Hello,

I am picking up a 1990 Dakota to be my first truck. It has 113k on it with a 3.9 litter v6 and 5 speed. This will also be my first stick shift. Is there anything I should know about this truck? Also what kind of mpg should I expect? And any tricks on learning how to drive a stick? I am only 19.

sweet man, i believe the 3.9's get somehting like 15-16 city and 25-26 highway? dont worry about being the youngest here, lol...im 16. ive got the 5.2 litre automatic and i get 13-14 city and 20-21 highway.

have you ever driven stick before? if so you pprolly know how to get it going from a dead stop...i think thats the hardest part about driving them.

goodluck with your truck.

Nope this will be my first stick ever. I test drove it with my step dad I drove after he got it out off the car lot I did ok I think. Always wanted to learn just never had one to try on. That is good sound about the gas.

yeah, even my V-8 is pretty good i think. ive driven a stick, (when i was 15, LOL) but it wasnt on the road. i stalled it like 3 times before i got the hang of gettin it rolling. then i was good. i wanted a stick before i got my truck but then i figured i would get lazy in traffic. i know the auto trannys in these things are kinda clunky, and i can vouche for that.

let the clutch out slow and easy give it a bit of gas while letting the clutch out, takes some practice to get the timing right for when the clutch engages but its not too hard to learn. i learned when i was 13 on a 1944 willies. just wish my dakota was a stick the trannys starting to go if i get on it good when it goes to change gears at high RPM it slipps up.

samehere Airmanbeard (http://www.dodgeforum.com/showProfile.asp?memid=88160)tranny is doing the same thing and i thought about a 5 speed conversion, but i just got done with the v6 to 318 conversion, so i am done,lol, just getting a rebuild. and you will get use to driving with the manual trans. after a while. just remember to not ride the clutch or you will burn it up. and my v6 got around 17 to 18 mpg and 16 if i really stood on it, which was most of the time;)

yeah ive been thinking about the same thing, hehe wow with my V8 i can squeeze 19 out of it on the highway and about 14 in town.

Meh, the first stick I drove was my dads ford 9000 semi and let me tell you it was freakin awesome[sm=icon_rock.gif]

when im on the highway i criuse control it at 75

Talking about mpg. Mine 96 4x4 has a 3.9 and I am getting about 12.5 city and 15 to 16 hw. Grats on the truck, I just got mine about a month ago and loving it.

Yeah, like Airmanbeard said, feather the clutch on takeoff. After you get moving though shifting is best done like this: let off gas, press in clutch, shift gear, let off clutch COMPLETELY, press on gas. Letting off the clutch completely before pushing gas will save a LOT of wear on the clutch which equals less replacement. Of course, if you're racing it that method won't work that well [sm=badbadbad.gif], but that's for a different post.

he he if your racing it you wont be letting the clutch out slow and easy anyways. or if you drive like i do

Thanks for the advice guys. Is there anything else I should know about this truck? Like I said it only has 113k on it but is there anything I should look for or have looked at? It will be going to the dealer for a oil change on friday and they do a inspection anything specific I should have them look for?

is the truck a 2 tone? and is it 4 wheel drive?

It is 4 wheel drive. And it is red with some silver striping on front.

k, um well if the sripings only on the front then i donno, the 2 tones like mine and many others have a paint flaw in them that causes the 2nd tone paint to chip away.

any other tips or tricks on the stick? esp on the taking off part?