I forgot about the Dakotas and yes, they're pretty affordable and plentiful out here. I've always liked the R/T's.

As far as emissions testing goes, anything built in 1976 or newer must go through semi-annual emissions testing. It must retain it's original emissions equipment and pass the appropriate smog requirements for that specific engine. Any modifications to the engine or the exhaust (in front of the Cats, such as headers) must have a CARB certified sticker or stamping on it. An engine swap can occur, but the engine has to be newer than the vehicle and it must retain that engine's original emissions equipment and pass the smog requirements for that engine. If it's a simple swap (Magnum 360 for Magnum 360) usually you can get away without going to a smog ref. If it's something more extensive (Magnum 360 for Hemi 5.7), a smog ref may need to be involved. Depending on how their feeling that day and the quality of your work will deem if your swap is legal or not. Otherwise you just go in to a buddies shop for your semi-annual smog check, drop him a couple large bills under the table, come back in a couple hours and Wallah! Your car is smogged. That is not an option for me.

I am not a fan of vans and if I was going to be stuck with a roof, I'd rather get an SUV like a Durango. Although I would possibly pay a tad more for a diesel as I know some of the 90's Cummins tend to be more reliable if maintained properly live a long time. I just don't really know how to maintain and operate a diesel vehicle. Not that I can't learn.

70's trucks aren't too expensive to maintain. Can they nickel and dime you to death? You better believe it.

That being said, my 73 d100 adventurer (like the one with the topper) was a 318/727/9.25 truck. When I got it, I replaced pulleys (someone AC deleted it incorrectly), hoses, belts, alternator, battery, voltage regulator, power steering pump, aluminum intake, carb, fuel pump, tires, mini starter, and drove the snot out of it. It made a trip to Sacramento from riverside. It got 11 up 13mpg down. I trusted that truck to go ANYWHERE. I even put 3/4 ton springs under the rear because I was pulling trailers and hauling hay. Lots of hay. That truck drove and rode great. All the replacement parts were more or less within a few months of ownership. Most were done "just because" since the truck sat for a number of years.

My 74 w200 that I just bought has been an entirely different story. She sat for 12 years. Took minimal effort to get running. New rubber fuel lines, fuel pump, dropped on a known good used carb, battery, and cleaned out the gas tank behind the seat. She fired right up. Drove her for a bit, and brakes went out (fixed). Then head gasket blew (fixed) clutch went out (in process of being fixed). I have replaced radiator, hoses, belts, heater core, power steering pump and hoses, battery, voltage regulator, and some misc stuff. I have about $2k into it above purchase price. I've had it for almost 2 months. BUT there is nothing else wrong with it. I put in a bench seat in place of the buckets and the ride is substantially better. She rides rough, but she IS a 3/4 ton 4x4. Once all the kinks are worked out, she will be as dependable as my 73 d100 (the one that got wrecked).

Granted I DO have a yard full of extra parts that has kept me from having to buy stuff, the cost of maintaining these trucks is not too bad. Plus, they are so dang easy to work on.

Muumuu, find one that is already in good shape. I should have just ponied up the extra cash and bought the power wagon that was going for $6700. It was turnkey, needing paint.

Oh, and I've been eyeballing that purple 73 for a while. I'm not going to go out of my way to make an offer, but if it goes below $1000 I may consider it. Afterall, I DO have a spare running/driving drivetrain or 2 haha

This is true on the nickel and dime stuff. That's what gets expensive

I know it's an older thread, but I was randomly talking to my coworker today about cars, he found it quite peculiar that I would want a truck, let alone an old truck. He said, if I were to get a truck, I should probably look into something that's 2005 or newer just because it rides significantly better and is much more comfortable than the older trucks (even the trucks of the late 90's). So, that would probably lead me to a Ram 1500 or possibly a Durango (though, I'm not a huge fan of that body style). Would you say a late 90's truck is considerably more comfortable than a truck from the mid-2000's?

My 2005 Ram was like riding in a luxury car compared to my '98 Ram SST. I took the 05 on trips all over the US and loved it. That's my 2 cents.


Durango... uck

Hope they were better built than the 1st gen. Rams. I own a 95 with 125,000 miles they were built cheap . Was conceder trying one of the newer one 3/4 ton diesels but wasn't sure of the durability on them.

My 2003 Ram is much more comfortable than my 99 Dakota. Both had the high end SLT packages. We took a trip to Vegas from Dallas in the 2003 and it was great. Seats and suspension are better in the newer trucks as is the noise reduction.

I have had an 86 D100 , a 92 D150 both 2wd short bed regular cabs, a 2000 then a 2002 Durango and I have to say my 08 H.Q.C. rides better and is more comfortable than any of them. even with air bags and a leveling kit and a lot more powerful.

I do like my 92 though....

And is their a real cut advantage of having a Regular Cab over the Quad Cab? I'm not really used to driving long vehicles so that's my only real con. I'd imagine that once I start wanting to throw more than one other person into the vehicle the Regular cab would get really annoying really quickly.

