Greetings all,

I need your help! My son has a 2002 Dakota R/T with VIN# beginning with 1B7FL36Z... that he purchased used from a dealer this past January.

It's a nice truck, The car has a 5.9, is lowered, 17 in R/T rims, Limited slip Diff, Say Dakota R/T on the side, etc....even the title says "Dakota Sport / RT"

He is trying to trade it in, and another dealer is stating that "it is not an R/T" because the "L36" in the VIN# specifies that it is a "Dakota Sport".

The dealer says that it should be "L26Z" in order for it to be a R/T, and that this vehicle is just a Dakota Sport with a 5.9, but not an R/T ...WTF???? Is there such a thing??? Because he doesn't think it's an R/T, he's offering $2500 less than it should be....he even gave me a copy of the page out of his blackbook to justify his argument...see below

What's the real story???

Any help is appreciated....

Paul

local://upfiles/8308/D6C5CF8E0B354F85919DFA94AE3E4DDB.jpg

is it 4 wheel drive, i believe the only dakotas beside the r/ that came stock with a 5.9 were 4x4s

hope it all works out


edit* - and what do the stickers inside the door say, they might say r/t or sport or w/e it is

Thanks Tim,

Sorry, it's 2 wheel drive. The sticker inside the door does not designate trim level...but it does say 17X9 wheels...isn't that R/T's standard size?

Paul

yes i believe so, i know there 17s, and the r/t rim is very reconizable



maybe someone here with a carfax account can run the vin number for you or something and see whats up


good luck

Tim,

Yeah, my son says they ARE RT rims....

Already ran a carfax, comes back as "2002 Dodge Dakota Sport/RT", same as on the title.

Already told the dealer that, and he says he's going by what it says in the blackbook as the final authority...could it be wrong????

Anyone know a Tel # at Dodge where I might start my fact finding mission???

Paul

Local dealership?
Go to an auto parts store and grab a Chilton's manual (or Haynes, whatever they've got) and if there's an open one towards the front there should be a VIN key.

The 5.9 R/T only came as a 2 wheel drive truck. You can get the 5.9L in a 4x4 but it was only like a 2 yr model offer. Your truck should be an R/T. If CarFax came back as an R/T, I'd be asking to speak to the General Manager or possibly I'd walk from the dealership. Sounds like the salesman is trying to pull a fast one on you. I would definitely speak with the GM at the dealership and take the CarFax report with you. Not all the VIN #'s pull up correctly. I traded in my Dakota and they couldnt even pull up a make or model type for my Dakota. I owned a 2001 1/2 Dodge Dakota Motorsports Edition. It was a 1/2 yr make and it wasnt an SLT or Sport, it was somewhere in between. Had the sport wheels and sport body paint/styling, yet had all the SLT features too. Was a pain in the ass when I got rid of it.

are there anyother dealerships within your are that you could go to

My son called DCX directly; he was able to get through to someone who was able to look up the original info on the VIN. They confirmed that it was built and originally invoiced as an R/T, and are going to send us documents in the mail that prove it.

Thanks to all for your assistance...case closed (I hope!)...I guess this is first hand proof that what the VIN#'s designate isn't always accurate.

Paul

The 5.9 wasn't offered in anything but the R/T for 2wd was it?

ORIGINAL: horatio102

The 5.9 wasn't offered in anything but the R/T for 2wd was it?



Thats right. If a 2wd dakota had a 5.9L stock in it, then its a R/T. And as was said before, you COULD get a 5.9L in a 4X4 Dakota for a couple years and not be a R/T.

'Sorry I got to this late. It is an R/T... however the 'Sport R/T' part is wrong. No such animal. 17" wheels were only available on the R/T Dakota stock. Before you get ripped off by a dealer... tell him to put it in the 'for sale' section of Dakota R/T on Delphi forums. That's where the R/T hot rodders are. List all modifications, color, best ET (if known) etc.

I know for sure that if you go to the Dodge.com website, click under "Owners section" then check for recalls by simply putting in the VIN it tells you the year, style, trim, and if it has any outstanding recalls for that year ;)