Requiem for a Dakota
Every car owner, sooner or later, reaches a point with their vehicles where they have to make a decision: Do you cough up thousands of dollars to keep your car going, or do you just take it out back, shoot it, and get a new one? When faced with this decision, a number of issues come into play:
- How good a vehicle can I get for the repair price? Will it run better than the one I have?
- How long until the next big repair?
- Does the vehicle meet my needs well enough to justify putting money into it?
- How much do I like the vehicle?
Today, on my way to work, my 1993 Dodge Dakota made a noise from the transmission area that convinced me to pull over and get towed back home. After a little bit of troubleshooting, I figured out what the problem was--the overdrive was shot.
At first, I flirted with the idea of fixing the overdrive myself. I read the Chilton manual's procedure on removing the transmission. I searched online for the service manual for my Torqueflite-inspired A500 transmission, then pored over its 94 pages intently, searching for hope. It turns out that, on the A500, the main transmission is a separate unit from the overdrive module; consequently, the worst that I would have to do is replace the overdrive module.
However, after some careful thinking, I realized a simple truth--I am not a mechanic and, even if I was, I know nothing about transmissions. Worse yet, I'm not in particularly good physical shape, especially in the upper body. If I attempted to remove the 300-pound transmission myself, I was liable to break something--say an arm, a leg, some ribs, or, if I was really lucky, my spine. Besides, I had neither the tools nor equipment to remove and service a transmission. By the time I was done buying the necessary tools, finding a way to remove the transmission without hurting myself (much less the transmission), and buying whatever replacement parts I would need, I was looking at a fairly hefty chunk of change for a repair that I couldn't even begin to trust myself to complete successfully. So, I called around, described the problem, and received the news: I was looking at somewhere between $1500 and $2500, depending on whether the overdrive module was salvageable or not. If the noise it made when it last tried to shift into overdrive was any indication, it wasn't.
It was truth or consequences time.
The Dakota was a gift from my Grandma, who took pity on me when I drove my last car into a concrete barrier on a twisty, icy mountain road three years ago. The Dakota wasn't in bad condition when she gave it to me, but it wasn't in great condition, either. She never drove it much when she had it. When she handed it to me, it had 32,000 miles on it. Unfortunately, it also had a radiator full of rust-colored antifreeze, and, at least while I had it, it would knock while going uphill on regular unleaded. The knocking problem was fairly easy to fix, I tried just replacing the spark plugs and wires, which helped a little, then just gave up and used premium gas, which stopped the knocking.
The rust-colored antifreeze, however, proved to be a little more problematic. After getting the radiator flushed, it didn't take long before the radiator developed a leak, which led to it, along with the thermostat, getting replaced about a year later. This was then followed by the water pump a couple of months later. Since I took it to a mechanic to get this done, the total repair bill came to roughly $600.
To add insult to injury, in the same year that the cooling system finally rusted away, the transfer case decided to fail as well, which set me back another $900. At the time, the expenses were fairly easy to justify. The truck only had 60,000 miles on it by that point, so I figured the engine would be good for a few more years. Besides, it had been sitting for a while--it was only natural that some seals would wear out. So, the truck was fixed.
As time passed, though, things kept getting worse.
Last year I took the truck in to get its alignment checked; since I bought the lifetime alignment package for it, I usually had it checked every 5,000 miles. This time, the mechanic wouldn't align it. The ball joints and tie rods had degraded to the point where it wouldn't maintain alignment anymore, and the mechanic wanted $600 to fix it. I decided that, if I was going to drive an old truck, it was time I started doing some of the big repairs myself. I bought the necessary parts, enlisted the help of a friend with a garage, and got to work. After a couple of weekends and some important lessons about the cheapness of ductile iron tools (sorry, Harbor Freight, but we're through), we fixed the Dakota up enough where it could get realigned. Success! Sure, it cost me about $200 in parts and tools to get the job done, but it beat $600 easily enough and gave me a nice feeling of accomplishment.
