06 Dodge...High priced Dakota look'n CTD

[2Gen3Gen]

I was just having my oil changed on my 04. 5 and wandered through the lot looking at the new 06 trucks that have just arrived. Of course, the salesman swarmed around me to get me to take a drive and trade off my 04. Just a few comments. Why would anyone want to pay another $10k to drive what I think is an ultra UGLY truck (oversized Dakota) and pay full sticker plus their added dealer mark up. Also, the warranty isnt as good on the 06. I feel that will make the 05 and older trucks worth more. The new trucks just look cheap! Then, to make matters worse, they offer you $10k UNDER wholesale!

 

[Bertram65]

The new look will probably grow on you and you will start to like them, the new power wagon looks pretty cool there is a white one on eBay.

I do not think the new trucks will do anything but lower the value of the previous generation, it always does, makes the 3rd gens look old, wonder if the '06s should be called 4th gens now? I am surprised they only used this style for 3 model years. As far as the employee pricing goes, you could have gotten just as good a deal without if you do 10 minutes research on the web before you buy it, the rebates are another story, thankfully Dodge has not came out with the crazy rebates like GM has.

The price may go up each year but the quality does as well, in the last 4 or 5 years Dodge has made a real improvment in quality, it will only keep going up, they have to to be competitive with everyone else.

 

[betterthanstock]

makes the 3rd gens look old, wonder if the '06s should be called 4th gens now? .

No. Same cab, windows, doors, roof, frame , engine, axles, t-case .

Different headlights, hood, grille, fenders, bumper, dash.

Maybe 3. 1 gen's?

 

[JRD]

Or how about "3rd Gens ugly twin sister"?

 

[2Gen3Gen]

Or how about "3rd Gens ugly twin sister"?

I like that one! :-laf :-laf

 

[Cummins Cowboy]

what do you guys not like about the NEW dakota, take a look at the hood its much more angular and edgy, the grill is the same way, this is the way they should have made the 3rd gens in the first place, they attempted to soften the look of the classic 2nd gen styling, what people really want is more bold aggressive looks, the 3rd gen goes the opposite way, I think the styling on the dakota is a step in the right direction, however I hate the teardropping of the head lights into the fenders and I also hate the way the grill protrudes below the highest point on the front bumper, they should have left that alone like the 2nd gens. As for the durango's I think those are a flop from a style standpoint. the rest of DC's designs right now are quite spectacular check out the cars compared to other brands, they seem to have an attitude, slightly aggressive, as a result sales are good. now if you wanna talk about the cloth seats and the 6 speed gear ratios in the '06 I think there is much to complain about

 

[Graphic man]

I stoped last night and looked the 06 CTD

other then the head lights and the dash, i didn't see much difference



did i miss something??



Scott

 

[jlasich]

now if you wanna talk about the cloth seats and the 6 speed gear ratios in the '06 I think there is much to complain about

I love the new cloth seats in the '06. The material feels more durable and doesn't look like it will soak up liquids quickly, unlike the '03-'05 seats. There's a lot of stitching also, which should make them stronger and less likely to wear.



I like the '06 Ram as a whole. Drove one the other day (48RE) and it was great. I noticed the new door seals (they even added a much needed seal in between the front and rear door) and the truck seemed quieter. It was only my second time with a 48RE but I liked it. Truck was very responsive and I liked the "Press once for Tow/Haul, twice for Overdive Off" feature. Also noticed that there is only one plug for all the injectors instead of 3 seperate ones.



Prices don't seem to be too bad. My brother has received several quotes from a couple dealers on a 3500 MC 4x4 SLT with DVD ranging from $40K to $42K. I don't think that's too bad. Can't wait to see one.

 

[AMink]

The main thing I don't like about the new Dakotas is the way the fender runs into the door, then just stops. Like the designers pen ran out of ink.

 

[2Gen3Gen]

Actually, I miss the classic lines of my 98 12v quad cab 4x4! Great truck. . Clean and classic!

 

[JedRattle]

`06 is just flat out UGLY!!! I love my `05 with an NV5600 trans

 

[RonsRig]

I looked at an 06 Powerwagon the other day an I like the looks of it. 4x4s always look cooler than 2x4s though. I didn't like the looks of the 3rd gens when they first came out, but I do like the 06s. My favorite is still the 2nd gens but I would not trade my truck for an 06 or a 2nd gen.

 

[2Gen3Gen]

I really like my 04. 5. . It really is one of the best CTD's Ive had since my first one in 1990, a 1 ton single cab rough riding straight axel 4x4 that killed my back, yet got over 26 mpg! that was a great truck. My 04. 5 has all the right stuff, including the adjustable peddels which I really like. The bummer is that I am stuck selling it as of now just to pay down the tuition for my wife's Med School. I was going to replace it with a used Toyota extra cab for the next year and then see how the finances go. Now that I think about it, I think I may go with a 93 club cab 3/4 4x4. . they can be had for about $10k if you look. I know that the ride isnt anywhere near what the ride is in my 3rd gen but, rather than live with a big financial debt, I will be willing to go back in years and stay in a CTD! That way, ill still be able to contribute to the TDR!



