Dodge Dakota Classic Cars for Sale

The Dodge Dakota, also referred to as the Ram Dakota, is a mid-size pickup truck that was designed and manufactured by Dodge. The concept of the car emanated from Chrysler’s Ram. The production of the Dodge Dakota began in 1986 and the truck made its debut sale in 1987. In 2000, the Dodge Dakota won a nomination for the Truck of the Year in North America. The Dodge Dakota has always been designed above the Ford Ranger, but slightly below the Dodge Ram, which is a full-size pickup. One of the things that make the Dodge Dakota unique is the fact it’s the first Ford pickup to come with a V8 engine.

History of the Dodge Dakota (1987-1996: First generation)

Chrysler developed the Dodge Dakota to feature as a mid-sized pickup that would offer an alternative in the market and to compete with leading brands in the class. The company, in a bid to minimize on expenditure, sourced most of the parts from Chrysler products at the time. Therefore, the name Dakota, which means friend, was born. The first generation of the Dodge Dakota was rolled out in 1987 and was produced until 1996. There were also updates made in 1991 to include the inline-four system as well as V6 engines, all this in a bid to increase the performance of the truck relative to the trends present in the market at the time. Most Dodge Dakota trucks came with a five-speed manual gearbox and there were several four-speed automatic versions. Only V6 versions of the truck came in four wheel, with both eight and six-foot beds.

A fuel injection system was included for the V6, 3.9 Litre models of the Dodge Dakota, which was produced in 1988, but the output did not change with these amendments. There were also sports packages that were made in 1988 and were offered as a mid-year release. The trucks were quite well designed as they came with a sliding rear window and 15 inch Alloy wheels. The Dodge Dakota also had an AM/FM radio with a cassette slot. Additionally, the first generation had a lowered suspension and leather seats for some of the Dodge Dakota trucks. A sunroof was also optional and an infinity sound system was common in most Dodge Dakota trucks produced beginning 1990. The 1989 era saw a change in design, where a Dodge Dakota convertible version was produced, thereby becoming the first convertible pickup in America after Ford Model A.

Special editions of the Dodge Dakota (Li’l Red Express and Warrior)

The Li’l Red Express is an imitation of the original Express model, which was produced under the D-series. The truck was classic-looking with dual exhaust. On the other side, the Dodge Dakotan Warrior was designed like the Warlock pickup trucks made in late ‘70s.