17k-Mile 1990 Dodge Li’l Red Express Dakota Heads to Auction

No Reserve Retro Classic Pickup with Custom '90s Flair Ends July 9 on BaT

Robert S. Miller July 7, 2025

1990 Dodge Li'l Red Express Dakota. (BringATrailer).

If you’re a fan of throwback pickups with serious personality, there’s a rare gem now live on BringATrailer.com that deserves your attention. Up for grabs with no reserve is a 1990 Dodge Dakota Li’l Red Express conversion, showing just 17,000 original miles and sporting all the bold styling cues that made this limited run so memorable.

This truck isn’t a factory Li’l Red Express like the original late-‘70s Dodge models, but rather a custom package done around 1990 by LER Industries out of Edwardsburg, Michigan. Their conversion brings the heat with Colorado Red paint, gold stripes and lettering, diamond-plate trim, and iconic chrome exhaust stacks mounted just behind the cab. This one also features 15-inch Acra Voyager II wheels, tubular bumpers, and a step-side bed with fiberglass fenders, adding to the period-correct flair.

Under the hood, you’ll find a 3.9-liter fuel-injected V6 rated at 125 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, paired with a four-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the rear wheels. While it’s no street rod, it’s more than enough to cruise comfortably—and turn heads doing it. The air pump drive belt has been removed, which many enthusiasts consider a minor and common mod to ditch some emissions-era restrictions.

Inside, the red cloth bench seat, gray vinyl flooring, and original AM/FM/cassette stereo all remain in fantastic shape. There are Dakota-branded floor mats, slide-out cupholders, and even the original two-spoke steering wheel framing a 125-mph speedometer and tach. It’s all wonderfully ’90s, in the best possible way.

Recent maintenance includes the installation of new rear brake shoes in November 2022. A paint correction and ceramic coating have also been applied to maintain the bright red finish’s fresh appearance. The sale includes two keys, manufacturer’s literature, service records, a clean Carfax report, and a Pennsylvania antique title.

Best of all? There’s no reserve, so the highest bidder takes it home. Bidding ends Wednesday, July 9, at 3:35 p.m. EDT. If you’re into cool oddball trucks or grew up admiring the original Li’l Red Express, this Dakota is a time capsule worth watching.