We Say Goodbye to the Last Dodge Dakota - PickupTrucks.com
I think it is now extinct because of a mix of its looks and that the midsize truck segment is dwindling due to changing tastes in the US. Remember when Mitsubishi so unsuccessfully used the Dakota platform for its short-lived Raider. Had an 02 bought it from my dad when I got my license he bought it brand new took it to 180k miles only non maitenance problem on hub went 4. 7 v8 4x4 quadcab perfect size could take 6 people and use the bed was real quick too only upgraded to a... Lets see the size of the 2nd gen Dakotas bigger than the Ranger/S10 yet not so close to the full sizes. Had an '88 2WD V6 5-spd as my first truck, then bought an '03 4WD Club, SLT, 4. 7 5-spd brand new. great truck, the 4. 7/5-spd was incredible. Full-size trucks are the most profitable large scale product lines these auto makers have. For the most part, truck companies feel that the people who bought Dakotas and Rangers were choosing them instead of the bigger trucks ie. the smaller trucks were cannibalizing the sales of the more profitable bigger trucks. It's also the reason prices for the Dakota and Colorado/Canyon were so ridiculously high. Many, many folks looked at the prices and thought, I had might as well get the big one because they almost cost the same, and the mileage isn't that much different. I had a 1988 2wd 3. 9l DAKOTA that my dad. Source: news.pickuptrucks.com
