Im going to have to tell you go with a dodge, I have a dodge ram daytona and couldn't be happier my hemi hauls ass down the road and gets me out of every sticky situation with the 4x4, as for the dakota, the new ones are very nice and look great, the 4.7 is a much more improved motor now then it was back in 2000, id say upgrade to a ram especially since the prices are so low on them now and the new ones are amazing, I wish I bought mine now instead of last yr I paid a hell of alot more then I would now but oh well its a daytona and hold a bit higher value compared to stocker, either way go Dodge, and remember IF YOU CAN"T DODGE IT, RAM IT!!!