I owned a new 2000 Dakota, first year quad cab, 4X4, 360, loaded. While I loved it more than any of the new trucks i've owned, it was not without it's problems. Recall upper and lower ball joints, power window regulators, tension pulleys, transmission twice, relays that control fan, and lights, A/C, rear end noise and bumpers that like to rust. I had it taken to my plant and put in the shaker booth to track down some buzz, squeaks and rattles, the deal could never find. It was better than the new gutless 97 and 98 Ram 360 trucks I owned. I owned a new 2002 straight cab, short bed 2 wheel drive 4.7, 2004 straight cab, short bed 2 wheel drive hemi and a 2004, 4 door, short bed 2 wheel hemi. The engines all were pretty good, but the 98 blew a head gasket and a rear main within the first 15,000 miles of owning it, all were new. They were all a problem in one way or the other and were sold within 20,000 miles, except the Dakota and the 4 door hemi, they were sold with just over a 120,000 miles. The only trucks I owned by Chrysler that were great were my 88 and 91 Comanche, bought new, one was a 5 speed and the other was a automatic, 4X4 Eliminators. The worst of the worst was my 86 ram D50. I worked there and had it not been for that fact and the fact that my friend owned the dealership I traded with and my other friend was a the plant manager, I'd never have bought another. My new 91 dodge minivan went back to the plant and spent two days being taken apart to replace a cracked evaporator housing. I got rid of it because of an oil consumption problem, a quart every 800 miles from the day I bought it, and a limp mode problem in the transmission. My plant manager friend had it brought back to the plant to keep the plant warranty numbers down, we were having that many problems. I've seen thousands of new trucks and vans come off the line in my time and had friends that have owned everything chrysler has ever made 10 times over. I've owned so many new cars and trucks from Chrysler that were pigs that I'm going to stop here. It's not about the cars that made it out and lasted, it's about the thousands that others bought and got screwed. I had several ways out and got great deals on them, but the poor people that bought all those dogs, never came back. I could have any vehicle Chrysler built in this country, ordered, built and shipped to your dealer in a 7 to 10 working days. That's great, but when they got screwed, they got screwed........... So, when my warranty is up on my Durango, so is my ownership of it. I'll deal with what to buy when that day comes.
