Gen 2 or gen 3? there's no quad cab Gen 2s, but gen 3 (97-04 Dakota) does have quads available starting in 2000 I believe? maybe '01 was the first year.

They are HEAVY trucks. my 98 is a striped out regular cab. left the factory with no AC, cruise control, manual windows, locks, seats, transmission, and is 2wd. only option really was the 5.2L v8. it weighs 3900 lbs.

my 04 quad cab, 2wd V8 auto with power windows, locks, mirrors, cruise, AC, etc. weighs 4500 empty

Ball joints in the 4wd models had issues, but should be fixed under the recall. Check the ball joints, if they are riveted to the control arm, they are original. If they are held in with nuts/bolts, they are replacements. They suck down the gas. my 2wd 5.2 truck would do 17 MPG, but that was with a manual trans. my 04 quad cab 4.7L truck gets about 16 on the highway, and 15 overall.

lots of aftermarket support though. cosmetic mods, performance mods, etc.