Then winter hit.
The heater in my truck had never worked particularly well. My Grandma lives in coastal California, so it's a rare event when the temperature gets below 40 degrees. I, on the other hand, live in Reno. Granted, we don't experience Minnesota-style winters, but it still gets cold enough that a working heater is a very useful thing. In the case of the Dakota, the heater worked fine as long as it wasn't below freezing. At that point, it would be warm enough to defrost a window eventually but nowhere near warm enough where you'd want the breeze anywhere near you. This point was driven home a couple of years ago when I drove it to Elko in subzero temperatures, only to have my legs become so cold by the end of the journey that I could barely walk. Most of the time, though, it wasn't a big deal; I'd sit in the cold truck for a few minutes, get to the office, and go inside where it was nice and warm.
This year, however, the situation reached critical. Due to a new job that requires an hour-long commute in each direction and a set of personal circumstances that prevent me from moving any closer to my job, I absolutely must have a working heater. So, I decided, it was time to fix the heater. As luck would have it, the heater core needed to be flushed. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it until after I took apart half of my dash trying to get to the heater core to replace it, only to give up in frustration and try what I thought was a meaningless "Hail Mary."
While all of this has been going on, I've maintained a list of "nice to get to" repairs in the back of my mind. For starters, there has been a weird noise coming from one of the valves in the truck for a while and it's been getting louder. Meanwhile, my rear brake pads are wearing out. There's also the small matter of figuring out why, exactly, my truck won't run on regular gas anymore, even though it should--is it the oxygen sensor, the catalytic converter, something with the computerized ignition system or what? In short, this truck has never been a paragon of reliability. Sure, it usually got me from point A to point B, but not without some hassle along the way. That's just the way it's been. Even so, it is paid for, so replacing it with something else just never really seemed worth it.
Until now.
Seven months ago, my youngest son was born. My Dakota only has one bench seat and, owing to the size of my two sons' car seats, it's physically impossible for all three of us to fit, much less anyone else. No problem--we have a family car for that--but it's not exactly ideal. Meanwhile, I'm going 50 miles in each direction when I go to work in a truck that runs on premium and gets, at best, 18 mpg. It's not as expensive as it was when I started the job, thanks to the price of gas falling from $4/gallon to roughly $2.40, but it still adds up.
In short, the truck only marginally met my needs when I got it, and my needs have increased substantially. I almost never haul anything, so the only thing the eight-foot bed ever holds is a milk crate full of various automotive fluids. I don't plan on towing anything anytime soon. The only benefit the truck has over any old passenger car is that it has four-wheel drive and enough ground clearance to have a little fun. Basically, if this truck was a significant other, I'd have someone that was willing and able to get a little dirtier with me than most but was expensive, mostly useless, and just unreliable enough to leave me doubting. So, after some thought, I knew what I must do. After 120,000 miles, it was time for the truck to go.
I will miss the truck. It was the first vehicle I've ever owned that actually belonged on some of the roads I find myself on from time to time. When something went wrong, it was fairly easy to fix, even if more went wrong than it should. Even so, it simply doesn't meet my needs anymore and, to be honest, the only reason I was going to keep it any longer was because it was paid for and I'm habitually allergic to car payments. So, I bid my truck good-bye and hope that it's auctioned off to someone who needs a truck more than I do and is willing to put a little time and effort to make it work the way it's supposed to.
The top picture is of my truck on the road to Soldier Meadows, near the Black Rock Desert. The more fitting picture at the bottom is from Flickr user tburton, who apparently had a little more luck with his truck than I had with mine.
--David Colborne
That Car Guy on February 19, 2009 at 08:55 AM
My sister bought a new Dakota, somewhere around 1992. From Day One, it was nothing but problems. The radio never worked properly, so the dealer replaced it. And the speakers. And the harness. It still never worked right. Then the power windows failed. I don't remember what else quit working on the truck, but they haven't owned a Chrysler product since. That truck spent WAY too much time in the shop.
