodeo once for all of 8 months before I traded it in because of it's ill handing and generally piss-poor road manners. Thus no way was I getting an Explorer or a Sport-Tract, because they are know for tipping over too easily. I had also gotten accustom to having a small pickup bed for various projects and really like the concept, SUVs really do not have the useable space of a pickup. So I started looking into trucks more and more. My brother had leased a Ford F150 Extended Cab for a short period of time and it had the room, but was too big overall I thought. My wife is only 5'3" and she almost had climb a ladder to get in the thing, trying to park it was a difficult task as well.The first vehicle that seems to address my needs was the Nissian Frontier - finally a small pickup with a set of back doors and an extra bench seat However the back seat room was tiny, a 3-door Civic hatchback has more leg room. The other vehicle that fit the bill was theToyota Tacoma, it had an excellent reputation and great build quality, but personally I think Toyotas are over priced. The only other option was the Chevy S-10, but I simply could not stand the style (or lack there-of) of this vehicle. The interior is typical GM which means buttons that fall off and huge gaps in the dash sections. My dad had owned a Blazer before and while it tooks years of abuse, it was plain ugly on the inside. Once I learned that the Dodge was available with a powerful, yet fairly efficient V8 and came in a "mid-size" package the choice become pretty easy.

The main thing that keep me interested in the Dodge despite it's somewhat "iffy" reputation was its size. Not too big like a full-size (F150), but not too small like my Ranger (or the Frontier). Plus it downright looks good, almost everyone thinks Dodge got alteast the styling right with their "big rig" look on the Ram and Dakota/Durango. The available V8 in the Quad Cab (four door) configuration was simply the answer to all my problems. At the time of my purchase Dodge was offering a 7 year/100,000 mile warranty on the engine and tranny so I figure they must have faith in the thing or they will be eating some major repair work down the road. I can't stess enough about how the size of this truck is perfect - almost every other truck I looked at was too big or too small! For more info see this report comparing all the four-door small trucks out there: http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/comparison/articles/46966/page009.html it really breaks down each one of the choices in a logical manner and provides all the specifications and performance data you'll want to know. I was never a big Dodge fan, but ever since thier "cab-foward" concepts I must admit they are building better vehicles. I had the opportunity to drive a Dodge Stratos for several weeks while on business in Atlanta was shocked at good of a car it was. Do not get me wrong... the Japanese and German's still make better vehicles, but out of the big 3 US makers, Dodge is clearly ahead of the pack. In addition Dodge is now owned by those German's anyway, see http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/ - which means my truck is as close to a Mercedes-Benz as I will ever get most likely ;)

After all my research (see links below) and a test drive or two, I figured what options were must-haves and which I could live without (like the silly compass in the overhead compartment and the overpriced stereo). I decided to custom order my truck since the combination of options & colors I wanted was not available from any local dealer stock. Plus the time it took to build the truck would give me the chance to save some extra money for a down-payment. To custom order a truck it only takes a deposit of $500 and this money counts are part of your down payment when you take delivery so it's actually pretty easy. Custom ordering is a great way to buy a vehicle if you know what you want and do not like paying for extras the dealerships tries to add-on. In addition I know I have a one-of-a-kind vehicle, sure other people may have the same options or colors, but truck was built on the assembly line for ME - the window sticker even has my name on it! The truck took 4 weeks to the day to build, but most owners report build times of 6 to 8 (or even 12) weeks. The truck is built in Warren, Michigan using US and Candaian parts.

In the months it took me to come to a decision I visited several web sites that offered tons of information and plenty of advice to help guide me, below are the ones I suggest you visit if you care to learn more about the Dakota and how to buy one a decent price (all links open new windows). Thanks to the links below I was able to make an informed and educated purchase with no hassles. I purchased my truck for $100 over invoice, plus the dealer fees of $400 and an advertising fee of $500. Given the fact the Dodge was offering $2000 cash back and my Ranger was worth $2,800 (yeah... right) I managed to buy a $26,000 truck (MSRP - sticker price w/options) for around $19,000 out the door. With my excellent credit I got 5.79% financing from a 3rd party (see links below) so that my payments are only $362.

http://dodgedakotas.com/ - the best forum/message board I've found for Dakota info! After reading this site for a few months I knew MORE than the dealer (lots more in fact). I just wish they would upgrade to UBB software or VBullentin because their current software is nothing to write home about - just try search feature to see what I mean.

http://www.dqcog.com/ - this would be a good forum if the owners did not run it like a combination of a library and a private golf course. Seems they are bit too picky, do not like any heated debates, but their software is top notch.

http://www.dakota-durango.com/ - a member from dodgedakotas board created this site which is FULL of links and stuff.

http://www.edmunds.com/ - I linked this site above to give you the four-door comparison test, but it's worth repeating here: they have all invoice prices and options for ANY vehicle, do not even think of looking into a truck (any truck) without visiting here first. Knowledge is power!

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/ - this is the most amazing car buying advice site you'll ever read (I spent 3 hours there one night!). In fact if the guy who wrote this charged $40 for the information and links on the page it would be worth. Sadly I found it after I had ordered my truck or I think I could have gotten the dealership to eat the $500 advertisng fee and/or the dealer prep of $400 (those bastards!).

http://www.peoplefirst.com/ - I had seen this site before but thanks to a personal referrence and all the rave reviews on other sites I knew it was the real deal. Sign up and see what intrest rate you can get and then they will send you a "blank check" via FedEX. Its SO simple - it's basically like being pre-approved for a mortgage (only faster). Since the final numbers are impossible to figure (taxes, tag, title, transfers and so on) just make sure you give yourself some cushion on the amount you ask for. Your payments will be based on the amount you write the check for, so do not worry about getting a larger loan then you'll actually need. In addition, as far as the dealer cares your paying in CASH, so you will avoid all the headaches (and rip offs) associated with getting a loan thru them. Trust me, there is no way the dealer can beat these guys - remember your car dealer is NOT a bank. So, do not be fooled any "special lower financing rates" they may offer, the terms and credit requirements make it near impossible for your average car buyer to actually quailify for in most cases.