I love my Cummins! Every one of them that Ive owned!



On the other hand, i had high hopes of getting a Mega cab but oooooooh, what an ugly rig! I do think, I coulod get used to the standard Quad Cab as it hasnt changed much over the 05, but those headlights and the dash. . YUK! I think it is still considered to be a 3rd gen as the basic body is still the same. I remember in 94 when they came out with the 2nd gen, I said, like everyone else, it looked like a Studebaker truck. Well, it finally grew on me. They made some changes during the 9 year run. They changed the dash in 98 which I really liked along with the Club Cab turning into the Quad cab. Some had rattels but I think that was a great improvement with those of us that still had kids at home. The only draw back to the 98 and newer, i didnt like the seatbelt coming out of the seat. That was always in at the dealer getting fixed and also the bad right hand pull that my 98 had that never did get fixed. Other than that, I never had to walk with that truck! Oh well, sorry for the long post. Time marches on and I and my bank account really hope that my 04. 5 3500 sells soon. It is sitting in the garage with a FULL TANK OF DIESEL and ready for its new owner!

 

[OSalinas]

I was just having my oil changed on my 04. 5 and wandered through the lot looking at the new 06 trucks that have just arrived. Of course, the salesman swarmed around me to get me to take a drive and trade off my 04. Just a few comments. Why would anyone want to pay another $10k to drive what I think is an ultra UGLY truck (oversized Dakota) and pay full sticker plus their added dealer mark up. Also, the warranty isnt as good on the 06. I feel that will make the 05 and older trucks worth more. The new trucks just look cheap! Then, to make matters worse, they offer you $10k UNDER wholesale if you are stupid enough to trade in your 04. WTF??? last year they sell you their product and say its the best thing since sliced bread, now it isnt even close to wholesale book. Myself, I feel that Dodge just lost a long time customer. With what they just told me, i would be paying $20k plus my trade to buy a new 06 that will loose 50% of its value once I drive it off the lot. No way Dodge! I am thinking of selling my truck but, maybe not. From what I have seen on Ebay, trucks with 100k on them are still bringing more than I was just getting offered for a truck with less than a year old with 13k miles FULLY loaded. With that in mind, Ill drive my truck until the wheels fall off and get my moneys worth. Granted, I could use some extra cash at this time to pay off some student loans but, Im not just going to give my truck away and still be no closer to being out of debt. I figure that Dodge thinks that the normal new car buyer is basically stupid with an unlimited amount of cash to throw away on a product that looks cheap as we all know that every year, the price goes up and the quality goes DOWN. My loyalty to D/C is now in the toilet. The BS Employee pricing killed the used car market, then they think you are going to come back and do business with them after they just devalued what you paid hard earned money for just 10 months ago. NO WAY CHRYSLER AND ALL YOU OTHER MFG"S. :-{} OK Ive vented and Im off my soap box. We are now returning you to your regular broadcasting... ... :-laf To sum it up, I will take joy to see all the 3 big auto makers die financially as everyone keeps their older cars and trucks and not buy new for the next several years. Everyone that bought before the latest Employee price BS has been screwed by the industry. I say, let them starve! Ill drive my 04 for 10 years and enjoy every mile as I drive by the dealer and see all the salesmen sitting in the front line, getting hungry! :-laf :-laf :-laf

that'll teach ya to go wandering where ya should'nt. c'mon... you know you want that big bad 06 with the newest fandango... heck, everyone wants one :-laf

 

[2Gen3Gen]

Wow, this post is out dated... ... ... .

 

[EBottema]

2G3, your right, the 06s are mega ugly...

 

[JonathanBurk]

"Why would someone pay $10K more for an ugly truck?"



I paid $20K more for mine.

I don't think it's ugly, the look grows on ya. Everyone hates the new trucks at first... same thing with your non-ugly '04 when the '03's came out.



I had an '02, '03, & '04... I love the old ones, but personally I'm liking the '06 more now except for the nasty wood grain.



As for improvements, the sound level is amazing, smooth like a Cadillac and not squeaky and windy like the old ones. That alone makes it a much better truck in my book. I just wish they stuck with dark grey interior, I'm not a fan of the medium grey but I'm getting used to that too.



I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[Sled Dog]

`06 is just flat out UGLY!!! I love my `05 with an NV5600 trans

Its Not just flat out Ugly!!!



ITS MEGA UGLY!! :-laf :-laf

 

[2Gen3Gen]

:-laf Oo. :-laf

Its Not just flat out Ugly!!!



ITS MEGA UGLY!! :-laf :-laf