I have a philosophy to not intentionally invest more in a vehicle than it's worth. Custom wheels and tires are a big No-No. There are sentiments, but there's also time to say goodbye. I have a similar story about my Ranger... but it was killed before its time.
By any chance, could the thermostat, even a new one, have prevented your heater from working properly?
John B on February 19, 2009 at 09:24 AM
I wish I could get off as cheap as you seem to...let's see, FREE truck with 32K.
Cooling issues $1500 (600 & 900) and a couple of hundred for the tie rods.
Bought expensive gas because it was easier than gettingthe engine fixed.
You drove it for 88K...had no depreciation.
I'd say you got off light. Don't compain...:)
Steaming Pile on February 19, 2009 at 11:05 AM
@TCG - I must refer you to a diary I wrote the other day at DailyKos: (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/15/133234/678/101/696546) Shorter: Sure, power windows are nice to have, but they add to the price of your car, and they break.
David Colborne on February 19, 2009 at 11:37 AM
John B - Believe me, I'm not complaining here. It did what it needed to do and the price was certainly right. My only problem with it was that it finally reached the point where the TCO for keeping it was now about the same for a new car with better gas mileage and a car payment. Given a choice between paying $200-300 for more gas and expensive repairs or paying $200-300 for a Kia with 100,000 fewer miles, well... I got a Kia. Oh, and Steaming Pile... no power windows. :-)
That Car Guy - It's possible, but the new thermostat didn't help. Plus, the temp gauge showed that the engine temp was consistent, if a little low. My personal suspicion is that the heater core needed to be replaced. It was the only part of the cooling system that didn't get replaced during my ownership.
Theodore on February 19, 2009 at 01:27 PM
I'm at about the same place with my Thunderbird. Yeah, I could rebuild or replace the transmission (again), but that would cost more than the car is worth, and I'm sure that as soon as I did that something else expensive would break. That car has been my constant companion for almost eleven years, but it's time to let go.
Anthony Cagle on February 19, 2009 at 03:56 PM
Tough choice.
Well, maybe not. Probably only difficult if it's one of those True Friend cars, or something on the cusp of being perhaps collectible someday. Or just rare. I got rid of my stupid Buick without a second thought (not true, really, I thought about it a lot and was outrageously happy whenever I did).
They even make non-power windows anymore? I personally am looking forward to the day some young person gets into my car and can't figure out which button makes the windows go down.
Paul Phillips on February 20, 2009 at 02:07 PM
I know it's hard but say goodbye to the truck.
Andrew, we bought a new Hyundai Accent last fall and it has crank windows. My son gives a ride to his buddy to high school everyday, usually in a Ford Explorer. My son told me, when he used the Accent one day, the kid wanted to lower window and had to ask how. I imagine this kid had the same look of befuddlement as the kids used to have when they came over to our house and tried to figure out how to use a rotary phone.
Paul Phillips on February 20, 2009 at 02:09 PM
I am an idiot. Not Andrew, Anthony
Holly on February 21, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Hey, David, enjoyed this very much. I made the mistake of viewing my much-lamented Camaro as a friend and stalwart companion, even tho my dad had warned me that a car can't be more than a "collection of parts designed to get you from point A to B"!(Actually, he had been much-attached to some of his cars). Anyway, I've never stopped missing my Camaro, even tho my current car, a Buick Lacrosse, is far more reliable and has all of the stuff that makes driving so much more comfortable - A/C, stereo options, spacious back seat - but still . . .
That Car Guy on February 24, 2009 at 04:11 PM
My father always said that a car is nothing but an instrument to get you from Point A to Point B.
He owned a gray Plymouth 4-door before he bought his '65 VW Beetle.
Dentists Gainesville on November 11, 2009 at 11:24 PM
My brother loved that car, but yeah...it was loads of problem.