Yeah, I've had a 99 R/T and an 06 Laramie TRX4.
I was really hoping to find a four door 5.9, don't think the came with a 5.2 and I didn't dislike my 4.7 I'd rather have the la/mag type engine.
She'll drive an old truck, just not a lifted one.
4 door 5.9 is I think, maybe only like a 2000-2001, maybe 2002 option. Maybe 1999, but I don't think so. Any Dakota from that generation in WI will be hard to find without rust. You can find quite a few ext. cabs from that era with a magnum but 4 doors came later and rapidly went to the 4.7.
I did a very limited google search, I mean there is a 2000 4 door.... in CA with the 5.9. They are out there I am sure but odds are slim it will show up in WI. Not at a dealer.
Now a Durango with the 5.9? I bet there are 3 of them within 50 miles of you on FB market right now. Seems back then either the dealers or the buyers would splurge for the bigger engine on a SUV but not on the Dakotas for some reason. Best friend from years back had a 5.9 Durango brand new when I was in HS. That thing was a blast! they bought it to tow their camper. But mostly it ran errands and my buddy got to drive it around a lot.
I tend to echo the sentiment in the first response here though, to get an old 70's truck in nice shape takes a lot of effort and hidden money. You can get them into driving sorta beater sorta decent condition reasonably. To get them into nice shape takes a lot of effort or money, probably both. This is why there are so many overpriced, not really that great 70's Fords for sale in WI. They all run OK and look OK, but none are nice, and by the time they are nice the price is up over $15k then, because that is what it takes to get there.
You said this one was at a dealer, well, they won't stand behind it due to age and they have it marked up then. The unwillingness to even buy a cap that is missing on the engine tells me they have little into it and want to keep it that way. I would do a really, really good inspection on it if you go check it out. Just remember all the little things, stuff like the window seals and window cranks, does the heater work or is the core plugged/leaks(it is WI, late August even you might need a defroster if it is damp out) wipers work, all the signals/tail lights, horn(not because you need it but because it might be shorted out) do the doors sag and need hinges or otherwise, scratches in the windsheild(they WILL bother you later lol) look under and check rockers, floors, cab mounts.
It can be easy to get excited about a classic. It can be hard to step back and see them clearly, and especially if you need it for more then just an infrequent weekend leisure drive or to go on any trips greater then 5 miles from home, even once.
Maybe you thought of all that already, I just see a guy with an 03 cummins(pretty dang modern!) looking to go to a 77 stepside. Those two things are not comparable! Just make sure you aren't using utility and such to justify buying a project classic as you dig into this.
