I just bought the Dodge Dakota sight unseen online auction. $5100 ~79,000 miles. So far so good it was exactly as described on the website and so far, runs beautifully. It came with all of its repair records-interestingly major repairs were done in 2010 under warranty so obviously they don't come out of the factory worth their price.
Couple questions:
There are 2-3 tiny areas along edges where the bright white paint has bubbled up a little, and one small crack in the paint shows the rust underneath. Mom has a very old white car and she covers her same minor issues with white duct tape which stays on thru brutal winters and summers and honestly you don't notice it until you take a closer look. Has anyone else used duct tape for rust spots-I am guessing rust needs oxygen/moisture to grow and the duct tape suffocates/dehydrates the rust?
The front grill seems to allow full passage of air into the engine compartment. Have any of you added some kind of bug/dust/grit screen or does this vehicle need all the cooling air it can get? I was wondering about inserting one of those black carbon filter ultrathin foam sheets inside, anchored to the grill?
edited for 3rd question: the tailgate does not have a lock-anyone know of a creative way to add a 'lock' without hacking into the tailgate?
[The Taurus melted ~3yrs ago-loved that car-bought for $6000 at 54,000 miles and drove it for another 80,000 miles.]