Regular cabs are fine if it's an automatic 2wd. 4 speed and 4wd, the center passenger gets uncomfortable. Plus when you have a regular cab, and have custom reclining seats, you can't recline them. Half the reason I put the bench into the 4x4 is because I like to go randomly camping. Did it in my 73 where I would just follow a trail as far back as I could go, and park. Spend the night, then go home. Just enjoying the solitude. With my 4x4, I can get to farther back places.

When I first started driving the 74 power wagon, I thought it rode rough. After driving it, it feels comfortable for what it is. I rode in my friends brand new Prius (only has 2500 miles) and after a short drive (~20 miles) my back was killing me. Hopped in my 3/4 ton 4x4 and my back felt great.

Take a few on test drives if you can, so that you know what will work for YOU an not what works for others. I like the crudeness of the 70's trucks. Others freak out at every squeak and wind noise.

My Dart had a lot of squeaks and wind noise so it won't freak me out. What I'm worried most about is after a 3-5 hour drive to Vegas or something if I'd be beaten up from the trip. Whereas, a newer truck may have a more comfortable suspension and cruise control (something that may become more of a necessity on long trips with my knee issues).

i used a 89 2 wheel drive ramcharger for yrs to tow our 67 dart along with a few different cars , normal saturday tow set was trailer was 16 ft deck with 5 ft tongue ,sb 67 dart,220 honda 4 wheeler on the tongue,a mountain bike strapped to the tail gate along with cooler some tools 5 gallon of gas me ad my sis and was good for many 215 mi round trip to a drag strip

See if you can rent a truck or test drive one for a week-end before you buy, take it on a 3 -4 hours test drive.
I drive a new Ford F 150 with a tow package and it is for me uncomfortable if you are behind the wheel for over a few hours. If you are on the shorter side the seat is terrible and most people who ride in it say is rough from a passenger perspective.
I would say the best tow vehicle for me would be an early 2000's Chevy (gasp) suburban.

That's not a bad idea. I am kind of short at 5'7" tall. With my hip mobility issues, it can be difficult getting into a tall vehicle. It helps to have the bolt-on side steps.

Actually, that's why my coworker brought up the idea of a 10 year old truck. He has an early 2000's Tahoe and said that Chevy really did their work when trying to make trucks and larger vehicles more comfortable. Then Ford and Chrylser followed in their footsteps.

I agree for traveling a quad cab is more comfortable, back in 92 my wife and I towed to the Mopar Nats in Columbus ( about a 7 hour one way tow) with my D150 regular cab and and an open trailer it was ok but a little cramped with not much room to stretch out. And all our stuff, (suitcases etc ) had to go in the back under the tonneau cover. In 05 we went to Indy for a Mopar race ( about a 12 hour one way tow.) with my Durango and 20 ft enclosed trailer and it was much more comfortable plus all our stuff fit inside. Now we don`t travel as much racing with the furthest being four hours but my H.Q.C. is even better with tons of room and room to stretch out and most of our stuff fits in the back seat.

Most newer trucks with over sized cabs have shorter boxes, an 8' box with larger cabs is really hard to find, as are standard cab trucks. The ride quality of the newer stuff is leaps & bounds better then the old stuff and seems to get better every year. I can't help but wonder if replacing the old seats with a modern seat isn't 1/2 of the difference, but the suspensions seem to be softer, and the trucks are heavier, all of which adds up to better rides. Seat position has a lot to do with ride comfort. I spend a lot of time getting the seat in a good position when ever I build a new hot rod.

The used truck market around here finds 10 year old trucks in your original price range have 200,000 miles, or some kind of issues. Used Durangos here also seem to have an unusually higher % of issues compared to ones that don't. That means either no one is selling them unless they have issues, or the Durangos have more issues. The fact that Mopar had commercials telling about the "all new Durango re-design" a few years ago would lead me to believe there were more issues with the older ones.

My next truck will probably be an extended cab (or whatever you want to call it), keeping small stuff out of the weather has advantages, and extra room inside standard cab Dakotas is very limited. Gene

Your expectations keep changing as this post goes on. First it was a beater truck and now looks like your willing to open your billfold a little more, which is good!
In 2007 I was pricing Dodge 4 door Cummins here in Ohio and everything I found in my price range was late 90's models with a quarter million miles and rust. I gave up and started searching Ebay and found that Dodges are cheaper in Texas. I bought my 2005 with 78 thousand miles for 18K! The same price that high mileage '99 and 2000 models were going for here. It originally sold new in California.

DHere's one for you muumuu. If I was in the market, this would be MINE! 1975 d100


FWIW, I'm about to drive my 74 power wagon to Salt Lake City Utah in a few days. I don't mind the ride at all. Even a friend mentioned how solid it felt going over a huge dip. The truck just stuck to the road.

My expectations are always changing. Take for instance my stroked vs. supercharger thread for my Dart that went back and forth for a month. I'm a guy that tries to see all sides of the dice before he rolls. I like to take into consideration everyone's opinion. Once I make the final decision and commit to it I'm generally happy with my choice because I've researched my options and have thought about it for a long time.

To be honest, I've always liked the idea of having a truck, but no one in my family has ever owned a truck. Even all of my siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. If not a car, all of them have had vans or SUV's because that's what got the job done for them. However, they had fairly light SUV's and never needed to tow a vehicle which I plan on doing in the future.