I have never owned a vehicle which I have enjoyed more than my 2001 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab. I bought this vehicle new from the dealer with 10 miles on it. Today my Dodge Dakota has close to 90,000 miles on it and is running strong. This is a very well made truck.

When I originally started looking at trucks back in 2001, all I knew was that I wanted a quad cab or 4 door truck. My premise was that a quad cab 4-wheel drive truck would provide all the versatility of a SUV with the added advantage of having an outside bed so that items like mud covered mountain bikes would not trash the vehicles interior. Furthermore a truck bed is just superior to transporting large items. Six years later the premise of a quad cab had held absolutely true. I will never be without a quad cab truck, they provide far too much utility to be without one.

Knowing that I wanted a 4 door truck, I then selected the mid-size variety as opposed to full size was too big and compact too small. Back in 2001 there were 3 quad cabs that fit the criteria:

* Dodge Dakota
* Nissan Frontier
* Ford Explorer Quad Cab

The Stood out from among these three based primarily upon the vehicle being built as a truck (the others were on less substantial chassis) and the Dodge Dakotas engine. The Dodge was available with a substantial 4.7 Liter, V8, Magnum. This engine and chassis combination made the Dodge far more versatile in terms of smoothness of per and towing capacity. Furthermore, the ride of the Dodge was as comfortable as the other vehicles.

Fortunately my selection of a Dodge Dakota was as good a choice as my premise of a quad cab truck. While it should be noted that I have never missed a service or oil change, the Dodge Dakota has been a superior vehicle.

The only issue I have experienced, and this is minor, in 90,000 miles is that I have had to replace the sway bar bushings more than one would expect. While this is a maintenance item it has been a slight annoyance.

Overall the 2001 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab has been as close to a perfect truck ownership as could ever be expected. I look forward to the next 30,000 mile.