Underappreciated Muscle Truck: 1998 Dodge Dakota R/T – Sold?

January 15, 2023, Update – We confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found, we’re assuming this ride is “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

November 14, 2022 Update – We confirmed the seller replaced their expiring Craigslist ad with a third listing. The pictures, description, and asking price all remain the same.

November 14, 2022 Update – We just confirmed the seller replaced their expiring Craigslist ad with a fresh listing. The pictures, description, and asking price all remain the same.

Did you ever notice that the collector car segment gets overly carried away with the typical sports or luxury models? One segment that gets overlooked repeatedly is that of the muscle truck. These were typically two-wheel-drive models given a little cosmetic dress-up with a honker of engine swapped and sold in limited numbers. These days, most of them have been used and abused to the point that a decent one is as rare as any other European hot rod. We found this 1998 Dodge Dakota R/T on Craigslist in October 2022 in Ronkonkoma, NY (Long Island), for $6,500. Comparing that price against the Classic.com model guide shows that the seller is asking for reasonable money, given that the average sale price is over $13,000.

When the early 90s rolled around, the performance car industry was in full bloom. The list goes on and on, the Supra, NSX, 3000GT, 911, Esprit, and ZR-1. With the advent of the “rad”-era vehicle movement, the popularity of those models is even more apparent. That same time in automotive history saw battlegrounds being staked for the performance truck market, with the GMC Syclone / Typhoon, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Chevrolet SS signaling that they weren’t going down without a fight to establish dominance in this small but densely packed market of muscle trucks. Today, each of those models is considered a collector’s item, and while you can buy a beater for short money, almost any vehicle worth owning will set you back a decent amount.

The 90s Commercials YouTube Channel features this 1998 Dodge Dakota TV ad:

Now, I have some personal experience with the Dodge Dakota R/T market. I’ve felt these were significantly under-appreciated in the marketplace for a while, and I bought a nicely presented example last summer with just over 100,000 miles. The previous owner was a dealership that clearly bought the Dakota as a “flip,” going so far as to give the truck a decent, five-footer paint job to address the chronic clearcoat peel that almost every Mopar product from this era experiences, along with performing some routine maintenance. It still needs plenty of help, but I will say this: it sounds absolutely burly at cold startup and is surprisingly quick when you stick your foot in it. There are plenty of poorly-modified beater examples out there, but the seller’s truck looks decent despite having the same clearcoat issues. It’s also one of the rarer colors you can get in a Dakota R/T, otherwise known as purple – and with just 73,00o on the clock, this is one of the lower mileage trucks out there at the moment.

Here’s the seller’s description:

“For sale my 1998 Dodge Dakota R/T 5.9 V8 Magnum 360. Club cab extended bed.
Very very rare truck in Deep Amethyst Purple.
73k Original miles, engine and trans always taken care of, truck was never raced.
Structurally the truck is 9/10, but paint and body are about a 4/10 and does need some TLC
The title is clean however there is a crack to the right of the driver side door that looks like a crappy bondo repair.
Also the notorious intake plenum gasket and intake manifold gasket issues with this truck was professionally fixed at 55000 miles.
Wheel are white powder coated but definitely need a re-shoot (brake dust is never nice to white wheels)
I do have the hard top cover for the bed and a roll pan I never got around to installing.

Looking for $10,000 OBO. Low ballers will be ignored don’t bother. May not be able to answer calls during the weekday because of work but will receive and answer texts.”

Undervalued muscle machine: has the Dakota R/T been overlooked as a classic for too long?