Originally Posted by wingman
Originally Posted by Wheeler
Originally Posted by Dart 500
A potential dakota will be privately shown to dealers this month and it'll be up to them. Keep in mind it was the ram 1500 that helped kill the last dakota, it was just more truck for similar money so I doubt they go that route again. But who knows


iagree The problem with the 2005-2011 Dakota is that you could get a Ram 1500 for about the same money. The 3rd gen Dakota was a disappointment IMO.

The new Dakota needs to be priced lower than a Ram 1500 or it won't sell.



Dodge did that to themselves on purpose. The earlier Dakotas were so popular and selling so well that they perceived the Dakota was stealing sales from the 1500 Ram. So they kept raising the MSRP up and up in an attempt to drive people to buy the Ram instead. All they did was alienate buyers who did not want or need a full-sized truck and send them over to the Ford or Chevy dealer to buy a Ranger or S-10. Dumb.

Then the final generation of Dakota they beat it so badly with the "ugly" stick that even die-hard Dakota-buyers wouldn't drive it. It went from one of the best-looking trucks on the road to one of the worst in one model-year. That was the end.

Now "full size" pickups have gotten ridiculously huge to the point where there is hopefully a market for smaller trucks again. (maybe)


Agreed on the looks, I didn't think it was possible to screw up a vehicle design that badly, but they did. Actually I think their head of design may have changed in-between which would explain it, they killed the durango by beating it with the same ugly stick as well.