Opinions on a 2000 Dodge Dakota?

**GearHead_1** · 12-28-2006, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesW

You are probably right, but I would almost bet that a 6 year old Toyota would be as reliable as a lot of new trucks.

Charles

I`ll still take a 6 year newer vehicle every time.

**Jngrbrdman** · 12-28-2006, 07:45 PM

The goal is to not have a car payment. The Accord is paid off and worth seven or eight thousand dollars. I need to get a truck for that amount. A new vehicle just isn`t in the cards this year.

That Dodge is off the list now anyway. I went out to take a look and it was a bucket of bolts. I think the roof was the only panel that wasn`t either repainted or in need of repainting. The valve covers were caked with oil and so was the oil pan. I`m not having a leaky crap mobile in my driveway or garage. Oh well... Back to the classifieds.

**Surfer** · 12-28-2006, 08:26 PM

You should be able to find a used F-150 with the 5.4 V8 (or 6 cylinder if you really want it, but trust me you`ll want the 8) for a good price in the 97`-03` range which was the last gen. Trust me, get a 8 cylinder, like I said before most of the time the mileage ends up being the same or slightly worse since the 6`s have to work harder). Almost anyone I know who bought a 6 clinder truck has regretted it and wished they opted for the V8 models instead. Not worth it, I did a comparison between my V8 suv and ex-gf`s Civic, we both did a lot of driving and the difference in gas her car saved was around $700 for the year, thats nothing over a year for the amount of driving we did (I still do).

**Beemerboy** · 12-28-2006, 09:33 PM

Originally Posted by Jngrbrdman

The goal is to not have a car payment. The Accord is paid off and worth seven or eight thousand dollars. I need to get a truck for that amount. A new vehicle just isn`t in the cards this year.

That Dodge is off the list now anyway. I went out to take a look and it was a bucket of bolts. I think the roof was the only panel that wasn`t either repainted or in need of repainting. The valve covers were caked with oil and so was the oil pan. I`m not having a leaky crap mobile in my driveway or garage. Oh well... Back to the classifieds.

Try Craigs List, I have had great results with selling and buying allot of things threw them...just a suggestion.

**Poorboy** · 12-29-2006, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by Jngrbrdman

The goal is to not have a car payment. The Accord is paid off and worth seven or eight thousand dollars. I need to get a truck for that amount. A new vehicle just isn`t in the cards this year.

That Dodge is off the list now anyway. I went out to take a look and it was a bucket of bolts. I think the roof was the only panel that wasn`t either repainted or in need of repainting. The valve covers were caked with oil and so was the oil pan. I`m not having a leaky crap mobile in my driveway or garage. Oh well... Back to the classifieds.

Anthony, I think you are looking at this in the wrong perspective. For a business that you intend to grow, I would do a business lease on a new vehicle and write the payments off. If you take a two year lease, you will still spend about the same amount but you will have a business expense, a new swirl free vehicle in your choice of color, and will look much more impressive showing up at your jobs. Don`t look at this a personal vehicle, look at it as a business investment. In two or three years you can either lease another vehicle or if you really like the truck, you can buy it if the business does well. I just thought you might like a totally differnt view from a business side. Good luck and a Happy and Healthy New Year to you and your family

**Jngrbrdman** · 12-29-2006, 09:33 AM

Yeah, if I was taking it to the highest level then that would be a consideration, but this is still a part time gig for me. I have no intention of detailing full time in Utah. The weather sucks for half the year and I`d starve. I`m just looking for something to make it easier during the six months out of the year when I actually can detail. I`m not looking at making a profession out of this. Just part time work. Working out of the back of a truck is the next logical step from working out of a trunk. Getting a trailer or a bigger truck will be the next step, but I`m not ready to put that much of my resources into business equipment just yet. I`m serious about making a business out of this, but only a part time business that I can run when I want. I have a good full time job that I`m not willing to quit.

**Poorboy** · 12-29-2006, 09:50 AM

part-time or not..you might want to talk to your accountant and see if it would still work out better. I`ve seen ads for some small trucks for $199 a month with practically nothing down ..

**Jngrbrdman** · 12-29-2006, 09:54 AM

Thanks for the advice, but a new truck just isn`t a priority right now. Business was going great when I pulled up in my Accord and I`m sure it will be just as good in a used Tacoma.

If things really take off then we`ll see about that sometime in the future, but it is fairly low on the list of things to do right now. I`m not a big fan of debt of any kind and getting strapped to a payment right now when I don`t know what the future holds just isn`t a good idea. For all I know I could get super busy at my full time job and not even have time to detail. Then where would I be? I would rather get a used truck and build the business so that when it comes time to upgrade I can just write out a check. That seems to be the smarter plan for me right now.